Photos and words by Rosie Barron-Cripps, writer and editor.
For generations, people have eagerly tramped over to nearby hedgerows in the later part of the summer, inspecting the dark green leaves and wiry bramble in search of the jewels of the countryside: blackberries.
Blackberries - an English country staple that stain the lips and fingers of hungry humans, and feed nature’s wild inhabitants every late summer - are sometimes known as ‘brambleberries’, for their attachment to the wild, twisting bramble bushes that dominate the hedgerows. With the land drenched by rain this summer - and with a few days of hot, bright sunshine - there has been an unfaltering supply of blackberries this year. You may still be picking yours!
In Cornish
Blackberries: Mor-du
Blackberry: Morenn-dhu
This humble country fruit can be stewed into jams, baked into pies, squeezed into cordials, or simply enjoyed plucked straight from the bramble (though it’s probably best to wash them first!).
All you’ll need is to arm yourself with a bag, basket or tub, and some sensible footwear for treading uneven ground. Be careful with little ones’ fingers, as the bushes can be prickly in parts, and stinging nettles are always in abundance! Be careful not to clear the whole bush of its fruit, for they feed plenty of wildlife and can also reseed for the following summer. Be careful not to trespass or pick from private property.
Evoking memories
One of my earliest childhood memories takes me back to walking hand-in-hand with my Granny and little sister, eagerly tugging dark black and red little jewels from the hedgerows near my grandparents’ house and dropping them into a tub to be taken home, popping some into our mouths as we went along. Afterwards, my Granny, a talented cook, would make a sweet and delicious summer pudding to have after dinner, and store others in the freezer to be boiled down into syrupy blackberry compotes - liquid gold!
That unmistakable earthy, sharp taste has the ability to bring back fleeting moments from your childhood that you might not have spared a thought for in years. Blackberries, in all delicious forms, are a hug in a bowl, a warm embrace of comfort, the chance to flick back to old recipes handed down by ancestors.
Did you know…
As autumn sweeps the last dust of summer under its leafy carpet, the remaining blackberries naturally go over and begin to rot. However, there’s an old legend that says that blackberries should be picked before ‘Old St Michael’s Day’ or ‘Michaelmas Day’ on 29th September. On this day, it’s said that the Devil spits on the fruit to spoil the berries. Mind you, we’re pretty sure any blackberries left on the bramble by this point probably wouldn’t taste very good - best to steer clear!
What to make…
Could anything be more perfect than a hot dish of bubbling blackberry crumble, straight out of the oven? Pour over custard, thick cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ultimate late summer treat, which, ever so slightly, echoes the first whispers of autumn in its flavours.
Apples, pears and plums all make wonderful crumble pairings with the humble brambleberry, and are perfectly in season.
What have you made with your blackberries? Email a photo and some details to rosie@life-media.co.uk
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