Early Blackberries
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- Tom Good
- Posts: 65
- Joined: Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:34 pm
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- Location: Colchester, Essex, England
Early Blackberries
I picked 300g of wild blackberries from the allotment last Friday (22nd July 2011).
I froze them, to stockpile gradually until I have enough to make jam!!!!
Early or what?!
I froze them, to stockpile gradually until I have enough to make jam!!!!
Early or what?!
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- Tom Good
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:05 pm
Re: Early Blackberries
very early
we started 2 weeks ago, so far have 7lb in the freezer for wine.
Love the fruit, hate the scratches
we started 2 weeks ago, so far have 7lb in the freezer for wine.
Love the fruit, hate the scratches
- red
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Location: Devon UK
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Re: Early Blackberries
started picking them here too. thought looking back on my blog... seems to be about the same time as previous years.
Red
I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
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I like like minded people... a bit like minded anyway.. well people with bits of their minds that are like the bits of my mind that I like...
my website: colour it green
etsy shop
blog
Re: Early Blackberries
Have just picked 5lb today from my field, it is definitely early for here. Normally I am not picking till mid August.
Sing like nobody's listening, live like there's no tomorrow, dance like nobody's watching and love like you've never been hurt.
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- Tom Good
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Fri May 27, 2011 10:09 pm
Re: Early Blackberries
I'm lots later than everyone so far, but got really excited to find the first ones here today (and someone told me where there are wild raspberries too)
- Millymollymandy
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Re: Early Blackberries
Nothing to pick here - they are so small and pathetic due to early drought that some berries only have about 3 or 4 blobs on them.
Thank god I now have those cultivated thornless ones, because they are enormous, taste sweet and fabulous and don't have that horrid hard centre that wild ones have. I'll have to wait for next year for a decent amount but I've seen and tasted them round my friend's and they are just amazing! Never liked the wild ones anyway, only any good for jelly but not for eating.
Thank god I now have those cultivated thornless ones, because they are enormous, taste sweet and fabulous and don't have that horrid hard centre that wild ones have. I'll have to wait for next year for a decent amount but I've seen and tasted them round my friend's and they are just amazing! Never liked the wild ones anyway, only any good for jelly but not for eating.
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, (thanks)
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- Tom Good
- Posts: 67
- Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:06 pm
- Location: Wigan, Lancashire
Re: Early Blackberries
I picked looooads down near my parent's house in Surrey at the weekend. I made smoothies with them, yummy!
- Thomzo
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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Re: Early Blackberries
I've just picked my first decent tubfull this year. Much earlier than last year, when I hardly had any at all.
Zoe
Zoe
- Millymollymandy
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 6:09 am
- Location: Brittany, France
Re: Early Blackberries
Obviously wasn't droughty enough in England then this spring. They are the one fruit which is not early this year either.
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, (thanks)
Re: Early Blackberries
Any idea what the variety name is MMM, and do they have a true blackberry taste.Millymollymandy wrote:Thank god I now have those cultivated thornless ones, because they are enormous, taste sweet and fabulous
I love blackberries and it's getting difficult for me to pick wild ones, but years ago I BOUGHT a punnet of some huge commercial blackberries (just to see what they tasted like) and I thought they were pretty much tasteless, very sweet, but tasteless.
That was several years ago mind and they probably have far better varieties now.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Re: Early Blackberries
Our brambles are still not ready yet and I have a row of jars in the kitchen just waiting to be filled with bramble jams and jellies!
Re: Early Blackberries
I already have a decent stock (of wild ones) in the freezer, and more are arriving constantly. By traditional standards, it's early - but I was collecting them at the same time last year too. I think we may have to adjust our perceptions of early.
And I'm with Odsox - the cultivated varieties don't have the same acidic background taste and therefore are merely sickly sweet. No good for winemaking, but then I'm a bit biassed in that direction.
Mike
And I'm with Odsox - the cultivated varieties don't have the same acidic background taste and therefore are merely sickly sweet. No good for winemaking, but then I'm a bit biassed in that direction.
Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
- Millymollymandy
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Re: Early Blackberries
I don't know unfortunately, they are just from a friend who seems to not know what any of her varieties of anything are.Odsox wrote:Any idea what the variety name is MMM, and do they have a true blackberry taste.Millymollymandy wrote:Thank god I now have those cultivated thornless ones, because they are enormous, taste sweet and fabulous
I love blackberries and it's getting difficult for me to pick wild ones, but years ago I BOUGHT a punnet of some huge commercial blackberries (just to see what they tasted like) and I thought they were pretty much tasteless, very sweet, but tasteless.
That was several years ago mind and they probably have far better varieties now.
I don't like wild blackberries, I don't like the taste (lack of), lack of sweetness and the nasty hard centre. I only use them for bramble jelly, never for crumbles or for eating as I find them really unpleasant. The cultivated ones on the other hand were just like eating giant raspberries (but with a different flavour if you know what I mean ).
But I suspect our very dry soil here means that our wild blackberries are not as good as they are in damper places, so I can't easily compare with 'good' wild ones.
Sorry I can't be any more helpful.
http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM, (thanks)
Re: Early Blackberries
That's a shame, but thanks MMM.
Our wild blackberries are always large, juicy and tasty with no hard centres at all, or most briars are.
The only problem is all the best ones are either out of reach, behind electric fences or just plain difficult to get to.
I was hoping you were going to tell me that modern commercial varieties are now the same as my wild ones, only bigger, juicier, tastier and thornless, especially as this winter I'm planting up a new soft fruit garden.
Edit to say that I suppose the answer is to find the biggest, tastiest wild one and take a cutting, but it goes against the grain a bit to actually plant brambles in my garden.
Our wild blackberries are always large, juicy and tasty with no hard centres at all, or most briars are.
The only problem is all the best ones are either out of reach, behind electric fences or just plain difficult to get to.
I was hoping you were going to tell me that modern commercial varieties are now the same as my wild ones, only bigger, juicier, tastier and thornless, especially as this winter I'm planting up a new soft fruit garden.
Edit to say that I suppose the answer is to find the biggest, tastiest wild one and take a cutting, but it goes against the grain a bit to actually plant brambles in my garden.
Tony
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
Disclaimer: I almost certainly haven't a clue what I'm talking about.
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- Tom Good
- Posts: 81
- Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:05 pm
Re: Early Blackberries
total so far is 50lb for wine.
although other half says i look like i self harm,
although other half says i look like i self harm,