Happy Blackberry Season

Let the crumbles, pies and jams commence

Hello,

I hope you’re all having a lovely August weekend. Despite today’s rain (great for the garden, I’m not complaining) it’s been beautifully warm here these last few days, and I’ve slowed right down to Summer holiday pace finally. It always takes me until Summer is drawing to a close before I can finally start to remember everything I love about it. Then I have a last minute scramble to try and cram as many outdoor activities into late August and early September as possible.

But, that said, I’ve also noticed that the evenings are definitely getting a little cooler and darker recently and I can sense a clear change in the energy of the season. I’m not wishing the summer away, and Autumn isn’t here yet, but it’s definitely waiting in the wings.

Photo by micheile henderson on Unsplash

Which is why I wanted to write a quick note to my Seasonal Retreat Members today as I spotted the first blackberries in my garden this week! We’d been away for a few days (on a last minute panic-booked summer holiday; see above) and when we arrived back home we found a handful of ripe blackberries waiting for us in the garden. Cue much excitement, mainly from me. Blackberry season has begun!

Technically blackberries are a Summer fruit - they start to ripen in August and they can be enjoyed outdoors with ice-cream for many a day still to come, but because they continue to fruit into September they also somehow transform into a quintessentially Autumn fruit too. They’re a bit magic like that.

So, in celebration of this shape-shifting Summer / Autumn fruit I thought I’d share some Blackberry folklore with you today, as well as a recipe link at the end for a Blackberry crumble with an interesting twist.

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When to pick your blackberries?

Picking your blackberries is an art, shaped both by practical concerns (never pick near a road, always pick above dog-wee height!) and also if you’re like me, by ancient folklore superstitions. Because English folklore has plenty to say on the topic of blackberries. Both when to start picking and when to stop.

1. The first piece of folklore to respect is never pick the first blackberries of the season. These should be left on the bush for the fairy folk, and once they’ve been taken then you are welcome to pick yours. (Fairies or no, this is useful to remember, as the very first fruit of the season is likely to be sharp and bitter). I forgot this rule in my excitement this year and picked them all, and as I type this the first berries of the season are looking reproachfully at me from the kitchen table. I’m actually going to go and put a couple back outside now. Really don’t want to upset the fairy folk. Or the birds.

2. And the second is to never pick blackberries after Michaelmas Day on 29th September. Why? According to folklore, the Archangel Michael (he of Michaelmas Day fame) defeated the angel Lucifer on this day, and banished him from heaven. But when Lucifer he fell he landed in a thorny blackberry bush, so he cursed the fruit, rendering it inedible after this date. In some versions of this tale he spits on the blackberries, in others he stamps on them, but either way he makes them taste pretty unappealing. (Again, this is a useful date to remember as any fruit this late in the season is likely to be watery and mildewy.)

Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash

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So, now we’ve got our blackberry-picking folklore sorted, it’s time to go forth and enjoy the season!* And here’s a Blackberry crumble recipe to enjoy, courtesy of Olive Magazine. The recipe suggests adding bay leaves to the blackberries which I am intrigued and enticed by. Let me know if you try it!

Have a great weekend,

Vicky x

*Disclaimer: Please only pick fruit in the wild if you’re 100% sure you know what it is. If in doubt, don’t pick them wild, buy them from a shop instead. No shame in this, I do it often. And only forage on public land and if it’s clearly ok and safe to do so.

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