Wild berries this year..any hope

[Jeannine]

I am just wondering with all the rain, floods and lack of sunshine what will the berries be like this year.We usually pick brambles between out 2 birthdays,early Aug/mid Sept but they are still small and green here.

By the way has anyone noticed the berries on the Rowan trees?

Old wives tale I believe is, lots of Rowans, heavy winter, few berries  light winter.

What about the sloes too, I wonder if they are growing as the bees were not very plentiful in the rain.

XX Jeannine

[Jeannine]

[ACE]

Blackberries are plentiful down here. I made some blackberry vodka last weekend.

[greyhound]

We picked tons of wild cherries last year, but this year they have come to nothing.   :(

[Trixiebelle]

Loads of Rowanberries here. Blackberries are a mixture of 'overblown' and 'under-ripe'. Crazy ...

[tricia]

My usual blackberry hedge alongside the railway has virtually no berries to speak of and is totally overgrown with bindweed. We'll have to go further afield if I need any this year. I have more than a litre of juice in the freezer still - and a couple of packs of berries too, so no harvest this year - at least of blackberries is no biggie.

Tricia

[debster]

my nan always said the more berries on the tree means a hard winter so look out i was only telling my hubby and step kids this yesterday. blackberries very behind here too and im waiting on them love them

[Trevor_D]

I picked blackberries from the plot yesterday. They looked good, but the taste - very acid & unfruity! (Early days, perhaps? Sun is farecast for next week, so that might jolly things along a bit.)

Masses of sloes around. (Not ready yet, of course.)

And I know they're not berries, but the apples! We won't be short of apple jelly this winter!

[prink13]

Picked blakberries down in Gloucester yesterday - very yummy!!

Also loads of Rowan Berries around here, but none on my tree!!! >:(

[Trixiebelle]

Can you eat Rowanberries?

[prink13]

Trixiebelle,  see recipe below:

Rowan Jelly
Makes: 1.4 - 1.8kg (3 - 4lb)

900g (2lb) Rowan Berry
900g (2lb) Crab Apples
1.8lt (3 pints) Water
Sugar

Pick over the rowan berries, removing any stalks, wash if necessary, drying well.
Wash the whole crab apples, removing any bruised parts.
Place the fruit and just enough water to cover into a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 20 - 25 minutes, until tender.
Strain through a jelly bag or muslin cloth, allow about 4 hours for this, do not squeeze as this will cause the jelly to become cloudy.
Measure the volume of the liquid, add 450g (1lb) of sugar for each pint (600ml) of liquid.
Place the sugar in an ovenproof bowl and put it in the centre of a pre-heated oven for 10 - 15 minutes.
Place the juice back into a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar, stirring until fully dissolved.
Bring to the boil and cook rapidly for 10 - 15 minutes until the setting point is reached.
Skim the surface if necessary, allow to cool slightly then pot.

[Si]

Fantastic hoardes of raspberries, blackberries and damsons in both Bangor (Wales) and Buckingham (with early plums and damsons).

[legendaryone]

Blackberries are fine here in Notts, picked 2 pound yesterday and am going down the local nature reserve today to pick a few more, they will go to my first attept at blackberry wine  :)

[debster]

went blackberrying and got approx 6lbs in all and they are really big plump specimens that taste totally awesome!  8)