Find the sweetest blackberries

Get picky - how to find the sweetest blackberries

The school hols are approaching their final hurrah, the days are growing a little shorter and there's a hint of autumn in the evening air. Better get out the Tupperware – it’s blackberry time again!

Blackberry-gathering expeditions often evoke a mixture of excitement and trepidation in younger members of the party. It’s great fun collecting the berries, using an umbrella to hold down the branches while a grown-up reaches for the topmost fruit. But children who are scared of wasps are in a constant state of high alert, ready to run screaming down the lane on hearing the familiar droning of their yellow and black striped nemesis.

Try telling them that the presence of wasps is no bad thing when it comes to blackberry picking – the insects are attracted by the natural sugars, a good indication that the berries are ripe and ready. Other signs of ripeness include a sweet smell, dark colour and slightly dull appearance. The berries should come away easily – if they cling onto the branch, try again in a day or two.

Blackberries, also known as brambles, are a useful source of dietary fibre and are rich in vitamin C and disease-busting antioxidants. And if you gather your own from the hedgerows, they’re free!

Actually they’re not technically “berries”, but aggregate fruit made up of multiple druplets, but as this article is about food and not botany, we’ll stick with the term “berries”.

The flavour varies from bush to bush – affected by lots of things including the soil, the position and type of plant and even the location of the berries on it. Those that ripen first are often the sweetest are the most tender, and can be enjoyed raw with just a sprinkling of sugar.

If you find a good source of lusciously sweet berries, make the most of them by using in fruit salads, jellies and summer puddings. Slightly sourer ones work better in cooking as they are better at keeping their flavour.

Remember not to gather them from near the ground because of the risk of soiling by animals. And never collect from near a busy road – polluted berries are to be avoided!

Even with the threat of wasps, it’s still worth the annual ritual of gathering sun-ripened blackberries, because they always taste better than those available in the supermarkets, which though bigger and more consistent in quality must withstand the rigours of transportation without becoming squashed or damaged. They also need to be sturdy enough to look good for a few days once they reach the shelves. To achieve all this they are often picked before they ripen and can taste disappointingly bland. Farm shops and independent food stores often have local berries, though – some grown on-site.

As long as you are not trespassing, there’s no law against helping yourself to blackberries for your own use, so get in the habit of carrying a container or strong plastic bag on country walks. Never completely strip the plants of berries, as animals, birds and other creatures (including wasps!) have just as much right to nature’s free grub as we do. It’s also nice to leave plenty for other pickers.

Children can be put off by the thorns so it’s worth kitting them out with gloves – the thin rubber ones are handy and take up no room in a pocket. Or you may like to check out some of our excellent local Surrey “pick your own” farms, such as Esher's Garsons Farm, which offer thornless varieties.

Freshly-gathered blackberries don’t stay in tip-top condition for very long. Always pick them on a dry day because damp berries soon go mouldy. Choose fruit that is soft but not mushy and transport gently to avoid damaging your fragile harvest.

If you’re not going to use them within a couple of days, freeze them. Wash them first by carefully tipping into a deep bowl of water and gently swishing around. After drying carefully by rolling on kitchen paper, “open freeze” on trays before transferring to containers ready to be incorporated into pies, puddings, muffins, smoothies and sauces, to name but a few uses. It’s not usually necessary to defrost them – for instance, add frozen berries to cooked apples before baking in a pie, toss into muffin mixture before spooning into cases or whiz up with yogurt and juice for a icily refreshing smoothie. They’re easier to handle when they’re frozen.

Take inspiration from Mother Nature when combining flavours in cooking. As well as going wonderfully well with other late summer fruits such as local Surrey apples and pears, slightly sour blackberries make the perfect accompaniment to the fresh, wild venison which starts to appear in shops in September. Make a simple sauce, or “jus”, from the pan juices by working in a little water, red wine and a knob of butter, then toss in a handful of fresh or frozen blackberries to warm through and release their juices. Spooned over the meat it makes a lovely seasonal dish.