A late-summer ritual worth getting right

By late August, the hedgerows are heavy with blackberries. It is one of the great free harvests of the British year, and there is something deeply satisfying about filling a tub with fruit that cost nothing but a few scratches. The season runs from late July in the south to early October in the north, with the best-flavoured berries usually appearing after a spell of warm, dry weather. Pick on a dry morning once the dew has lifted. Berries gathered in the rain are watery and turn mouldy quickly.

Blackberries are generous, but they are not entirely without risk. Busy roads, dog-walking routes, sprayed verges and the occasional case of mistaken identity all mean it pays to slow down. A few simple habits will keep your picking safe and your kitchen full of crumbles, jam and cordial.

Identifying common brambles

The common bramble, Rubus fruticosus and its many close relatives, is the plant most of us mean by blackberry. Look for arching, thorny stems that root at the tips where they touch the ground. The leaves are usually divided into three or five toothed leaflets, dark green above and paler beneath. Flowers appear in summer as white or pale pink five-petalled blooms.

The fruit begins green, turns hard red, then deepens to black. A ripe blackberry is dull black, not shiny, and gives slightly when you pull it gently. It comes away with a soft white core inside. If the berry clings hard or is still red, leave it; it will be mouth-puckeringly sour. Raspberries, by contrast, pull off hollow, leaving the core on the plant. Dewberries are trailing relatives with fewer, larger drupelets and an earlier season, but they are also edible.

If you are not completely certain of a berry, do not eat it. Blackberries are distinctive, but hedgerows contain other dark fruits, and some are unpleasant or worse. Stick to plants you can identify with confidence, and avoid anything growing in low clusters that look like nightshade.

Pick away from busy roads and other hazards

The cleanest berries grow well away from traffic. Busy roads leave a fine film of exhaust particles, brake dust and tyre residue on roadside plants, so give main roads and laybys a wide berth. Railway land, private fields and council-sprayed verges are also best avoided. If in doubt, ask the landowner.

• Pick above knee height where possible. Low-hanging berries may have been visited by dogs.
• Avoid hedges that have been flailed or sprayed recently.
• Wear long sleeves, trousers, gardening gloves and sturdy boots. Brambles bite.
• Check for ticks afterwards, especially if you have been in long grass.
• Soak picked berries in cold salted water for ten minutes to draw out any small fruit fly larvae, then rinse well.

Only take what you will use, and leave plenty for birds, small mammals and next year’s crop. Brambles are a vital late-summer larder for wildlife.

From hedge to crumble

A blackberry and apple crumble is the simplest reward for a morning’s picking. You will need about 800g of blackberries, 1 large cooking apple peeled and chopped, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 200g plain flour, 100g cold butter, 75g caster sugar and 50g porridge oats.

Heat the oven to 180°C fan or gas mark 6. Toss the fruit with the 2 tbsp sugar and tip into a buttered ovenproof dish. For the topping, rub the cold butter into the flour until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar and oats, then scatter evenly over the fruit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until golden and bubbling at the edges. Let it sit for ten minutes before serving with custard, cream or ice cream. If your berries are sharp, add another spoonful of sugar.

Jams, cordials and other preserves

Blackberries make a softly set, intensely fruity jam. Use equal weights of fruit and preserving sugar. For 1kg of berries, add the juice of one lemon and simmer gently until the fruit collapses. Add 1kg of sugar, stir until dissolved, then boil rapidly for 10 to 15 minutes. Test for a set by dropping a little jam onto a cold saucer; if it wrinkles when pushed, it is ready. Pot into warm, sterilised jars. Makes about four jars.

For a cordial that captures the flavour of late summer, simmer 1kg of blackberries with 1 litre of water for 20 minutes. Mash the fruit, then strain through a muslin-lined sieve overnight. Return the liquid to the pan with 500g sugar and the juice of two lemons. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, simmer for five minutes, then bottle in sterilised bottles. Dilute one part cordial to five parts water or sparkling water. It keeps for several weeks in the fridge.

Freeze, share and leave some behind

Blackberries freeze beautifully. Spread them in a single layer on a tray, freeze until solid, then tip into bags. They will keep for up to a year and can be cooked straight from frozen. A handful dropped into porridge or a smoothie in January is a small taste of August.

Share your glut with neighbours, or swap jars of jam for other home-grown produce. And when you leave the hedgerow, take only a portion of what you find. The blackberry season is short, but the brambles themselves are generous. Tread lightly, pick carefully and enjoy the fruits of a very British late summer.