blackberrys Vs Brambles

[Muscroj]

so how come.....

We inherited some beautifully maintained spike-less blackberry bushes when we moved into this house, now I've never been a fan of soft fruit, but I'm trying to grow to like them as we have a fab fruit garden. Anyway, I've just not been able to 'get' blackberrys these passed 2 summers, every-time I've tried them they are sour tasting & full of seeds. Yet I just spied some wild ripe brambles growing in my hedge, about 2 foot away from the blackberrys, picked one, popped it in, WOW sweet & delicious! So how come we can get it so wrong, how come we've taken a delicious wild fruit & made it so sour & uninspiring???

[MKG]

YOU haven't.

In typical fashion, the human race decided that prickly thorns were oh so nasty and therefore to be got rid of, whilst giving us big, fat berries. In typical fashion, the human race ingeniously succeeded in what they were trying to do. In typical fashion, the human race forgot that the important thing about blackberries was the taste.

Given any competition between a bramble and the insipid crap which is sold in yuppy garden centres, the bramble wins hands down.

Mike

[Derry]

i do wish they werent so prickly tho.. my arms are in shreds after clearing loads today!

[dave45]

Just bung them in pies/crumbles with a bit of sugar... lovely !

[Peggy Sue]

Just rememebr the gooseberries are far worse with their spikes, a few ripped layer sof skin from brambles are not so bad...really

Actually I gave some of my Autumn Bliss Raspberries to someone, thye were amazed how productive they were but dug them up beacuse they were too prickly

[Millymollymandy]

Raspberries aren't really prickly though are they, sure they're a bit rough but I don't wear anything protective when I'm picking and mine are in a big messy bunch and I have to get in there with bare arms to pick them and I don't get scratched at all.

It's much worse picking cucumbers and courgettes which I do try to remember to wear gloves, not only are the leaves prickly and irritating but the fruit have some seriously nasty spikes (cucs) or tiny hairs (courgettes) that just stick straight into your skin - OW! Even radish leaves can be prickly and nasty feeling!

Off brambling this arvo - I wear my nylony waterproof jacket as the brambles just can't stick to it. Sweat like a pig but it's better than getting my clothes all caught up!

[Peggy Sue]

Mobile sauna! You'll deserve your crumble after

[Millymollymandy]

Thankfully it wasn't too hot yesterday! No crumble yet, I'm trying to get enough for jelly. They seem to be ripening a bit late whereas lots of other fruit is ripening early.

[Mrs Moustoir]

Has anyone else found that this is the best year for brambles in ages? I picked a couple of kilos of berries yesterday and some of them are HUGE. Great big juicy berries which are now in my bramble jelly.

I have to watch the dog though as she loves them too and eats all the low fruits given half a chance. Not good for her digestion.