There's a few things I want to know about blackberry picking myself. Would you recommend picking them if growing next to a quiet street in a residential area (as opposed to a busy road), or is there a potential for them to accumulate contaminants? Also, if the plant is inside someone's garden but easily reachable from the pavement (e.g. growing over a wall or through a fence), can I pick them, or are they the landowner's property?
I wouldn't pick them near a busy road, but a quiet lane with only occasional traffic, or the edge of a car park or something (where there isn't traffic constantly rumbling past) are places I would consider picking, if it seems clean - personal opinions are likely to vary on that, but I'll pick them there if they look good, and the berries and location look reasonably clean and uncontaminated. It's worth considering things like historical soil contamination from industrial use, and runoff of surface water from roads too. In the UK*, Legally, it's generally not stealing to pick (for personal use) the flowers, fruits and leaves of wild-growing plants** even if they are on property you don't own. If it's something the owner planted or cultivated, it's definitely theft to take them without permission. It's not necessarily clear when blackberries are wild or cultivated by the landowner (because 'cultivation' can be as simple as trimming the plant once a year and letting it be) so I generally err on the side of caution with that. If the blackberries are rooted in someone's garden and just poking through a wire fence (or reachable over the fence), I'll leave them. If it's the outside of a hedge around, say, a small commercial or office building, I'll pick them. If you're on private property, you could be committing trespass (a civil matter) and the landowner can tell you to leave, or take civil legal action against you if you're causing damage, but if you already picked a bucket of blackberries, I believe I am right in saying they cannot demand you hand them over. I've never had to confront this issue though because I tend to avoid such situations. *The law is slightly different in Scotland vs England and Wales, but the principles are similar. **Some plant species have special protection such as if they are endangered, so it's not OK to pick those, but blackberries are not in that category.
Worst case, knock on the door and ask if you can pick some berries. As my mum used to say "Don't ask don't get". I'd hope most people wouldn't object as long as it's not stripped bare and some left for nature.
@@AtomicShrimp We have a 'Right To Roam' here in Scotland (which one of my former neighbours tried to use to access my garden, and I used to prove that he was wrong). However, that right does 'not' extend to agricultural fields, private gardens, and school grounds - so you can't enter 'into' any of those places without the landowner's permission. Still, there are plenty of quiet country road verges where brambles, sloes, rose heps, hazels and even damsons will grow (I have a nice crop of damsons just ripening along a verge near me now - yummy!) I think Norfolk is by far the very best place in Britain for wild fruit along road verges. I never saw so many wild apple trees and other fruits as I did when I lived there, hedgerows absolutely burdened. And only ever saw one other person foraging it. If you were smart, you'd never have to buy fruit at all in the latter part of the year in Norfolk. Shame that so much of it goes to waste, but then so many people have been successfully trained to trust nothing unless it comes out of a smart plastic box from the supermarket for astounding sums of money. Their loss.
@@cbrooke879 yeah, I suppose there's a judgment call to make on that too - err on the side of courtesy - I wouldnt knock on the door at a mealtime for example. I suppose another thing is to offer to pick some for the person you're asking.
It's such an absolute joy that Jenny is no longer avoiding the camera. Jenny, you are a highlight of this channel. Hope to see you many more times in future. 😁
Thank you Mr Shrimp for another lovely nature video. During the times I am confined to my home, "going for a walk" with you guys is such a treat. All the wild plants I love so much, hedge- bothering and foraging. And afterwards, the cooking. Great fun!
9:25 - When walking my dogs along our usual route, I decided to hide in the long grass to see what they'd do if they couldn't see me. I was amazed at the intelligence of the boxer dog who, after panicking for a bit, went and stood at the entrance to the field, as she knew I'd have to pass through there to get out. Of course my deafblind spaniel just followed her nose and found me within a minute.
After watching this channel for a couple of years, I can't imagine Jenny "shouting" anything other than "FIRE"! She's the type of graceful lady I aspire to be. Edit: It makes me indescribably happy to hear "It's nice" whenever there is a taste test with you two.
There’s just something so nostalgic and British as the humble blackberry. Blackberry pie, crumble, fool, jam etc. Reminds me of childhood memories picking with my school friends and taking our prize to my mother to Russel up a treat! Thank you Mr Shrimp for the innocent memories xxx
Lol when Shrimp replies to Eva's "Hey, daddy, we're over here" bark with "Yeah, I know." Also he got philosophical about being "fussy" about picking blackberries...as you should! Luv ya, Mr. Shrimp!
We get to see Jenny, I am so happy she is more comfortable around the camera. She is such a sweet woman, and gorgeous as well! Love to you both and thanks for the blackberry dessert idea!
Your Blackberry fool looks super scrummy. What a lovely space you have around you to be able to go blackberry picking and get such a lovely amount. That looked heaps of fun. 😊
We're covered in blackberries over here (Oregon Coast). Unfortunately, it's the kind that has the nastiest thorns imaginable. Still tastes good though. I've seen where people will make a special tool out of pvc pipe. They'll cut a fork in one end to grab the berries without getting into the bramble. The berries will then roll down the pipe into a bag tied to the other end.
As kids we used to borrow my granddad's walking stick to hook the branches and pull them down or across so we could reach. There used to be a large patch of waste ground nearby and it was full of brambles. We were so disappointed when the council ''improved'' it with grass and concrete paths! We had to be quick though as he only had one leg and couldn't be without his stick for too long.
This is such a lovely idea-taking full on advantage of the environment around you to appreciate the unique features it has. It was a wonderful video to watch
Lovely blackberries this year, filling the freezer up nicely. Plenty for jam, porridge topping and blackberry brandy at Christmas. It takes twice as long for me to pick them now though ever since your video where you pointed out the colour difference where the fruit meets the stalk i check each one, once you know you can't unknow!
You are so very lucky, the amount of blackberries you both picked would cost about £40 combined in the supermarket. Also I love a fruit fool, and that one looked delicious! 😋
Please don't be mad at me, but I was really rooting for Jenny in this competition. I just had the feeling she would have a slight edge on you in the tub filling. Well done, Jenny! :) I really love blackberries so I'm going to have to go on my own blackberry hunt now I know they're in season. I would like to try your recipe as well. Thanks for another lovely video. :)
What a lovely video! I'm fortunate to live near an old railway line that has been converted into a walkway, and there are an abundance of blackberries all along there. If I was to make the Fool though, I may need to substitute the cream with yoghurt though as I can't eat cream sadly. But the additions of the granola and creme de cassis were fabulous to add texture. Congratulations Jenny on your victory!
Honestly this channel is my absolute favorite. I wholeheartedly enjoy your meal times with Jenny, it's rare to see a TH-cam video involving a meal with a spouse much less wild harvesting the ingredients to share. Atomic Shrimp is a rare gem. Thank you.
You no what your such nice down to earth people. You do the simple things in life the things that we take for granted but you appreciate these things. Your so humble and gentle and just lovely people! Love watching your videos and it makes me think about the simple things I could do to really enjoy life. BlackBerry picking was something I loved doing as a kid we made jam with the blackberries. Because of you lovely two I’m going to take my kids blackberry picking they’ll love it 😊 x
Blackberry picking with my daughter this year was the easiest foraging ever - the blackberries are so abundant! I presume the extremely hot June followed by the mild & sometimes damp July/August have been the perfect conditions. We cooked our blackberries with apple & enjoyed with ice-cream/custard. It also freezes brilliantly well.
Hi Jenny, Mike and Eva. Great fun! We use a short rectangle of plywood to put over the edge if the bush to allow us to get a bit closer to the ones out of reach. They are a big weed problem here in south eastern Australia particularly along river and creek banks. They are absolutely delicious though! One of our dogs loves blackberries and raspberries. Your blackberry fool looks fabulous!
😊 been enjoying the videos for a few years now. I just love the virility of the videos and the realism of them. The competition ones are nice and relaxing to watch
Well done Jenny! I was picking blackberries the other day (I freeze them and use them on porridge) and looked up the nutrients One cup of blackberries (144g) provides 62 calories, 2g of protein, 13.8g of carbohydrates, and 0.7g of fat. Blackberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and manganese. This nutrition information is provided by the USDA Calories: 62 Fat: 0.7g Sodium: 1mg Carbohydrates: 13.8g Fiber: 7.6g Sugars: 7g Protein: 2g Potassium: 233.3mg Magnesium: 28.8mg Vitamin C: 30.2mg Folate (B9) : 36mcg Vitamin E: 1.7mg Vitamin K: 28.5mcg So I try to stuff a few handfuls in every time I see them!
Lovely video! Partner and I picked a huge tub full of blackberries the other day and made a blackberry cheesecake out of them. Was so good! They really are in peak season right now.
I have a blackberry hedge, and until 2 years ago picked berries in plenty, then our whisky distillery built a giant car park next to our house, and my hedge is now the campervan park border😢. So no blackberries....... but lots of litter, vehicle fumes, campervan effluent........... so your advice on checking the environment before picking is very sound. From one side, my blackberry hedge looks like a berry pickers dream, but look the other side and....🤮. Anyway.... look before you pick! Enjoyed the competition very much... lovely to see Jenny again😊 Many thanks😊❤
You are indeed very lucky to have wonderful blackberries all over that grow so well and can be picked for free. I am attempting to start a berry orchard on my property and put two bushes in the ground this year. Let's just say they are struggling a bit. Next spring, I think I will plant more bushes in raised beds with a watering system.
Thanks for another beautiful and comfy video. I’m screaming “snip a bit of mint from the garden and put on top of those beautiful deserts” towards the end there, I suppose you didn’t hear me on the other side of the globe haha.
When my family went blackberry picking we used to take grandpa's walking stick with us. It had a hooked handle to use for reaching out of reach branches.
I found a lovely spot that seemingly hardly anyone else had picked from, so rich pickings. I made a seedless blackberry and chili jam, and it's wonderful :-)
@@debbiehenri345 I'm not sure if there's a right or wrong way to do it, as I winged it. I finely chopped the chilies, and added them to the prepared seedless blackberry juicy sugary stuff, prior to getting it up to temperature for setting point. The lovely taste of the blackberries and a bit of lemon juice, and a nice slow starter tingle 🙂
@@countesscable likewise, I'd never heard of it until recently. I got a jar from Aldi of Jalapeno Jam, which is great with Ham and Cheese haha. So I thought I'd like to have a go, but used chilies with a much higher Scoville heat unit. I'm tempted to go and get another load freeze them and wait for some apples ;-)
I cringed when you started stepping in to the bushes - I was blackberry picking on Vancouver Island 3 weeks ago, and stepped too close to a Bald Face Hornet nest. Only got two stings but lost all my berries with the flailing - I made up the deficit, however, at a patch farther down the track.
I am so jealous! I used to pick blackberries in the park near me, but in recent years the council come around and cut the hedges back just as the blackberries are setting fruit. Gutted! I used to freeze them and make blackberry and apple pies and crumbles. I may be tempted to go out and look again once I get my apple trees started, or I may just make apple and elderberry, or apple and honeyberry, or perhaps even apple and fuschia berry pies.
It's lovely to find that I am not the only one that finds real contentment in picking blackberries. All foraging is fun, but thete is something about blackberries.
I was happier than a pig in mud when I found a single small blackberry bush on my exhausting 3 hour walk yesterday. The location in this video is just mindblowing. 😄
Good on ya! It is blackberry season here too, so long as it doesn't rain. Right now my driveway is ripe and about 12' (4m) high. Those mongo berries can be reached with a bit of trimming (going to hack it down anyway) and a stick to draw the vine down to within reach. PS- cooking down 2 litres now for a pancake sauce (and whatever probably some protein tomorrow- great on fish!), took about 10 minutes to pick. It will rain soon and the berries will rot just after, so I take the whole stem and pick the ripe fruits indoors away from the prickles.
Unfortunately, my only experience of being around horses is when I went to a horse ranch as a child, and ended up disturbing a ground hornets nest. I got stung 52 times, including my eyelid.
Congratulations Jenny! When I lived in England, I did not consider myself so lucky to have an abundance of blackberries even in my back garden, but here in Japan, where they do not grow in the wild, they are very scarce. However, we do grow a plant in our garden and this year, I was able to eat about two fruits so far. This is actually already an improvement on last year's harvest. I am sure other people do a better job but it is not very common.
Ah, this takes me back to the days of being able to roam the lane behind the house. Being roughly in central Michigan, we had Black Raspberries growing all along the lane. Sweet and tart, perfect for ice cream, preserves, or pancakes!
There is a theory that brambles are carnivorous. The thorns curve backwards, preventing you from pulling away - rather than outwards like rose thorns. Sheep have been known to get tangled in blackberry thickets and eventually they end up fertilising the soil under the plant.
Where I live there is a stretch of land which is the old railway sidings and it has lovely blackberries. I went over with my young 5&7 grandsons and picked 2 huge dishes of them. They were really sweet and juicy and made an awesome pie. There are still loads there for others to pick and enjoy.
You're missing a trick there, Mike. Those far away blackberries could be all yours, with the simple expedient known as a walking stick. It massively increases your harvest. I'd also recommend thick trousers, and a thorn proof long sleeved shirt. When we got home, we always used to bung them in lightly salted water for a few minutes to _encourage_ any resident critters to move out.
I grew up in southern New Jersey, an area known for its wild blueberries. I remember one of the first times I heard my father swear was when we were out blueberry picking: we had gotten all the easy berries, but there were some beautiful ones just out of reach, a few feet into the bushes. My dad went in to reach them: he didn't want me pushing through and getting ticks. He ended up stepping in a yellow-jacket nest in the middle of the bushes. I was lucky not to get stung, but he wasn't able to avoid it.
Enjoying this new video-concept as much as most of the other videos you do (very much!), and the Blackberry Fools looked amazing but my partner and I were mystified by the bowl of... fruit? vegetable? on the dining room table. Still are, hope to be enlightened by what those are/were. XD
I have been picking blackberries for about 14 years now (apart from through covid). I always feel protective over "my patch"! Its a lovely thing to do with the kids, giving them memories for the future of nice family times. Kind of like a family tradition. Ive made some jam and blackberry baked oats so far. How about some foraging for crab apples? Ive never made the jelly but would like to, with a tutorial from you it will be great motivation!
My dad always made us wear a belt, and then we would put the belt through the handle of our bucket. That way we could pick with two hands and we didn’t drop our buckets. I love a berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. So worth a few scratches.
I live near a wild park that has wild brambles that are at least a century old, or maybe 150 years. They just keep refruiting year after year. They are amazing. I've been picking them for over forty years. Huge berries and the sweetest I've ever had, supermarket supplies cannot remotely compare, even M&S or Waitrose. We've had a couple of bad years because of lack of rain but this year was good but they're all gone, the wild field mice and birds get most of them and the park is so wild in places you can't get in there. There are swathes of huge nettles, but luckily plenty of mature dock too. Did you know its actually quite common for sheep to die from getting stuck to bramble bushes, the poor silly things.
Berry picking is fun, though have to watch out of the thorns they have. Now can get thornless Blackberries and goats are the natural way to get rid of a patch👍😁😊
To buy blackberries where I live in Queensland, Australia, 125grams (4.04 ounces) cost between $7.50 - $8.00 AUD. At this price they are a rare treat. My husband works on a pineapple farm and the blackberries grow wild, however he rarely gets to pick any as the farm owner sprays them as they are considered a pest/ invasive weed. We have had some wild ones though, very delicious.🙂
There's a few things I want to know about blackberry picking myself. Would you recommend picking them if growing next to a quiet street in a residential area (as opposed to a busy road), or is there a potential for them to accumulate contaminants? Also, if the plant is inside someone's garden but easily reachable from the pavement (e.g. growing over a wall or through a fence), can I pick them, or are they the landowner's property?
I wouldn't pick them near a busy road, but a quiet lane with only occasional traffic, or the edge of a car park or something (where there isn't traffic constantly rumbling past) are places I would consider picking, if it seems clean - personal opinions are likely to vary on that, but I'll pick them there if they look good, and the berries and location look reasonably clean and uncontaminated. It's worth considering things like historical soil contamination from industrial use, and runoff of surface water from roads too.
In the UK*, Legally, it's generally not stealing to pick (for personal use) the flowers, fruits and leaves of wild-growing plants** even if they are on property you don't own. If it's something the owner planted or cultivated, it's definitely theft to take them without permission. It's not necessarily clear when blackberries are wild or cultivated by the landowner (because 'cultivation' can be as simple as trimming the plant once a year and letting it be) so I generally err on the side of caution with that. If the blackberries are rooted in someone's garden and just poking through a wire fence (or reachable over the fence), I'll leave them. If it's the outside of a hedge around, say, a small commercial or office building, I'll pick them.
If you're on private property, you could be committing trespass (a civil matter) and the landowner can tell you to leave, or take civil legal action against you if you're causing damage, but if you already picked a bucket of blackberries, I believe I am right in saying they cannot demand you hand them over. I've never had to confront this issue though because I tend to avoid such situations.
*The law is slightly different in Scotland vs England and Wales, but the principles are similar.
**Some plant species have special protection such as if they are endangered, so it's not OK to pick those,
but blackberries are not in that category.
Worst case, knock on the door and ask if you can pick some berries. As my mum used to say "Don't ask don't get". I'd hope most people wouldn't object as long as it's not stripped bare and some left for nature.
@@AtomicShrimp We have a 'Right To Roam' here in Scotland (which one of my former neighbours tried to use to access my garden, and I used to prove that he was wrong).
However, that right does 'not' extend to agricultural fields, private gardens, and school grounds - so you can't enter 'into' any of those places without the landowner's permission.
Still, there are plenty of quiet country road verges where brambles, sloes, rose heps, hazels and even damsons will grow (I have a nice crop of damsons just ripening along a verge near me now - yummy!)
I think Norfolk is by far the very best place in Britain for wild fruit along road verges. I never saw so many wild apple trees and other fruits as I did when I lived there, hedgerows absolutely burdened.
And only ever saw one other person foraging it.
If you were smart, you'd never have to buy fruit at all in the latter part of the year in Norfolk. Shame that so much of it goes to waste, but then so many people have been successfully trained to trust nothing unless it comes out of a smart plastic box from the supermarket for astounding sums of money.
Their loss.
@@cbrooke879 yeah, I suppose there's a judgment call to make on that too - err on the side of courtesy - I wouldnt knock on the door at a mealtime for example. I suppose another thing is to offer to pick some for the person you're asking.
@AtomicShrimp 100% all in all I think the good old common sense approach as ever is the right course of action.
It's such an absolute joy that Jenny is no longer avoiding the camera. Jenny, you are a highlight of this channel. Hope to see you many more times in future. 😁
Best moment of the video:
12:28 “did you eat some poo?”
Eva looks over her shoulder as if to say “yeah, so what if I did?” 🤣
😆 🤣 😂 🐕
Always nice to see Jenny getting involved in your videos Mike 👍
Thank you. You and Jenny brought back a beautiful memory of racing with my grandmother to fill our buckets. She has been gone for 60 years.
With a bucket full each of fresh blackberries, and that dessert, oh my... you both win
I love blackberrying. They're Not quite ready here in my part of North Wales tho.
Great to see that Jenmy is becoming more fond of appearing in the videos! Great content, long may it continue :)
I'm so happy to see Jenny being more comfortable on camera. You are both lovely people, that i wish i knew. Love from a cottage in Denmark 💜💜💜💜💜
2:49
*Eva:* Yap, yap!
*Shrimp:* Yeah, I know!
😂
Thank you Mr Shrimp for another lovely nature video. During the times I am confined to my home, "going for a walk" with you guys is such a treat. All the wild plants I love so much, hedge- bothering and foraging. And afterwards, the cooking. Great fun!
I’m always impressed at how steady the camera is on these nature rambles.
9:25 - When walking my dogs along our usual route, I decided to hide in the long grass to see what they'd do if they couldn't see me. I was amazed at the intelligence of the boxer dog who, after panicking for a bit, went and stood at the entrance to the field, as she knew I'd have to pass through there to get out.
Of course my deafblind spaniel just followed her nose and found me within a minute.
After watching this channel for a couple of years, I can't imagine Jenny "shouting" anything other than "FIRE"! She's the type of graceful lady I aspire to be.
Edit: It makes me indescribably happy to hear "It's nice" whenever there is a taste test with you two.
Shrimp: Do you like?
Jenny: Mmmm!
@@Pinkstinkie yes! That too.
There’s just something so nostalgic and British as the humble blackberry. Blackberry pie, crumble, fool, jam etc. Reminds me of childhood memories picking with my school friends and taking our prize to my mother to Russel up a treat! Thank you Mr Shrimp for the innocent memories xxx
It's so cute how you cheers'ed your buckets together at the beginning. Your dessert looks lovely, it's so nice you have such abundant blackberries.
Lol when Shrimp replies to Eva's "Hey, daddy, we're over here" bark with "Yeah, I know." Also he got philosophical about being "fussy" about picking blackberries...as you should! Luv ya, Mr. Shrimp!
We get to see Jenny, I am so happy she is more comfortable around the camera. She is such a sweet woman, and gorgeous as well! Love to you both and thanks for the blackberry dessert idea!
That dessert looks absolutely delicious. I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos. Sending love to you both and Eva 😘
Your Blackberry fool looks super scrummy. What a lovely space you have around you to be able to go blackberry picking and get such a lovely amount. That looked heaps of fun. 😊
Congratulations Jenny! It's nice to see you both enjoying the spoils of your victory. And thanks for taking us along with you! 😊
We're covered in blackberries over here (Oregon Coast). Unfortunately, it's the kind that has the nastiest thorns imaginable. Still tastes good though. I've seen where people will make a special tool out of pvc pipe. They'll cut a fork in one end to grab the berries without getting into the bramble. The berries will then roll down the pipe into a bag tied to the other end.
That's clever. The best ones are always far out of reach here 😅
We just used a bent nail on the end of a long broom handle to snag and pull the out of reach ones closer.
That Selfmade Picking tool sounds like a good idea! 👍
That sounds genius! Here in BC we have the same vicious thorny types - as well as hornets and wasps.
As kids we used to borrow my granddad's walking stick to hook the branches and pull them down or across so we could reach. There used to be a large patch of waste ground nearby and it was full of brambles. We were so disappointed when the council ''improved'' it with grass and concrete paths! We had to be quick though as he only had one leg and couldn't be without his stick for too long.
This is such a lovely idea-taking full on advantage of the environment around you to appreciate the unique features it has. It was a wonderful video to watch
Lovely blackberries this year, filling the freezer up nicely. Plenty for jam, porridge topping and blackberry brandy at Christmas. It takes twice as long for me to pick them now though ever since your video where you pointed out the colour difference where the fruit meets the stalk i check each one, once you know you can't unknow!
You are so very lucky, the amount of blackberries you both picked would cost about £40 combined in the supermarket. Also I love a fruit fool, and that one looked delicious! 😋
And the supermarket ones wouldn't taste as good.
Please don't be mad at me, but I was really rooting for Jenny in this competition. I just had the feeling she would have a slight edge on you in the tub filling. Well done, Jenny! :) I really love blackberries so I'm going to have to go on my own blackberry hunt now I know they're in season. I would like to try your recipe as well. Thanks for another lovely video. :)
we need to buy Atomic a body belt for his camera, and give him a fair chance 😂
Maybe he's resourceful enough to make his own body mount for the camera?
@@edtuckerartist well that's next week's show done ; )
This is a perfect excuse to buy a selfie drone…
What a lovely video! I'm fortunate to live near an old railway line that has been converted into a walkway, and there are an abundance of blackberries all along there. If I was to make the Fool though, I may need to substitute the cream with yoghurt though as I can't eat cream sadly. But the additions of the granola and creme de cassis were fabulous to add texture. Congratulations Jenny on your victory!
Poor old doggie must have been super envious 😡 Could have at least prepared him a bowl of rabbit droppings 🥹
brambles are a gift from god, especially under the influence of herbal remedies in a field w a bunch of mates and eating them straight from the bush
Honestly this channel is my absolute favorite. I wholeheartedly enjoy your meal times with Jenny, it's rare to see a TH-cam video involving a meal with a spouse much less wild harvesting the ingredients to share. Atomic Shrimp is a rare gem. Thank you.
Seeing Jenny's face made me happy :3
I absolutely LOVE the challenges you two come up with. It's the perfect war scenario.
I am loving these competitions. And my goodness, that blackberry fool looked incredible.
Loved this. Thank you for brightening a dreary Winter evening (in New Zealand).
You no what your such nice down to earth people. You do the simple things in life the things that we take for granted but you appreciate these things. Your so humble and gentle and just lovely people! Love watching your videos and it makes me think about the simple things I could do to really enjoy life. BlackBerry picking was something I loved doing as a kid we made jam with the blackberries. Because of you lovely two I’m going to take my kids blackberry picking they’ll love it 😊 x
Blackberry picking with my daughter this year was the easiest foraging ever - the blackberries are so abundant! I presume the extremely hot June followed by the mild & sometimes damp July/August have been the perfect conditions. We cooked our blackberries with apple & enjoyed with ice-cream/custard. It also freezes brilliantly well.
That sounds delicious👍
Your videos put me into such a serene, down to earth mindset. Love them. Thank you!
Hi Jenny, Mike and Eva. Great fun! We use a short rectangle of plywood to put over the edge if the bush to allow us to get a bit closer to the ones out of reach. They are a big weed problem here in south eastern Australia particularly along river and creek banks. They are absolutely delicious though! One of our dogs loves blackberries and raspberries.
Your blackberry fool looks fabulous!
You two make me look forward to the day when I'll find someone I can have friendly little competitions with :)
10 / 10 wholesome making the best of life video. def do again :)
We've been using our blackberries for quick pies. Might try to find some leftover ones and make ice cream out of them.
Those blackberries look amazing, looks like the two of you had a lot of fun together. Your dessert looked very delicious!
They look delicious. The ones I picked weren't quite so well timed so I'm making wine from them...really tasty and ready just in time for Christmas.
😊 been enjoying the videos for a few years now. I just love the virility of the videos and the realism of them. The competition ones are nice and relaxing to watch
Well done Jenny!
I was picking blackberries the other day (I freeze them and use them on porridge) and looked up the nutrients
One cup of blackberries (144g) provides 62 calories, 2g of protein, 13.8g of carbohydrates, and 0.7g of fat. Blackberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, and manganese. This nutrition information is provided by the USDA
Calories: 62
Fat: 0.7g
Sodium: 1mg
Carbohydrates: 13.8g
Fiber: 7.6g
Sugars: 7g
Protein: 2g
Potassium: 233.3mg
Magnesium: 28.8mg
Vitamin C: 30.2mg
Folate (B9) : 36mcg
Vitamin E: 1.7mg
Vitamin K: 28.5mcg
So I try to stuff a few handfuls in every time I see them!
Lovely video! Partner and I picked a huge tub full of blackberries the other day and made a blackberry cheesecake out of them. Was so good! They really are in peak season right now.
Good timing! I was out picking blackberries next to the Thames this morning. Made a compote to put on yoghurt.
The blackberries have been so good this year with all the rain. So plump and delicious
Love the friendly competition videos.
Whatever you do, do not present the king with a blackberry fool. Of offer the librarian a banana😂
Well done Mrs Shrimp, everyone's a winner with Atomic Shrimp.
Thanks for sharing.
I have made several jars of bramble jelly this summer, great with cold meat and will try to make blackberry ice cream .
I have a blackberry hedge, and until 2 years ago picked berries in plenty, then our whisky distillery built a giant car park next to our house, and my hedge is now the campervan park border😢. So no blackberries....... but lots of litter, vehicle fumes, campervan effluent........... so your advice on checking the environment before picking is very sound. From one side, my blackberry hedge looks like a berry pickers dream, but look the other side and....🤮. Anyway.... look before you pick! Enjoyed the competition very much... lovely to see Jenny again😊 Many thanks😊❤
I am salivating watching you prepare the fool ! 😋
It would be interesting to see you do a Blackberry wine and / or cider.
or a blackberry liqueur. Would save buying cassis.
As a kid growing up in the suburbs we had woods that were filled with blackberry bushes. Summers we'd spend hours eating right off the vine.
You are indeed very lucky to have wonderful blackberries all over that grow so well and can be picked for free.
I am attempting to start a berry orchard on my property and put two bushes in the ground this year. Let's just say they are struggling a bit. Next spring, I think I will plant more bushes in raised beds with a watering system.
Winner,winner blackberry dessert winner 🏆 Thanks Mike n Jenny 🤗
Thanks for another beautiful and comfy video. I’m screaming “snip a bit of mint from the garden and put on top of those beautiful deserts” towards the end there, I suppose you didn’t hear me on the other side of the globe haha.
When my family went blackberry picking we used to take grandpa's walking stick with us. It had a hooked handle to use for reaching out of reach branches.
Well done Jenny. Just too good for the competition!
Lovely stuff. Going picking soon, will try to copy this!
Looks absolutely delicious. Definitely a nice treat using Jersey cream. Well played, Jenny
That looks absolutely beautiful Shrimp. Blackberries are my favourite.
I found a lovely spot that seemingly hardly anyone else had picked from, so rich pickings.
I made a seedless blackberry and chili jam, and it's wonderful :-)
Chili? In jam? ...That sounds interesting.
chilli jam is quite popular lately@@debbiehenri345
Ah! Now that sounds interesting!
@@debbiehenri345 I'm not sure if there's a right or wrong way to do it, as I winged it.
I finely chopped the chilies, and added them to the prepared seedless blackberry juicy sugary stuff, prior to getting it up to temperature for setting point.
The lovely taste of the blackberries and a bit of lemon juice, and a nice slow starter tingle 🙂
@@countesscable likewise, I'd never heard of it until recently.
I got a jar from Aldi of Jalapeno Jam, which is great with Ham and Cheese haha.
So I thought I'd like to have a go, but used chilies with a much higher Scoville heat unit.
I'm tempted to go and get another load freeze them and wait for some apples ;-)
I cringed when you started stepping in to the bushes - I was blackberry picking on Vancouver Island 3 weeks ago, and stepped too close to a Bald Face Hornet nest. Only got two stings but lost all my berries with the flailing - I made up the deficit, however, at a patch farther down the track.
Bugger the blackberries... I just want some of that Jersey Double Whipped Cream!
... actually... errr... apologies Shrimp!!! It's just that blackberries are regarded as a noxious invasive weed down here in Australia.
No need to apologise. We have invasive introduced species here, so I know what a pain it can be!
I picked some about a week ago, but I made blackberry wine with mine. :)
I am so jealous! I used to pick blackberries in the park near me, but in recent years the council come around and cut the hedges back just as the blackberries are setting fruit. Gutted! I used to freeze them and make blackberry and apple pies and crumbles. I may be tempted to go out and look again once I get my apple trees started, or I may just make apple and elderberry, or apple and honeyberry, or perhaps even apple and fuschia berry pies.
It's lovely to find that I am not the only one that finds real contentment in picking blackberries. All foraging is fun, but thete is something about blackberries.
I was happier than a pig in mud when I found a single small blackberry bush on my exhausting 3 hour walk yesterday. The location in this video is just mindblowing. 😄
Good on ya! It is blackberry season here too, so long as it doesn't rain. Right now my driveway is ripe and about 12' (4m) high. Those mongo berries can be reached with a bit of trimming (going to hack it down anyway) and a stick to draw the vine down to within reach.
PS- cooking down 2 litres now for a pancake sauce (and whatever probably some protein tomorrow- great on fish!), took about 10 minutes to pick. It will rain soon and the berries will rot just after, so I take the whole stem and pick the ripe fruits indoors away from the prickles.
Amature, bucket goes on belt, pick with two hands! You will grab a few thorns but always remember to push you hand forward.
takes me back to my childhood of gathering raspberries to make jam with my granny and getting menaced by the horses who lived in the field we went to
Unfortunately, my only experience of being around horses is when I went to a horse ranch as a child, and ended up disturbing a ground hornets nest. I got stung 52 times, including my eyelid.
@@NecromancyForKidsgood heavens! That sounds awful!
Congratulations Jenny!
When I lived in England, I did not consider myself so lucky to have an abundance of blackberries even in my back garden, but here in Japan, where they do not grow in the wild, they are very scarce. However, we do grow a plant in our garden and this year, I was able to eat about two fruits so far. This is actually already an improvement on last year's harvest. I am sure other people do a better job but it is not very common.
Ah, this takes me back to the days of being able to roam the lane behind the house. Being roughly in central Michigan, we had Black Raspberries growing all along the lane. Sweet and tart, perfect for ice cream, preserves, or pancakes!
There is a theory that brambles are carnivorous. The thorns curve backwards, preventing you from pulling away - rather than outwards like rose thorns. Sheep have been known to get tangled in blackberry thickets and eventually they end up fertilising the soil under the plant.
Great stuff, the brambles are coming in nicely around here
I think I would enjoy this quite a lot…I tend to enjoy most things that aren’t good for me, unfortunately!
Quote:-Everything I enjoy is either immoral, illegal or fattening.
@@rowejon sounds about right 🤣
Where I live there is a stretch of land which is the old railway sidings and it has lovely blackberries. I went over with my young 5&7 grandsons and picked 2 huge dishes of them. They were really sweet and juicy and made an awesome pie. There are still loads there for others to pick and enjoy.
You're missing a trick there, Mike. Those far away blackberries could be all yours, with the simple expedient known as a walking stick. It massively increases your harvest.
I'd also recommend thick trousers, and a thorn proof long sleeved shirt.
When we got home, we always used to bung them in lightly salted water for a few minutes to _encourage_ any resident critters to move out.
I grew up in southern New Jersey, an area known for its wild blueberries. I remember one of the first times I heard my father swear was when we were out blueberry picking: we had gotten all the easy berries, but there were some beautiful ones just out of reach, a few feet into the bushes. My dad went in to reach them: he didn't want me pushing through and getting ticks. He ended up stepping in a yellow-jacket nest in the middle of the bushes. I was lucky not to get stung, but he wasn't able to avoid it.
Nice video shrimpy and that black berry fool looks so dang tasty! Need me something like that for after lunch.
Congrats Jenny and a lovely day seems to be had by all. Love seeing more of Jenny in your content.
Its so right to have Jenny join the team.
Its surprising how much of an asset having partners take an active part in the videos 😊
What a loving treasure you're making here with your Jennie!
Enjoying this new video-concept as much as most of the other videos you do (very much!), and the Blackberry Fools looked amazing but my partner and I were mystified by the bowl of... fruit? vegetable? on the dining room table. Still are, hope to be enlightened by what those are/were. XD
Plums. The artificial lighting made them a weird colour
Life can be so calm and peacefull.
...ya knocked it outta the park again Sir!
That looked delicious! going out picking tomorrow with my grandson Jack.
3:32 "Now I'm not going to pick the ones from right down there because that's what's called dog wee height."
lol It's all cat spray height!
I have been picking blackberries for about 14 years now (apart from through covid). I always feel protective over "my patch"!
Its a lovely thing to do with the kids, giving them memories for the future of nice family times. Kind of like a family tradition.
Ive made some jam and blackberry baked oats so far.
How about some foraging for crab apples? Ive never made the jelly but would like to, with a tutorial from you it will be great motivation!
I made a single bottle of blackberry wine once, big mistake. I should have made a barrel full 😉
😂
One of my old teachers at school used to say "a weed is just a plant growing in the wrong place"
My dad always made us wear a belt, and then we would put the belt through the handle of our bucket. That way we could pick with two hands and we didn’t drop our buckets. I love a berry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. So worth a few scratches.
I live near a wild park that has wild brambles that are at least a century old, or maybe 150 years. They just keep refruiting year after year. They are amazing. I've been picking them for over forty years. Huge berries and the sweetest I've ever had, supermarket supplies cannot remotely compare, even M&S or Waitrose. We've had a couple of bad years because of lack of rain but this year was good but they're all gone, the wild field mice and birds get most of them and the park is so wild in places you can't get in there. There are swathes of huge nettles, but luckily plenty of mature dock too. Did you know its actually quite common for sheep to die from getting stuck to bramble bushes, the poor silly things.
Looked amazing and nice to see Jenny has started to overcome the camera shyness, great video, thanks.
Berry picking is fun, though have to watch out of the thorns they have. Now can get thornless Blackberries and goats are the natural way to get rid of a patch👍😁😊
To buy blackberries where I live in Queensland, Australia, 125grams (4.04 ounces) cost between $7.50 - $8.00 AUD. At this price they are a rare treat. My husband works on a pineapple farm and the blackberries grow wild, however he rarely gets to pick any as the farm owner sprays them as they are considered a pest/ invasive weed. We have had some wild ones though, very delicious.🙂
I'd say with that many blackberries you're both winners!