Aurora

I eat mine right off the bramble -- but no spraying is done on my propery. Mine are in bloom right now, so I should have plenty next month.

craftybear

yummy will need to go and look up her recipe, thanks

http://www.quiltinaday.com/freepatte...ler_recipe.pdf

Krystyna

Absolutely fine to eat them! I'm a dedicated forager and eat stuff from the wild all the time. What to do with them? Here are a few suggestions:
Jam
Juice
Dehydrate and use in cereal, pancakes, muffins
Freeze them and make sorbet, smoothies, whatever!
Wine!
More wine!
Last year I made a small batch (one gallon) of wine from wild raspberries and strawberries. It was the BEST dessert wine ever. Blackberries would make fabulous wine.

Grambi

I haven't gathered black berries but I have gotten chiggars and I would rather have just about anything else!!! They nestle into your skin in areas where you had tight fitting clothes (think pantie and bra elastic) and they will itch you right out of your sanity for days. I have tried every home remedy and store-bought cure out there and so far the only thing that has ever worked for me is time--way too much time. So the suggestion for Deep Woods Off is right on!

Krystyna

Not only chiggars, but watch out for black snakes that love to nest in brambles. I should have mentioned that when we go foraging, I always wear boots. If I'm going into deep woods, we have paper suits -- made for industrial use or painters. They're under $1 and they will save you from ticks, chiggars, and poison ivy, too.

Yooper32

Thanks for a neat idea. Ours are only in the blossom stage right now, but I am living in the midst of about 100 acres of blackberry bushes, me and Mama bear with three cubs, yes, three. We didn't believe our eyes the first few times we saw them, but there are three of them. Plenty of berries for all if she stays on her end of the ridge.

ewhughe1

Blackberries are very good and healthy. I used to make jelly, jam, pies, (some make blackberry wine) add them anywhere you want them Children like them on peanut butter sandwiches. (put peanut butter on both slices of bread for so they don't fall out. You can freeze them as they are for later use. Don't wash them before you freeze them, do it before you use them if they aren't "clean". Don't pick them when they are wet or the bushes will develop "rust". You can also set out thornless black berry bushes. They are wonderful and larger than the wild ones. They are milder in taste than wild blackberries. I like the wild ones for jelly. Enjoy

Homespun

Yes, pick them and enjoy. Are they ripe already? Up here they don't ripen for about 6 weeks.

ewhughe1

About the bear. I hope she does stay on her end. That is a dangerous situation. I think you need to talk with a park ranger of some kind immediately. Bears are tempermental and very dangerous. I cannot say that enough. They may have already
explored your property! They can be in a house in a minute. I'm not an alarmist (?) but I am concerned about you. They will move on when the food is gone but they will be back.

ewhughe1

Watch out for "packsaddles" also. I've never seen one but they can bite or sting which ever they do and it is soooo painful.
Does anyone know what a packsaddle is and what they look like? I've only been on their receiving end while picking blackberries.