Ripe for the Picking

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard (August 2022)

Picking berries in the summer, what a wonderful way to spend time. Unlike some people who have only gathered cultivated berries at u-pick farms, I have such fond memories of picking berries in the wild. I would rise early, well before any of my siblings, and with the hope of beating the birds, I would head out to pick berries along the riverbank. It did not take long to fill a bowl, even with me eating one berry for every one that went into the bowl. I would return home with berry-stained fingers, plenty of bug bites, a few scratches (because sometimes you must reach for the best berries), but also plenty of berries to share. My mother sometimes made jam, yet more often than not, we ate the berries as is. Over the years the riverbank has become overgrown with other vegetation, however if you know where to look, you can always find some berries in the wild. Blackberries need sunlight and water, so plants are often found along ditches, or at the edge of forests.

There are several species of blackberries in Canada. A common berry in our area is the blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis), or so I think. As a kid, I was told blackberries were thimbleberries due to its resemblance to a thimble; now it seems that may not be correct, in fact, identifying blackberries is often confusing. What some call blackcap or black raspberries are often called blackberries. Many berries are lumped under the general term blackberry. In England, they are called bramble (Rubus fruticosus). Regardless of what you might called them, blackberries belong to the Rubus genus, which is part of the Rosaceae or Rose family, and the berries are delicious.

Blackberries are perennials because the roots survive our winters, however the canes, the top of the plant, is considered biennial. Each year once the canes die off after bearing fruit, plants grow new canes to replace old ones. These old canes should be pruned if you are growing blackberries. Wild blackberry plants can be invasive, so be careful if you attempt to transplant wild plants.

Blackberries produce white or pink flowers in the spring, providing food for the bees and other nectar seeking insects. During early summer the berries start green, turn red, then ripen to a dark blue/black and are very fragrant. Animals will often remain in an area that has an abundance of berry plants waiting for the berries to ripen. As nature’s goal is to survive, plant seeds need to be spread, which is done by birds and animals eating the berries. Most berry plants grow to about two meters (6 feet) allowing easy access for animals to reach the fruit. Besides birds, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and bears all enjoy berries. When I was young, I didn’t realize that I was in competition with bears, and perhaps I was just lucky never to have run into a bear while foraging. As an adult, I would caution anyone picking berries in the woods to be on the alert for bears as Black bears have been sighted in our area. It is always good to share nature’s bounty with our wildlife. Even when I was young, I would always leave some for the birds. Never pick any area clean.

Blackberries should be picked only when the whole berry is black, any red and the berry will taste sour. Unlike some other fruits, blackberries don’t ripen any more after picking, so what you pick is what you get. The berry should fall off the branch, so if you must pull it off, it’s not ripe. In the wild, washing berries is not really needed unless you want to get rid of bugs, berries are the perfect snack, just eat them right off the bush, bugs and all. Once I found a patch of berries and did not have a container and nature provided one of those, too; I put three large vine leaves together and voila, I had a bowl to bring some berries home with me.

It is well-documented that berries are full of antioxidants. The antioxidants in blackberries are believed to reduce cancer-causing carcinogens in our bodies, help lower cholesterol, may prevent heart disease, and improve digestion. Not bad for a wild berry that also tastes great; plus, picking wild berries in the woods can be a very Zen-like activity that always makes me feel better … just watch out for the bears!

Sources: Almanac.com/plant/blackberries; Britannica.com/plant/blackberry-fruit