On Bramble Picking

Things that you learn from picking brambles

• keep moving - there are always more bramble bushes to be found
• don't get bogged down finding the last bramble on the bush
• don't stretch or reach too far, better to keep moving
• over stretch and you can spill the lot
• moving position will change your perspective, and you will likely see more
• as you start to pick, you will likely see more
• where there are some brambles, there are likely to be more, once you settle down to look for them
• seeing a bramble bush is not the same as seeing brambles for picking
• with practice you can get plenty of brambles into your hand
• take out the stalks as you go, don't leave it for later
• pick good brambles, mushy brambles or part ripe brambles are not worth the effort
• passers by will always offer advice, but they won't help and they don't pick
• there were always more brambles last week, will be next week, and used to be twenty years ago
• brambles stay ripe on the bush for quite a long time compared to most soft fruits
• a great bramble shines
• start recognising that brambles come by the branch, find a good branch and harvest that
• start recognising that brambles come by the bush, find a good bush and harvest that
• brambles vary enormously, but are pretty constant over the same bush,
• too small and too much effort, too large and prone to over-ripeness
• when they are ready - they come off with minimal effort
• pick them before Michaelmas, when the devil spits on them, and they are not good afterwards
• the more sun, the quicker they ripen
• some open spots are very slow to ripen or poor to fruit
• brambles on second years growth perhaps?
• learn your area, where the bushes are, and the sequence they ripen in
• get some bramble bushes you see everyday, to act as your calendar for when you need to go out more widely for harvesting
• if there is not enough for a jam, wash, crush, seive the juice, leave to set for a night, to make jus for adding to plain ice cream
• picking needs a special sort of patience
• there will always be brambles left over
• there are usually brambles to come back for
• you never find them all, first time around, come back along the same path, and you will find lots more
• we were made to pick brambles
• all year round a bramble is a nuisance, and then, come autumn, it feeds everyone
• patience and effort will prevail when you pick the right time, and the right place
• picking brambles means scratches and stings
• a bramble bush in a hawthorne tree is the perfect option for picking
• hedgerows and the sides of paths make for good picking
• avoid roadsides, and too obvious areas
• there will always be brambles
• there should always be someone to pick them
• it is food for free, but it is the process that is importance
• picking brambles connects you to the seasons and the land, in a way we were built for
• picking favours the long armed and long legged
• wear long trousers or gaiters so you can wade in fearlessly
• watch where you put your feet, it is easy to step on a promising branch or two
• with an open mind, you can learn from anything or anyone