#CountryKids - Blackberry Picking with the kids

As a child I often went blackberry picking. I remember there being berries in the woods behind our house and also up the hill, so it was easy to get some yummy berries. Of course we always had to be careful of pricks, stained clothes and stinging nettles.

I found out this week that those things are no different 30 years later, you still end up with purple stained nails! Since we moved to the countryside seven weeks ago I have been eyeing up the blackberry bushes and keeping an eye on them. Before we went away to the New Forest the berries were all still green and red and I was super surprised to come back and find many of them ripe and ready for the picking. We have now been able to pick the blackberries for about three weeks now and they show no sign of drying up, there is such an abundance here which is just fabulous for us as at our old home there was one area near by and hundreds of people trying to pick them!

I promised the girls we would get out and do some picking once I had sorted a few things in the house and off they went to play in our courtyard.  Miss E came back excitedly to tell me there were blackberries in our garden and could she go over there and pick them without me. Yes no problem I said and I expected to see her a few minutes later with a few berries. My, my did she surprise me when Miss M walked back in with half a large bucket full!

We then headed out together again later and got some more, but what to do with all these blackberries?

Well apple and blackberry bakewell pudding came first -

Then blackberry and strawberry milkshake -

and of course blackberry muffins -

Of course quite a few where just eaten as they were and we have a ton in the freezer now too.

I've really enjoyed picking our own, it is so satisfying to know that we are eating food grown wild in our home grounds. We have been out three times for blackberries this week alone and there are still millions to ripen yet - literally, I kid you not. Fancy coming over to pick some?

I'm linking up this post to Fiona's Country Kids - click on the badge to head over and see what others have got up to in their Country Kids exploits.

 

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