Sir, – A few years ago I went blackberry-picking with my aunt and her grandchildren. The five-year-old girl was industrious, filling her container while her younger brother enjoyed almost every berry he found. I had lost this simple pleasure since growing up. It used to be that every family enjoyed the bounty of the hedgerow at this time of year and it was a task children embraced, if they wanted blackberry pie for dessert. Sadly all the pitches in my area have eliminated brambles and I must now be creative in scouting locations.
Berry picking is a task that requires no skill, beyond the ability to avoid nettles but you can enjoy wildlife from rabbits, swallows and insects from bees to ladybirds. It is exercise and can involve physical effort, depending on where you see the fruit.
Now we see a handful of these berries sold for shocking amounts in the supermarkets. I am happy to share the fruit but less generous in revealing my favourite foraging locations. – Yours, etc,
SE LYDON,
Wilton,
Cork.