Blackberries

[rogerzilla]

1.1 kg of them this afternoon.  They are unusually early this year, and there are probably another six weeks to come.  I think the freezer will be well stuffed with blackberry and apple crumbles.

[Biggsy]

Mmmmmm!  Bramble jelly!   

[her_welshness]

Mmmm...just picked an ice-cream pack full of 'em. Lovely smelling pink stained fingers too  Also managed to find some extra elderberries for Jane 

[Pancho]

Thin pickings round here.

I think the warm spring buggered things up; on some sunny bushes I noticed some berries in July.

[citoyen]

Definitely early this year. We've been picking them by the bucketful from the derelict patch of land next door for almost a month. And there are still loads more...

Might have to try preserving them in one form or another. Maybe in the form of wine...

d.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Raspberries are early too, or at least they are out at my FiL's garden in Poland. I'd be surprised if they were not also early here.

As for blackberries, somehow I can't be bothered to pick and take home, I just pick and eat! They've been feeding me along the Railway Path for a couple of weeks already. 

[Wowbagger]

First of the year!

[citoyen]

I've been picking them from the hedgerows to snack on while I take the dog for a walk (only going for the ones above leg-cocking height though). Need to remember to take a bucket one day - could fill it easily. With blackberries, I mean.

They're very early again. And plentiful. The apple, pear and plum trees are heaving as well, but it's been very windy so we've lost quite a few unripe fruit. We'll have very rich compost this year though.

[Jurek]

The wind down your way this weekend was the wind of disappointment.
What on earth happened to the oyster festival and the Whitstable grotters?
I was really looking forward to those....
Came back this afternoon.
Crestfallen....

[citoyen]

What on earth happened to the oyster festival and the Whitstable grotters?

Don't ask. The organisation has pretty much collapsed and the festival has become even more of a shambles than it used to be. As far as I know, the only festival events were on the Tankerton slopes this year rather than in the town.