Picking blackberries at the end of summer often evokes joyful childhood memories, from indulging in these little fruits to making pies, coulis and jams to spread. Especially now that there are thornless or nearly thornless blackberry varieties that are easy to grow in the garden. Let's make the most of the last fine summer days to harvest these delicate little fruits and discover our tips for making delicious blackberry jams. 

When, how and where to harvest blackberries?

When to harvest blackberries?

Depending on the region and the variety of blackberry, harvesting begins from late July until early October. Wild blackberries are usually picked in August and September. The fruits ripen one after another, allowing the harvest to be spread over several weeks.

How to harvest blackberries?

  • If you have thorny blackberry bushes, you may want to wear gloves and long sleeves to avoid scratches. Be careful! Blackberries tend to stain!
  • Choose a container to carry your blackberries, such as a bucket, basket or bowl.
  • Pick fully black berries by hand. Note that raspberry-blackberry hybrids, such as the 'Buckingham Tayberry', produce red fruits when ripe.
  • If picking wild blackberries, harvest them from at least 1 metre above ground level. Fruits below this height may be dirty or contaminated by animals. However, they can be thoroughly washed and should not be eaten raw.

Picking blackberries

Which blackberry varieties to choose?

While wild blackberries are well-known and widespread in our regions, there are also thornless or nearly thornless varieties that can easily be grown in gardens. They will delight young gardeners with a sweet tooth too. What's more, these blackberries are hardy and thrive in ordinary soil. Here are some interesting examples:

  • The ‘Mojo Berry’ Mulberry forms a small shrub, ideal for small gardens or container growing. Self-fertile, it produces an abundance of sweet and tangy black fruits.
  • The thornless 'Triple Crown' Bio blackberry produces large fruits weighing up to 8 grams, with a sweet flavour. This self-fertile variety is disease-resistant but hardy only to -10°C.
  • The 'Reuben' everbearing blackberry produces large, sweet and tangy black fruits from mid-July until November. With few thorns, it can climb up to 2.50 metres tall.
  • The 'Jumbo' blackberry is a thornless variety that produces large, slightly tangy black fruits. It has the advantage of being disease-resistant and can withstand temperatures as low as -18°C.
  • The 'Buckingham Tayberry' is a self-fertile, nearly thornless raspberry-blackberry hybrid. It produces elongated red-black fruits with a flavour combining blackberry and raspberry.

→ Find all our blackberry varieties here.

Blackberry jam recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 kilo of blackberries
  • 1 kilo of granulated sugar, or jam sugar.
  • Optional:
    • 1 organic lemon or 5 cl of lemon juice

Cooking time:

30 minutes

Method:

Before starting your homemade jam: remember to sterilise your jars.

  • 1/ Wash your blackberries carefully and drain them.
  • 2/ Place the blackberries in a large saucepan, jam pan or stockpot. Add the sugar and lemon juice.

  • 3/ Cook for 30 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. If using sugar with pectin, cook for only 15 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the surface with a skimmer.
  • 4/ To check if your jam isn't too runny: place half a teaspoon of jam on a cold plate and leave to cool for a few minutes. Then tilt the plate to check the consistency. The jam should barely run. If the jam seems too runny, cook for 5 more minutes and repeat the test.
  • 5/ Once the jam is ready, pour it into sterilised jars right up to the rim using a ladle.
  • 6/ Screw the lids on immediately  and turn the jar upside down with a tea towel.

  • 7/ Leave your jam jars to cool, then you can store them in a dark place at room temperature.
  • 8/ Keep your jam jar in the fridge after opening.

My tips:

  • If you don't like blackberry seeds, you can pass the fruit through a food mill after washing them (step 1). Then follow the recipe as normal and you'll get blackberry jelly. A real treat.
  • If, like me, you don't like large chunks of fruit, you can blend the jam 5 minutes before the end of cooking.

Recipe idea: you can make a delicious homemade mixed berry jam by adding raspberries, redcurrants and strawberries.

The benefits of blackberries

Blackberries contain a lot of water, but they also apparently contain fibre, particularly pectin, iron, vitamin C, K and antioxidants.

To go further: