Why Hedgerow Berries Are Worth Learning

A hedgerow in late summer is one of the great free larders of the British countryside. For a smallholder it is also a boundary, a windbreak, a stockproof fence and a wildlife corridor — and, with a bit of knowledge, a source of jams, gins and crumbles that would cost a small fortune in a farm shop. The trick is not enthusiasm. It is identification. Get that right and you have an autumn habit for life; get it wrong and the best case is a mouthful of something bitterly sour.

This guide covers the three fruits most beginners meet first: sloes, damsons and blackberries. All three grow in the same sorts of places, ripen at roughly the same time, and can be turned into much the same sorts of things.

Know Your Three

Sloes are the fruit of the blackthorn, Prunus spinosa, that dense, dark, fiercely thorny shrub that whitens with blossom in March before the leaves appear. The berries are small — roughly the size of a pea — round, blue-black and dusted with a pale grey bloom that rubs off under your thumb. The bush will draw blood if you are careless. Sloes are far too astringent to eat raw; they dry the mouth instantly. That tannin is exactly what makes them superb in gin, where it slowly leaches out over three or four months.

Damsons are larger and oval, with a similar blue-purple colour and bloom, but they hang from a small tree rather than a spiny thicket and they taste sweet enough to eat from the hand when fully ripe. Many hedgerow damsons are relics of old orchard plantings, so you will often find them near a field gate or the site of a vanished cottage. The flesh is firm and slightly tart, and it sets beautifully into jam.

Blackberries need little introduction, but not all brambles are equal. Fruit ripening in full sun on a south-facing hedge will be sweeter than fruit in shade, and the biggest berries are usually just above head height where the canes have had the most light. Pick only fruit that comes away with a gentle tug and leaves the white core behind on the stem. Anything that needs pulling is not ready.

Where to Look — and Where to Leave Alone

Good hedges are old ones. A mixed hedge with hazel, hawthorn, field maple and ash in it is likely to be a century or more old and will carry far more fruit than a single-species planting put in twenty years ago. South and west-facing sides ripen first.

Do avoid picking beside busy roads. Berries absorb lead and other particulates from exhaust fumes, and they are coated in brake dust and tyre spray besides. A quiet lane is fine; a dual carriageway verge is not. Skip hedges that show signs of having been flailed recently, and never pick from a verge where you would have to stand in the road to reach.

Hedgerow Etiquette: Leave Plenty Behind

The countryside is not a pick-your-own. Take a modest share and leave the rest — a good rule of thumb is no more than a quarter of the fruit on any one bush. Those berries are winter food for blackbirds, song thrushes, redwings and fieldfares, and for small mammals that rarely get a mention. A stripped hedge is a hungry hedge in January.

• Pick with permission if the hedge is on private land; roadside verges are usually council-owned, so keep to the highway boundary.
• Never uproot a wild plant — that is an offence in its own right.
• Leave the damaged and half-eaten berries; they are feeding something already.
• Take a basket or a shallow tray rather than a plastic bag, which crushes soft fruit into paste.

From Basket to Kitchen

Sloes are traditionally picked after the first frost, which softens them and reduces the astringency. If you want to beat the birds, pick earlier and freeze them overnight instead — the same effect, no wait. Prick each one or freeze them whole, then steep in gin with sugar for at least three months.

Damsons make a dark, sharp jam that sets easily thanks to their high pectin. Stone them if you have the patience; otherwise cook them down and fish the stones out with a slotted spoon. They also bottle and freeze well.

Blackberries are best used within a day or two of picking, as they go mouldy fast. A blackberry and apple crumble is the obvious answer, but they also make a fine hedgerow ketchup with shallots, vinegar and a little spice — excellent with sausages or strong cheese.

Set Off Prepared

A few practical habits will keep you safe and comfortable. Wear long sleeves and stout gloves, take a walking stick to hook down high branches, and carry a small pair of secateurs for stubborn stems. Wash everything before eating or freezing. Above all, never eat anything you cannot identify with complete certainty — there are red and black berries in British hedges that will make you properly ill, and a few that are worse than that.

Start with the three fruits above, learn them until you could draw them from memory, and next autumn you will find yourself reading hedges the way you read a map. There is no better way to learn a parish than to walk it with a basket.