Found a mysterious "blue berry" - NOT a blueberry!

Hello everyone. I am hoping someone can shed light on a mysterious berry I found when out for a walk today.

They look alot like a blackberry, made up of lots of 'drupelets' which are bigger and softer than those on a blackberry.

They grow on a low bush - again looking alot like a blackberry bush only lower.

They are roughly the same colour and shade as sloes are at this time of year - with a sort of 'velvety' finish to the colour,

I have added a piccie below in the hope someone can help.

I havent yet tried one and thought I would wait to see if they are edible.

Any help would be appreciated.

P

tahir

Maybe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewberry

Nick J

Certainly tend to look like dewberries but would be easier to identify if an example of the leaf had been included in the photo. I've always found the octopus series of books "Birds", "Plants and Animals" and "insects" worthwhile having on the bookshelf, they don't cover every variable but are jolly useful for a source of reference. Not sure if they are still published but I don't recall them being terribly pricey.

cab

I'll wager 50p and a Mars bar that those are dewberries.

Bernie66

Its a certainty then, it does look like them but if Cabs prepared to put 50p AND a mars bar then its definate Laughing

cheddarpaul

Thank you to everyone.

After reading through wikipedia I am 99.987% convinced they are dewberries.

The next question is, what can I make with them (we already have a plum crumble in the fridge from my pickings a few days ago...)

tahir

Bernie66 wrote:

Its a certainty then, it does look like them but if Cabs prepared to put 50p AND a mars bar then its definate Laughing

Yup, tight as the proverbial is Cab Laughing

tahir

Anything you can use blackberries for.

cab

They're just like blackberries in many ways, and quite variable. Some patches give you loads of tiny, soft berries that are a pain to pick, others give you more decent sized ones.

Now it isn't always the case, but MOST dewberries fruit a little earlier than blackberries, and like blackberies, the earlier ones on the plant are sweeter and fatter. Later ones are good for things like liqueurs, less good for wine, okay for jam or pies or what have you.

How about a batch of dewberry whisky? Half fill a jar with berries, fill it up with whisky, cap it, and a little sugar, let it steep for a month, taste it, sweeten again if you need to, and when its good and fruity decant it off. The fruit is fabulous by then, and the whisky will be a wonderful liqueur.

cheddarpaul

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm whiskey - I have a batch of blackberry whiskey from last year (along with the sloe gin and sloe vodka).

Me thinks I will be out tomorrow morning and there will be dewberry pie over the weekend Razz

thanks again y'all

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