Blackberries

Blackberries need no introduction to most of us, especially this time of year as they're ripening and making our strolls through the woods that much tastier. The tall shrub with big thorns and . . . tri- or 5-foliate leaves (i.e. with 3 or 5 leaflets) are Himalayan blackberries, Rubus discolor. They have a lot to offer- they're everywhere, the berries are big (1-1.5 cm thick) so it doesn't take long to fill up a bucket, and being an invasive species they spread quickly and there's less concern about over-harvesting. The native trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) are common as well, though not quite as abundant or evident. They crawl along the ground, and have smaller thorns, smaller (but just as delicious) berries, and smaller trifoliate leaves. Males and females are on separate plants, so if you find a nice patch of blackberries with a distinct lack of berries, it could be a male bush.

The berries are of course wonderful to munch on, toss in a smoothie, make a pie, preserves, syrup, wine (try it as a base for mulled wine in winter), and who doesn't love a nice blackberry buckle? But let's not stop there. The stems of blackberry are edible raw or steamed.... needless to say it's advisable to scrape off the thorny skin, then enjoy raw or as a potherb. Tea can be made from dried leaves; most recommend waiting until they are getting dry and red to harvest them. Leaves and roots have been used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, cholera, fevers, hemorrhoids, excessive menstruation, and mouth sores. Some Nations have used the berry juice to stain wood, hides, and other materials. People have made fibre and twine from the stems, some communities have reportedly used large piles of thorny stems as barricades for protection, and the Coast Salish Nation has used trailing blackberry stems as a scrubbing cleanse before spirit dancing.

Blackberry lime-ade
4 cups blackberries + some for garnish
1 cup sugar
1 kaffir lime leaf (crushed) or 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
1 green cardamom pod, lightly crushed
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 8 -12 limes)
Thin lime slices, for garnish
2 cups ginger ale or sparkling water
Ice cubes
Squeeze the juice out of the blackberries through cheesecloth and set aside. Combine sugar, 1 cup water, lime leaf and cardamom in a small saucepan and boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or so, until you get a thin syrup.Remove the lime leaf and cardamom, allow the mixture to cool, and then chill it. Combine the blackberry juice, syrup and lime juice and refrigerate. Stir in the ginger ale when serving it, and garnish with lime slices and blackberries. Kick back, soak in the sun, smile, and enjoy...

Caution: Avoid wilted leaves; make sure they're completely dry if you use them for tea, and even then don't drink too much of it as it can irritate the bowels and stomach.