ForestHarvest: non-timber forest products in Scotland

 PRODUCTS

Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus)

Also known as Bramble

Family: Rosaceae

Description

Thorny scrambler with white flowers and black berries.

Habitat

Open woodlands and glades, and woodland edges.

Uses

The berries are delicious on their own but can also be made into wine, jelly, jam, summer pudding, crumbles, pies etc.

Brambles provide a mauve-brown dye.

A tea from the leaves (two cupfuls of pounded flesh leaves in 1 litre of boiling water) is recommended for mild anaemia and debility. Drink 2 cups per day sweetened with honey. The young shoots (steamed and eaten as a vegetable) are also said to be excellent for digestive ailments and skin problems.

Gathering

Gather brambles in the late summer and early autumn. After the frosts they become watery and unpalatable.

Image provided by William Milliken/RBGE

Other information

Blackberries are the most commonly gathered NTFPs in Scotland, according to the Wild Harvests research.