The blackberry harvest might be winding down, but October can still produce a few surprises. Here's why some hedgerows are still carrying fruit, where to look for the last good berries, and when it's better to leave them alone.
By October, most people have stopped looking for blackberries. The jam has been made, the crumble dishes have been washed, and the hedgerows are beginning to look rather tired.
But blackberry season doesn't end everywhere at once.
Some brambles can still produce ripe fruit in early October, particularly in sheltered spots and during mild years. While one stretch of hedgerow may be completely finished, another, a short walk away, can still have berries worth picking. Think of these as local, late-season finds rather than a dependable October harvest.
The trick is knowing the difference between a late blackberry and an old one.
Britain's wild blackberries aren't all the same. What we casually call a blackberry is actually a complicated collection of closely related bramble species, collectively known as Rubus fruticosus agg. They flower and fruit at slightly different times, which helps explain why blackberry picking can begin in summer and continue into autumn.
Weather matters, too. A warm, sheltered hedgerow may have a different ripening pattern from one exposed to cold winds. Individual plants can also carry flowers, red berries and ripe black fruit at the same time.
That means an early October walk can still produce a handful of perfectly good blackberries, even when the main harvest is long gone.
Where to look for the last blackberries
At this point in the year, a little observation is more useful than covering miles with a plastic tub.
Look for brambles in sheltered, sunny positions, particularly along woodland edges, field boundaries and established hedgerows. The best late berries may be tucked among leaves rather than hanging in obvious clusters.
Don't assume every black berry is ripe, either. Colour alone isn't a reliable guide. A good blackberry should look plump, feel reasonably firm but not hard, and come away from its stalk without much persuasion.
Leave fruit that is shrivelled, mouldy, leaking, badly damaged or unusually soft. By October, plenty of berries have been exposed to prolonged rain, insects and the first cold nights.
A late blackberry can be excellent. An overripe one that has spent weeks deteriorating on the bramble is another matter.
What about the old warning not to pick after Michaelmas?
There is a long-standing British tradition that blackberries shouldn't be picked after Michaelmas. Michaelmas falls on 29 September, but the blackberry warning is particularly associated with Old Michaelmas in October. Depending on where the story is told, the Devil is said to have spat on them, stamped on them or done something considerably less polite.
It's a memorable way of discouraging people from collecting late-season fruit.
Blackberries do not suddenly become poisonous because a date in the calendar has passed. The date is a folk warning, not a food-safety deadline.
But the practical idea behind it makes sense. As autumn advances, berries are more likely to deteriorate, and damp conditions can encourage mould.
A blackberry picked on 2 October isn't automatically unsafe. Equally, a blackberry picked in August isn't automatically good simply because the calendar says it should be.
Judge the fruit, not the folklore.
Is it worth picking blackberries in October?
That depends on what you're hoping to make.
You probably won't fill a preserving pan unless you've found a particularly productive late patch. But a couple of handfuls can still earn their place in the kitchen.
Late blackberries are useful stirred into stewed apples, cooked into a small compote, or added to a crumble. They don't need to be perfect-looking to be cooked, but they do need to be sound. Cooking is not a way to rescue mouldy or spoiled fruit.
And if you only find six?
Eat them when you get home, after washing them, or leave them for the birds. Not every blackberry expedition needs to end with twelve jars of jam.
A few sensible rules for late blackberry picking
Only pick fruit you can confidently identify as blackberry from a bramble. If you're uncertain, leave it alone.
Choose clean, accessible fruit away from busy roads, obvious contamination and areas that may have been sprayed. Avoid picking at dog height on heavily used walking routes, and don't collect berries from land where access or picking is prohibited.
Take only what you need, leave plenty for wildlife, and avoid trampling vegetation or damaging brambles to reach the last few berries.
Wash the fruit thoroughly before eating or cooking, discard any showing signs of spoilage, and refrigerate promptly if you're not using it straight away.
If the berries have been through a hard frost, are turning watery or smell fermented, leave them.
The calendar might say blackberry season is finished. The hedgerow doesn't always agree.
And that's a perfectly good reason to keep an eye on the brambles during an October walk.
Learn more in the Woodland Trust’s bramble guide and responsible foraging advice.
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