Berries to come

[Suffolkrafter]

Wandering the moors of the peak district at the weekend gave me a chance to refresh ID of some Ericaceae species. Good to see them in flower in spring, which I'm not so used to.

These were intermingled. Here we have what I call bilberry, Vacxinium myrtillus, not to be confused with blueberry. Bilberries are probably my favourite fruit, delicious in a tart or reduced to a compote and served with yoghurt. Quite bland raw thought.

IMG 20230528 115237 — Postimages

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IMG 20230528 102359 — Postimages

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And these I think are lingon or cowberry, Vacxinium vitis-idaea, with little pits to the underside of the leaves:

IMG 20230528 113239 — Postimages

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IMG 20230528 113347 — Postimages

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I scouted out some areas for future wild camps too. I have my eye on the area north or south of crowden and wood head reservoir. Maybe I will time it for when the berries are out.

 

[Toddy]

We call those blaeberries and they are a lovely treat when out and about

 

[SaraR]

I'd never describe bilberries as bland, but there are definitely different types when you're out picking them. Not sure what causes it (age of the plant perhaps?), but it's quite noticeable. Like hedgerow blackberries, the wild ones have of course not been selectively breed for taste, so the variation is expected.

From what I can see from the thumbnails it does look like lingonberry you've got there. Lovely dry tartness if eaten fresh from the plant, but best picked after the first frost (or picked and frozen) and then stired with sugar. Doesn't last as long as jam, but much nicer.

 

[Tony]

Nice post, I love berries!

Earlier today we were in the supermarket and one of my girls wanted blackberries, she was told there were tubs of them in the freezer or she can be patient and have some fresh ones when they come out.

 

[Suffolkrafter]

Bilberry pies were a childhood fixture for me, although unfortunately being back down in East Anglia now I won't come across them until I'm next travelling.
I did find a large patch of giant hogweed this afternoon. I managed to spend a bit of time comparing the younger specimens with young common hogweed in the same area. Differences weren't always clear cut, with a lot of variation in shape and colour in the common hogweed.

 

[Tony]

Nice post, I love berries!

Earlier today we were in the supermarket and one of my girls wanted blackberries, she was told there's tubs of them in the freezer or she can be patient and have some fresh ones when they come out.