They’re loaded with vitamin C, antioxidants, and polyphenols — tiny powerhouses hiding in the hedgerows.
Historically they were used by the Romans and Native Americans as medicine and dyes; by Anglo‑Saxons in Lughnasadh pies: by Europeans as natural thorny hedging; and by the Greeks as gout remedies.
In WWI, children even got time off school to pick them to make jam for the soldiers.
And today… I’m making jam myself using this recipe:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/blackberry_jam_47084
Sources: Garden KnowHow; The Garden History Blog
groundedandalive 