To pick or not to pick, that is the question ...........

[TStarr]

Hi all, could someone offer a little guidance on the right & wrongs of when to pick Blackberries.

I got fed up with hunting the hedgerows and coming up second best to the silver haired hedgerow hooverers, so have covered my fences with a mix of wild and thornless blackberries. So whilst I can pick at leisure - give or take birds, over ripening, & maggoty things - I am a little confused as to when is the best time to harvest them.

At present, in an effort to beat the birds, and avoid the risk of them becoming over ripe, I have picked a couple of pounds of black, firm, plump, but sour berries - thinking I can always add sugar to the must, the important thing being to get the berry juice & flavour.

Is this sound thinking or just me being impatient? Should I back off and wait until they taste nice before continuing - I guess I still have at least half the crop on the canes? Are the sour/sharp ones usable even?

Thanks as always for any assistance.

[Cellar_Rat]

I pick by taste. Pick everyday as these come ripe, then freeze until you have a bigger batch. A few slightly sour is no bad thing as it will help you adjust the acid balance.

[SiSandrine]

My view is to start with the best tasting material possible. Like Brian pick by taste. Whilst it doesn't always follow that if it tastes nice fresh it will taste nice after fermentation I think it is more likely.
IMO you can adjust acid without impacting the taste overly but if the flavour isn't there in the fruit in the first place adding sugar won't really help

[Cellar_Rat]

Good point Simon.

[lockwood1956]

The fruit should be easily pulled from the stem, with just the lightest of pressure, leaving a hole in the fruit where it was joined......you are aiming to pick the fruit just before it would naturally drop from the plant, this is when it is at it's ripest, and the fruit sugars are at their best.

[Delmonteman]

Couldn't agree more with that... I check and pick the raspberries in my garden on a daily basis