AKA:
Wimberry, Blaeberry, Whortleberry, Huckleberry, Blueberry.
Where: Hilly areas, moorland, covering
areas of heath - prefers acid soils. Particularly in North.
What: Berries only
When: July – September, occasionally later
The
Bilberry. Ah, the Bilberry. What can we say about this shiny black berry. It is
definitely my favourite fruit and I have great childhood memories of picking
Bilberries in the hills above Macclesfield with my family. It is a relative of
the larger North American Blueberry, but is superior in every way, especially
flavour, and is criminally underused as a fruit, being relatively unheard of
despite being relatively common – I still have people, smart worldly people,
pull a blank face when I mention the Bilberry.
The
Bilberry prefers acid soil and the hillsides and peaks of sandstone areas, and
are much more common in the north and midlands, and especially in the Peak
District and Cheshire Pennines where the environment is perfect. The bush is
low, measuring up to a maximum of 70cm, and whilst can occur in isolated
patches, is usually to be found in vast swathes.
The leaf is
small, measuring up to 1cm, pointed oval in shape with a slightly toothed edge,
and is a mid green with occasional brown or black dots, quite thick, and has a
prominent mid-rib. Taken as a whole, the plant is quite straggly looking and
somewhat sparse, being tough and wiry like heather, with which it shares the
same environment, and has thick brown stems, and green twiggy new growth with
reddening tips.
The small
(<1cm) delicate flowers arrive in spring (April/May) and are a pink, white,
and purple mix, and, hanging down, they resemble lamps, drooping with a central
dark stamen. These disappear by June, when the berries appear. Starting small
and red, but gradually growing to 1cm and darkening to a shiny deep purple with
a whitish bloom and a prominent calyx by late July/August, they resemble small
blueberries of the kind you can buy in supermarkets. Although they are an
autumn fruit, I have picked them in mid December before now, so keep checking
your areas. Taste wise – oh man! Fruity, but with a depth, subtle and deep
sweet, but also tart! Just pop a few into your mouth and taste for yourselves,
but be warned their purple juice stains like nothing else… it’s like being
tattooed! They are great in tarts and pies (a favourite of mine), as a jam,
they make great sorbets and fantastic wines.
People
often complain about the amount of work that goes into picking the Bilberry – a
lot of effort for little gain. I say rubbish! You are not finding the good
bushes! Keep looking, and you will find the ones that are literally dripping
with fruit. That’s no to say that picking isn’t backbreaking at times. There
are Bilberry pickers – like combs with a collecting box underneath – but you
end up losing more than you collect, which seems incredibly wasteful. No, far
better to grin and bear the back pain… it will make you appreciate the wondrous
bounty all the more!
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