Wealden Times | WT244 | September 2022 | Winter Interiors Supplement inside

Farm
Fables
There’s much more to the
humble blackberry than meets
the eye, as Jane Howard explains
I
love September, my favourite month
partly because of the chance to wear a
jumper and partly because few things in life
are as pleasurable as foraging (is that sad?). And
amongst the many delicacies to be found and foraged,
blackberries are top my list. A bit like raising tadpoles
or watching as caterpillars in a jar turn to chrysalises,
these are simple pleasures that need to be savoured.
And for those of you who think blackberrying just
involves a walk in the countryside with
a carrier bag and a lot of subsequent
scratches, let me enlighten you. Firstly,
timing. Did you know that you absolutely
have to pick your blackberries before
Michaelmas Day, September 29th? For
this is the day Lucifer was expelled from
heaven, and when he fell from the skies
he landed on a blackberry bush. Not
surprisingly he was less than impressed
and cursed the fruit, first scorching it
with his fiery breath, then spitting on it
making the berries unfit for consumption!
But it’s not just about timing, there’s
more you need to know. There is a quite
wonderful book written in 1954 by
Dorothy Hartley Food in England and still
in print, which contains recipes, anecdotes,
household hints, spells and history,
making it an absolute classic – and a great present for any
foodies. In the book Dorothy guides us through which
blackberries to choose for which purpose. At the start of
the season the lowest berry of each cluster swells and ripens
alone and these are the juiciest ones to be eaten alone. The
secondary berries which ripen later are less juicy but good
for pies and jams and by the end of the month the last
blackberries are smaller with more seed in proportion to
pulp, so must be cooked with apple. So now you know!
But it’s not just me who will be foraging this month.
Did you know that
you absolutely have to
pick your blackberries
before Michaelmas
Day, September 29th?
For this is the day
Lucifer was expelled
from heaven, and
when he fell from the
skies he landed on
a blackberry bush
The pigs will also soon be at it too giving up on their usual
rations as they gorge themselves on acorns. For hundreds of
years peasant farmers released their pigs into
the woods at this time of year to fatten up
on acorns for Christmas in a practice known
as pannage. The Weald was the stronghold
of pannage in Britain. In 1086 Domesday
Book records indicate that around 150,000
pigs were being driven every season from
the Low Weald up to the High Weald to
clearings in the oak forests known as Dens.
Farmers from a particular village made
the same journey from their village to
their Den year after year along droving
routes and these sunken tracks can still
be found today in a pattern of north
south lanes, bridleways and footpaths
radiating away from the High Weald.
And many of the Dens eventually became
established settlements which is how
places like Horsmonden, Tenterden
and Witherenden acquired their names.
With the exception of The New Forest, and Coopers
Farm, pannage isn’t really practised any longer which is
a great shame because acorns are a great source of free
protein and there aren’t many other uses for them.
Even Dorothy is stumped: “Acorns can be ground up
to supplement bread flour and can be roasted to make
a miserable coffee but as far back as records go they are
mostly used for pig feed”. Not surprising: the pork is utterly
delicious and goes very well with the blackberry jelly.
Find out more about daily life at Coopers Farm by visiting coopersfarmstonegate.co.uk
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