Don’t Eat Blackberries After September 29!

Blackberry (Rubus villosus): The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus Rubus in the family Rosaceae.

Folk Names: Bly, Bramble, Bramble-Kite, Bumble-Kite, Cloudberry, Dewberry, Goutberry, High Blackberry, Thimbleberry, Fairy Fruit, Witches Vine, and Devils Bane.

Most of us love a good, warm blackberry pie baked at the end of Summer. It's kind of a right of passage for Autumn to usher in its bright beautiful colors followed by the cool, crisp nights that so many of us love and admire. Picking blackberries is also a tradition that many people look forward to partaking. Like many children do, I would pick, and eat them straight off of the bush. (I still do sometimes)

There are many interesting myths associated with blackberries that you might not know about. The belief that when blackberries bloom in May, they bring cold weather. This cold snap is called Blackberry Winter and is the most widespread in America. The legendary, Old Farmer's Almanac even mentions Blackberry Winter. In other parts of the world they claim that the devil spoils the blackberries after Michaelmas day. Another saying is that babies, horses, and cats never feel very well when the blackberries are ripe.

During the second half of the 19th century, when Halloween was being celebrated more commonly, people believed that witches would disguise themselves as beautiful women and give poisoned blackberries to unsuspecting children. In association with this belief, people avoided eating blackberries during this time of year. In fact, if you were caught baking a fresh blackberry pie during the Halloween season, you probably would have been considered a witch.

Of course, blackberries are not all bad. There were many reputed medicinal uses for the plant, and the historian Pliny touted their many benefits for ulcers and bleeding wounds. They were believed to be efficacious against the venom of serpents, and the ancient Britons said that a salad made with the leaves would re-affix any teeth that were loose!

In the olden days, some women would carefully grind blackberries into a thick mixture and apply it to their eyes as a cosmetic, this sometimes led to eye irritations and in some cases even infections. The indisposition was often blamed on the curse of the blackberry.

Celtic lore says that blackberries are fairy fruit and may bring bad luck to people who eat them. Blackberries were also considered protective against earthbound spirits and vampires. It is said that if planted near the home, a vampire couldn't enter because he would obsessively count the berries and forget about the people inside.

The blackberry in England has a lot of folklore, each pointing to a common piece of wisdom. Blackberry was the bane of all evils, from misfortune to illness. It was used to release people and animals from the illness and misfortune of witchery.

There are tales that the Devil was cast into a blackthorn bush, and such will avoid them at all costs. The different actions that he is said to have taken against the blackberry bush come from different versions of the story for example:

In England – It was believed that the Devil would spit on blackberry bushes, therefore you obviously shouldn't eat them.

In Ireland – It was believed that the Devil stomped on the bush with his hoofs.

In Scotland – It was believed that he threw his cloak over them causing them to rot and decay.

In Ireland, where the Devil is said to put his foot on the bush, there are also stories in some parts of the country, that one should not eat the berries after Michaelmas day because of the Machinations of a goblin known as Phooka, who would appear and attack whoever was eating his blackberries.

Some versions of the superstitions give a much more dire warning: If you eat blackberries after Michaelmas day, you will die before the year is over!

During many exorcisms, blackberry juice was placed on the victim's forehead. In trust it would help remove any evil spirits from within the body.

It's also interesting to note that many senescent sanctuaries usually had blackberry bushes planted around them.

A Witch's Whisk is a bundle of blackberry twigs, bound on one end, and lit to be used as a cleansing smoke. The bound end forms a handle. The unbound end sprays out, giving the appearance of a whisk.

Cecil Williamson, a well-known English witch and the once owner of the Boscastle Witchcraft Museum wrote this about witch's whisks:

'Witch's whisk made of dried out blackberry stems and with the end bound to form a handle. Here in the south west when a witch decides to make magic she first selects a spot or place where she will work, be the chosen place inside or out. The next thing to be done is that of cleansing the chosen spot of all evil forces. This is where the bundle of blackberry twigs comes in. She sets a light to the twigs and with them smouldering, burning and making smoke, she dances and weaves her way in and around and around over and over again. So this is one might call it: 'a witch's devil scarer'.

Blackberry was considered to be sacred to some of the old Pagan deities of Europe and was used in many forms of worship. To the present day, blackberry pies are baked on Lughnasadh (August 2) by some of the Wiccans in commemoration of the harvest. A wreath of blackberries was (and sometimes still is) woven into a bride's hair on the day of her marriage. It was considered to be a symbol of purity.

A bramble bush that forms a natural arch is a great aid to magical healing. On a sunny day, crawl through the arch backward and then forward three times, going as nearly east to west as possible. This will cause boils, rheumatism, whooping cough, and even blackheads and bruises to disappear.

The blackberry plant is also used to heal scalds by dipping nine blackberry leaves in spring water and then laying them against the wound gently while saying the following chant three times to each leaf (27 times in all):

'Three ladies came from the east,

One with fire and two with frost.

Out with fire, in with frost.'

This is an old invocation to Brigit, the ancient Celtic Goddess of poetry, healing, and smithcraft.

There are a lot of historical myths and superstitions about blackberries, but the most widespread belief is that you should not eat blackberries after a certain day of the year. Although the precise date varies somewhat, the date usually given is September 29 or "Michaelmas day". After 1752, the calendar in Britain was changed and Michaelmas day was moved forward to October 10, or October 11, according to some, but this is now considered "Old" Michaelmas day.

So, you may see all these dates being cited. But, why the prohibition against blackberries after Michaelmas day? Well, after September 30, it is said that blackberries may be inedible, poisonous, or, even worse. Bad luck and evil may befall you if you eat them on this late date of the season.

With all of this being said, I for one will still be taking the chance and enjoying fresh, delicious blackberries and I hope that you will too! Nothing (not even a curse) can keep me away from my blackberry tea, pies and shamelessly eating them straight from the vine.

If you've ever hiked an off-road wooded path and stumbled upon wild blackberry bushes, you know the plump purple berries taste deliciously sweet right off the bush. If they don't grow wild in your area, you can get the berries year-round from the produce or freezer section of your grocery store -- or maybe from a farmers market during the warmer months of the year. Depending on where in the United States you live, ripe blackberries can be found from May through September.

HAPPY BLACKBERRY SEASON!

P.S

Don't forget to make yourself some amazing, magical, curse-free blackberry dumplins!

>>Find My Favorite Recipe Right Here<<