Thanks to an unseasonably dry winter and hot summer, berries have been ripening early up and down Vancouver Island — including a local favourite, the wild blackberry. You might have noticed a few growing in your own neighbourhood as August set in. Now they're ready for harvest.

Blackberry picking can be a great activity with friends or family, or solo as you hike a trail or walk your dog in the morning. To help your gathering be the best it can be, I've collected some tips on where, how, and what kind to pick.

But if you'd rather save yourself the time and the scratches, I won't judge: Victoria has a number of great local farms offering fresh blackberries for sale in flats or pints. Try your local grocery store, or if you're near Saanichton, swing by Dan's Farm & Country Market.

Which Blackberries To Pick

There are actually two kinds of blackberry that are commonly found on Vancouver Island: the Himalayan blackberry and the trailing blackberry. If you know what to look for they can be easy to distinguish, and you should have plenty of luck finding both kinds.

Himalayan Blackberry

Originally brought to Vancouver Island via England from India, the Himalayan blackberry has a reputation for aggressive growth. It can take over backyards and native vegetation with its thorny branches, and is actually an invasive species of weed.

Despite this, the Himalayan blackberry is one of the most recognizable wild berries and one of the most picked, with juicy fruit that's delicious in baked treats when ripe. You can identify it by its long, arching, red-brown branches (known as "canes") with their large thorns. Its leaves are large and ovoid with toothed edges, and tend to grow in groups of 5.

Trailing Blackberry

The trailing blackberry is the only species of blackberry native to Vancouver Island and the rest of BC. Much smaller than Himalayan blackberry, the trailing blackberry is known for its sweetness — try making some jams or pies with them if you find any.

Trailing blackberries get their name from the way they "trail" along the ground with woody vines up to 20 feet long that catch the legs of unwary passersby. Unlike the Himalayan blackberry, the canes of trailing blackberry are bluish, with small prickles rather than big thorns (which can still get caught under your skin, so be careful). Their leaves grow in groups of one to three with jagged edges and pointed tips.

Where To Pick Blackberries in Victoria

The best areas to look for blackberries are spaces with plenty of sun and vegetation. Sunny roadsides, open ditches, overgrown meadows, the edge of farm fields and wooded areas, and all sorts of fences are good candidates. The berries grow in clusters and don't have any close lookalikes, so they are safe and easy to pick out.

Some more specific areas to search for berry troves:

• the Galloping Goose (throughout Victoria)
• Tod Inlet (Saanich)
• Elk & Beaver Lake (Saanich)
• Quick's Bottom (Saanich)
• Around Gorge-Burnside Community Center (Saanich)
• Seabluff Farm (Metchosin)
• Macaulay Point (Esquimalt)
• Local parks

Blackberry plants in public areas may be cleared out for storm drain clearage or other reasons as the season wears on. Many jurisdictions (such as Oak Bay) will delay their removal for berry pickers, but it's best to get to them as soon as the fruit is ripe.

You'll want to avoid picking blackberries next to any major highways or dumping areas, as they can absorb pollution from their surroundings. Berry picking is also prohibited in Provincial Parks.

If you suspect the berries might be on private property, always be sure to ask permission before picking any. The property owner may have sprayed them with pesticides (or want to keep them for themselves).

How To Best Pick Blackberries

It's easy enough to tug a few berries loose from the stem to fill your bucket, but here are a few extra tips to keep your berry picking top notch:

• Try to do your picking in the morning, when it's cool out.
• Bring a clean milk jug along to collect your berries in. The handle will make it easier to carry, and it will keep your harvest from getting bruised or squashed.
• Resist snacking on your berries until they can be washed, especially if you collect them in high-traffic areas.
• Be prepared for thorns. Go slowly. Wear sturdy shoes or boots, and consider long sleeves and pants. Some people like to wear gloves to protect their hands, but they can make it harder to tell if a berry is ripe.
• Watch out for nettles and poison ivy, which might like to grow nearby.
• If you wear bug spray to battle wasps, mosquitoes, and ticks, avoid getting it on your hands. You don't want any on your berries.
• Make sure your berries are ripe — blackberries don't ripen once they're off the stem. Ripe blackberries look full and are black all over, and should fall off the stem with the lightest of tugs. If you have to pull, it probably isn't ripe. Late July and August are the best times to start looking; most berries will be spoiled by October.
• You'll often find the best berries in the middle of the patch. If you have trouble reaching them, try laying down a plank of wood to walk on so you don't have to wade through thorns.
• Don't pick berries that are too low on the patch, especially in dog parks where pets may have peed.
• Don't pick too many. Wild berries don't grow as quickly or in the same amount as they do on farms, and animals may depend on them for their diet. Don't ever clean a patch of berries.
• Make plenty of noise when picking, especially in wild areas where there may be bears or snakes.
• Don't eat any berries you can't identify with 100% certainty. White berries in particular tend to be toxic.
• If you get blackberry stains on your clothes, cover the stains in white vinegar and leave to sit for 30 minutes. Then rinse with cold water and wash as normal.

Storing & Cooking Blackberries

Blackberries can go mouldy in less than a day when left at room temperature, and even in the refrigerator they only last a couple of days. Keep your blackberries in the shade, and get them into a fridge or cooler as soon as possible.

Remove any rotten or squashed berries from your collection, and don't wash your batch until you're ready to use them — washing them makes them spoil quicker. When you're ready to eat your blackberries, wash them in cool water and let them come to room temperature for full juiciness.

When storing your blackberries in the fridge, make sure to keep them in a container with a lid. Wild berries can hide pests, and storing an open basket in your fridge can result in worms or small bugs all over your food come morning. Some berry pickers recommend soaking the berries for an hour or two in a gallon of water with a cup of salt, to dislodge any visitors.

If you've picked more blackberries than you can use in a few days, don't worry. Blackberries freeze easily and can be baked without needing to be defrosted. Wash and sort your berries first, then put them into a Ziplock or on a baking tray and put them in the freezer. Putting them in a bag will usually cause them to freeze into lumps (not a problem if you're making jams or smoothies), while the baking tray method will freeze them as individual berries which you can then collect in another container.

Blackberries can be sprinkled on cereal, salads, pancakes, and desserts, or made into treats like pies, crisps, cobblers, and jams. Some recommend making a blackberry sauce for savoury meats like venison. You can even mash them with sugar and sieve them into a bottle before topping it up with brandy, vodka, or gin. However you enjoy them, you'll get the benefits of the berries' natural vitamins and antioxidants.

If you know of any good blackberry recipes or berry-picking spots of your own, I'd love to hear them; let me know in the comments. In the meantime, here's a fantastic recipe for Gluten-Free Chocolate-Blackberry Cupcakes from Vancouver user Mountainbillygoat on reddit:

Gluten-Free Chocolate-Blackberry Cupcakes

Ingredients

• ¾ rounded cup sorghum flour
• ¾ rounded cup potato starch, cornstarch or tapioca starch
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 cup blackberries
• 1 tablespoon Ener-G Egg Replacer beaten with ¼ cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons organic canola or coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon light tasting rice vinegar

Instructions

Whisk together the flours and dry ingredients. Add blackberries, egg replacer, oil, vanilla and vinegar. Beat the batter for a full two to three minutes until all the ingredients are mixed and smooth.

Using an ice cream scoop, plop the batter into the cups/muffin tray and smooth the tops. Bake in the center of a preheated oven till done - about 20 minutes or so. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack (don't let them sit in the baking pan too long or they'll get soggy). Frost when cooled.