Yesterday, I jokingly asked daughter Rowan when she was going to finish picking the blackberries. It's a joke because it's impossible to pick them all, and even if you could, no one could ever use them all. They are everywhere.
She replied that she was not going to pick any more at all. Several of us questioned her as to why, since she had prepared such delicious pies recently. At first she refused to answer, exclaiming that she didn't want to ruin everyone else's enjoyment. But we finally pried it out of her and the answer also explains why they are so juicy. It's the maggots!
We didn't believe her and all ran off to various corners of the yard to test the assertion for ourselves. Yep, maggots, sometimes several, big and small.
This leaves unanswered whether Rowan was going to just let us all eat maggots, laughing to herself in her silent knowledge, but hey, she's right. We've all sort of stopped eating them. I mean, we tried a few workarounds. Reasoning that the apical berries are the oldest, we checked several axial berries. Yep, maggots! We tried soaking them in slightly salty water and, yep, maggots gradually emerge and float to the surface where they can be skimmed off. However, the realization that the berries are still full of maggot poo cannot be escaped. Eventually, I decided I couldn't let the feast go on without disclosing the discovery, so I videographed a random berry for your education. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBeHj1XibZ8
You have to be fast because the little buggers are photophobic and dash for cover as soon as the light is turned on. If you watch carefully, you'll notice a small one worming its way around a piece of berry to find some shade.
We've had several discussions around the idea of free protein and even beneficial soil bacteria for intestinal flora. But in the end, it's hard to get past, well, the basic idea of maggots. But it gets worse.
We all know the berries are invasive, but it turns out that they are also known to harbor Drosophila suzukii, otherwise known as the spotted wing Drosophila. This little Asian fruit fly is the bane of fruit growers and efforts to eradicate the pest are essentially foiled by the wild blackberry stands that infest our coast.
Meanwhile, I'm guessing their wiggly offspring are safe enough to eat, maybe even nutritious, but if anyone knows otherwise, please let us know!
Comments by Readers
Christy Nieto
Sep 19, 2011Thanks for the articled and video. That is indeed spotted winged drosophila! yikes! They go for all soft skinned fruits and we know that they like all berries but I haven’t known anyone who has personally seen them in our local blackberries. Best thing to do is freeze right away (yes, ok to eat). Or, if you leave them on the counter the worms should make their way out. The SWD affect all berries and are likely to affect plums and cherries in the future. Support research on such pests by supporting organizations such as the Western WA Fruit Research Foundation: http://www.nwfruit.org.
g.h.kirsch
Sep 19, 2011Your question, on the safety of eating these squirmy little creatures, reminded me of an experience this past summer.
We were hiking along a river, through rural China just north of Dalian, when we came upon a small settlement of beekeepers living in yurts amongst peach and apple orchards.
Interested in trying some of their honey, we wandered in to use their well and buy some honey. Word of a “foreigner” spread quickly, and soon perhaps a dozen or so were offering us samples of their honey.
Out of the crowd came a very old woman, gray and weathered by years of work and infrequent bathing. She was quite a sight, with a face lined with character.
In one hand she carried a small ceramic bowl, in the other, a pair of tweezers. With an almost toothless smile she pushed the bowl towards me, obviously offering to share her delicacy, a wiggling pile of maggots, which she picked one by one with the tweezers.
Personally, I think they’re best with honey!