AJ / Scott,
After reading about your problem with bitter blackberries I searched the internet and found out its a common problem. I grow Aronia’s which have a very unpleasant taste that is made very palatable with apple juice. I’ve canned blackberries plenty of times in peach juice since they ripen around the same time. The Indians ate bitter acorns after leaching the tannins out with water. Come to find out blackberry stems and seeds contain salicylic acid aka aspirin and ellagic acid. Aspirin tastes pretty bad so I can see how those berries would not taste good. I would remove the seeds and stems and you will likely have delicious juice , wine, and jelly. This is the article I found that discusses the problem your facing http://www.ehow.com/how_8363416_bitterness-out-blackberries.html
Interesting, but I’m wondering how a juicing process will not crush the stems and seeds. I guess I could try putting them in cloth and wringing them.
The way I would do it is with a steam juicer and then the juice comes out hot and your nearly ready to can it. I use a juicer like that for making grape juice every year. If the expensive one is to much money look around for knock offs because they cost half as much https://www.lehmans.com/p-285-10-12-qt-stainless-steel-steam-juicer.aspx?show=all
http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-A12-Aluminum-Juicer/dp/B0007VW61S
I’ve never used the raw method since I can mine. A lot of people don’t want to lose the nutrients in cooking so they use a device like this for tomatoes , berries etc to remove seeds
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001I7FP54/ref=pd_aw_fbt_79_img_2?refRID=0XBTK48KJ0E4T2G8T8Y9
I was surprised. Didn’t really recognize winter 2014-15 as significantly colder or more severe - though we had more snow than usual - than any other winter in the 5-10 years I’ve been growing Kiowa.
HUGE berries with good flavor, but large seeds.
I’ve juiced by various mechanical methods over the years. I have the spiral strainer you linked. It’s a good concept, but they usually make the spiral out of plastic. They should make them out of stainless steel because the plastic is easily gouged by seeds. If you read the reviews, some people get upset with the thought of small bits of plastic in their juice. I would pay the extra money for SS spiral version
The steam juicer looks interesting. I’ve never done that method before. Cooking does destroy some of the nutritional value, but I will be happy if I can get a sizable amount of juice for flavoring ice cream. Thanks for the suggestion.
Growing up in Ohio, I remember picking wild blackberries with thorns that had the sweetest, real blackberry taste that I loved. I am now growing Ouachita which is a huge hybrid. I bought it because it was thornless not not droopy. It does not have the smaller true blackberry taste I love. Your berries remind me of my childhood. They are so beautiful. I am so glad you have preserved them.
This spring as many are painfully aware has been unpredictable in terms of weather. These blackberries once again show off good genetics and are just now sending out a few green leaves. They are at least a month or longer away from blooming. The wild mulberries similarlyshow no signs of crop failure. Years like this one remind me why we grow berries. We are very fortunate to have them. A friend was showing me some of his improved thornless blackberries recently and discussed that they are ever bearing. If your not growing blackberries already they are worth consideration.
Clark,
Is there any possibility you could send some of your blackberry canes to interested people (of whom I am one)?
Although it’s later in the season than is ideal, it could still be done, I think.
Thanks.
I’m also looking for super hardy berries, but for now I don’t want to add anything. Maybe after I move to where I have more room, I’ll bother you guys about these heirlooms and obtaining some.
We have been in the 80s and since they already broke dormancy they would not make it this year. If you remind next year I will send you some.
A trip to the blackberry patch showed a quart of ripe berries and they are heavy this year! Last years harvest will be half of this harvest if things stay as they are right now. The first of the heavy crop will begin in a week or so and continue through the end of July. Another quarter acre came into production this year. I just finished cutting paths through the blackberries again so they can be picked.
Picked my first one of the year yesterday. Tasted good, lots of berries to ripen I am guessing towards the end of next week.
We are still in black raspberry season here. However, I did see some blackberries out in the same woodland edges as the raspberries. The blackberries are still green.
I always thought that the folks saying they were picking blackberries in August were picking planted vines. Come to find out, the wild blackberries are out there. Though here they don’t seem as numerous as the black raspberries.
I just had to leave the blackberry patch for a family trip. Here we are having twice the harvest as last year. Namache are about finished, and triple crown are just getting started. Very few signs of borer compared to other years.
I use a big strainer to get most of the seeds out when I make jam. Blackberries also work well when there is spice involved: hot sauce, pulled pork, barbecue sauce. I put them through a juicer to remove all the seeds when I add them to hard apple cider. I just started fermenting a batch yesterday!
Love the blackberry!
Here is our gallon bucket 
of blackberry
Blueberrythrill,
Great looking berries! I ate about a quart in the patch this morning. They are loading up and I hope we can keep up! Can’t even see to the end of the rows and they are all loaded like that!
Looks great! I see a huge amount of fruit starting to get ripe. Better get ready!
Trying to prepare myself it’s going to be a big harvest I think. Tried to show mostly green ones since most are like that but some are like this one.
Envy and other similar words come to mind!