Topic: Whinberrie's or whimberries

[queenbee]

My mother made the most delicious whimberry pie, whimberry's were only available for about 4 weeks a year. The were supposed to be grown only in eastern Europe, My husband claims that he picked whimberries up on the hills of Lancashire. Can anyone of you clarify this? I claim that he picked Whinberries which are a different thing altogether. 

[goodlife]

I there..
I wasn't first familiar with the names..but when I googled it , I can confirm that those berries do grow in UK.
There is several other names for them..one that I'm familiar with is bilberry...or European blueberry.
Sounds like both of the makes you've mentioned are in deed names for the same plant.
Bilberry's are very specific with the soil conditions they can grow so they can be quite localized with their appearance.
I haven't seen them growing in wild anywhere in Nottinghamshire and nearest area for that I've found so far is Foggard Edge..not far from Chatswoth house near Peak District.
I actually have small clump of them growing in large planter in lotty, amongst my blueberry bushes. Not big enough yet for any berries and definitely not enough of for a pie.
I looove picking them and when I was kid it was something we did everyday while they were ripening. We picked them by the bucketsfull and I sat hours by the kitchen table with my mum cleaning the berries form rubbish afterwards.
Bilberry pie with a glass of cold milk...MMMMMM..... ;D ;D I've got some bilberries in freezer that I bought back from Finland..do I have to start baking now..? ::)

[powerspade]

We call them Whimberries down here in S Wales, The slopes of the valleys are covered with them from about late June to Mid July. Makes beautiful Jam, Wine and of course fruit pies