The strange Irish myth associated with a summertime favorite food

Blackberry season kicked into full swing in Ireland last month, with colorful bushes of the fruit currently popping up all over the country's roadsides.

Given their easy access, the sweet berries have been a staple of Irish diets for centuries. It's common to see people walking along roads in the countryside carrying containers of freshly plucked blackberries in July, and a pot of fresh jam is often exchanged between households during the late summer months.

The native berries, which are also sometimes called brambleberries, are also used in tarts, crumbles, scones and cakes . They're usually be available until August, with some plants blooming into September.

However, there is a strange myth attached to blackberry picking . According to old folklore , the fruit can only be eaten before September 29.

That's because that date marks Michaelmas - the day when the devil is said to spit on blackberries. The legend is believed to have come from the biblical tale that involves St Michael throwing Lucifer out of heaven and into a bramble bush.

The devil is said to have cursed all bramble bushes from that day so that anyone who picks the fruit from one would become sick.

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Michaelmas coincides with the changing of the seasons, and it can in fact be a bad idea to eat Irish blackberries that late in the year. According to experts, the harsher conditions in autumn can lead to fungi or toxins infesting the berries, which can lead to illness.

By this time they are also said to contain too much water and be flavorless, so it might not be worth the risk anyway.

Whether you want to chance them in September or not is up to you; but it's definitely best not to go near the bushes after Samhain ( Halloween ) when the Púca, Ireland's ancient goblin shapeshifter, is said to really render them inedible...

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