The blackberry, also called bramble, bumblekite, and thimbleberry, is known for healing and protection. In Ireland, eating blackberries after Samhain is avoided as it is said that the púca (by spitting or urinating) will have spoiled the fruit. A custom in Manx folklore is to leave the first blackberries picked out for the faeries to ensure an abundant and pest-free harvest. To keep milk from spoiling, place a sprig of blackberry bramble under the milk pail or weave a wreath to hang in the byre. Place blackberries on your windowsill, and plant bushes around the perimeter of your home to protect from vampires and ghosts.
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