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RoyalDuke

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Hi all!
We have PLENTY of Blackberry bushes near our house, and I've been out and picked some leaves with the intention of drying them out and storing them for my boys. They really love the dried leaves that you can buy from pet stores, so I wanted to try and make my own. Some of the leaves have small spikes on the underside, will drying the leaves get them off? Or is there another way? All the leaves were picked from the tops of the bushes where local dogs can't pee on them, and any with insect damage have been put into the compost bin.
Can I also do the same with wild nettles? Or any other wild growing plants/leaves?

If they turn out to not be good to eat I can always put the leaves into my leaf mulch bin so there's no waste!
 
I have fed fresh blackberry leaves to our piggies.
With the very young growth I found it didn't have many spikes, so it wasn't a problem.
I did have a go at drying them but it didn't work so well, so I will be interested to hear how you get on.

I think the secret might be to pick fresh and dry fast.
 
I have fed fresh blackberry leaves to our piggies.
With the very young growth I found it didn't have many spikes, so it wasn't a problem.
I did have a go at drying them but it didn't work so well, so I will be interested to hear how you get on.

I think the secret might be to pick fresh and dry fast.

Well I picked a bunch and have let them dry out. They seem to be doing well, they've gone slightly crispy. The spikes are still sharp but I fed a few to my boys and it doesn't seem to bother 4 out of 5 - my oldest boy just eats the leaf around them! I tried them with the blackberries too and there a big hit too! I've kept them in a flat wide box from Morrisons on top of one of my cages in the piggy shed then bagged them up so I can dry out more. Would definitely recommend to everyone to try it out! I might try nettles next but will need some thick gloves. Will be looking out for other stuff I can try too.
 
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