Late summer holds my heart for so many reasons and one of them is this tasty black fruit. As a child I spent many hours picking, eating and reaching my scratched up arms deep in to the thick brambles to ensure I didn’t miss a berry. When I finished, I ran to the house and bound through the back door with my bounty where my grandmother waited to whip up one of her exquisite blackberry pies.
When choosing your berries, look for the plump ones with the deepest color and avoid baskets with juice stains at the bottom which is indicative of crushed fruit. Also remember the summer days are warm and mold can develop quickly, so be sure to poke around a bit to make sure your berries are fresh.
When the local farms and stands have large quantities of the best, ripest berries, I bring home a flat and place directly on the shelf in our stand up freezer. I do not rinse, I simply place them inside. After a couple days, I pull out and making quick work of it, measure out five and a half to six cups of berries in to a large zippy bag. I work out as much air as possible, and place back in to the freezer. Each bag is a pie’s worth.
Dam Good Blackberry Pie by Mama’s Munitia. This recipe’s beauty is it’s simplicity. Whether you decide on a basic two crust, lattice top or crumble, you will delight in the flavor. If you are fortunate enough to have fresh berries in your yard, it is an absolute delight to choose each berry for your pie while picking and filling your bowl. I am not that fortunate so, for my berries, I head to a local farm or the farmers market. Shopping List; Pie; Blackberries, sugar, instant tapioca, lemon juice Pastry; Flour, sugar, salt, butter Full Recipe and Method
Blackberry Sauce by The Driven Cook. A sauce made with fruit is a quick and simple delicacy. A tasty addition to breakfast pancakes, waffles, french toast and cold ice cream. If the sauce is a tad sweet for you, scale back on the sugar a bit. Think outside the box and give the recipe a twist and a tweak, add, subtract, until you have the combination of flavors that is perfect for you. Add a different berry, perhaps raspberry and/or blueberry to your blackberries. One of my favorite additions and personal preference to blackberries is a dash or two of cinnamon. Shopping list; Blackberries, sugar. Recipe and Method
Desserts, jams, jellies and wine. The blackberry is extremely versatile and is used in some of the most delectable recipes. If you have a favorite, please share with us :)
The (usually) black fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is termed an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. It is a widespread and well-known group of over 375 species. ~ Wikipedia
Even it it’s not a berry, I still love blackberry pie…Almost as much as blueberry pie.
As do I!! One of my favorites to enjoy all year round :)
There’s nothing better than a perfect ripe, sweet blackberry.. well, maybe that pie would be better:)