Blackberries, a brilliant summer delight

 

 Part of the fun of seasonal eating is enjoying what's available in as many different ways as possible. There is little else as glorious as a sun ripened blackberry fresh off the cane, but if you know a good picking spot or happen upon a gallon at the market, there are numerous fantastic ways you can include fresh blackberries in your diet.

One of the most familiar and most delicious is blackberry cobbler. There are almost as many blackberry cobbler recipes as there are blackberry canes in an abandoned hay field, but here's a very easy, very basic one. Melt ½ cup (1 stick) butter in a 2 quart casserole dish by placing in the oven as you preheat to 350. Combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 2/3 cup milk and mix well. Toss 2 ½ to 3 cups of fresh or frozen blackberries with 1-2 tablespoons of sugar. Pour batter into melted better; do not stir. Spoon blackberries over the batter, but don't stir. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown. I like to add sorghum to my berries, and I add a little vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the batter when I make cobbler. 

Try making your own whipping cream to top the cobbler. Use an electric mixer to whip some heavy whipping cream until it starts to make peaks. Add a teaspoon of confectioners sugar and a dash of vanilla, then whip until it's a little stiffer. Be sure the cream is cold. Some people even recommend refrigerating your bowl and beaters, but I've never taken those extra steps. It's so easy to make, and so much better than the canned whipped cream!

You can also make a fantastic salad dressing from fresh or frozen blackberries. Muddle (mash) a couple tablespoons of berries, combine with a teaspoon of honey, a couple tablespoons of white wine vinegar, and a quarter cup of extra virgin olive oil. You can dress up a simple green salad, or even try this dressing over warm sautéed greens.

Light meats like pork, chicken, and white fish pair beautifully with the tart, bright flavor of a blackberry marinade. Starting with the same base as the salad dressing, muddled berries, honey, and white wine vinegar, add spices like cumin, black pepper, salt, and just a dash of cinnamon. Or you could try leaving out the cumin and cinnamon and add fresh herbs, like basil and thyme instead. Spoon over the meat and marinate for a couple hours before cooking. Make extra marinade to serve on the cooked meat.

Another way to enjoy blackberries is to make a refreshing magenta blackberry punch. Using a spoon, clean the skin off a 1” chunk of fresh ginger. Combine ginger, 1 ½ to 2 cups blackberries, one cup sugar, and ¾ cup lemon juice in a blender. Process until well blended. Pour mixture into pitcher and combine with water at a ratio of 1:3, mixture to water. You can add more or less water depending on your preference. 

To make a fizzy punch, dilute with water instead of ginger ale. Serve with a mint or basil garnish. Served cold, this punch is a great way to cool down during a hot summer afternoon. It would be beautiful at a picnic or wedding. And if imbibing your corn instead of eating it on the cob is your style, this punch would pair wonderfully with the brews from Short Mountain Distillery in Woodbury.

Blackberries are part of the group of plant species that transition open ground back to forest. They pop up where ground has been disturbed and goes without being mowed for long periods of time. That's why you'll see them growing along roadsides and in neglected pastures and hayfields. Blackberries are perennials; the canes die back each year, but the roots survive the winter in the ground.

Harvesting blackberries is a fun but delicate task. I wear long pants, long sleeves, solid shoes, and long gloves. It's easiest to pick with both hands free. 

You can cut out the front of a milk jug, put your belt or a string through the handle, and tie it around your waist. It's best for the berries and most comfortable for the picker to go early in the morning, but you should go any time you can. 

Picking blackberries in the summertime was an integral part of my summertime growing up in the South. When the sun is hot and you're surrounded by a blackberry bramble you can smell the fruit ripening in the afternoon heat. I learned by experimentation that the bigger, more supple berries are the juiciest and sweetest. The little ones are more tart but have a very strong flavor. Those little ones are great for making jellies and jam.

It's extremely easy to freeze blackberries. Just pick through the berries to get out any little stems or leaves and arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put in the freezer until frozen through, then pour them in a freezer bag. You can make any of the recipes above with frozen berries. They're also a great way to pep up a cold winter morning's pancakes or a bowl of yogurt and granola.

Blackberries are an excellent source of vitamins C, K, and E, folate, magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, and dietary fiber. The intense color of blackberries is due to their high concentration of anthocyanin antioxidants, which support your body's immune system. A cup of blackberry and honey tea sipped the grips of a dreary winter cold can help give your body the boost it needs to heal itself.

Harvesting wild blackberries is a great way to get into foraging for wild foods. Blackberries are easy to spot and positively identify and easy to harvest and process. You can't pick too many, and it would be hard to trample any patch to the point of compromising the next year's growth. Foraging reconnects you with the wild world, of which you are indelibly a part. If you're looking out for a perfect patch of blackberries on the side of the road, you notice more of the natural community of plants that surrounds us, instead of passing it all by in a blur of green as you dash down the highway. 

If you don't have time or can't be bothered to pick these seasonal beauties for yourself, please understand why they're rather expensive. Picking the berries without marring your hands and forearms is an act of grace and rapt concentration, even with sleeves and gloves. The berries are little, and while they do grow in dense patches, it's surprising how long it can take to painstakingly move through a maze of thorny canes as tall as you are. They don't keep very long, so any berries you buy at the market haven't been off their canes very long. 

The blackberry harvest can be a challenge, but it's a welcome challenge. I spend February evenings fantasizing about the sun roasted fruit and fresh cobbler with whipped cream makes. Those sweet culinary payoffs make all the tick bites worth it.