Homegrown blackberries

We have blackberry bushes in the back pasture.  Dave says that when he was a kid, his family harvested enough blackberries every summer to make blackberry jam and more than a few pies.  This year, I’ve been eagerly waiting for blackberry picking season.  I was excited when Dave came in from mowing the pasture, and announced that the berries were ready for picking.  I selected a large bowl from the kitchen, worrying that it might not be big enough for the large harvest that I expected.

Half an hour later, I’d picked the bushes clean, and this is what I collected:

Yep, it’s barely a handful of berries.  It not enough for a milkshake, let alone an entire pie.  Evidently last year’s drought, partnered with Dave’s overenthusiastic mowing of the pasture has killed off most of our blackberry bushes.  Maybe next year.  Meanwhile, I’m off to the market to buy some store-bought blackberries to make a pie.

Blackberry pie

Because it was Dave’s birthday on Saturday, I told him I’d make him any dessert he wanted.  He opted for blackberry pie.  Blackberries are out of season here, so I had to use frozen berries.  The pie was delicious, and there was no difference whatsoever  in flavor between the fresh berries and the frozen ones.

Blackberry pie

Uncooked pie crust for a two-crust  deep dish pie (make a homemade crust, or buy a package of high-quality premade pie dough)

6 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup sugar (add 1/4 cup more if you prefer a sweeter pie)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400-degrees fahrenheit.  Fold the pie crust gently into the bottom of a heavy deep dish pie pan.

Use a rubber spatula to gently combine the berries, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, almond extract, lemon zest, cinnamon, and cornstarch.  Spoon the berries into the pie shell.  Cover with the top pie crust, and flute the edges.  Cut slits into the top to allow for the steam to escape.  Sprinkle lightly with the 1 tablespoon sugar.  Place the pie on a rimmed baking pan, and place into the preheated oven.  Bake for about an hour, checking after about half an hour to cover the edges with foil if they are getting too dark.

Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for at least an hour before serving.

Berry buckle for my birthday

For my birthday this year, I opted for TWO desserts…yes, two.  I’m actually not a sweets person.  But, I do like fresh fruit.  So, this year, we had a fresh berry buckle, and a key lime pie.  Both were made with fresh fruit, and neither dessert was incredibly sweet.  The recipe for the pie will come later in the week.  For today, we’re sharing the buckle.

Very much like a cobbler, a buckle is an old-fashioned fruit dessert.  It’s casual, not very sweet, and works for a dessert or breakfast.  Use whatever kind of berries are in season.  Our blackberries this year were inadvertently plowed over by the field workers, so we were forced to use frozen berries from the market.  Whether you have fresh in-season berries or frozen, this buckle is delicious.  Don’t neglect to sprinkle sugar on top before baking.  The sugar makes a delightful crunchy crust, and doesn’t make the dish overly sweet.

Serve up any leftovers for breakfast the next day.

Berry buckle

1 cup flour

1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon zest

½ cup butter, melted

2 cups fresh berries (I used a mixture of frozen raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries)

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  In a separate bowl, stir together the 1 cup sugar, milk, vanilla, lemon zest, and melted butter.  Pour into the flour mixture.

Pour mixture into a greased 9″ X 10″ ovenproof casserole dish.  Sprinkle the berries over the batter.  Dust the berries with the 1 tablespoon sugar.  Bake for 1 hour.

Serves 6.

Blackberry coffee cake

Yesterday we had to forgoe our usual breakfast out, as we each headed out to perform different tasks.  I had to make preparations for a workshop, and Dave had to do some work on the property.  So, I made a blackberry coffee cake to sustain us until dinner.  It was delicious, and not too sweet.  This breakfast snack will work for any kind of berries…blackberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries.  Whatever you have on hand.  We liked it so much we ended up having it for Sunday dinner dessert as well.  If you feel like it, add half a teaspoon of vanilla and some orange or lemon zest.

Breakfast berry coffee cake

1/2 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups berries, washed, pitted and prepared (we used blackberries)

1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350-degrees fahrenheit.

Stir together the butter, sugar, eggs, and yogurt; set aside.  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gently fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture.  Fold in the berries.  Scoop into a greased 9-inch by 9-inch pan.  Sprinkle with the 1 tablespoon sugar.  Bake for about an hour, until a knife comes out clean.