Once again I am sweltering in the blackberry patch on a hot and humid July afternoon cursing the blasted plants as their thorny canes grab my shirt, get hopelessly snagged on the bird net, and dig their evil spikes into my hands. The ripe berries are glossy purple-black and no bigger than the last joint on my little finger. Just as the berries are not big compared to modern varieties their seeds are much smaller also. So much smaller that you hardly notice they have seeds when eating them. That fact alone is a reason to continue to cultivate them although there has been more than one occasion when I have walked away from those thorny devils scratched and bleeding determined to spray them with Round-up!
Growing blackberries is a family tradition I find myself obliged to uphold. These berries are offspring of plants that belonged to my grandfather and considering their tenacity I am suspicious that they are direct descendants of a wild variety.
Growing blackberries is a family tradition I find myself obliged to uphold. These berries are offspring of plants that belonged to my grandfather and considering their tenacity I am suspicious that they are direct descendants of a wild variety.
In 1929 my maternal grandfather moved his family from a farm in Jefferson County Missouri to a more productive piece of land in Monroe County Illinois, a gutsy thing to do at the start of the Great Depression. My mother assures me he brought blackberry plants with him. Twenty- five years later when she married my father she brought blackberry plants to the farm on which we now live. I am still picking thorns out of my fingers.
This is a photo taken in 1921. The little girl is my mom, Ellen, age 7 and her little brother, Bill, age 3. Although it’s difficult to be certain I believe they are standing in front of a row of blackberries, the descendants of which I have growing in my garden today. So out of respect for my grandfather and love for my mother I continue to cultivate the thorny, blankety-blank blackberries.
Oh, by the way, did I mention that they make pretty good pie?
Filling:
¾ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups ripe freshly picked blackberries
(frozen berries work too but do not thaw them )
In a small bowl mix the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt. Put the berries in a large bowl and add the lemon juice to the berries. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to coat evenly. Turn them into the pie shell add the top crust and bake. Go to Flaky Foundation II post for detailed crust shaping and baking instructions.
¾ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cups ripe freshly picked blackberries
(frozen berries work too but do not thaw them )
In a small bowl mix the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, and salt. Put the berries in a large bowl and add the lemon juice to the berries. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to coat evenly. Turn them into the pie shell add the top crust and bake. Go to Flaky Foundation II post for detailed crust shaping and baking instructions.
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