Makin’ good use of those pesky blackberry brambles

Blackberries seem to pop up out of nowhere. They grow fast, they’re pokey, prickly and they provide almost endless amounts of delicious fruit, for FREE!! Well except maybe the cost of a good portion of the yard.

Our neighbor a few years ago had a perfect wall of blackberries, ten feet high and about thirty feet long. That was the easiest picking I have ever had. We picked six gallons in about 2 hours. The week following we picked more, and the following week too. Sadly our neighbor cut down all the blackberries before he moved out. So, we have been on the search for the next perfect spot to pick, and just last year we found it. Not the perfect wall, but close enough.

See the blackberries just to right winding up around the corner?!

It’s a short walk from Grandma’s house and in the evening or on cooler days, every week we go out for a half hour or so and pick. One reason blackberries are great is they have a fantastic harvesting cycle. At first you can see a few here and there turn and you pick them excited for the summer’s bounty to follow. The following week your first round of berries comes in, then the following week you pick again, and then the next week. There is no questioning the ripeness, and you can almost pin point the next weeks harvest day by the red berries that hang on the vine lonesome after picking their full ripe friend.

With all of the blackberries we pick I would be almost overwhelmed with the thought of canning it all right away. “What recipe could I use for these three gallons?! and those four gallons?!” I did can it all within days of picking it. It would be a hot steamy kitchen for weeks but the house always smelled delicious! Then late last year it struck me, Light bulb! I could freeze what we pick and then pull out what I needed as I needed (and could actually work with, without getting overwhelmed).

This actually worked out perfectly to put in milk shakes, smoothies, cereals, as a replacement of ice in drinks

Simple, water with mint and blackberries

(my husband’s favorite mint leaves in any drink with frozen fruit), and a quick healthy snack for the kids. My all-time favorite way to use the blackberries would be pickled!

Pickled blackberries are nice on chicken, ham and cheese. We like it best on cold cucumbers and carrots; this has been a great snack to take to the river with us and to little get togethers. You can use it as a salad dressing, a marinade; try it with olive oil as a dip for warm bread. It’s a perfect gift for any occasion.

BLACKBERRY PICKLE

(picture tutorial to come but it is fairly easy)

Ok, here’s the time frame:                          12 hours to sit

                                                                  35-45 minutes to cook.

This recipe makes about 4 16oz jars

8 Cups blackberries, 2 pounds

4 cups sugar

2 tablespoons ground allspice

2 tablespoons ground ginger

2 cups white vinegar

                What you gotta do:

1.       Place berries in a heavy kettle with sugar and spice. Cover and let stand 12 hours or overnight.

2.       Heat vinegar to boiling, and pour over berries.

3.       Heat berries to boiling, stirring often.

4.       Simmer for 30 min.

5.       Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool.

6.       Spoon into hot sterilized jars, and seal.

Process times in boiling water bath vary depending on elevation. I’m at roughly 2,500 feet and time at 15 min for pints.

  

This is my super easy recipe that we love. If you have any recipes for blackberries that are different from the ordinary jams and jellies I would love to hear some and if you try my recipe I would love to hear how you liked it, loved it, hated it, gifted it and or created delicious meals with it.

Blackberry thief