From the Brambles to the Kitchen: 3 Tasty Blackberry Recipes

When I was very small, there was a patch of blackberry bramble beside the quarter-mile of road between my house and my aunt’s, and we would walk halfway up the hill toward her place with our empty Cool Whip tubs — the same ones we used for backyard raspberries earlier in the season — to gather as many as we could before the birds got them. The haul we got was always diminished slightly before we made it back to the house, and I can’t remember a single time they lasted long enough to be baked into a pie or turned into jam.

This past weekend, Ian and I celebrated his last long weekend of the summer by visiting his family, so he and his father could drive to Vermont to bag a couple of mountain peaks. It was then that I got to experience the fabled Marquis blackberry bounty; Ian and his father picked a substantial haul Friday night, to make muffins for their early-morning departure, and after they returned home, I picked some more to bring home to my kitchen, and realized we’d only reached the tip of the iceburg.

There’s just something bittersweet about blackberries; they herald the beginning of the end of summer, I suppose. Soon, fair season will be in full swing, and within a few short weeks, children will begin returning to school. (Ian and I enjoyed the Bangor State Fair this year but I’m hoping to also drag him to the Windsor Fair of my childhood, as well as the Union Fair, which houses the Moxie Museum. I will never not be a Moxie Girl.) After that, our palates will turn to the rich, warm flavors of fall, like hearty roasted meats and squash, so we have to enjoy these plump, juicy treats while we can still taste the summer.

Blackberry Mango Overnight Baked Oatmeal

  • 2 cups rolled oats or your favorite mixed grain hot cereal
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries
  • 1 mango, diced
  • cinnamon sugar, to top
  • cream and maple syrup to serve

Mix together the dry ingredients first, right in your baking dish. Next, add your fruit, and toss them in the dry ingredients to coat. In a bowl, mix together your milk, egg, butter and vanilla, and pour it over the dry mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight; in the morning, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake approximately 30 minutes at 350°F. Makes four generous portions; serve with a drizzle of maple syrup and a splash of cream.

Blackberry Peach Pie

  • 1 pie crust (use your favorite!)
  • 2 cups fresh blackberries
  • 4 peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour (or cornstarch)
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup cassis or blackberry brandy
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, combine fruit with sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and brandy, and arrange in pie crust. Combine flour, brown sugar and butter with a pastry cutter, and sprinkle over the top. Bake 45 minutes, or until crust and crumble are golden brown and filling is bubbling.

Spicy Blackberry-glazed Oven Pork Ribs

  •  1 rack of ribs
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon each salt, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons black or balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup ketchup

Prepare ahead of time: Place ribs on a foil-covered baking sheet.Mix brown sugar, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic and onion powders and rub onto both sides of the ribs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least two hours. Remove plastic wrap and cover with tin foil; bake in the oven at 250°F for 2-3 hours or until tender.

Glaze: In a saucepan, combine berries with remaining ingredients and cook until the berries are mostly liquid. Strain seeds and other small bits (like the minced garlic) through a sieve and reduce liquid until sticky. When ribs are done, glaze with the berry mix and place back in oven, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes.

For more recipes from my kitchen to yours, please visit http://forkable.net.

Fia Fortune

About Fia Fortune

Fia Fortune is a home cook who enjoys gardening, creating recipes for her two blogs, cooking for herself and her boyfriend, and trying to keep up with their blended family of four cats.