Saturday, March 3, 2012

Using the Bountiful Harvest

The bountiful harvest in the freezer, that is.

Friends of ours have a cabin in Idaho and whenever they come back from a trip there, they bring us a passel of blackberries. They are huge and succulent and grow wild out there. They say the bushes are very large and plentiful but you take your life into your hands picking the fruit because of the nasty thorns.

Needless to say, we really luck out in being handed these berries without any of the work!

Today I decided to use them in baking a pie which I've not done before. I used my recipe for Winter Raspberry Crumble Pie simply substituting the blackberries for the raspberries. If you're interested in this pie recipe, scroll way down on my right hand side bar and type in Winter Raspberry Crumble Pie in the Search box. The post that will pop up with the date of December 5, 2008 contains the recipe.

I'm happy to report that the pie with the blackberries came out just great. I know the huge empty part of the pie plate devoid of pie looks bad, but I just wanna state that we did have help eating it.

Some time I'm going to try making Blackberry Jam out of the berries. That sounds really good to me, toast and jam lover that I am.

18 comments:

Carolyn said...

Oh, I LOOOOVVVEEEE Blackberry Pie! And crumble, buckle, crepes, pancakes, cobbler, coffee cake, jam....

Sparkless said...

Oh goodness that pie looks good. Oh and the lentil soup recipe was good but the kids didn't like it. I did though so too bad for them! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. Next time we'll be adding some sausage or ham to it.

Carole said...

Great post. I am right into making my own jam. http://caroleschatter.blogspot.co.nz/2011/11/making-jam.html

Wendy said...

Oh my goodness your pie looks so yummy! I absolutely adore blackberries but hate picking them because of the thorns and here we have to worry about the snakes that get in the bushes as well.

Tami said...

Gosh that looks good! Eat a few extra bites for me!

I remember as I child picking wild blackberries when we lived in upstate NY. No such luck down here in NC. I'd sprinkle some sugar on em, mash em up and then pour some milk on them. I loved having purple milk!

judy said...

Toast and jam is like comfort food to me-my mom's too-after any hospital stays -the one surgery I had-when you come out of it--toast please-----:) oh,I almost forgot,the pie looks delicious

Poppy said...

Oh my that looks good! I am starving this morning so my mouth is actually watering!

Mama Pea said...

CR - I'll bet blackberries grow wild by you? Or at least you can cultivate them. I tried here but our season is too short and too cool.

Sparkless - Heck, throw some meat in the lentil soup next time and it may appeal to the kids more. Sometimes I think kids (adults, too) don't like anything that is "new."

Carole - I love making jam, too.

Wendy - Okay. That would do it for me. I can't stand the thought of snakes slithering over my feet while I'm picking berries. ((Shudder!))

tami - I do the same thing with raspberries . . . red milk! You may be sure I will eat a couple bites of the pie in your honor today.

judy - My husband never wants his bread toasted. Just plain, please. Some people sure are funny, aren't they?

Mama Pea said...

Poppy - Sorry about causing the early morning hunger pains! Wish that I could zap you a piece of the pie over the air waves!

Rea said...

OMG does that look good! I love blackberry crumble...That's it, I'm moving in with you. All I have left of my warm summer day black berries is a couple quarts of wine. Thanks for making me drool on my keyboard. lol

Erin said...

Yum! Isn't it nice having friends all over the place? :)

Karen L. said...

The pie looks wonderful but blackberries are probably the only berry that is not on my "yummy" list. Not sure why .... but my dogs sure do love them. I don't mind picking them and I do eat a few while feeding them to the dogs as we walk by the plants but I'm just not into them otherwise. When we were on our farmette here in NC, they grew wild all over the place. One dog would actually pick them herself. Funny little bugger! Oh but I do love beach plum jelly and sure do miss it. My Mom use to make it. We picked them down the shore in southern NJ. Have you ever tasted that? Very different flavor.

Mama Pea said...

Rea - OMG, blackberry wine??!! Oh, pour me a glass over ice right now! When we all form our commune (but we've got to call it something else 'cause communes never work), you are going to brew the wine and I'll bake the pies. Deal?

Erin - You bet! I've never tasted a blackberry before being gifted these!

Karen L. - Our daughter's Golden Retriever started helping herself to our raspberries last summer. If we see her in my husband's beloved strawberries, there may be heck to pay!

I've heard of beach plum jelly but have no idea what it tastes like. Do tell!

Anonymous said...

We always picked blackberries for my Mom to make jam. Definitely delish! Your pie looks fabulous and I bet it tasted even better! Lol!

Jenyfer Matthews said...

When I lived in NC, I spent many an hour picking wild blackberries - and the thorns are vicious! It was so sad because I could SEE so many luscious berries but could not reach them because of the tangle of branches with thorns. Oh well - I got plenty anyway! We enjoyed cobblers and pies and jam - so yummy!

Mama Pea said...

Stephanie - Yep, I'm sure I'd like blackberry jam! (The pie did taste purdy yummy.)

Jen - I know you're a wild berry picker so am sure you took full advantage of those blackberries in NC!

2 Tramps said...

Oh, how you shame me - I need to start baking pie more than every couple of years! One year I picked some 5 gallons of blackberries. I juiced them and then froze the juice to make jelly later - it is about the best jelly you could make - people have tried to buy it from me!

Mama Pea said...

2 Tramps - Shamey, shamey! (Only one pie every couple of years??) Oh, just the thought of that blackberry jelly! Hea-VEN! I don't know what it is about blackberries . . . they just seem so jewel-like. Does that make any sense? The jelly must be like nectar from the gods!!