Berries — take your pick!
September 25, 2011 – 5:21 am
I had my most civilised blackberry-foraging feast last week in a friends’ allotment in Dublin’s Inchicore — a whole brambly hedge of juicy luscious blackberries all to myself.
It was certainly more successful than last year’s expedition,when I ended up climbing over a farm fence into a muddy field and being chased by a cow.
Similar to raspberries, blackberries are an aggregate fruit and relative of the rose. This explains the treacherous thorny branches! It is a highly adaptable and fast-growing shrub, found in hedgerows, woodland, meadows and wasteland.
It is a good pioneer species (early coloniser of a habitat) as it can grow in poor soil and its prickly stems help protect other plants’ young shoots.
During World War One, children in England were given time off school to collect blackberries for the production of juice that was sent to soldiers to help maintain health. Today there are over 2,000 varieties found throughout the cooler regions of the world.
Blackberries are packed with antioxidants, including vitamin C and ellagic acid, which may provide protection against cancer and chronic disease. Plus, their many tiny seeds make them a good source of fibre.
They also contain salicylates, a group of analgesics that include the active substance in aspirin. I try and include half a cup of berries every day in my diet. The antioxidant and immune-boosting properties are really concentrated. I know my whole body benefits but I can definitely see an improvement in the clarity and ‘glow’ of my skin.
Foraging for blackberries is a fun activity, if a little prickly. Wild berries have a depth of flavour rarely rivalled by cultivated varieties. Take a container and an umbrella (for hooking branches) and search out brambles near you, avoiding polluted spots.
Even in cities you can find blackberries growing on scrubland, canalside paths and in wooded areas. I would also recommend wearing long sleeves and a pair of sturdy gloves — the brambles are full of thorns. But this makes plucking and eating the ripe berries even more enjoyable.
As you can end up eating more blackberries than you bring home, supplement your haul with a trip to a farmers’ market where you can pick your own.
What you’re looking for are plump, dry, darkly-coloured fruit that are neither too firm nor too squishy. Check the bottom of the container for stains from soft and mushy berries. Trust your sense of smell to help you gauge quality and ripeness.
Keep blackberries dry and cool and eat within a day or two. Blackberries freeze well and it’s a good idea to get a few tubs in the freezer to use with apples or pears in puddings throughout the winter.
They will freeze well for two to three months. You can use at will then in crumbles, tarts, sauces, muffins and even festive cocktails!
The blackberry season is drawing to a close, so get the gloves and walking boots on and get stuck in!
“O, blackberry tart, with berries as big as your thumb, purple and black, and thick with juice, and a crust to endear them that will go to cream in your mouth, and both passing down with such a taste that will make you close your eyes and wish you might live forever in the wideness of that rich moment.”
– A quote from ‘How Green Was My Valley’, Richard Llewellyn
Blackberry and Apple Crumble (Serves eight)
Ingredients:
300g blackberries
6-8 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and cubed (keep in lemon water)
juice of 1 lemon
4tbls brown sugar
2tsp ground cinnamon
Crumble topping:
100g brown sugar
120g butter, cubed
85g wholewheat flour
85g porridge oat flakes
2tbls dessicated coconut
custard, to serve
Method
?Squeeze the lemon into a big bowl of water and place the peeled and diced apples in there to prevent then going brown as you prepare them.
?Grease a lasagne-type baking dish and add in the apples. Sprinkle over the sugar and cinnamon. Push the berries into the mix, but try not to squash them.
?Blitz the crumble topping in a food processor until course crumbs form or rub between your fingers to break up the butter.
?Squash down the fruit well and crumble over the topping with your fingers.
?Bake at 160° for 45 minutes until bubbling and the crumble is crispy on top.
?Serve hot with custard or ice cream.
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Tags: Berries, Berries Take