Cooking Resources

**forty_caliber** · 04-17-2011, 12:13 PM

A few years ago I planted 6 Arapaho blackberries on the south side of the house. They kind of fizzled and never did very much. I left them alone to do their thing ( completely ignored them ).

A few weeks ago, I noticed 100s of blooms. DD and I harvested about a quart this morning. Not perfect grocery store specimens but very tasty.

.40

**Zhizara** · 04-17-2011, 12:18 PM

Mmmm. I love blackberries. Cobbler or pie?

**Katie H** · 04-17-2011, 12:54 PM

Yum, yum, yum. We love our blackberries and they've been yielding tons of yummy berries. You probably didn't get anything initially because they don't bear the first couple of years. After that, start enjoying them.

We make blackberry cobbler, jam, pies, ice cream, coffee cake.....

**forty_caliber** · 04-17-2011, 12:59 PM

For this batch, I'm thinking about making a compote to spoon over the pound cake I made yesterday.

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Alix · 04-17-2011, 01:02 PM

They wouldn't make it to compote stage in our house. They get inhaled as fast as they bear. Mmmmmmm!

**Katie H** · 04-17-2011, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forty_caliber

For this batch, I'm thinking about making a compote to spoon over the pound cake I made yesterday.

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You may have the potential to have way more berries than you will be able to use up as they bear, so consider freezing those you can't use.

We wash ours, gently spin them dry in our salad spinner, place them (in a single layer) on wax paper-lined cookie sheets and freeze them until solid. Then, they're put into FoodSaver bags and vacuum-sealed. They can be used nearly as fresh this way.

taxlady · 04-17-2011, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Katie H

You may have the potential to have way more berries than you will be able to use up as they bear, so consider freezing those you can't use.

We wash ours, gently spin them dry in our salad spinner, place them (in a single layer) on wax paper-lined cookie sheets and freeze them until solid. Then, they're put into FoodSaver bags and vacuum-sealed. They can be used nearly as fresh this way.

The wax paper really helps. It's so much easier to pick them off flexible wax paper, than an inflexible cookie sheet if they freeze on. I do that when I freeze tomato paste blobs.

**Katie H** · 04-17-2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taxlady

The wax paper really helps. It's so much easier to pick them off flexible wax paper, than an inflexible cookie sheet if they freeze on. I do that when I freeze tomato paste blobs.

Absolutely. The waxed paper acts almost like a funnel to herd them into the plastic bags, too. Makes the whole process so easy.

medtran49 · 04-17-2011, 04:44 PM

Blackberry wine anyone? I vaguely remember my grandmother making it from the wild ones that grew on their farm and the kids would get a sip now and again.

taxlady · 04-17-2011, 04:50 PM

I thought I knew what blackberries were, but I looked them up on Wikipedia and it described a very different plant than what I expected.

I used to pick some wild berries that grow in Quebec and look just like blackberries. They grow on a tiny bush, about 1 - 1 1/2 feet tall. No canes.

Anyone have any idea what they are?