Blackberry heaven

There is nothing more delicious than a perfect blackberry! Don't get me wrong, I would never refuse a bowl of juicy, sweet, red strawberries or luscious pink, slightly tart raspberries but there is something about the determination of blackberries to grow in every overgrown patch of neglected garden/field that makes them special. And the fact that in a normal year each handful picked fluctuates between teeth clenching sour to divine bliss makes them a little like playing russian roulette with fruit ...

I always think that blackberries are ripe in late September but this year I happened to wander down the path behind the houses in our road a couple of weeks ago (so early August) and there, in all their glory, were ripe, juicy, big blackberries. And not just a few eager berries but everywhere I looked were more and more, asking to be picked.

So after a quick trip back to the house to grab a few bowls, Sophie, Justin and I went blackberry picking. There were so many ripe ones that I hardly had to move to fill a couple of bowls. The kids did a reasonable job of filling a bowl and then emptying it (into their tummies) when they got bored of picking/ had had enough of getting stung by the protecting nettles!

So what to do with all those yummy berries? I froze a bowl full (by spreading on a tray and freezing before transferring to a bag), I made some blackberry and apple jam and I made some blackberry diggles. The few remaining berries were enjoyed on breakfast!

I made diggles (a yummy biscuit) with rhubarb a little while ago (see here) but I my favourite version so far has to be with blackberries. Needless to say, they didn't last long ... 

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