Friday, September 10, 2010

Blackberry Pickin' and Blackberry Cobbler


Well, y'all, here's that long awaited blackberry cobbler recipe.  Thanks for understanding that I just needed a quick break to refresh.  Even just giving myself permission to vent for the day was rejuvenating.  I didn't realize how crazy this week was going to be and it just quickly caught up with me.  But I feel much better now and can't wait to share this cobbler with you.

I grew up in a home where living off the land really wasn't a foreign thought.  We still had grocery stores and convenience food.  But my upbringing also included fresh baked bread, fresh from the garden veggies in the summer, and wild game in the fall.  It was a life unlike many of my peers today and for that matter, I still have friends that will often look at me with a sideways glance.  I've gotten pretty used to it.

So truthfully blackberry pickin' has remained a stable in our lives.  Although we are separated from the berry patch by a three hours and a few hundred grocery stores, there's nothing like warm blackberries straight from the vine.  The kids and I still try to plan an escape to Grandma's house during prime blackberry season in Aug.

This year we weren't quite so lucky.  Noah started Kindergarten and due to some poor planning on my part, we weren't able to make it during the best part of the season.  In fact, when we finally did make it to Grandma's house last weekend, the blackberries were looking pretty few and far between.  Still my mom had picked and canned earlier in the summer and there were just enough for us to fill our bowls and stain our faces.

Most years, the majority of the crop goes into jelly.  In fact, my kids probably wouldn't know what to do with their peanut butter sandwiches if they didn't have blackberry jelly or apple butter.  We make it all count and jelly is something we run through quickly around here.

My there's also cobbler.  Blackberry cobbler is a favorite family treat as far back as I can remember and this year my home came up with her quick and easy way to get it on the table.


Canned Blackberry Cobbler Mix

Approx 5 c. berries
1/4 c. water
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
2 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Combine water, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a large, heavy pan and slowly bring to a boil, stirring constantly to avoid the cornstarch from lumping.  

2. Add berries and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 min, stirring constantly.

3. Put in jars and water bath at 212 degrees for 30 min.  Yield: 1 quart

*If you don't want to jar your mix, just pour the liquid into the pan here.  But be careful.  Blackberries cook very hot and will stick and burn your skin.  Always pour with caution.

When you're ready to make your cobbler, pour into pan and top with biscuit mix.  If you'd like to make from scratch, I'm sure you could search the web and find something.  But for me, I find that using Bisquick is just as yummy and a whole lot quicker.  

I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.  For me, it's a summer memory in a jar.  Nutritious, healthy, frugal... does it get any better than that?  Love it!

Other links you might be interested in:

1 comment:

Rachel @RunningRachel said...

I love Lydia's blackberry stained face! :)

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