The Melting Teapot

Here in the Pacific Northwest, blackberry bushes are often viewed as an invasive, nuisance plant.  People spend quite a bit of time and energy figuring out how to get rid of the bushes, which can grow several feet in just a week, spreading their thorny canes across a yard, over walls, and into the branches of nearby trees. However, during the months of August and September, many of us actively search for big patches of these bushes.  Why?  Because their branches are dripping with marble-sized black fruit that is remarkably easy to pick.

These plump, juicy blackberries are sun-ripened until they slide right off their branches and into your bowl.  Blackberries taste like the end of summer to me, dusty and sweet, with an underlying sourness that hints of shortening daylight hours and the foggy mornings to come.  They have a musky deep flavor that is wilder and darker than raspberries, and each “drupelet” gives a satisfying pop as you crunch down on it.

Even five minutes of picking time can yield a cup or two of blackberries.  I love to grab a handful or fill a travel mug while I’m out on a morning walk, then bring them home for breakfast.  Add them to a dollop of yogurt, and you’ve got a creamy and tart bowl of goodness.  Give them a quick rinse and serve them up with a buttery croissant, and your tummy will be as happy as mine was last weekend.

The blackberry harvest seems a bit late this year, but they are finally ripe and ready to go.  You can find blackberry bushes in the city, in the country, along old roads or train tracks, near parking lots, or just about anywhere that natural forestation has been cleared away enough for the invasive plant to spread.  Avoid toxic areas where someone might have sprayed weedkiller, or where there is a large volume of car traffic. I suggest finding a spot at the edge of a park or near a quiet lane, so you can listen to the songs and chirping of numerous birds enjoying the same bounty.  Bring yours home for breakfast, or perhaps enjoy them with an afternoon cup of tea.

What are your favorite things to do with blackberries?  Do you munch them fresh, or do you take a large batch home for baking a treat like this Blackberry Peach Crumble?