This is the time of year that I forage for wild blackberries, which grow wild here in Northern California. Luckily I don’t have to go very far to pick them: they grow all over the sides of a trail right behind my house.
Picking blackberries brings back a lot of memories of growing up in Calabria. I would pick wild blackberries (called more in Italian), wild alpine strawberries and raspberries along the trails to get to my dad’s mountain farm. Going to the mountain farm was a fun hike, as I would fill my belly with berries. The ones I didn’t eat right away I used to thread on a strand of grass rush (Juncus tenuis); this way I could carry a lot more of them than if I kept them loose in my hands, and I could keep my hands relatively clean and completely free for picking other things!
I taught my son this trick last week when we went foraging. We took the pictures below to show you what they look like on the grass strand:
This is a great example of how in Calabria we always used what nature gave us. We had no plastic Ziploc or plastic containers; we were always green!
We’ll be picking blackberries at least once a week for approximately another month. We ventured out again yesterday and managed to pick the equivalent of eight pints in about 45 minutes. My son ends up eating more than he puts in the basket, just as I used to when I was a kid. I let him decide what to do with all the berries that he doesn’t eat right away, so we spent the entire afternoon making a crostata with blackberries and nectarines:
We also made gelato (see my recipe below)…
…a wild blackberry mousse, and pureed some as a sauce that we used on top of french toast for breakfast. Next week I’ll be making some jam with the blackberries I pick.
If you see bushes of wild blackberries, give yourself a treat straight from nature. Just be careful of the thorns: they like to scratch your legs and arms, so it helps to wear jeans and a long sleeved shirt.
| Gelato alle more (Wild Blackberry Ice Cream)
1.5 cups blackberry puree (about 3 cups of berries) 2 cups milk 5 egg yolks 1 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups whipping cream 1 tablespoon Maraschino or Kirsch 1. Puree the blackberries in a blender and strain through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds. Measure 1.5 cups and set aside. If you have leftover puree, save it and make a sauce with it by adding sugar and some lemon juice to taste. 2. Place the milk in a medium-size, heavy saucepan and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. 3. While the milk is heating, in a medium size bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the yolks are pale yellow and the mixture is thick and creamy. 4. Slowly pour half the hot milk into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking until well blended. Pour the milk/egg mixture in the bowl back into the milk remaining in the saucepan, whisking as you pour. Place the saucepan back over medium heat. Stir constantly and cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. 5. Transfer the mixture to a large, clean bowl and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Add the blackberry puree, the cream, the liqueur and mix well. Place in the refrigerator to chill. When sufficiently chilled, transfer to an ice cream freezer and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve with some blackberries or with the remaining puree sweetened to taste. Makes about 2 quarts Copyright 2009, Rosetta Costantino. All rights reserved. |
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Since I’m picking blackberries every day, sometimes twice a day, my hands have been getting very scratched up, small infections forming where the tiny end of a thorn stayed embedded. Burt’s Bee’s hand salve helps. They use to have a “Rescue” product that really worked wonders – it seems to have been discontinued. I wear Foxgloves for gardening and just started wearing them for berry picking with great results. They have a nice thin cotton version that goes about halfway up the forearm and lets me still have a delicate feel for the ripe fruit.
I think your blog is great and the pictures are beautiful! I am going to try your Wild Blackberry Ice Cream this week! I look forward to your book!
Oh my mouth is watering! Could you post the recipe for the nectarine and blackberry crostata?
Ellen,
I will make the crostata this week-end and write down the exact measurements for the recipe so I can send it to you ..or maybe I will post it on the blog.
Would You By Any Chance Know Where I Could Buy
Wild Dried Oregano From Calabria Still On The Stick?
I’ve Been Searching Hi And Low For It.I Just Love It
Thanks So Much
Marie
Northern California
Marie,
You can buy the oregano in a bunch from Calabria from Buon Italia. Here is the link: http://www.buonitalia.com/default.aspx/act/Catalog.aspx/catalogid/838/category/Spices+and+Herbs/browse//MenuGroup/Home/desc/Oregano+in+bunch
Rosetta
Hi Rosetta:
Last week I picked wild blackberries and made a sorbet using a few mint leaves in the syrup while it was boiling – partially freezing and putting it into the blender three times. While delicious, it is a little heavy – from what I’ve been reading on the internet, a little vodka would have made a difference.
Then yesterday, I bought an ice-cream attachment for my KitchenAide Mixer and late this afternoon went to pick more wild blackberries.
Found your blog and recipe and decided to use yours (Italian sisters stick together!!!!) I have the ice-cream mixture chilling in the fridge and the bowl freezing in the freezer.
If my ice-cream tastes as good as the beautiful picture above, I will be thrilled. I can hardly wait.
Adriana (now living in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada) and Molisana by birth.
Adriana,
How did the blackberry ice cream turn out? Let me know if you liked it.
As a child growing up in Abruzzo, we used to string the wild blackberries. Great memories.
Hi Rosetta:
Wow….the summer went so fast, then autumn and Christmas. I just came back to this site. The wild blackberry sorbet that I made was sublimely incredibly delicious. I also made mango/papaya sorbet that was equally great. I am looking forward to this next summer where I will pick as many as I can and if get too tired making gelato or sorbets, I will freeze them carefully and use them when fresh ones are no longer available.