The Delights of Blackberries

By Christy Lochrie
Scripps Howard News Service

For some, the scents from a freshly opened box of crayons bring back a rush of childhood memories. For others, it's all comes back with an open can of Play-Doh. But for Vivien McDonald, 45, of Redding, Calif., wild blackberries are the stuff of her girlhood memories.

With untold numbers of blackberry bushes growing in the family's back yard, summer chores included plucking berries from a thorny patch. But a little bravery facing those barbed bushes would pay off.

"We made homemade jelly," McDonald said with a grin.

While she doesn't make jelly these days, McDonald does take the time to pass on those simple pleasures to her 2-year-old grandson.

And she does it along Redding's Sacramento River Trail, a corridor popular with hikers, bicycle riders and inline skaters — and berry eaters.

"As soon as we get on the trail, he says, 'Bite please, bite please,' " McDonald says of her grandson.

Some evenings, the two gather extra berries for an ice-cream topping, McDonald says.

Lou Prusinovski, 63, of Redding seldom harvests berries for home. But he and his wife, Rene, have seen others along the river trail fill baskets with berries. Instead, the Prusinovskis — and sometimes their dachshund, Lily — prefer an immediate snack.

"We just eat them fresh," Prusinovski says.

At just 60 calories per cup, fresh-picked berries might be the perfect low-fat snack for lazy summer days. But they're also a great starting point for delectable recipes.

Blackberry Smoothie

Ingredients:

8 ounces vanilla or plain yogurt
8 ounces orange juice
1 cup blackberries

Preparation:

Mix it all in a blender. Pour into glasses and serve immediately.

— Recipe courtesy Jacki Zediker, Siskiyou County, Calif., 4-H

Berry Pancake Syrup

Ingredients:

4 cups sugar
3-1/4 cups berry juice
1 package powdered pectin
1 tsp. baking soda

Preparation:

Measure sugar into a bowl. In a 6- to 8-quart pan, measure fruit juice (see juice instructions below). Add pectin and baking soda to the juice mixture. Stir thoroughly, scraping sides to completely dissolve pectin. Stir until foaming subsides. Place over high heat, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add pre-measured sugar, mix well. Continue stirring and bring to a full boil. Boil hard exactly 2 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam. Pour into jars and close with lid and ring. Refrigerate.

To make juice: Crush layer of fruit in large kettle. Add more fruit and heat. Add a small amount of water if necessary to keep fruit from scorching. Cook until all fruit is soft. Strain through cheesecloth or jelly bag.

— Recipe courtesy Yvonne J. Steinbring, Siskiyou County 4-H

Shelly Pennington's Blackberry Dumplings

Ingredients:

2 quarts blackberries
2-1/4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 to 2 tbsp. butter
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. shortening
1 cup milk

Preparation:

Cook blackberries with 1/4 cup flour, sugar and butter until thickened. Sift remaining flour, baking powder and salt. Blend in shortening. Add milk. Mix quickly. Drop by tsp. into slowing boiling blackberry mixture. Reduce heat. Cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

— Recipe from Seasoned with Love, a collection of recipes by Redding Adventist School

Blackberry Cake

Ingredients:

1-1/8 pound white cake mix
3-1/4 tbsp. flour
3-1/4 tbsp. water
3 ounces black raspberry gelatin powder
1 cup oil
1/2 cup low-fat milk
4 eggs
1 cup frozen blackberries, thawed
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine cake mix, flour, gelatin, oil, water and milk. Mix until blended. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Fold in blackberries, coconuts and nuts. Pour into a cake pan coated with non-stick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done. After cake has cooled, top with blackberry frosting.

Blackberry Frosting

Ingredients:

3-1/4 ounces butter
1 pound powdered sugar
3-1/4 tbsp. low-fat milk
3/8 cup blackberries, frozen, crushed
3/8 cup coconut, flaked
3/8 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation:

Cream butter in mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and milk, beat until desired consistency is reached. Stir in berries, coconut and nuts. Frost cake.

— Recipe from Seasoned with Love

(Contact Christy Lochrie of the Redding Record Searchlight in California at www.redding.com.)