While the modern blackberry addiction is someone with an inappropriate attachment to a cell phone, this is the time of year for a different type of blackberry addiction. "The BlackBerries to which others are wed are pesky, ubiquitous metallic objects. I see Manhattan lawyers, Albany lobbyists, and Amtrak business travelers tethered to these devices all the time," New York farmer Mark Scherzer writes for
Rural Intelligence. "My blackberry liaison is longingly anticipated and, when finally consummated each mid-summer, filled with rapture. I connect with the fruits of a living blackberry cane, or more precisely (and promiscuously) with dozens, right there in our backyard."
Scherzer grows Illini blackberries,
right, named for the
University of Illinois where they were originally bred. "The canes were specifically developed to survive the winter in hardiness Zone 5," Scherzer writes. "No, it’s not an heirloom variety, but we planted it because we wanted a high degree of confidence that it would survive the coldest of our winters, and it has." While purists might criticize the larger size of the Illini berry compared with wild blackberries, Scherzer writes none of the taste has been lost due to the size increase.
(Photo by Scherzer)
"They are big enough to fill a pint container quickly," Scherzer writes. "As you might expect, there is a certain art to picking. The berries that have red druplets on them or that have to be pulled off the bush are still a bit tart for eating, though their higher pectin content makes them excellent for jam." As for possible recipes to use the blackberries, Scherzer argues "any further 'preparation' of the berries seems almost desecration to me." Instead he writes all you need to do is "take them home, rinse them off, put them in a bowl, and feast." (
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