Blackberry Memories

You gotta pick a bucket or two

..and a wee splash of water does not a bit o’harm

Come late August, it’s blackberry picking time in Ireland. Off we would go as children, tin in hand and a bucket to fill before teatime. Through hedges and ditches and fields afar, looking for the best and secret scrogs (bushes) with the biggest and ripest of berries.

The rural silence would occasionally be broken with an ‘ouch’ as one of us would get scratched by a prickly briar or stung by a nettle. But all would be worth it when the collection truck arrived, hoping and praying that your crop weighed heavy enough to earn a pound, a fortune to us at the time. Sometimes, a little added water could make up the weight, although we’re sure the driver always knew what we were up to. He would smile as he placed the hard- earned cash into our hands. Some weeks were good and others disappointing, but the lasting memories of time spent with siblings and friends is something money can’t buy. 

Whenever we read Seamus Heaney’s wonderful poem ‘Blackberry Picking’ it takes us back to our childhood and we can still smell and taste those gorgeous fruits. He was obviously a blackberry picker himself.

Recipe for Irish Blackberry and Apple Pie

Ingredients:

For the pastry (you can always cheat and buy pre-prepared shortcrust pastry - Shhh! We won’t tell)

2 cups cream flour (if you can’t get cream flour use self-raising)
1/2 cup Irish butter (must be Irish)
Pinch of Salt 
Ice Water

For the filling and prep

3 cups fresh blackberries
3 cups Peeled sliced apples
1/2 cup Sugar
2 tablespoons cream flour (for rolling out)
2 tablespoons Irish butter

Method:

1. Make shortcrust pastry using cream flour, Irish butter and ice water, then chill.
2. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9″ tin plate, then chill.
3. Mix blackberries, apples, sugar and cream flour together, add a pinch of salt.
4. Place in a chilled pie plate and dot top with the Irish butter. Chill again.
5. Roll out the second half of the pastry.
6. Place over fruit, dampen edges and decorate before sealing. You can get adventurous here or keep it simple.
7. Pinch the edges for decoration and prick top to allow steam to escape.
8. Place pie plate on baking sheet (this will catch any juices).
9. Bake at 425F (220C) for 15 minutes.
10. Reduce heat to 375F (190C)
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until top is nicely browned.

Picking

The thorns can be vicious thorns and anyone who tries to pick the fruit ends up with a scratch or two to show for their efforts. The fruit is red at first only becoming purple-black when ripe so then it’s a race to get the best before the competition - the birds and the other pickers. Our Irish Blackberry is a native plant and belongs to the family Rosaceae.