Berry Delicious Recipes for Black and Blueberries

A word of warning before we entice you with these delicious berry recipes: don’t pick blackberries after 29th September.
It’s said that the devil, when he was thrown out of heaven, landed in a blackberry bush and it made him so angry that he spat on the fruit and cursed it. According to old English tradition that’s why you shouldn’t pick blackberries after Devil Spits Day! (Another reason is that the best blackberries will have been picked or eaten by birds or insects by then.)
Before September 29th blackberry-picking can be indulged in to your heart’s content – and, indeed, should be, for what else is free, tastes delicious and is good for you?
Simple blackberry recipes
Blackberry and apple crumble
An old favourite that never fails to please- 500 g cooking apples
- A handful blackberries
- 75 g caster sugar
- 100 g plain flour
- 75 g margarine
- 50 g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180c, gas mark 4.
Peel, core and slice the apples into a shallow heatproof dish. Pick over the blackberries and remove any bugs. Sprinkle the blackberries and 75 g sugar in with the apples
Rub the fat into the flour using your fingertips until you have a breadcrumb-like mixture. Sir in the sugar. Sprinkle over the apples in the dish and bake for about 35 – 45 minutes until the crumble is golden and crisp.
Serve hot with ice cream or custard.
Blackberry sauce
Use with pancakes, ice cream, yogurt or as alternative to gooseberry sauce with oily fish like mackerel.- 300 g blackberries
- About 50 g caster sugar or to taste
- 1 orange
Place the sugar in a saucepan with the juice of the orange. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add the blackberries and bring to the boil. Simmer for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Simple blueberry recipes
- Replace the blackberries in the crumble with a handful of blueberries.
- Make a sauce or compote without adding fruit juice or extra water as the blueberries will release a lot of juice.
Blueberry cheesecake
- 125 g butter
- 200 g digestive biscuits
- 800 g cream cheese
- 200 ml soured cream
- 100 ml double cream
- 200 g icing sugar
- 1 lemon
- 150 g blueberries
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
Whisk the double cream until it forms soft peaks. Combine it with the cream cheese, soured cream, icing sugar and the zest and juice of the lemon. Spread over the biscuit base and leave to set for several hours.
Place the blueberries in a small saucepan with the caster sugar. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar and then simmer for 2 – 3 minutes. Allow to cool before pouring over the cheesecake. Chill again.
Serve with extra pouring cream.
Blueberry muffins
- 300 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 100 g butter at room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 140 ml milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 150 g blueberries
Sieve together the flour and baking powder. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs beating well. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract before folding in the flour. Finally gently stir in the blueberries.
- As with all muffin mixtures a lumpy mix is what you want rather than a smooth consistency.
Re: Growing Avocados
Great to know of these avocado tree successes but does anyone in UK grow trees with avocado fruit!?
Re: Pear Trees
Has anyone ever heard of a 'croft' variety pear tree...once grown in Surrey in the late 1800s-1930s ? I am trying to find any information about this…
Re: Growing Avocados
I throw my avocado seeds etc. into my Bokashi Bin, and when I emptied it the other week I was really surprised to see one of the seeds had super…
Re: Why do we not hear about Winberries?
During World War 2 in Nantyffyllon South Wales as a young lad I used to pick wimberries on Pwll yr Wlch mountain and…
Re: Growing Avocados
Hi Jambo, noticed you had a 7ft Avocado in your garden. I am lookin for someone who will send me some cutting I am experimenting and doing some…
Re: Why do we not hear about Winberries?
Wimberry pie is unbelievable. I've just (by accident) found some frozen in lidls! They are called blueberries but…
Re: Growing Avocados
Great site, are any of the gardeners on this site willing to send me some cuttings from their Avocado trees, paticular the ones with a year or to…
Re: How Do I Ensure Jars are Sealed Properly?
I need advice on sealing pickle jars please.Thanks you.
Re: Growing Avocados
I have eight avocado plants in my greenhouse each one in a 20cm pot and growing well. They are all about 45cm tall. My pride and joy avocado tree…
Re: Growing Avocados
I have About 40 avocado Tree About 1 meter I grow from seed about 10 verity some shoot 3 Brunch some single one and outside in London all year…