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Blackberries and summer…
I spent a lot of time during the summer with my grandparents in the little town of Geneva, AL in southeast Alabama. Summer in the south means insufferable heat but it also means blackberries. My grandmother would send me out, as a very young child, to pick berries armed only with a bucket to fill with the delectables. The best berry bushes were down by the railroad track, the active railroad track. The bushes grew dense and the thorns were big and protective of the fruit. As Granny walked me out of the front door to start my journey, she would admonish me to “be particular for snakes, Shug”. She was sending me off to the railroad track amongst the snakes to pick blackberries. You can’t get away with that today. That was a different era. But I loved picking the berries. I’m not sure what part of it I actually enjoyed. Was it the freedom of being responsible enough to have a job as important as picking the berries that Granny would turn into delicious cobblers and jelly? Was it the challenge of seeing how quickly I could fill up my bucket? Or was it simply that I loved the smell of the berries as they cooked away in Granny’s little kitchen knowing what the end result would be? Whatever the reason, I developed a love of blackberries that is still with me today. I remember the sweet, fruity winelike aroma that wafted throughout the house. I thought the scratches from the thorns and the occasional chiggers (redbugs) were worth it all. But most of all, it was worth it hearing Granny sing her hymns as she went about making cobblers and jelly. Granny singing, the aroma of blackberries cooking away and the promise of cobblers and jelly. That’s what heaven will be like.
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Blackberry Cobbler
2 cup self-rising flour
2 cup milk
3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup water
1 stick of butter
4 cups blackberries
Juice of one half lemon (optional)*see NOTES
Cinnamon
Melt butter in 9X13 baking pan. Place berries, 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a pot and bring to a quick boil. If the berries are particularly sweet, you might not need the full cup of sugar in the berry mixture. Meanwhile, mix 2 cup flour, 2 cup sugar and 2 cup milk. Whisk until smooth. Pour over melted butter in pan. As soon as berries come to a boil, pour them over the batter and don’t stir. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Place in a 350 degree oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 to 45 minutes.
*NOTES: If you are picking berries yourself or having your grandaughter pick them, grab a large handful of red berries to use in this cobbler. If you do that, then you won’t need the lemon juice. If you use lemon juice, mix it with the berries, water and sugar.
Mary at Deep South Dish says
The best blackberries were always by the railroad tracks where I grew up in Biloxi too Jackie – our stories are very similar. I guess the sun beat down on them just right there at the tracks, not sure, but soon as I’d see them, I sure loved taking my bucket and traipsing back through the woods to hit the tracks – in the heat of the summer. Mercy, I couldn’t even imagine allowing my child to do that now in this day and age, but back then times were certainly different. I sure love a good blackberry cobbler, that’s for sure, but back then I was happy to toss them in sugar and eat them on biscuits, French toast or pancakes, or even just all by themselves. Good times!
Jackie Garvin says
Mary,
It’s sad to me that our children don’t have those same memories. Life has gotten a little too complicated. Thanks for stopping by, Miss Mary! 🙂