Blackberry Picking Tips and a Delicious Crisp Recipe

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The warmer weather has us thinking of the wild edibles that will soon be popping up across the Country. In Texas, we have already seen a good blackberry crop. In this short video, Ellen describes a blackberry picking hack that was shown to her by her great uncle, Lou Zupancic. It is a simple and easy way to pick berries more efficiently. Also, check out our favorite blackberry crisp recipe below the video.

Blackberry Crisp Recipe:

The foundation for this recipe was taken from the legendary cookbook, Joy of Cooking. The recipe was originally for a blueberry cobbler, but we modified the recipe for our wild blackberries.

You will need a glass baking pan for this recipe and preheat the oven to 375⁰F.

  • 3 pints of blackberries (washed and cleaned)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar (about half the sugar that Joy of Cooking calls for)
  • 1/4 cup of flour
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons of grated lime zest (The lime zest is key. It enhances the flavor of the blackberries. Lemon zest can be an adequate substitute, but the lime zest really makes this recipe delicious.

Mix the above ingredients in a bowl. Now, you will make the dough that will be spread on top of the berries. In a separate bowl, mix the following:

  • 1 1/3 cup of flour
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 stick of cold butter (cut into small chunks for easier mixing)

It helps to use a pastry blender when mixing the dough ingredients. Your goal is to have the mixture looking like breadcrumbs. Now, lightly butter the glass baking pan and dump the berry mixture into the pan. Once this is accomplished, spread the dough mixture on top of the berries. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. Once finished, enjoy your wild blackberry crisp with heavy whipping cream.