My mom has a thing for blackberries. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, she had an endless supply of blackberries, raspberries, and any other type of berry at her fingertips. Moving to the Midwest forced her to search a little harder for the beautiful berries. A few years back she was out for a bike ride and stumbled across a patch of overgrown blackberry bushes. The patch wasn't in a yard so of course she decided they were free for the taking! Much to my dad's embarrassment, she went home, found an old bucket, and went back to pick. Thankfully she did decide to check in at the closest house before picking. Indeed, the bushes did belong to that family, but they didn't mind if she picked (I'm not sure they realized just how in love with blackberries my mom is!). She ended up picking buckets of blackberries, on multiple occasions, and for a handful of years she was one happy woman! Blackberry jams, pies, and syrups all made their appearance in her Michigan kitchen. Sadly, last summer she drove by her beloved patch to find that it had been completely mowed down. Mom has now made me the blackberry product provider of the family. I recently discovered that my school principal has quite the blackberry bushes, and he even gave me two small plants to start my home. As those are still maturing, he allowed me to go pick to my heart's content yesterday! A coworker and I braved the 100 temperatures yesterday and I ended up with two large baskets of gorgeous berries! My canning partner, Jocelyn, and I will be making jam tomorrow, but today I was able to make my mom's personal favorite, blackberry pie! Here's the simple recipe:
Blackberry Pie
One recipe for double pie crusts
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp. fresh lemon zest
5 cups fresh blackberries
Combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Add the lemon zest and berries. Gently mix to coat the berries. Line glass pie plate with one of the crusts. Press firmly on bottom and sides of plate. Trim off excess dough. Fill with fruit mixture. Cut small slits in second crust and place on top of pie. Crimp edges as desired. Cover edges with foil to avoid overbrowning. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes or until filling is bubbling in the center of pie. Cool and enjoy!!! (Best with a little vanilla ice cream!)
