Thorny blackberries can be berry delicious

Those pesky blackberry vines that we wrestle with all year can redeem themselves right now by providing juicy and sweet fruit for all kinds of treats.

The best berries are to be found away from dusty roads, and if you get the juice on your clothes (wear old ones), pour boiling water on the stain as soon as you get home and it will usually come out.

Moving up here from Southern California 13 years ago, I couldn't get over the wonder of gathering berries and creating something delicious to eat.

I have many happy memories of picking berries with my daughters, nieces and nephew and then making berry pies and cobblers. Now I make berry pies with my granddaughters, who proudly announce at nursery school: "My grandma makes pies."

I used to be intimidated by making pies until I discovered the secret to foolproof pie crusts-the food processor! "Joy of Cooking," my personal bible for learning how to do everything in the kitchen that I don't know how to do, has an easy pie crust (recipe follows) that has never let me down.

And with the food processor, it is ready to roll out and fill in a couple of minutes. I like to use the deep pie pans so that you can really pile in the fruit.

When you arrive at a potluck dinner with a pie still warm from the oven, it will disappear within minutes, guaranteed. But not before it has been admired and exclaimed over for a while.

And when you think about it, pies are pretty healthy, with fresh fruit, a little sugar, and a crust that is like bread and butter.

Of course, served hot with vanilla ice cream melting over the crisp crust, well ... .

But go ahead, enjoy the end of summer and the delights blackberries offer us. All of these recipes are healthy enough that you could even follow Garfield's advice: "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first."

Easy Pie Crust

2 cups all-purpose flour (whole-wheat pastry works well too)

1 teaspoon salt

1 stick butter

4-5 tablespoons of ice water

Process the flour and butter in the food processor until blended - about 30 seconds.

Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, blending for several seconds after each addition. The dough will form into a ball. Roll out on a floured board. Makes two crusts.

Berry Pie Filling

Combine:

4-5 cups fresh berries (don't skimp)

1/4 cup flour

2 teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca (thickens the filling)

1 cup sugar

Pour into pie shell, covering bottom crust, and cover with top crust. For a lattice top, cut the top crust into strips and weave or lay over the filling in a crisscross pattern.

Bake on a cookie sheet (in case of berry juice overflow) at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Berry Crisp

This recipe has been adapted from many cookbooks over the years. It's easy because berries don't have to be peeled like apples or peaches, so it can be put together fast.

Filling:

5-6 cups of berries

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired

Topping:

1 cup flour

1 stick butter

3/4 cup brown sugar (can use honey)

chopped walnuts, if desired

Rinse berries and mix with other ingredients. Pour into a 13x9-inch baking pan. Mix the topping ingredients together.

I like to melt the butter with the honey or sugar, then mix that with the flour. It should be crumbly. Spread it over the berries - it is OK if it doesn't cover every inch.

The berries will bubble through. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm.

Bavarian Berry Cream

(from "Joy of Cooking")

Crush 1 quart blackberries, add 1 cup sugar, and let stand 30 minutes. Soak 2 teaspoons gelatin in 3 tablespoons water, then dissolve it in 3 tablespoons boiling water.

Stir this into the berries. Cool. When it is about to set, whip and fold in lightly, 1 cup whipping cream.

Pour into a wet mold; chill 12 hours before serving. I think this would be pretty garnished with mint leaves.

Hot Blackberry Sauce

1 cup unsweetened berry juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Heat in a double boiler until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup fresh blackberries. Flavor with sherry or liqueur if desired. Serve hot over ice cream.

Need more ideas?

You can add blackberries to your favorite muffin recipe. Or how about buttermilk pancakes with blackberries added into the batter? Or homemade blackberry ice cream?

Don't forget to freeze some to use later in the year. Just place them on a pan so that they freeze individually, and then put them into a Zip Lock bag once they're frozen.

You can defrost a few at a time to add to cereal or yogurt, or defrost the whole bag for a dessert.

Enjoy!

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Diane Covington is a free-lance writer, living in Nevada City