Are fresh berries in season at your farmer’s market?  Or maybe even in your own backyard?

I haven’t picked fresh blackberries very many times in my life, but one time stands out as special.  I was with my mom and my oldest daughter, who was just a baby.  We had been visiting with my great-aunt Denny and my cousin Vick.  Both of them were elderly, but still spry.

Aunt Denny decided we should go out to an old family cemetery in Estill County, KY.  I remember she was wearing a house dress and she added a sun bonnet before we went outside.  A real sun bonnet, like in the olden days.  She was in her late 80s or early 90s at the time and this was 20 years ago.  Even so, it was long past the time when people donned sun bonnets, but it seemed fitting for her.

In the cemetery, among the old stones marking graves of great-grandparents and other family members, were blackberry brambles.  We picked enough to make a small cobbler for dessert that night.  That was one of the best desserts I’ve ever eaten, simply because of the story and the people.

Here’s the recipe we used to make the cobbler, along with a few others:   [Read more...]