Blackberries and Raspberries

The blackberries are late! They are just starting to get ripe. Generally they are bursting with berries the week of the Fourth. Well, they are bursting with berries, unripe ones that is. I was looking forward to making jam this week. It isn't going to happen. I guess predicting when the berries are ripe is about as sure as the slot machines on Las Vegas vacations. Don't count on it!

Growing wild here we have red raspberries, black raspberries and blackberries. All the berries have a slightly different texture and taste, but can be used interchangeably or mixed in recipes. Do you know which are which?

The first to get ripe are the black raspberries. In fact they are almost finished for the season. We do not have a lot of these, but there is one nice patch close to the house. We made two pies and had a few to eat from that patch. They are my favorite, sweet and delicious. The black raspberry would be the one on the right. You know it is a raspberry because the center is hollow after you pick it.

Red raspberries, the one on the left, are the jewels of the berries. They are pretty and shiny, almost sparkling in the sun. The berries emerge from what resembles a burr. The plants are covered with small prickers. They are almost fuzzy. I do not think these have as much flavor as the other berries, but they still are delicious. We do not have many of these. Just enough for eating a few here and there.

That leaves the berry in the center, the blackberry. You know it is a blackberry because when you pick it the center remains. Blackberries generally are larger than raspberries. We have an abundance of these. They are flavorful, but out of the three berries these have the most seeds. That doesn't matter much to me. I still love them, but I have several recipes that strain the seeds out for my husband who is bothered by all the seeds. This is one of our favorites.

Blackberry Shrub

4 quarts blackberries
1 quart vinegar
sugar

Mash the berries and cover with vinegar. Allow to sit overnight. Strain. Put in a large pot, and add 2 ¼ cups sugar for each pint of juice. Bring to a boil and boil for 20 minutes. This makes a concentrate that can be added to water. Use about two tablespoons per glass, or ¾ a cup of shrub concentrate in two quarts of water. I also like it mixed into iced tea. Mixed with ginger ale, or lemon lime soda, it makes a great party punch.

But the blackberries are late. I won't be making shrub for another week or so. I can only console myself with the small amount of raspberries available and wait patiently for the blackberries.

For more on berries:

Wild Berry Picking 101
Blackberry Freezer Jam
He'll Take His Blackberries without the Seeds