Bye Bye Blackberry

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011

I don’t know what it is about them, but blackberries make me reminisce. Maybe it is because I have seen them at their worst (in the form of Manischewitz “blackberry wine,” a shockingly saccharine substance of an appropriate color but with a Robitussin consistency) and the best (when my father would eat them one by one on summer days, unadulterated, savoring each plump, inky berry).

Blackberries are ripe for picking right now, but supplies at local farms won’t last long. Spotsylvania County’s Miller Farms Market, for instance, is reaching the end of its blackberry bonanza, but still has some left. Call (540) 972-2680 first before leaving to take your pick. Miller charges $2.55 per pound for these black beauties.

This weekend (August 6), you can also celebrate the glory of blackberries at Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery’s Blackberry Harvest Festival in Nellysford, Virginia. (Live a little, get out of NoVa and take a trip into Central VA!) Along with live music, wine (Hill Top makes a semi-dry blackberry wine), and mead, Rick’s BBQ will also provide a Pig Pick’N lunch for purchase. The festival runs from 9 to 5 p.m. and costs $10 per person.

Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery
2800 Berry Hill Road
Nellysford, VA 22958
(434) 361-1266

Looking for blackberry wine? Here are a few other VA wineries that make what I’m sure are more nuanced versions than the Man, oh, Manischewitz, What a Wine:

Horton Vineyard’s blackberry wine (blended with petit verdot; the only one I have tried of these wines. I recommend if you are looking for a nice sweet dessert wine that is not too cloying)
Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery’s Rapidan River Blackberry
Bluemont Vineyard’s Blackberry wine (a dryer dessert wine)

And what is a good alternative to making cobblers, crisps, and blackberry sorbet with your blackberry booty? What about using some of your pick-u berries to make blackberry curd. It is simple to make (as long as you watch the temperature), it keeps for a while, and you can use the curd not only on your English muffin or favorite toast, but to fill lemon sponge cake layers (then coat with white chocolate ganache), or as filling for tiny tarts. Blackberries generally pair well with citrus like lemon, orange, and lime, so let these flavor combinations be your guide.

Blackberry Curd
2 pints of fresh berries
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 tablespoons of butter cut into pieces
pinch of salt

1. Puree the berries and strain out the seeds, reserving the juice.

2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks. Combine with the blackberry juice, and the salt and butter. You can either add everything to a saucepan, constantly stirring the mixture and scraping the sides with a silicone spatula (and removing it from the heat every so often so that the eggs do not scramble–you don’t want to see the mixture steam or boil). Look for the mixture to thicken and coat the back of the spatula.  Alternatively, if you are afraid you might accidentally scramble the eggs, I would set a bowl on top of a steaming pot of water to act as a double boiler. Follow the same instructions regarding stirring and cooking consistency.

3. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container. Enjoy!

-Johnisha M. Levi

Tags: blackberry cobbler, blackberry crisp, blackberry curd, Blackberry Festival, Blackberry Harvest Festival, blackberry pie, blackberry wine, Bluemont Vineyard, Gut Check, Hill Top Berry Farm and Winery, Horton Vineyard, Johnisha M. Levi, Man oh Manischewitz, Manischewitz, Manischweitz blackberry wine, Nellysford, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, petit verdot, pick-u fruit, Pig Pick'N lunch, Prince Michel Vineyard and Winery, Rick's BBQ, sponge cake, tarts, U-pick fruit