The secret to my blackberry pie

[Jennie@ifish]

OK, I'm going to give it up. I get asked for this recipe all of the time.
I am no baker. However, this pie crust, passed down from my Mother, and my Grandmother makes anyone into a pie baker.
You can handle this dough more than most and it's still yummy!
Last night, my son David brought a troup of kids home, who had floated the river from the park. I fed them all fresh blackberry pie and ice cream. They adored it! So did I! It was fun having a group of neat o teenagers in the house. They are so entertaining! :smile:

Anyway, here's the recipe. It's great for meat of fruit pies, or quiche! :smile:

Ready? SET? :smile:

If you want the recipe, please send a self addressed envelope with 10 bucks to.... KIDDING!

Here it is:

Mom's Pie:
4 cups of flour
1 Tbs Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
Mix together. Then:
1 and 1/2 Cup Shortening
Cut in with a pastry blender . (I use Crisco butter flavor)
Cut in the shortening, until it is thoroughly like little peas.

Then....
Mix together
1/2 cup cold water.
1 Tbs vinegar
1 egg
(I put my water in a glass cup with ice cubes, until really cold, then measure it again, and add the egg and vinegar and mix it all up.
Make a well in the flour mixture, and add the liquid. Stir it together with a spoon at first, and then your hands.
Immediately roll out to fit two double pie shells.


Want a blackberry pie recipe, too? OK!

Blackberry pie filling:
5 cups fresh blackberries washed and rinsed well
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 Cup Sugar
4 tablespoons alll purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 tablespoon butter
1 egg white beaten lightly
Color sugar granules (FUN!)

Prepare doug intow two disks.
Place one in bottom of pie dish. (The above dough recipe makes two of these, so double the above blackberry pie recipe, or make a chicken pot pie for dinner, and a blackberry for after! :smile:

Gently toss berries with lemon juice.
Mix together sugar flour and salt. Add sugar mix to the berries and gently toss to coat well.
Turn berry mix into bottom pie crust, slightly mounding in the center.
Dot with butter.
Put top crust on.
Make slits in the top for air to escape. I always cut a fun shape with a cookie cutter, or by hand. Last night it was a salmon, and a star. :smile:
Brush egg white on top crust, and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until top crust is golden. 25 minutes at 425.
Then, reduce heat to 375, and cook the remaining 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

Transfer pie to a bakers rack, and see if you can wait until it's almost cool to eat it. We failed, there. :smile:

Jen

Have a great summer, and enjoy lots of fresh pies! :smile:

[Snug 2]

I am heading out with the family this AM to pick berries on Sauvies Island. I have found that every land owner I have asked out there will allow you to pick them. Most of the ground has sub-soil water and the berries are huge.

Berry cobbler, berry crisp, berry pies, and jams are all in the works. Last year we picked about 30 quarts and used them all.

[letsfish]

Well it is 95 indoors and I picked a hoard of peaches( they really ripen in this weather). So picking was easy. The pies are done. And tommorrow ....more pies ! Monday more pies, blackberry I think. I will freeze the slices and nuke them whenever for a taste of summer all year long.

[Jennie@ifish]

Freeze slices. That's a good idea!

Jen

[fineline]

I really enjoy these when made from the smaller wild black berries that are hard to find when compared to the roadside domestic variety. I even made a buck or two selling them to bakers when I was a kid. That looks really good!

[Jennie@ifish]

Evergreens?

The stickerless ones?

Jen

[Striper Club]

0

[fineline]

Could be. Been so long since I picked them I'm not sure.

[fineline]

Had to go study a few pictures and look at a couple of books but I believe I have got these berries figured.

Basically we have three different blackberry types around this area. The first is The Pacific Blackberry and also the one that I grew to appreciate as a kid. It is superior in taste compared to the others and known to be a plant colonizer as well.

1. Pacific Blackberry,(Trailing Blackberry), a true native and also called the Dewberry.
2. Himalaya Berry, (Himalayan Blackberry), Developed and introduced in 1885 by Luther Burbank from stock sent from India.
3. Evergreen Blackberry. (Inferior).

See book; Northwestern Wild berries, by J.E Underhill for more. :smile:

[freespool]

Pacific Blackberrys are hands down the best. Most people that pick them guard their secret spots and will tell no one.


salmon hugger

[Jennie@ifish]

How can I tell the difference?
I've noticed that some of our blackberries are very, very good, and not as seedy as the rest. Could those be the ones?

Is there any place to ID leaves?

Jen

[fineline]

Several of the books I looked at do have pictures of the leaves and berries including the book I mentioned. Looked to me like there are lots of books on the subject. I just did a quick look at the local library in Estacada. Try your local library and see what you come up with.

[freespool]

I'm not sure if all the species grow in the same area. The ones I'm familar with grow in Southwestern Oregon. The plants are small and grow close to the ground,I think the stalks are blueish in color,and the fruit is small. Another treat my mother made was wild strawberry jam,yum, was that ever good.


salmon hugger

[Snug 2]

The Himalaya type is most common in the valley. We picked about 12 quarts last weekend and will do the same this weekend. They are large and not a seedy as other species. The evergreen type is more commonly grown commercially now days. It has a great flavor, but there is so little pulp and so many seeds.

[Riverkeeper]

Himalayan Blackberry is the weedy one you see everywhere.

Evergreen blackberry (also a weed) has finer canes, and the leaves are heavily lobed and look kind of like virginia creeper leaves.

Trailing blackberry is the native. It is a true vine that often grows close to the ground, in the shade. It is prolific in cottonwood forests along the Columbia, and often along logging roads in the woods. The leaves are more or less diamond shaped, the stems are often a light sky-blue color, and the spines are fine and reddish.

If you want a super secret zipperlip berrry, try the native black cap raspberry. Hard to find in any quantity, but very tasty.

[jocose]

thanks jennie, please pass the vanilla ice cream ...

[Freestone]

Wow! That is an awesome looking pie! I'm going to have to give your recipe a try fer sure. Thanks.

Freestone
(droolingallovermykeyboard!)