Blackberry Pie

It’s about time for another pie post. Blackberry pie is the perfect summer pie.

Last August I went blackberry picking with my mom, sister, niece, and nephew. It was a fun, prickly, and sweet adventure.  It was an hour or two drive to the wild blackberry bushes lining the sides of an old railroad track outside a tiny little town somewhere in Idaho. I sat next to my niece in the car (she was 3 and a 1/2 at the time) and she entertained us both by taking pictures with my camera the entire way there (and back). Her chosen attire for the day was also amusing: she was wearing her fancy red velvet Christmas dress with white satin bows on the front. She absolutely refused to change, despite her mother’s and grandma’s urges, but she did finally agree to add jeans to the outfit (stubbornness runs in the family).

We were all very excited when we finally got to the blackberry bushes and saw those plump little berries dangling on the massive green bushes. But it takes a bit of a fight to get those gems, you have to battle the prickly thorns that are just about everywhere. My mom, sister, nephew, and I went straight to work. My nephew especially took his job very seriously, he filled several buckets before getting tired. But my dressed-up darling little niece was a different story. After picking for a little while (and eating every berry she picked), she decided to lie down in the middle of the path (in her Christmas dress!) and start throwing rocks and banging them together while singing loudly with her tongue sticking out. Obviously the natural thing to do when one is tired. She’s such a little cutie than she can get away with almost anything. I remember laughing to myself while avoiding the prickly vines (we were all well protected with long-sleeves and jeans) and piling my buckets with as many blackberries as they could hold.

 

 

 

 

Those blackberries were SO good. I thoroughly enjoyed myself by baking them into several pies, topping my favorite goat cheese tarts with them, and snacking on them almost every day. This summer I sadly didn’t get to go blackberry picking, but I did buy some nice berries at the farmer’s market. I was craving pie before the craziness of school hits me full force in just a few days. So I enjoyed a peaceful Saturday afternoon in my happy-pie-baking-state-of-mind with my plump purple berries and a nice flaky crust. I used an almost identical recipe as the cherry pie.

Blackberry Pie

1 quart fresh blackberries (= 4 cups, but I found that about 3 cups is sufficient
2 1/2 Tbsp tapioca (OR 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water or berry juice until smooth)
2/3 – 1 cup sugar
1 prepared pie crust (not pre-baked)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and let stand 15-20 minutes while you prepare the crust.

Depending on how sweet the berries are and how sweet you like your pie, use anywhere from 2/3 cup to 1 cup of sugar. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and let them sit for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the crust.

Pour the berries into the prepared crust and cover with a top crust. Finish the edges, cut slits in the top, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place strips of foil on the crust’s edges.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and bake 20 more minutes. Take off the foil and bake 15 more minutes. The crust will be a light golden-brown and the juices bubbling when the pie is done.

Perfect Pie Crust

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
2 tablespoons vinegar
3 1/2 Tablespoons water

Using two knives (I use two dinner knives) or a pastry blender, cut shortening into flour and salt until you have crumbs about the size of small peas.

In a small bowl, beat the egg. Add water and vinegar to the egg.  Add this mixture all at once to the flour, salt, and shortening. Gently mix together with your hands until the dough comes together. Roll out the dough on a floured board.

Makes enough for two double crust pies.