There is something about warm weather that makes me crave berries! Berries are one of the only foods that almost all people can enjoy–they have the least amount of allergies associated with them out of all of the food groups and are packed with some pretty amazing nutrients. Think about it, do you know anyone who is allergic to berries? Or who doesn’t like to eat them? I’m sure it’s possible…but it’s pretty rare.

This weekend, I cracked open another favorite cookbook of mine, Janie Hibler’s Dungeness Crabs and Blackberry Cobblers. The book’s name grabbed me at first site, so I decided to try the title’s namesake–blackberry cobbler. I love Hibler’s book because she weaves her recipes with the histories of and stories from the pacific northwest. The book is filled with old photographs from as far back as 150 years ago. You by now probably know that I believe in the power of eating food from recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation and the stories and memories that go with it, as an important part of who we are. It helps us define our selves today as well as understanding our heritage. I love it! Hibler does all this and more with this book, it’s a treasure. This recipe came with a narrative about “blackberryin’ ” as part of most pacific northwesterners summer routine–which, I can attest to, is still true today. During the summer, you will see people pulled off the sides of highways picking blackberries, off of hiking trails with buckets, in local parks eating fistfuls, even foraging down ally’s and side streets. They are rampant here, thank goodness, because we love to eat them!

This was the first cobbler I’ve ever made that did not have a dumpling-like topping. Instead, it uses a traditional but multi-purpose pie crust. I was intrigued–is this going to be like a pie, just without a bottom crust? Yes. In fact, it is–but it is delicious. The crust calls for baking soda and vinegar–this gives it a lightness and flakiness that was wonderful. It was fuller than pie crust, somewhere between that and a very dense biscuit. The berries didn’t need too much–they were freshly frozen so they still held all of their flavor. I used brown sugar instead of white, and only a 1/2 cup, it still turned out nicely sweetened. Next time I might even cut down the sugar to 1/4 and add a little cardamon!

In the next month, I’m going to be opening up a few spots on my blog for sponsorship. I’m looking at companies and people who are just downright good!–they promote green whenever they can, they support local, and they are certified organic. If you are interested in sponsorship, or have an idea for me, please email me! I’m really excited about curating a group of great sponsors, things that I myself trust and use and would be telling my friends and you all about anyway!

Cheers!

Blackberry Cobbler, recipe adapted via Janie Hibbler’s The Blackberry Cobbler Duo recipe

6 cups fresh or frozen blackberries 1/2 cup brown sugar 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place the berries in a shallow 8-inch baking dish. Toss with the brown sugar and flour. Dot with the butter.

I use Spectrum shortening because it is non-hydrogenated (meaning it hasn’t been super altered and your body can actually digest it without serious long term repercussions) and they have a great farm system where they employ small farmers in South America who grow the palms for oil. Plus, it always works well in my baking! Key!

Pastry dough for the top

This makes enough for 2 double crusted pies plus 1 single crust–I halved it and then added just a little less from that even…

5 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 cups non-hydrogenated shortening 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 egg 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar

In the bowl of an electric mixer place the flour, shortening, baking powder, and salt. Break the egg in a 1-cup measuring cup and add the vinegar. Beat with a fork to break up the egg. Fill with cold water not quite to the top and stir again. With the mixer at low speed, slowly pour in the liquid and blend the ingredients until they form a ball. Roll out enough dough for the cobbler if you’ve made the whole amount, or just roll out all of the dough if you’ve halved the recipe, to about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick. If you have remaining dough left over, you can save it by wrapping it in plastic wrap or putting it in a plastic bag in the refrigerator–keeps up to about a week.

Lay the rolled out dough over the pan and using the rolling pin roll over the top hitting the edges so you can easily peel off the excess hanging over the sides. Brush the top of the pastry with milk or cream. Sprinkle the top with some sugar, then bake for 45 minutes or until the crust is a golden brown. Serve it warm, topped with vanilla ice cream.