When I was little, my Mom would take my brother and I wild blackberry picking in the summer. When the sound of the cicadas would rise and fall during midday, that was when we ventured out to collect what my Dad lovingly referred to as "God's candy". We would brave the thorns and sometimes send our smallest cousin into the thickets to get the best blackberries (she would come out with chigger bites, poor thing). But at the end of the day, we all knew a treat was waiting for us: wild blackberry crumble pie.
This was one of my first ventures into the creation of food. I actually started out by baking, not cooking. And of course, like any true Southern girl, I began my culinary journey with the help of my Mom's tried and true Betty Crocker cookbook.
I follow the blueberry pie recipe seen above, but I use the crumble topping found in the apple pie recipe. And the result is a warm, tangy, buttery, sweet, melt in your mouth pie. So of course, years later, I try to keep up the tradition. This year, I convinced my Mom to accompany me in my endeavors, so that we could have blackberry pie for July 4th. It's a favorite of my Grandfather's. And so after quite a bit of blood, sweat, and blackberry stained hands, my mom and I collected enough blackberries to make two pies. Why not just buy the blackberries? Because there's something even sweeter about sun-kissed blackberries picked with your own hands. It's an endeavor of love from start to finish.
Stay tuned for my Ratatouille recipe which is right around the corner and perfect for the summer!
