Its getting to that time of year again where we find ourselves wandering down country lanes and hedgerows looking for the little deep purple beauty that is the blackberry. Its definitely a great childhood memory I have of growing up in the English countryside and picking blackberries and eating them straight from the bush.
We went out today to a place locally, where I know there are blackberries but unfortunately not all of them were quite ready to be picked yet. We still got a fair few and I will go back in a week or so to get some more.
This year I wanted to freeze more so we can use them through the winter in our smoothies and make some different recipes with the blackberries other than my usual apple and blackberry crumble.
So first of all I’ll share how I freeze my berries.
How to freeze Blackberries
First of all make sure you remove any leaves or bits of stalk that might have sneaked in and give them a good wash. Then you want to dry them and try to get as much of the water off as possible.
Line a baking sheet with baking/parchment paper and lay the berries out so they are single layer and pop them in the freezer for about 1-2 hours until frozen. By freezing them flat it stops them all becoming frozen together which in turn makes it easier to take some out when you need them rather than them all stuck together.
Once they are frozen you can transfer them into a freezer bag or container and place them back in the freezer ready to be used.
Blackberry recipes I will be trying
Blueberry crumb bars – Now I know these say ‘Blueberry’ and I have made them with blueberries and they were delicious, which is why I want to try them with blackberries.
Blackberry Muffins – who doesn’t love a muffin?
Blackberry syrup – We love a pancake in this house and I think that some blackberry syrup would make a lovely addition to the pancakes.
Blackberry and oat smoothie – We already add blackberries into our berry smoothies but don’t very often add oats, so I want to try this one.
Blackberry lemonade – Something to wash it all down with.
Let me know how you use your blackberries?
Amy