How to cook blackberries

Information for blackberries in our free cooking ingredients collection.

Blackberries

Family - Rosaceae
Scientific name - Rubus fructicosus (European), Rubus villosus (American)
Common name - blackberry, bramble berry, dewberry, goutberry

Also called bramble berries because they grow on thorny bushes (brambles), blackberries range from one-half to an inch long when mature and are purplish black. Like raspberries, to which they are related, blackberries are oblong and are made up of small edible seeds that are encased in juicy globules adjoining a fleshy base.

The most common varieties of blackberry are the Cherokee (a sweet variety) and the Marion (a tart variety). Boysenberries, loganberries, ollalaberries, sylvanberries, and tayberries are hybrids of blackberries and raspberries.

Blackberries are found throughout the temperate zones of the world, growing wild in meadows and at the edge of forests. The bushes flower in spring and bear fruit throughout the summer. Borne in loose clusters on stems that grow from the canes, the berries change from green to red and then to purplish black as they ripen. Blackberry bushes are so vigorously invasive that they are considered a weed in some areas.

How to cook blackberries

Plump, deeply colored blackberries are the most delicious to eat, and immature red berries are tart. Blackberries are best used immediately, because they spoil quickly. They can be lightly covered and refrigerated for 1 to 2 days. Blackberries can be eaten fresh; used as a topping for yogurt, ice cream, and pancakes; tossed into a fruit salad; pureed to make a dessert sauce; or made into blackberry pie. About 98 percent of commercially produced berries are processed into jams, fillings, juices, wines, and brandies.

Blackberries are high in vitamin C, are a good source of dietary fiber, and contain ellagic acid, a phytochemical that may help prevent cancer.

• Blueberries
• Cranberries
• Currants
• Elderberries
• Gooseberries
• Mulberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberry
• Breadfruit
• Calamondin
• Carambola
• Cherimoya

• Sweeteners
• Sugar
• Honey
• Syrups
• Chocolate
• Fruits
• Acerolas
• Apples
• Apricots
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Berries

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