Blackberries

When I was growing up, I would spend my summers in a tiny village
in the German countryside.

The ideal time to visit for me was August, when the blackberry bushes
were fruiting. Walking along the forest line next to the fields were blackberry bushes and I
would get so excited to eat these fresh, wild grown berries. I would collect as many as I could
and walk home carefully (so as not to drop them). They quickly became my favorite berry
because of their tart and sweet juice and the fondness of these weeks.

Blackberries are a fantastic addition to many healthy breakfasts and desserts. They also
work very well as a dye (but you will need to sacrifice quite a few of them). This will not come
as a surprise to anyone who has had similar memories of snacking on blackberries in the field,
as the juice speckles shirts and dyes tongues.

Some of my favorite ways to eat blackberries are as follows: as a lovely blackberry mint
syrup for pancakes, waffles and mixed drinks;

Or as a topping for a Jens Jorgen cake. It is an
ideal contrast to extremely sweet or creamy ingredients like meringue or yoghurt.
They grow on spiky, hardy bushes and are cousins to the mulberry (which are sweet like
honey and deliciously addictive dried). Blackberries need to be used quickly because by the
time they have reached your home, they have likely travelled a far distance and are very
susceptible to moisture and mold.

Blackberry Recipes

French Toast with fresh blackberries

• 6 pieces of day old challah bread
• 1 1⁄4 cups milk of choice
2 eggs
• 1⁄4 tsp salt
1 tsp butter
• 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
• 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tsp honey or maple syrup or brown sugar

• 1⁄2 cup fresh blackberries

Instructions

1. Gather ingredients.
2. Whisk 1 tsp honey, maple syrup, or sugar with milk and eggs and salt. Soak the slices of challah toast in the mixture.
3. Heat a skillet at medium heat and melt the butter in it. Place the challah slices in the skillet until brown on both sides.

4. Serve the french toast on plates. Top with fresh blackberries and other berries, sprinkle with honey, maple syrup, and powdered sugar and some cinnemon. Enjoy!