It is the beginning of blackberry season here on Vancouver Island and elsewhere in BC so I’ve put together some new blackberry recipes. I’ve mentioned before that I love savoury more than sweet so I have made a BBQ Sauce for grilling and Pickled Blackberries which are great on salad or as a condiment for a charcuterie plate or with grilled meat.
I collaborated with Jenna at The Nourished Vibe and have her original, tasty and healthy Blackberry Muffin recipe made with spelt flour and made some kid-friendly popsicles.
Working with Jenna was a blast, I learned so much! She works in healthcare while also working on her Registered Dietician degree and has the most beautiful and inspirational blog that centers around living a well balanced and healthy lifestyle both physically and mentally. She taught me a lot and it was neat to see how efficient and focused she is in the recipe development process. She is also my little cousin and you should follow along (Instagram @thenourishedvibe) if you love super healthy meal ideas and wellness tips 🙂
We met up in Powell River, home of the annual Blackberry Festival and her hometown. Blackberries were everywhere and my daughter was stained purple within an hour.
Soooo delicious, natures candy! My Uncle Frank picked us the blackberries for our recipes and then sent me home with another large bucket of them, I was in heaven!
Did you know blackberries are very high in antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C amongst other great health benefits and they are great for your skin and you brain-as if I needed any more reason to eat them!
Blackberries are so versatile in baked treats, salads, sauces and drinks too! They are a free and wild food abundant in our area if you have the time to forage for them.
First I made a simple, no-canning required , 1-jar Blackberry Apple Jam. This is perfect if you live in a small space, don’t have a lot of time or are just scared of canning. 30 minutes start to finish and will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge or you can freeze it for a winter treat. This jam uses 4 simple ingredients and the natural pectin from the apple peel and goes great on Jenna’s Blackberry muffins.
Jenna whipped up a delicious AND healthy low-sugar Blackberry Muffin Recipe. She used sprouted spelt flour and coconut sugar, neither of which I’d used before. The muffins were tender and moist, I will definitely be baking with spelt flour again. The coconut sugar was good too, I tasted a little and it is somewhat similar to brown sugar with a rich and complex flavour, I really liked it! In most recipes it is interchangeable with white sugar and slightly healthier due to small amounts of minerals and less processing.
For my daughter, I made easy Blackberry Popsicles-so easy I can’t even really call it a recipe, just the blackberries pureed with vanilla yogurt and
frozen in my dollar store popsicle molds (no added sugar). Such an easy, kid friendly treat I feel good giving her.
Next I made some Pickled Blackberries inspired by some I had on a charcuterie platter a while back. Sweet and savory, these are so easy and will keep in your fridge for a month. Spoon some out to go with grilled sausages, on a salad or add the wow factor to your next charcuterie plate.
Last I started thinking about dinner and made Blackberry BBQ Sauce which I used on a barbecued pork tenderloin. Tangy and sweet, this is a nice, thick, sticky sauce that would be great on ribs too and even grilled chicken. I left out the spice to make it kid-friendly but I think a healthy dose of chili paste or chili flakes would be great if you like your sauce spicy.
I hope you get a chance to get out and pick blackberries and if you make one of these recipes I’d love to know how it goes! Comment below or #wckitchengarden on Instagram (Link in my side bar to IG and FB or sign up to get the recipes right to your inbox!)