Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Blackberry Roll




Do you love or dislike blackberries?  Grayden is not a fan of these sweet juicy berries because of the seed that seems to catch one by surprise.  Even with the seed, I love these little jewels from nature.  In late July and August and into September, blackberries grow wild alongside the rural roads of VA.  Many folks are now concerned that we shouldn't consume these berries for fear of toxins and other exhaust fumes that comes from the vehicles that travel the roads.  There are many berry farms where you can go and pick cultivated blackberries.




I was reminded of blackberry season when I visited Deb's blog Country Days and Cottage Ways where she was showing her blackberries.  Deb lives in Wales and has a delightful blog and I'm sure she would welcome your visit.

 Every summer that I can remember always included a trip to a road on the way to my Daddy's work that was full of blackberries.  Mama would have us put on old long sleeve shirts and long pants to go pick blackberries even though it was hot.  As most of you know, blackberries grow among brambles and brush that is usually home to ticks and mosquitoes and the dreaded poison ivy and poison oak.  I remember coming home with pails of juicy blackberries.  Of course we always ate a bunch while picking and our clothes were stained with purple juice.  We knew that when we returned home Mama would make a Blackberry Roll!  Mama said she remembered her Mama and her Mama's mother making this dessert.  My great grandmother and Nanny lived in rural Clifton Forge before moving to Richmond where her children could work in the tobacco factories.  My Nanny said there were blackberries everywhere and they made jams and jellies and of course Blackberry Roll.  During really rough times, blackberries that were put up were about the only food they had to eat.

Thinking about the humble blackberry and Deb's reference made me want to make a Blackberry Roll.  My Nanny and my Mama hardly ever used a recipe.  So I don't have their recipe exactly.  They cooked and baked by feel.  A blackberry roll is basically a rich biscuit rolled with juicy blackberries in the center.  Here is my Blackberry Roll made with grocery store blackberries.




Blackberry Roll

  1. about a quarter cup of sugar or more if blackberries are tart
  2. 2-3 cups of blackberries
  3. 2 cups all-purpose flour
  4. 1 teaspoon salt
  5. 3 teaspoons of baking powder
  6. 1/4 cup of cold butter  (I'm sure my Mama used shortening and my Nanny and great-grandmother used lard
  7. around 2/3 cup of whole milk or more if needed to make soft dough
  8. 2 or 3 tablespoons of melted butter
  9. 1 tablespoon of sugar
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.  
Mix together your blackberries and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl mix together, flour, salt and baking powder.  Cut the butter into the flour mixture until soft pea sized butter is showing.  Add as much milk you need to form a soft dough. Don't over mix as your dough will become tough.

I like to use a muslin cloth and sleeve that goes over my rolling pin to roll out dough for biscuits or pie crust.  You can find these in any good baking department.  I've had these pieces over 30 years and I keep them in the fridge to make sure they are cold.  You can wash them in your washer when needed.




Roll your dough in an rough 12 by 15 or so rectangle.  Brush the melted butter on the rolled dough.  Then place your berry mixture on the rectangle.




Roll in jelly roll fashion, from the long side and seal the edges of the dough.  With seam side down, place your roll onto a baking dish.




Work quickly as the juice will want to escape.  Make slits on the top of the roll and sprinkle the whole roll with sugar.




I baked mine for 25 minutes until it was lightly browned on top.  You can top with whipped cream or ice cream, but my Mama never did.




It was a lot of fun remembering this very special dessert from my childhood.  Of course, I don't think my Blackberry Roll was as good as my Mama and my Nanny's was, but it sure was nice remembering these times from my past.  Have you ever been blackberry picking or made a Blackberry Roll?


  








36 comments:

  1. I've always liked blackberries.
    My dear mum used to make an absolutely delicious blackberry and apple crumble, topped with creamy custard ... the family just loved it.

    All the best Jan

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    1. That sounds wonderful, Jan. For me the dishes my Mama made were always the best. ♥

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  2. I have picked a lot of blackberries this summer. They are growing wild behind The Ponderosa and they tasted so good all warmed by the sun and so sweet. Never bothered to wash them either. Yikes! Your memories of Blackberry Roll are as sweet as the roll itself, which looks yummy!

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    1. Lucky you to have a good spot to pick blackberries, Vee. The wild ones, in my opinion, taste better. I do know that some of the areas around here are sprayed with who knows what. I think that's why it's been discouraged to pick the wild ones. ♥

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  3. I have not but my husband has as a kid. He loves blackberries. The seeds are what I don't like a about them. How fun to make a family recipe and remember your loved ones, as well as having a delicious treat.

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    1. Dotsie, that's what Grayden dislikes about them. It's funny how certain memories pop up at the mention of certain things. Have a nice evening. ♥

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  4. If your blackberry roll isn't as good as your grandmother's I'm sure it's because she used lard. It really does make a crust tender and flaky. That's what my grandmother used in her baking and she lived to be 103! But then, she worked hard her whole life--in the cotton fields, cooking for the hired hands, raising 5 children, milking cows, and doing laundry with a ringer washer and clothes line. But I'm pretty sure yours taste really good too just from looking at it. I enjoyed reading about your childhood berry picking.

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    1. Cathy, your grandmother sounds like such a hard working woman. It's pretty unbelievable what these women did years ago. It makes me feel quite spoiled with all of my modern conveniences. Even though I love the simple life of long ago, I surely need to take off my rose colored glasses. ♥

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  5. I adore blackberries ~ they are in my top two with raspberries. Thank you for the recipe, and especially for the mention!
    The way this is rolled and presented makes it look like a good old fashioned steamed pudding but the colour is so tempting and inviting me to try ~ with lashings of custard sauce.
    The blackberries are not picking very well this year, maybe it is caused by the odd weather patterns since last Winter? What I am gathering is good though, and, as you know, I don't have to leave my property to pick wild ones that ramble all over my ancient stone hedge. I am blessed!
    Children working in a tobacco factory doesn't bear thinking about, nor does half what our forebears suffered. It puts our lives into perspective.
    Enjoy your extra serving {Grayden's slice} won't you?
    ~~~Deb in Wales xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Deb. I've been enjoying Blackberry Roll big time here as Grayden and Samuel are not fans of blackberries. I'm sure blackberries like lot's of sun and heat to really do well. Thank you for stirring memories of blackberry picking!
      A lot of folks moved to Richmond so they could make a living in the tobacco factories. This of course was during hard times and before child labor laws. My Nanny and her twin sister started working there when they were around fourteen. I shudder to think about these times, but realize it made them the strong women they were. ♥

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  6. I love blackberry jam- it's my favorite to go when I purchase jam. I've never picked them or eaten them raw so I can't speak for that part. I've seen mixed berry pies with blackberries and my husband is a total geek for any kind of berry creation! Your roll looks delicious. I wonder if they have some at our farmer's market right now. I need to go to it and find out!

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    1. Liz, I hope your farmer's market has them! Our's was closed when we went to get the blackberries for Blackberry Roll. Since you and your husband are fans, I'm sure you would enjoy this dessert. ♥

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  7. Would you believe I've never made a blackberry roll?

    I can remember riding my bike with friends to the blackberry bushes behind the elementary school with old Cool Whip containers and picking blackberries so that you'd make a blackberry roll. Fun times!

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    1. Maybe you can find a stash near you, Noel. Perhaps along the rail trail where you walk? I'm sure you and Peter would enjoy a Blackberry Roll! Or maybe he's like your Daddy and Samuel. Thank you for reminding me about you picking them for me! ♥

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  8. Mmmmm! It must feel so special whenever the same scents waft through your kitchen, as your Mama's and Nanny's kitchens! ♥ I love Noel's memories of picking blackberries behind her elementary school. Favorite recipes are such family treasures! I think I'm with Grayden... although I love the taste of fresh blackberries, I'm not a fan of the seeds. After one or two berries, I pass the bowl along to my husband to munch and crunch. I'd love to try your recipe with another fruit, Martha Ellen. Apples and cinnamon might be fun this time of year. Do you think it would work? ♡

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    1. Thank you, Dawn. I was reading recently about the seeds and they suggested passing the berries through a sieve to remove the seeds. I'm sure you could do that in this recipe. I think any fruit would be good. Maybe you should try it for your tea you are planning?
      I'm so glad Noel mentioned about picking blackberries with her friends. I had forgotten all about that and went straight to my childhood.
      Have a wonderful day, dear one. ♥

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  9. Oh, this blackberry roll looks delicious, Martha Ellen. Thanks for showing us pics of the preparation. Yes, I love blackberries, even with the seeds hehehe. Isn't it funny how we could pick a bunch of them from the bushes when we were kids, and now they are so expensive in the stores! How special that this dessert goes way back to your mama and her grandmother. I can just see you as a kid with your clothes all stained in blackberries. :)

    I love how you described them as "little jewels from nature." So true, my friend.

    ~Sheri

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    1. Thank you, Sheri. You are so right about the price on them. I paid six dollars for a 12 ounce package. I'm usually not that extravagant, but I wanted to make a blackberry roll. It was so worth it! Enjoy your afternoon, Sheri. ♥

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  10. What a delightful recipe. I used to pick blackberries with my children when they were young. I always made cobblers. Your roll looks yummy and so different. Thanks for your sweet visit and this great recipe. xo

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    1. I think you would enjoy a blackberry roll, Linda. Blackberries bring back a flood of memories to me. That's so neat you used to pick blackberries with your children. Enjoy your evening. ♥

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  11. Now honey, I know this is over the moon good! Love it!

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    1. You are right about that, Miss Betsy! Have a great evening! ♥

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  12. Blackberries are right up there beside strawberries as my favorite berries. I am not a fan of Blueberries but LOVE blackberries. We had a large blackberry patch beside our house when we lived a short time in Arkansas...so so good and my mama kept saying "watch for snakes" so we were always glad to get back home with berries...and no snake bites. ha
    I've made a Blackberry Roll using sheet pastry or sheet crescent rolls...just delicious and very quick and easy....I would love to try your recipe sometime

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    1. Thank you BJ for sharing your memories about blackberry picking! Glad to hear no snakes had the nerve to go near your blackberries! Have a good evening. ♥

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  13. Martha Ellen, your blackberry roll is just my kind of dessert! If I can get my hands on some blackberries that don't cost a fortune, this will be on my menu very soon!

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    1. Jean, I hope you will try the Blackberry Roll. My grocery had them, but they weren't cheap. Maybe your farmer's market will have some. Honestly I think the wild ones are the best. Have a good day. ♥

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  14. Sitting here with morning coffee and looking at your tasty Blackberry Roll, oh how I would like to taste that! We are so fortunate to have, not only wild blackberries on the property, but those which I planted in the garden. The wild ones have a bitter aftertaste, I think they would be best for baking in your roll. The sweet ones, that I planted, would never make it to the kitchen, we eat all of them straight off the vine.

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    1. Lucky you, Jeri! How wonderful to grow them in the Hollow! Have a great day. ♥

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  15. Oh, it looks wonderful, I love blackberries!
    Take care

    Margie

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  16. What a wonderful dessert! Your kitchen must have smell so heavenly with this baking. Now, I'm longing for some blackberries.

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    1. This is definitely an old dessert that has a lot of memories wrapped around it, Susan. An it did smell and taste so heavenly! ♥

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  17. This looks delicious, Martha Ellen! I will have to try this. We buy blackberries at Costco as they are usually inexpensive there compared to a grocery store. We enjoy them in our yogurt for breakfast. I do know about those annoying seeds getting caught in one's teeth but we love the taste of blackberries, non the less.

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    1. Pat, even with the seeds, blackberries are so good and good for you. They are easier to find at the grocery store than alongside the road for sure. ♥

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  18. Martha Ellen, I put this link in my reply to your comment on my blog post today. It's one I've had on my mind since the day you posted it! Yum!

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