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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
There are more than 375 species of blackberries, and in the U.S. they’re most prevalent in eastern states and those that border the Pacific. They also grow abundantly in the British Isles and throughout Western Europe, but are known through most of the temperate and tropical world.
Though an ancient fruit, they’ve not been cultivated long within the scope of human history, probably because of their abundance in the wild. It’s theorized that the advent of agriculture made these berries even more prevalent because of the clearing of forests.
As urbanization increased, wild blackberries became less available to city dwellers, thus fueling an effort from the late 1860s forward, especially in the U.S., to find strains of wild blackberries that would do well in the garden.
Cultivated blackberries today are not that much different from their wild ancestors, except for the size of the berry, which is larger. However, when I think of blackberries, the wild brambles along roadsides and creeks that offer picking for all are what come to mind.
I spent many a summer day with friends getting my fill of these sweet berries, with plenty of scratches on my arms from the prickly brambles to show for it. They were the perfect fruit in those days: free and prolific, not to mention the joy of adventurous trekking to find the perfect picking spot.
What I didn’t realize then was just how much nutrition is packed into these little black jewels.
Blackberries are ranked fourth highest among all fruits and vegetables in antioxidant-richness; however, they’re the second highest in actual chemical effectiveness in preventing oxidation in cells.
In addition, this humble berry contains the highest LDL cholesterol inhibitor, and some tests indicate that it can reduce buildup of this undesirable cholesterol.
They’re also a fantastic source of immune-boosting vitamin C, skin-supporting and heart-protecting vitamin E, folate (known as folic acid within the B vitamin complex), manganese and fiber.
Blackberries are rich in salicylate and its leaves and roots are full of tannic acid, both of which are natural analgesics. They were prescribed by the ancient Greeks for gout and by Native Americans to relieve stomach ailments.
The recipe I offer today is a clafouti (pronounced kla-foo-TEE) made with blackberries. Clafouti, a cake with a comforting pudding-like consistency, originated in the Limousin region of central France. There it’s traditionally made with cherries.
When blackberries are not in season, the frozen variety may be used. Or you may wish to substitute other fruit, such as plums, peaches, sliced apples, other berries or the traditional cherry. All fruit should be pitted, and a similarly-flavored brandy may be substituted for the blackberry brandy in this recipe.
If you have a favorite picking spot, now is the time to collect these healthy little gems, as they’re in the height of their season. Enjoy the hunt, and be sure to wear long sleeves and pants to avoid those nasty scratches!
Blackberry clafouti
Butter for the pan (approximately a tablespoon)
4 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon blackberry brandy (if unavailable, unflavored brandy may be substituted)
1 teaspoon lemon zest (the grated rind of lemon without the white pith)
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
3 cups fresh blackberries (or more, up to four cups)
Powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an oven-proof dish, deep dish pie plate or cast-iron pan with a depth of at least 1 ½ inches.
Place eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, brandy, lemon zest, lemon juice, flour and milk in a blender and puree until smooth, or beat vigorously with a whisk.
In a mixing bowl, toss the blackberries with the remaining ¼ cup sugar. Place three-quarters of the blackberries and their juices in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour the batter over the fruit, and arrange the remaining berries on top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the top is brown and a knife inserted into the middle of the dish comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes before serving. The cake will sink slightly.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar over the top with a sieve. Serve the blackberry clafouti warm. Top with whipped cream, if desired.
Esther Oertel, the "Veggie Girl," is a personal chef and culinary coach and is passionate about local produce. Oertel owns The SageCoach Personal Chef Service and teaches culinary classes at Chic Le Chef in Hidden Valley Lake. She welcomes your questions and comments; e-mail her at
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- Written by: Vicky Parish Smith
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Luis and Christie White Castelero have added their Finca Castelero to the Lake County Quilt Trail.
Located at 4050 Loasa Drive, Kelseyville, the beautiful quilt block, entitled “Ohio Star,” has been hung on the northern face of their barn.
The Casteleros are honoring their dear friend, Lynn Morassi, who died of ovarian cancer in 2008 and is greatly missed by family and friends.
Morassi was an excellent seamstress who loved to sew and quilt. “The LCQT project would have thrilled her greatly,” said Christie White Castelero.
The quilt block design, Ohio Star, is stitched into one of the three quilts gifted to Castelero from her own grandmother. The family is very pleased with this lovely reminder of their friend and the family heritage of the design.
“Finca” is a Spanish word that means “small farm.” In this case, the Casteleros have 20 acres planted in Bartlett pears and Syrah grapes, organic vegetables and olives.
Luis Castelero was born in Spain and spent his childhood on his grandfather’s farm.
His lifelong dream was realized when he and Christie purchased the Kelseyville property in 2005.
Their love of food has been enhanced with the creation of their own organic vegetable garden. It provides a wide variety of fresh produce as well as prized special peppers that are typically found in Spain.
The property originally was developed during the 1920s. It was one of the original labor camps in Kelseyville owned by the Dorn family.
Its two bunkhouses were used by seasonal orchard workers for many years. Currently, the buildings are under reconstruction but still are used as sleeping quarters for the many guests who visit as well as the owners.
The camp kitchen is in a separate building under the magnificent older oaks that provide cooling shade and make up the charming setting for outdoor living.
For your own self-guided map of all the quilt blocks in the Lake County Quilt Trail, go the the Kelseyville Pear Festival Web site, www.kelseyvillepearfestival.com, and click on the quilt trail button.
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Step outside as evening twilight fades, and from now through the middle of August you’ll find three planets shining low in west – one much brighter than the other two. All you’ll need is a clear sky and an open westward view about an hour after sunset.
“Venus will leap out at you,” said Alan MacRobert, a senior editor of Sky & Telescope magazine. “Saturn and Mars are fainter, so you may need to wait for the sky to darken a bit more before they glimmer into view.”
Venus is the famed “Evening Star,” the brightest celestial object in Earth’s sky after the Sun and Moon.
Saturn and Mars are only about 1 percent as bright. They form a more-or-less horizontal line above Venus, as wide as three or four fingers held together at arm’s length.
Saturn and Mars will spend the week sliding to the right with respect to Venus, creating a planetary triangle that changes shape from day to day.
Although the three planets look close together, they’re not. Venus is currently 6 light-minutes (73 million miles) from Earth, Mars is 17 light-minutes (190 million miles) distant and Saturn is far in the background 85 light-minutes (950 million miles) away.
Three reasons combine to make Venus shine so much brighter than the others. It’s the closest to us, it’s the closest to the Sun so it’s illuminated more intensely, and it’s covered with brilliantly reflective white clouds.
As for Mars and Saturn? They look similar in brightness for reasons that cancel out. Saturn is 35 times larger than Mars, but it’s much farther both from us and from the Sun.
The crescent Moon joins the twilight planet scene on Thursday, Aug. 12, when it’s below Venus, and on Friday, Aug. 13, when it’s left of Venus.
“Don’t miss this chance to do some easy astronomy from your backyard, balcony, or rooftop,” says Sky & Telescope editor in chief Robert Naeye. “It’s a big universe, and planets await!”
For more skywatching information and astronomy news, visit www.SkyandTelescope.com, the essential magazine of astronomy since 1941.
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