FoodFood InformationFruitBerries
The blackberry, like the raspberry, is a bramble fruit. It is a memberof the heath family. One of the theories used by scientists to support thebelief that North America and Europe were originally one land mass is thefact that wild blackberries are native to both continents yet the distanceacross the Atlantic is too wide for the seeds to have been scattered bythe birds or by wind.
In climates that are ideal for blackberries to flourish, they will growlike weeds if left unchecked. Not too long ago, unattended blackberriescould be found growing at random along the roadsides of rural areas in America'snorthern states. In some areas they are known as dew berries.
Today, blackberries are grown commercially on a large scale in the PacificNorthwest, Michigan, and New Jersey. They are also produced in many otherstates on a much smaller scale. Most of the blackberry crop is sold to commercialprocessors and made into jams, jellies, syrups, and liquors.
There are two types of blackberries: those that grow on arched canes andthose that grow along the ground. Both types are similar in flavor, color,and texture. There are some hybrid blackberries that are grown on the WestCoast. These are much larger than the original blackberries, and usuallylighter in color and not quite as acid. Some of these hybrid varieties includeboysenberries, loganberries, and youngberries. These are more fragile thanthe true blacks. They are as delicate as raspberries and their seeds aren'tquite as hard as those of true blackberries. Some hybrids are almost seedless.
Blackberries are in season from May to October, with the peak in June andJuly. During the winter months a very limited supply is flown in from theSouthern Hemisphere.
While the true blackberries aren't quite as fragile as raspberries or thehybrid blackberries, they still have to be treated as highly perishableand should be kept under constant refrigeration. Even if they are in perfectcondition at the time of purchase, they have a shelf life of two to threedays at best. Very often the blackberries offered in the marketplace arefar from perfect.
So check them out carefully prior to making a purchase, especially thosethat are sold in full-pint baskets as opposed to shallow half-pint trays.If they are soft, wet, stuck together, or show any trace of mildew, you'llprobably have to discard more than you can salvage.
While the hybrids can range in color from violet to a reddish purple, theideal color for the true blackberries is a jet black. As these blackberriesripen on the cane they go from green to red and only to black when fullyripe. The blacker the blackberry, the better the flavor.