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Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Blackberry rhubarb filling and cobbler

Here at the sunset homestead we have a few perennial crops. Two of these are a hefty sized (and spreading) blackberry bush and 5 vigorously producing rhubarb plants.

Last year our blackberry bush produced some 15 gallons of berries that we were able to harvest and freeze and a couple more that we ate fresh or used in recipes. So much did it produce that we still have several gallons of blackberries in the freezer. So when our rhubarb came up over a month ago I decided that I would be making ready to use blackberry rhubarb pie filling (sans seeds to please the mountain man) with the frozen berries and the abundant crop of rhubarb. Yum!

To start with I took a gallon of blackberries and cooked them down with a little water until they were completely soft and removing the pulp from the seeds would be easier. Once they were ready I strained the seeds out with a standard mesh sieve using a silicon spatula to help the pulp through the mesh. This process takes a little bit but if you don't like the hard little seeds from blackberries it is an important step.

Then to the blackberry pulp I added about 12 cups of rhubarb cut into 1 inch chunks heating till just steaming. To that I added a whopping 8 cups of sugar (this is totally dependent on personal taste you can use as much or as little sugar as you want) and stirred over gentle heat until the sugar was totally dissolved and the mixture was nice and hot. The color was ruby red. The smell was sweet and tart and everything that's good about summer. Already. In April.

Then I packed the mixture into hot sterilized jars and processed it in a boiling water bather for 10 minutes. They came out a rich and deep garnet red. Oh be still my heart, I've jarred happiness.

Blackberry rhubarb filling:

1 gallon blackberries cooked and seeded
12 cups rhubarb cut into 1" chunks
8(+/-) cups white sugar

Mix blackberry pulp with rhubarb and sugar cooking till sugar is dissolved.
Pour hot liquid into hot sterilized pint jars leaving 1" headspace.
Wipe rims with a clean damp cloth
Adjust 2-piece caps and process 10 minutes at a full rolling boil in a boiling water bather.

This recipe yields 9 pints of a dense but still fluid filling. Yes it's another step when you open the jar to add a thickener however I never have good luck processing thicker products. I'm greedy and don't like having to toss products. Ever.

To use this product warm it up in a saucepan till just bubbling then add a slurry of 2 tsp cornstarch and a tablespoon of water. Heat till thickened, about 3 minutes. It is ready to use in your favorite pie, crisp, or cobbler. Did I mention that this is happiness in a jar? And it's there all year long? The taste is literally summer.

Red checker cake

1 jar blackberry rhubarb filling
1Tbsp butter diced
1cup flour
1tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 tbsp sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Pour prepared filling into a prepared 9x9 pan.
Dot with butter.
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in butter till consistency of wet sand.
Beat egg and milk together and add to flour mixture till just moistened.
Drop by spoonful on top of the filling in a basic checkerboard pattern.
Sprinkle top with sugar.
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

When this gem comes out of the oven it's golden and garnet and steaming. It will fill your house with the smell of tart sweetness that's sure to make your mouth water. Serve it hot with a generous scoop of a good vanilla ice cream or cold with a good cup of floral tea.

There you go! From the sunset homestead to your table! My favorite rhubarb recipe. God bless.



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