An A to Z guide to choosing, storing, preparing, and cooking fresh produce and recipe ingredients.
Creative Crop / Getty ImagesBlackberries
Tart, sweet, and deeply flavorful, blackberries are the largest of all the wild berries. In the wild, they grow on thorny
bushes called brambles—another common name for the berries themselves.
Season: May through August.
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How to Choose Blackberries
Look for plump berries with the darkest purple color—the darker the better. Avoid specimens with hulls (which indicate the berries were picked before ripening fully and are probably overly tart) and any containers with juice stains on the bottom (a sign of crushed fruit). Also check for mold, which develops quickly. -
How to Store Blackberries
Handle the fragile berries carefully, and eat them as soon as possible. Refrigerate unwashed (moisture speeds decay) for up to 2 days in a single layer on a plate, covered loosely.
How to Prepare Blackberries
Blackberries have rather large seeds—each segment is actually a complete stone fruit—which can be strained out before using in tarts or jams. -
How to Use Blackberries
Try combining them with apples for a favorite British pie, or eat them topped with cream and sugar.
—Melinda PageReal Simple Blackberry Recipes:
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Find out what's in season in your area right now, then locate a farmers' market near you.
