Growing up in the north, apple picking tends to be the norm. I have gone apple picking every autumn, but it has always been on my bucket list to go berry picking. When I found a local blackberry picking farm, I knew I needed to take a visit before the season ended.
Berry Bee Acres is in Simpsonville, KY, about 30 minutes from Louisville. When I saw that they were still open for blackberry picking, I reached out to them, grabbed Mitch and we headed to the farm.
For a city girl, who has spent nearly no time on a farm, I was giddy on our way over there!
Upon arrival we were greeted with a basket to collect our blackberries. There are no thorns so you don’t have to worry about getting pricked. This makes it also perfect for families. Since it is just Mitch and I we made it into a date night.
We went later in the evening when the sun was starting to go down. It was the perfect time because it wasn’t too hot, and we had the whole 2 acres to ourselves. We spent our time strolling down the aisles and picking the yummiest blackberries. I would put 3 in the basket, and then treat myself to one! They were so juicy I couldn’t help myself.
I think Mitch surprised himself in how much fun he was having. He was smiling the whole time, and was quite competitive to see who could find the best ones.
Once our basket was filled to the brim, we headed home to make some blackberry goodies.
I was ready to go all in with the blackberry recipes. I was scrolling through Pinterest the whole way there to see what we wanted to make. We decided to spread out the blackberry recipes so we didn’t get a blackberry hangover. But check out the recipes we already made or plan on making with our fresh blackberries!
Blackberry Recipes
* Each recipe card is at the bottom of post. You can save for when you try!
Blackberry Lime Mojito
INGREDIENTS (Makes 2)
- 1 cup fresh blackberries
- 1 lime white claw
- ice as needed
- 2 shots rum
- Squeeze of honey
- 8 Fresh mint leaves
- Sprinkle blackberries in the bottom of 2 glasses, then muddle.
- Add 3 mint leaves per glass and muddle.
- Add a squirt of honey to each glass.
- Add a lime wedge to each glass and muddle.
- Fill each glass with ice, then add a shot of rum in each.
- Mix well.
- Top the glasses with lime White Claw, and garnish with mint and lime quarters before serving.
Blackberry BBQ Sauce
We put this on pork tenderloin sandwiches – the recipe for the whole sandwich is in this blog post! But would be good on any BBQ – chicken, pulled pork, brisket, ribs, anything! This stuff is SO GOOD!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blackberries
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon garlic, diced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
Sauté the onions and garlic in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until softened. Add the blackberries and cook until softened. Add the remaining ingredients until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a blender to purée the sauce. Set the sauce aside until needed.
Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies
These were the first things we made as soon as we got home from the farm and Oh.My.Goodness. They are to DIE FOR!
Ingredients
For the brownies
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the blackberry puree
- 6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
- 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup water
For the cheesecake
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 large eggs room temperature
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cook blackberry puree by combining all ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Use a whisk or spoon to help break down the blackberries.
- Once cooked, place a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl and, using a spatula, squeeze through all of the liquid and dispose of the solids.
- Let cool to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Line an 8″x8″ baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt the butter.
- Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Once combined, fold in cocoa powder and flour.
- Pour the brownie batter into the baking dish, spreading evenly to the edges.
- Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.
- Cream for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Pour over brownie batter, spreading evenly to the edges.
- Drizzle the blackberry puree on top of the cheesecake in dollops and swirl using a fork, knife, or toothpick.
- Try to swirl only into the cheesecake batter, not the brownie batter.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until the cheesecake begins to turn golden and a knife inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean.
- Place in fridge and allow to cool for at least 2 hours but up to overnight.
I can’t wait to be on blackberry overload the next few days!
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