In Southeast Georgia, blackberries are in season through about mid-June, and not only are they sweet and satisfying, but packed with health benefits too. 

I use them in so many ways, whether baking, making cocktails, paired with other fresh fruits or just for snacking. Blackberries make wonderful jams and jellies, as well as sauces too. Pair them with pan-seared pork chops for a real sweet and savory treat. 

When I was growing up, I can remember picking blackberries with my dad. We would find them growing wild on the vine, pick enough to eat, bring them inside and rinse them off good. He would sprinkle them with a little sugar and a splash of milk and eat them with a spoon right out of the bowl. 

My dad has always enjoyed blackberries, and from an early age scavenged for them growing up in Middle Georgia. His cousin, Nancy, recalls, “I have a fond memory of when we were all kids, staying over at the Walters Place and picking blackberries,” she said. “Your dad baked a pie. I was amazed at this feat, which was not only interesting and beautiful, but also delicious.” 

I most definitely inherited his love for this fine fruit. Last year during Christmastime, when everyone else was baking Christmas cookies and red velvet cakes, I was in my kitchen making a blackberry lattice pie to take to our family shindig. If you ask me, there’s not a bad time to enjoy blackberries, but like most foods, they are best when eaten in season. Ride out to your local farmers market this month to purchase some local blackberries, and try using them in these new and Some Kinda Good ways:

• Blackberry Smash Cocktail
• Blackberry-Peach Crumble
• Fruit Salad with Garden-Fresh Mint
• Blackberry Lattice Pie
• Blackberry Cobbler

This Blackberry-Peach crumble recipe has a crunchy, buttery topping and is filled with warm, sweet fruit. Serve it with cold vanilla ice cream or fresh sweetened whipped cream and garnish with mint. Try it this Memorial Day! Be sure to visit SomeKindaGood.com for these other recipes, plus more easy, summer baking and cooking ideas. 

Blackberry-Peach Crumble

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

3 cups fresh peach slices (about 3 medium)

2 cups fresh blackberries

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup uncooked regular oats or granola

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup butter, melted

Vanilla ice cream

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°. Place first two ingredients in an 11- x 7-inch (or 2-qt.) baking dish. In a separate bowl, stir together egg, egg yolk, and next four ingredients with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit; drizzle melted butter over topping. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until light brown and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes; serve warm with ice cream.

Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser is a private chef and the author of the best-selling memoir “Some Kinda Good.” Featured in Forbes, on Food Network and ABC, she writes about Southern, coastal cuisine, locally sourced and in-season. Connect with her on social media by liking Some Kinda Good on Facebook, or follow @SKGFoodBlog on Instagram and Twitter. To learn more, visit RebekahLingenfelser.com.