Blackberries are one of the oldest fruits used by human beings, as dated back to the Greeks. Due to their nutritional value, taste, and benefits, blackberries have been part of many people’s favorite food charts.
Blackberries are one of those various fruits that have many types. They have three types:
- Erect thorny blackberries
- Erect thornless blackberries
- Trailing thornless blackberries
Blackberries versus Raspberries
Many people relate blackberries to raspberries, but they are different species. The main difference is the stem, also called the torus or receptacle.
In blackberries, the receptacle is with the fruit, but in the case of raspberries, it is the opposite. A hollow cavity is present on the top of the raspberries because the receptacle is left behind on the plant.
Best Combinations With Blackberries
It’s a fact that many of us like to make combinations of our favorite food items, whether they are fruits, vegetables, or meat.
Some best combinations which make blackberries more favorite among people are:
- Blackberries and Greek Yogurt/Plain Yogurt – you mix Greek yogurt or plain yogurt with blackberries. It’s a simple and healthy breakfast.
- Blackberries and other berries – you can make a healthy fruit bowl as a snack in the evening by mixing blackberries and other berries like blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries.
- Blackberries, Lemon, and Black pepper – To enhance the taste of blackberries, you can toss blackberries in lemon juice and black pepper.
- Blackberry and Oats – It is one of the best combinations. You can add rolled oats in milk with honey and blackberries and enjoy your delicious meal.
Dishes With Blackberries
Using blackberries, you can make delicious recipes for breakfast, desserts, snacks, and heavy meals. Some recipes you can prepare via blackberries are:
Savoury Blackberry Dishes
- Blackberry glazed chicken thighs
- Blackberry and chicken salad
- Beef and blackberry skewers
Sweet Blackberry Dishes
- Blackberry Jam
- Blackberry muffins
- Doughnuts filled with blackberry glaze
- Blackberry tart
- Rice and blackberry pudding
- Baked oats with blackberries
- Blackberry pie
How To Clean Blackberries
The texture or surface of blackberries is not smooth. Blackberries have many tiny balls or globes which combine to form a blackberry. Due to this reason, there are little holes inside blackberries where worms or larvae of different species reside.
That’s why it is hard to clean blackberries by simply washing them with clean water. Due thoroughly clean the blackberries, you should follow the following steps:
Step 1:
Take a bowl of water and add vinegar or salt to it.
Step 2:
Dip all the blackberries into the water. So, they all are under the water. Set them aside for a minimum of 20 – 30 minutes. Due to the vinegar, all the worms will come out of the blackberries.
Step 3:
Wash the blackberries with clean water.
What To Do When You Have Lots Of Blackberries
Blackberries are one of those fruits that are available for a short period. What to do when you want to enjoy the taste of blackberries throughout the year? Or do you have loads of blackberries in the season?
As blackberries are soft and juicy, they don’t stay in the refrigerator for a long time. You should take the following steps to enjoy the blackberry flavor throughout the year.
- Make blackberry jam.
- Freeze blackberries in small cubes for smoothies.
- Make blackberry sauce for dessert toppings
- Make blackberry syrup for juices
- Freeze blackberries in chunks for desserts
- By removing seeds, store blackberry for tarts and pies
Also, Read
How to remove seeds from blackberries
Although the seeds of blackberries are not that hard, they may become difficult to eat, but many people don’t like them. So to enjoy the blackberry fully, you can remove the seeds. You can remove blackberry seeds from the food mill using a sieve.
Blackberry Seed Removal By Food Mill
To remove seeds from blackberries via food mill, you need to follow the following steps:
Step 1:
Take a big bowl of water and add vinegar or salt to it. Dip for 20 – 25 minutes to remove all the dirt and worms. After that, wash them with clean water.
Step 2:
Adjust the disc of the food mill as per your preference. It is better to use 1mm or 1.5 mm disks. It will help to remove all the seeds effectively.
Step 3:
Add washed blackberries to the food mill and remove all the seeds.
Step 4:
Gather your seedless blackberries.
Now you can use it in your desserts, make jam, and store it for later use.
Blackberry Seed Removal By Sieve
By following the given directions, you can remove seeds from blackberries using a sieve:
Step 1:
Wash your blackberries by dipping them in a water-vinegar solution.
Step 2:
Take a small batch of blackberries. By using a spoon, push them through a sieve. Be careful about the number of blackberries. If you overload your sieve, it will create a mess. Plus, it will be hard to push them through the sieve.
Step 3:
Gather all the seedless blackberries and use them in different ways.
The drawback of using a sieve is:
- It takes a lot of labor and time.
- You can only remove seeds from blackberries, and the sieve is not effective on a large scale.
Why Use Food Mill To Remove Blackberry Seeds
There are many ways to remove seeds from blackberries, but the food mill is the most effective one for the following reasons:
- It doesn’t create a mess and is very easy to use.
- Food Mill doesn’t take much time.
- Food Mill consumes less labor.
- Removing seeds in large amounts is very beneficial.
How To Make Blackberry Jam
During the blackberry season, one of the best ways to preserve the blackberry taste for the rest of the year is to make blackberry jam. The blackberry jam is easy to make as it requires fewer ingredients, and you don’t have to follow hard and fast rules.
- Ingredients:
To make blackberry jam, you need the following ingredients:
- Blackberries
- Sugar
- Pectin
Step 1:
Take blackberries and submerge them in the water-vinegar solution. Rinse them with water and let them drain in a strainer.
Step 2:
By using a food mill, remove all the seeds from the blackberries. So you can have smooth jams without lumps or chunks.
Step 3:
Bring a pit stockpot and pour seedless blackberries and sugar inside it and mix them well. A big pot is helpful because the jam will not pop out during boiling. It will save your skin and your stove as well.
Step 4:
Boil sugar and blackberries for 15 – 20 minutes or until sugar dissolves completely.
Step 5:
Add Pectin into the mixture and boil it further. Cook the jam until it becomes thick.
Step 6:
In another big pot, boil the jars in which you are going to store your jam.
Boiling the jars is beneficial in two ways:
It will sterilize the jars and help to store the jam for a long time. An untidy jar can spoil jams soon.
If jars are already boiled or put in hot water, they will not crack when you pour hot jam inside them.
Step 7:
By using a spoon, pour the jam inside the sterilized jars.
Step 8:
After putting the lids on the jars and hand sealing them, put the jars in the boiling water. It will vacuum seal the jars and help store the jam for a long time.
Here is the best way to make blackberry jam and stay in touch with blackberry flavors if they are out of season.
Ways To Use Blackberry Jam
You can enjoy your blackberry in the following ways:
- You can eat blackberry jam with toast.
- You can use blackberry jam to top pancakes, croissants, homemade bread, and cakes.
- You can make blueberry muffins and pudding with it.
Nutritional and Health Benefits Of Blackberries
- Blackberries are very helpful because of their nutritional value in the weight loss journey.
- Blackberries are high in fiber and low in calories. It means that they make you feel less hungry over time and save you from eating unhealthy from time to time.
- These reasons make blackberries a healthy snack.
- Blackberries boost metabolism. It removes all the toxic contents from the liver and maintains the digestive system.
- As blackberries have a good amount of fiber, it helps maintaining cholesterol levels and blood pressure. It results in lowering the risks of cardiac diseases.
- Blackberries lower blood sugar levels and are an effective snack for people with diabetes.
- Blackberries have plenty of antioxidants which may prevent many diseases like cancer.
- Blackberries are full of Vitamin C, which may help in healing wounds and revitalizing the skin.
- The amount of manganese in blackberries is good. Manganese is a significant part of the proper functioning of the human body. It helps in developing the immune system, maintains mental health, and reduces the risks of osteoporosis.
- Due to the high amount of antioxidants, blackberries are fantastic for brain health. It maintains brain health, improves memory, and lessens memory loss due to aging
- Oral health is necessary. Blackberries have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties making them a good food for oral health maintenance.
- How To Use A Food Mill For Blackberries
- How To Make Passata Without A Food Mill
- Homemade Blueberry Muffins, Jam, And Recipes
References
https://www.gardenguides.com/77458-remove-seeds-blackberries.html
