Southern Roots

On a summer evening some years ago, two of
the South's most celebrated writers, William
Faulkner and Katherine Anne Porter, were dining
together at a plush restaurant in Paris.  Everything
had been laid out to perfection;  a splendid meal
had been consumed, a bottle of fine burgundy emptied,
and thimble-sized glasses of an expensive liquer drained.
The maitre d' and an entourage of waiters hovered close
by, ready to satisfy any final whim.  "Back home the
butter beans are in," said Faulkner, peering into the
distance, "the speckled ones."  Miss Porter fiddled
with her glass and stared into space.
"Blackberries," she said wistfully.

- Eugene Walter, Foods of the World:
American Cooking:  Southern Style (1971)

The Blackberry Photographer

The Legg family album contains this cherished
photograph—thanks to the presence of wild
blackberries.  During the pre-depression era, a
traveling photographer stopped by the home
of John Grover Legg in rural Putney, West Virginia.
John was a coal miner.  When the family said they
had no money to pay for a family picture, the
photographer offered to take the picture for 30 gallons
of blackberries.  All of the family members quickly
fanned out to pick berries (except the babies, of course).
Robert Legg said “Lots and lots of blackberries
grew wild around our place, so it wasn’t
hard to come up with 30 gallons.”

Back – Robert and Dencil;
middle – John Grover, Nannie Pearl Nutter, Elsie;
front – Mina and the twin babies, Mary and Martha.
 

Blackberry Jam Cake

West Virginia native Joyce Hail says in the
fall, when the blackberries had been picked and
the shelves were lined with jars of jam, her
family used the purple-black jam to grace her
mother’s hot, homemade biscuits on cold winter
mornings.  Joyce writes “When I was growing up
we never had store bought jellies and jams;
Mom always made them herself from fresh
blackberries.”  They also used Mom’s jam to
make Blackberry Jam Cake, a classic Appalachian
delicacy that is spicy and delicious served plain
and warm from the oven.  Joyce shares her
family’s treasured jam cake recipe.

 2/3 cup shortening   ½ teaspoon cinnamon
1-1/2 cup sugar   ½ teaspoon cloves
3 cups sifted flour   3 eggs beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder  1 cup blackberry jam
1 teaspoon baking soda  1 cup buttermilk
¼ teaspoon salt

Sift flour, mix with other dry ingredients including
spices, and set aside.  Cream sugar and shortening
together until fluffy.  Next, add the jam and eggs.
Mix well.  Add the flour mixture alternately
with the buttermilk, mixing bell after each addition.
Bake in three well-greased and floured 8” pans
or one 9” X 13” pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
This cake can be frosted with either
buttercream or caramel frosting.

Caramel Frosting for Jam Cake

 1/3 cup butter    ¼ cup milk
 1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups confectioners sugar, sifted

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add brown sugar
and bring to a boil over low heat.  Boil for two
minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in milk and
bring to a boil again, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.
Gradually add the powdered sugar until thick
enough to spread.  At times the amount of sugar
will vary and two full cups
may not be needed.

--Photo and recipe courtesy of
Joyce Hail, Beavercreek, Ohio

The Literary Botanist

Yale University’s electronic-encyclopedia writers
might be surprised to discover how unintentionally
poetic their description of the blackberry plant is:
   Blackberry
   Upright, arching shrub, a biennial cane,
   armed with stout prickles.
   Twigs, ridged and reddish.
   Thicket forming habitat.

Frolicking Among The Blackberries

Both Kentucky and Tennessee tantalize tourists
and natives alike with several annual blackberry
festivals.  Kentucky’s Blackberry Festival is held
the first weekend of July in the rural community
of Carlisle, 30 miles northeast of Lexington.
You’ll enjoy the entertaining and artsy activities
of a country festival plus all the blackberries
you can eat.  Don’t pass up the chance to visit Blue
Licks Battlefield State Park, just seven miles
north of Carlisle.  Blue Licks is a Revolutionary War
battlefield, where the salt licks once attracted
prehistoric mammoths and later, the
Indians and Daniel Boone.

The West Virginia Blackberry Festival is held
the first weekend of August at Nutter Fort,
West Virginia.  This festival highlights blackberry
goodies of every form, along with a 5-K
Run, bluegrass and country music, parades, rides
—and Mason-Dixon Wrestling!
We’re told that this year’s Blackberry King
Wrestling Tournament was won by Ox (no middle
or last name) who bested dozens of other wrestling
stars in the Rumble Royale event to win the crown.
There’s no accounting for taste said the
old woman who kissed the cow.

Fine Art Photography

For the finest in Appalachian, Southern and
Midwestern black and white fine art
photography, be sure to check out
robertmiller.org:
The Fine Art Photography of Robert Miller.
  Robert Miller's award-winning
photographs have been exhibited throughout
the United States and Europe.
Custom, hand-toned, museum quality prints
are available in limited editions - sure to be
cherished heirlooms that will be passed
down from generation to generation.

Blackberry Ink: Poems

Check out this nifty volume of poems for children
by Eve Merriam, illustrated by Hans Wilhem.
Kids will love these verses.  Selected as a
Reading Rainbow Book, this paperback
sells for less than $6 and is appropriate
for reading levels ages 4-8.  Amazon.com
alone has sold almost 200,000 copies.

 

Blackberry Wisdom

The blackberry bush’s name was derived from
bramble or brymbyl, meaning prickly.  It’s history
goes way, way back!  An account in the Old
Testament tells how Jotham upbraided the men
of Shechem for their ingratitude to his father’s
royal house.  Jotham told them the parable of the
trees choosing a king in which the humble bramble
was finally elected king after the noble olive, fig tree
and vine had refused the distinction.
(Judges 9:8-15)

I Could Live Without Knowing That

The blackberry plant is peculiar because you can often
see its blossoms, as well as its fruits, both green and
ripe, on the same bush at the same time.
This feature is not seen in other plants.
– from A Modern Herbal by M. Grieve

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*** To view Volume One of ***
*** The Blackberry Review ***
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