Enjoy states official fruit

while at its peak

By Alethia Russell

une and July are prime picking season

for a fruit thats rooted in our Alabama
hearts: the blackberry.
Although the origins of the blackberry
are unknown, it is believed it originated in
Asia, Europe or North or South America.
Most of the berries we consume in the
Southeast are grown from a breeding
program based at the University of
Arkansas and other universities in the
Southeast. Once these seedlings go public,
nurseries and home gardeners can take
up the hobby of raising these beauties to
their peak.
Blackberries are not widely grown
in the state, but Alabamas legislature
declared the blackberry as the state
fruit in 2004, at the request of Fairhope
Elementary School faculty and students.
Teachers Susan Sims and Amy Jones
noticed Alabama laid no claim to a fruit
of its own like our neighboring states,
and set out to fix that. They researched
the fruit and received the backing of thenSen. Bradley Byrne and State Rep. Randy
Davis to help push it through the Senate.
(Alabamas official tree fruit is the peach,
recognized as such in 1949.)
The good news is that you can
grow them yourself in your backyard
garden. The health and wellness benefits
blackberries provide are more than
enough incentive to invest. Blackberries
are low in sodium and calories, and are
rich in bioflavonoids and Vitamin C. The
dark color of the fruit indicates it has one
of the highest levels of antioxidants in
fruit. Tea drinkers use the leaves of the
fruit for added flavor or as a therapeutic
drink. Just mask the bitterness with a little

Blackberries are a low maintenance fruit with many health benefits.

maintenance and attractive addition to

vegetable gardens, according to Jason
Powell, co-owner of Petals from the Past
Nursery in Jemison.
You can grow blackberries without
a lot of fuss, Powell says. So we have a
lot of home gardeners who like to grow
them in their gardens because you dont
have to deal with a lot of spray programs.
If you can give them sunshine, and plant
a good variety and fertilize twice a year,
youre good.
Blackberries should be planted in early
spring, preferably one month to one
month and a half before the last frost of
the winter. It prefers acidic or neutral soil
for growing.
Soil
pH
should range
If you can give them sunshine, and
from 5.5
plant a good variety and fertilize
7.0. Pests can
twice a year, youre good.
build up in
soil over the
honey and sip away. The leaves have also years, so avoid planting blackberries in
been used to treat gum inflammation.
an area where other brambles have grown
The plant has proven to be a low to prevent contaminating the plant. These

2 MONTH 2015

plants will not produce fruit the first

year, but with proper maintenance they
will produce fruit the following year.
Gardeners should fertilize as early as
possible in the spring and maintain the
bushes with trellises. With proper growing
supervision, a blackberry bush can last
anywhere from 15-20 years.
Here are a few tips for growing
blackberries at home:
II Blackberries are self-fruitful: This
means you can plant one variety of
blackberry and theres no need for
another plant for cross-pollination.
II Fertilizer is important: Blackberries
need proper soil nutrients to grow.
Alabama soil typically cannot provide
these nutrients on its own. Proper
fertilizing and maintaining mulch
around the base of the plant will keep
weeds and grass from sapping nutrients
from your berries. Also avoid planting
in sandy or heavy clay soil.
II Walking on sunshine: Blackberries
require a minimum of five hours of
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in thorny and thornless varieties. But

they are also classified by what type
of bearing they produce. Primocane
bearing varieties grow the canes and
fruits on the same cane during the
same year. Jim Pitts, director of Chilton
County Research and Extension Center,
suggests that the Natchez variety is
the best non-thorny variety suitable
for home gardening. Visit your local
hardware store or nurseryman and
ask about the variety best for your

gardening needs.
After all your hard work, you can
enjoy the fruits of your labor. When your
berries begin to ripen, try to pick them
every three to six days and enjoy them
alone or in pies, jams or jellies. If not, the
birds will have fun eating your berries. A
Alethia Russell, a senior at Auburn
University, is a summer intern for Alabama
Living.

Magic Blackberry Cobbler

sunshine per day. Water them once or
twice a week as needed to maintain
moisture and sun balance. Be sure to
give them at least an inch of water in
drier periods.
II Growing Room: The easiest way to
grow blackberries at home is in a
standard 10-foot row with a trellis.
Blackberries bushes are naturally
climbing plants.
II Know what you grow: Blackberries are
also referred to as caneberries, bramble,
brambleberries, etc., because they grow

Alabama Living

Ingredients
1 stick butter
1 cup selfrising flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 quart
blackberries
3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 2 quart

baking dish melt butter in oven. Remove
from oven. In a separate bowl mix flour
and 1 cup sugar until well blended. Add
milk and mix until blended. Pour this
mixture over butter but DO NOT STIR. Pour
blackberries over this mixture but DO NOT
STIR. Sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar over berries but
DO NOT STIR. Bake, uncovered, for 45 to 50
minutes. It should be brown when done.
Serve warm.

Kimberly Baugh, North Alabama EC

From the Alabama Living recipe archives. See more recipes at alabamaliving.coop.

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