Back in the spring, I blogged about how most of the canes on the blackberry bushes died in the severe winter. A few of the smaller canes that survived managed to flower, but it was clear the harvest this year was going to be paltry.
And it is.
I've managed to harvest only enough blackberries to partially fill one small glass custard cup. I'll probably get a few more berries in the next two weeks, but that's about it.
My blackberry plants are of the variety known as Illini Hardy, a thorny variety developed in 1980. These blackberries have an old-fashioned, sharp taste that is similar to wild blackberries and raspberries. So it's often better to bake with the berries rather than to eat them fresh, unless you add some sweetener or mix them with sweeter fruit in a fruit salad.
For that reason, I'll likely bake some blackberry muffins this weekend with what few berries I have. And I'll hope that the vigorous canes growing this year survive the winter to provide a more abundant harvest next summer.