BY BOBBIE WILLIS
Berry Treasure
THE BERRY BIBLE by Janie Hibler. William
Morrow/Harper Collins, New York. 2004.
T
o such an extent do I love blackber-
ries, I penned and managed to get
published an essay about them. After
hearing me read that essay aloud last sum-
mer, Robert Leo Heilman, venerable writer,
essayist and chronicler of the old Northwest,
squinched up his nose, tugged his beard and
said, “I can’t much stand blackberries any-
more. Taste to me like poverty, like bein’
broke and eatin’ ‘em from the sides of the
railroad tracks when there was nothin’ else to
eat, fillin’ my belly ‘til it hurt.”
There are a two things I took away from
that sobering feedback, maybe neither of
which Mr. Heilman was actually trying to
convey. First, it’s stunning how complicat-
ed our relationships with food are, how pri-
mal from person to person, how visceral
from food to food. Second, if you have to
eat anything from the sides of the railroad
tracks, if you have to eat anything for free
until you’re insides are full to bursting and
you’re sick to your stomach, let it be the
juicy, sweet glory of berries.
In defense of my unwavering love for
this food, check out The Berry Bible by Janie
Hibler. Part cookbook, part natural history
guide, part coffee-table-book beauty, this
book will teach you everything you want to
know about berries along with nearly count-
less ways to prepare them. There are recipes
for good old-fashioned jellies, jams and pre-
serves (chapter called “Putting Berries By”),
as well as recipes for sophisticated Pavlovas,
sangria, cocktails, and even berry soups.
Hope hard for this warm, sunny weather
to hold, and we’ll be thick with berries of all
kinds come summer.
Blackberry-Chile-Mint
Preserves
8 c. blackberries (fresh or frozen, thawed
with juice)
7 c. sugar
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely
chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 t. unsalted butter
1/3 c. loosely packed fresh mint leaves
One 3-oz. pouch liquid fruit pectin
Have washed and hot eight 8-oz. jars.
Prepare lids according to the manufactur-
er’s directions.
Combine berries and sugar in a pot and let
macerate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Set pot over medium heat; when mixture
is warm, add peppers. Bring to a boil, stir-
ring constantly. Add butter to stop mixture
from foaming. When mixture reaches a
rolling boil that can’t be stirred down, stir
in mint and pectin. Return to rolling boil
and cook 1 minute. Ladle jam through
wide-mouth funnel into hot jars. Process
in boiling water canner for 10 minutes.
Makes seven to eight 8-oz. jars.
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APRIL 29, 2004 31