Blackberries with Cacao Nib Cream

Blackberries are in full effect here, and I imagine, almost everywhere else. Along roads, and rivers and backyards; their bounty is unavoidable. Most of the year the brambles are unwelcome invaders: stealing valuable garden space at an unfathomable rate. But around this time, their dominating nature returns some of its yield.

I love sinking into world of the bramble, the intimacy that is created as my attention focuses on the task at hand. If I am with other people, I love how their voices quickly become faint- overwhelmed by the hum of bees and the density of foliage as we wind ourselves deeper and deeper between canes covered in thorns to reach the biggest, ripest berries.

Blackberries give back as much with flavor as they do with nutrients. Besides being rich in fiber, and Vitamins C and A, blackberries are filled with phenolic acids which are antioxidants known to be anti-carcinogenic.

Traditionally, blackberries have been used by both Native Americans as well as Europeans, (although they were originally using different varieties). In Europe, blackberry juice was used to treat infections of the mouth and eyes until the 16th century. Today blackberry root tincture is used an effective remedy against diarrhea.

Folklore in Ireland and Great Britain says that blackberries should not be picked after St. Michaelmas Day, October 10th. It is believed that on this day, the Devil was expelled from Heaven. He fell from the sky into a blackberry bramble and cursed the fruit- scorching them with his breath and making them unfit for consumption (other versions of the story say he peed on the berries). There is some value behind this legend as wetter and cooler weather often allows the fruit to become infected by various bacteria and molds- making them potentially harmful.

Cacao nibs are also full of minerals and antioxidants- being the mostly unprocessed pieces of the cacao bean. They are available mostly in the roasted form but can also be purchased raw- which will retain more of their anti-oxidant properties. It exhausts me to imagine trying to relate all the health benefits of chocolate, and given that it has gotten so much press recently, I am not going to. Just know that chocolate is really, really frickin' good for you (in its whole state, of course, we're not talking Hershey's here).



Here's the very simple recipe:
(serves 4)

3-4 cups blackberries: freshly picked- still warm from the sun is always nice
1/2 pint whipping cream
1/4 cup cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or chocolate extract
2-6 tablespoons of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries and your taste)

Whip the cream- but don't over-whip it. I always use a hand beater for this because its too easy to over do it with an electric one.

Add the sugar, vanilla or chocolate extract, and nibs.

Serve over the berries.