Berry nice blackberries
I can't believe it's almost the end of blackberry season here in England. The first ones came out in July this year. Either I’m getting old, or things ain’t what they used to be!
As well as filling me with child-like joy, blackberry season has that end-of-the-summer feeling to it, so it’s only been the last couple of weeks that I’ve been out blackberry picking, otherwise it would have felt like the end of the Summer all Summer long! It has meant that those we’ve picked have been ridiculously sweet and juicy and literally ripe for the picking. My favourite thing about blackberries is that not only are they are free, but they grow in the most unlikely places!
Blackberries- like most berries- are alkalising, extremely high in antioxidants, great for the liver and gall bladder, and also fab for the blood, heart and circulation.
From an Ayurvedic perspective, they pacify Pitta and Vata whilst aggravating Kapha. This is because the dominant taste of blackberries is sweet, sour and astringent, whilst the qualities or 'gunas' are easy, cold and light.
The Pitta pacifying benefits are those related to the blood, liver and so on mentioned above. The Vata pacifying benefits also stretch to gas and bloating minimisation as well as being deeply nourishing. This makes them a great change-of-season treat (nature is very good at providing us with what we need, when we need it most).
As with most sweet fruit, those with naturally high Kapha or a Kapha imbalance would do well to avoid blackberries unless eaten stewed with warming spices such as cinnamon, ginger or cardamom. They also go really well with lavender and honey (lavender is still in abundance at the moment!).
Blackberries freeze well, so pick them whilst they are here and keep for stewing or smoothy-ing over the Winter (although obviously best Ayurvedic practice would be to eat them fresh and only in their season- something not necessarily always possible with modern family life I find!!).
I made this smoothie as soon as we got home from raiding the hedge the other day. A couple of handfuls of blackberries, an apple, a banana and some oat milk. It made us all roll our eyes in delight- honestly it was delicious! Who needs to spend loads of money on goji berries etc. when these little beauties are all around us right now?