Simple Plum & BlackBerry Cobbler
I love traditions. There is something wonderfully grounding about them, and ever since we bought our farm in Pemberton we have made wild blackberry picking our own annual ritual.
As summer draws to a close, the brambles across the farm are heavy with small dark purple berries, sweet-tart and quick to stain our fingers as we pick. We have two favourite spots we return to each year: one down in the patch we call the wetlands, and another that runs along the creek across from the farmhouse.
Blackberry picking isn’t exactly gentle work. The brambles are thick with thorns, and our arms and legs rarely escape without a few scratches. And if the brambles don’t get you, the March flies surely will. By mid-February they are out in full force, landing without warning and biting hard enough to make you yelp. Between the thorns and the flies, it can feel like a savage little task.
Over time Troy has worked out a way to make it easier. Once we have picked what we can reach, he loads the kids and me into the tractor bucket and lifts us above the bushes so we can gather the berries without being swallowed by them. It is quite a spectacle, but the kids love it, and it works really well. Most years we bring back more than four kilos, which feels like a triumph given how small the berries are and how long they take to collect.
The scratches and bites fade quickly, but the memories don’t. And those are what I cherish most.
We also grow a few plums, though for now only one tree is safely netted to keep it from the parrots. Farming here comes with plenty of hungry visitors: kangaroos, emus, wild boars, rabbits, and birds, all eager to nibble, strip bark, or dig up whatever we plant. To save our fruit and vegetables, we net, fence, and cover whatever we can. The blackberries at least have a fighting chance, since they grow wild all through the bush, not just on our farm. Even then, we still have to be quick or the emus will beat us to them.
When we do manage to gather enough, the best reward is turning them into something we can enjoy both fresh and later. I freeze some, make jam, blend smoothies for the kids, or bake them into something comforting. This cobbler is one of my favourite ways to bring summer fruits together. The sweet tang of plums with blackberries makes a perfect pair. As the cobbler bakes, the fruit softens and the juices bubble up around the edges, staining the streusel in rich shades of purple and red. We eat it warm with melting scoops of ice cream, and if there’s any left, I like it slightly warmed the next morning with vanilla yoghurt. It’s one of those simple pleasures that carries the taste of summer dessert into the next day’s breakfast.
Simple Plum & BlackBerry Cobbler
This cobbler makes the most of summer’s bounty: juicy blackberries and plums baked until bubbling and golden. A scoop of ice cream or a spoon of yoghurt turns this humble dessert into something truly special.
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1kg plums
400g blackberries
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup quick oats
1 cup caster sugar
110g cold butter, cubed
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
Method
Preheat oven to 180 C Fan Forced
Prepare 35x25cm baking dish
Halve and pip the plums and add them to a baking dish. Bake until plums are soft, about 15 minutes.
In the meantime while plums are in the Ove prepare the crumb. In a large bowl combine flour, oats and sugar. Add butter and using tips of your fingers rub into a crumb. Add vanilla and stir it in with a fork.
Add blackberries to the plums. Evenly top with the crumb.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until crumb looks toasted and the fruit juices are bubbling up to the surface on the sides.
Remove from oven.
Serving Suggestion
Serve warm with ice-cream or cream.
