COME LATE SUMMER, hedgerows and orchards across Tasmania, Victoria, NSW and beyond are dotted with glossy blackberries, each tiny drupelet bursting with flavour. The season is short, typically peaking from December through March, and the best fruit is plump, deep purple-black and softly yielding to touch. Their perfume is subtle, but the taste (equal parts sweet and tangy) is unmistakable.
Eaten by the handful they’re irresistible, but blackberries reward creativity in the kitchen. They bring colour and zing to fruit salads, parfaits, pavlovas and cheesecakes, and bake beautifully into crumbles, muffins, tarts and pies. A quick compote or coulis can be swirled through yoghurt, drizzled over pancakes or spooned beside a cheese board. Their acidity also plays well in savoury cooking, stirred into sauces or muddled into dressings. They even…
