Crop of the Week: Blackberry

• The blackberry is actually an ancient fruit, prescribed by the ancient Greeks for gout and Native Americans for stomach ailments. Blackberries have been used in Europe for more than 2,000 years for eating, medicinal purposes and as hedges to keep out marauders.

• Current acreage devoted to blackberry production in the Yuma area is limited to those niche producers who grow blackberries primarily for the local market.

• Much of the first modern blackberry variety development was done in America, beginning with Judge Logan of California in 1880 and the release and introduction of the loganberry.

• George Darrow and Walter Knott, a California fruit and berry enthusiast, whose wife began making berry preserves, developed a berry farm that later became the famous Knott’s Berry Farm, located near the Walt Disney amusement park in California.

• Blackberries fresh from the vines are delicious in frozen packs, canned, as blackberry wine, ice cream, fresh blackberry juice, blackberry pies, blackberry jelly, blackberry jam and best of all when eaten as a fresh fruit.

• The fruit is very dark purple with smooth, fragile skin. In the middle of the cluster is a greenish-white core that extends to almost the bottom of the berry. Blackberries can be easily confused with raspberries, but raspberries (including black raspberries) have a hollow center.

• Blackberry leaves are used in making blackberry tea and are used for treating nonspecific acute diarrhea, as well as inflammation of the mouth and throat. It is also reported to be helpful in reducing blood sugar levels and is a good source of the vitamins C and E and the minerals potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium and selenium.

• Many health benefits come from eating blackberries that are rich in antioxidants. Blackberries also have a high concentration of phytoestrogens, literally “plant estrogens,” that may have help prevent breast and cervical cancer.

Blackberries are considered to be an astringent because of their high tannin content. Studies show that tannins tighten tissue, lesson minor bleeding and may help to alleviate diarrhea and intestinal inflammation. German health authorities recommend blackberries for mild infections, including sore throats and mouth irritations.

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Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.