I was recently cooking Southern peaches and organic, locally grown blackberries together. Cook them slowly with a touch of sugar , some ground cinnamon and a tablespoon of water. Cover, bring to a boil, then cook on very low temperature for 20-30 minutes. Heavenly! Like a pie without the pie! And they just might be the morning fruit course for breakfast at the bed and breakfast.

I was also remembering a couple of summers on Long Island when I was very young, around 1950, when my brother Jerry and I took pots from the kitchen and headed up the street to “the lots”. It was an undeveloped area that bordered our neighborhood. We went in search of wild blackberries.We came back to the house covered with scratches on our arms and legs and berry stains on our clothes, hands and faces. We also had blackberries in all the pans we carried. My mother was a great pie-maker and we were rewarded with wonderful pies and cobblers!

Summer is a great time to visit Ashevville, NC. We hope to see you very soon.