Blackberry and Peach Dessert Pizza

I wonder why makers of electronics choose fruit names for their inventions. The innocent blackberry is a perfect example. What possible connection could lead a marketing team down this thorny path? Perhaps they wanted to take a bite out the business plan of another electronics company with fruit-as-a-name. In the end, the best reason I could come up with is aggregation. Both blackberries, the fruit and the phone, are all about connectivity.

The blackberry is an aggregate fruit, that is, each berry is composed of many smaller fruits or drupes. Blackberries grow on prickly shrubs known as brambles. Their spiky thorns are so wicked that blackberry brambles have been used for centuries as hedges to keep intruders out. In the interest of picking versus protecting, plant breeders have cultivated thornless blackberry varieties.

Picking tasty blackberries is straightforward so long as you remember their first name—black. Select berries that are fully black, plump and firm. Unripe blackberries, those with even a hint of red or purple, will not ripen once they are picked.

Bring home only what you can use within a day or two. Blackberries are delicate and will mold quickly at room temperature. They will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two depending on their freshness. Give them a quick rinse with clear water but not until you’re ready to eat them.

Blackberries have some features that let you tell them apart from black raspberries. A black raspberry is small with a bluish waxy coating and a hollow center; the core stays on the plant when the berry is picked. A blackberry, on the other hand, is big and shiny with an edible white core in its center.

Tart blackberries pair perfectly with sweet peaches in pies, tarts, crisps, cobblers and as topping for ice cream. Spread the word on your electronic device!