Juicy, foraged blackberries taste so delicious and are really good for us. They can be eaten raw, picked straight from their stems, but they’re also great in jams, pies and crumbles. This classic blackberry and apple crumple recipe is so easy to make and is the perfect balance of sweet and tart flavours. It’s especially tasty if you can forage your own apples too!

What you will need:

• 80g butter (If using vegan butter, a block is better than a spread)

• 60g sugar

• 160g plain flour (you could also use half wholemeal or spelt flour, or try substituting some of the flour for oats)

• 300g (two cups) of blackberries

• 3 apples

• 1-2 tablespoons of sugar
  

What you need to do:

First you’ll need to go for a walk and look for blackberries. Our blackberry ice cream blog post has lots of tips for blackberry foraging! You’ll need about two cups full and this recipe will make enough for five people.

If you’re lucky, you may have some apple trees growing near you where you can pick some apples. I picked mine from a local community orchard. You can use this map made by Orchard Network to see if you have one near you!

Pre-heat your oven to 200C (gas mark 6).

Pour your flour and sugar into a large bowl and mix them together. Cut your butter into small pieces and add it to the mixture.

Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour and sugar and make it into crumbs, like bread crumbs.

Rinse your blackberries in a sieve and pour them into a small oven proof dish, such as a lasagne dish. Peel, core and cut your apples into small pieces around 2cm wide and add them, too.

Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of sugar over the top. The amount you need will depend on how sour your apples and blackberries are.

Spread your crumble mixture over your fruit.

Bake your crumble for 45 minutes. It will be ready when the crumble top is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling hot.

Remove the crumble from the oven and leave it to rest for 10 minutes. Your crumble will taste delicious on its own - or you can add custard, cream, ice cream or yogurt!

Photography: Denise Hope, home educating mum of two boys

This recipe featured in a previous Mud & Bloom box. If you’d like to receive regular foraging activities like this alongside gardening activities and nature craft activities for children, subscribe below to receive a monthly Mud & Bloom box!

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