Very Berry July: Berry Pecan Crisp

One of the ways Thatboy and I handle having 2 kids is by splitting up and pretending we only have one. 

It's a genius idea really.  We each take a kid for the day and do something with just that child.  The child gets some good one-on-one time with whichever parent they're with, and the parent only has to deal with one whiny child. 

Last month Thatboy took Thatkid to see School of Rock, while I took Thatbaby blackberry picking.

Stehly Farms opens their doors to the public for one day of blackberry picking.  We went last year and got multiple baskets of the sweetest, most perfect blackberries ever.  So of course I wanted to go back.   This year, however, the crops were not as bountiful.

We weren't even able to fill one basket, and most of the berries we did get weren't 100% as ripe as we would have liked them.

The wonderful thing about the farm though is that there is so much else to do other than just pick berries.  Thatbaby couldn't wait to go on the tractor ride tour of the farm.

He was slightly less enthused about the mounds of fertilizer we passed however.

After the tractor ride, he made a beeline to the animal pens, where he got to pet sheep, goats, and even a pony.

He was so interested in the animals, that he almost missed the fun vehicles there to play in.  But it wasn't long before he glanced over and joined in the fun.

He had such a great time playing on the fire truck, tractor, and playground that we ended up staying for much longer than anticipated.  So it was a successful day, even if it the picking was less than successful.

Last year we didn't get anything made with the blackberries, because they went straight into our mouths.  This year, with the less sweet berries, I decided baking them with lots of sugar would be the best idea. 

Thatmom has always favored the crisp - so I grew up with apple crisps and stonefruit crisps.  Blackberry crisp seemed like a really natural and easy way to make use of these berries. We had quite the bounty with our blueberry picking, so I combined the two into one crisp, bursting with berries.  Thatmom makes her crisps with pecans, so I do too.  But this would be equally good without nuts.  This was very much a family pleaser.  I prefer mine warm with a scoop of ice cream, but Thatkid was happy for this straight from the fridge.  As with all crisps, the flavor only gets better the next day (and the day after that if it lasts that long). 

Berry Pecan Crisp

2/3 cup flour

 2 Tbsp rolled oats

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1/2 cup pecans, toasted

1 cup blackberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

4 cups blueberries

2 Tbsp honey

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Combine the flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until combined.
2. Add the butter and pulse until mixture begins to stick together.
3. Stir in the pecans.
4. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the blackberries, sugar, and cornstarch.  Bring to a boil and cook until the mixture thickens.
5. Stir in the blueberries and pour into a baking dish.
6. Crumble the topping over the berries and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Drizzle the honey over the topping and bake for another 5 minutes.  Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.