schwartzbeeren (A berry that is black) Not a Blackberry
Jul 9, 2023 16:16:02 GMT -6
rdback, woodeye, and 1 more like this
Post by heavyhitterokra on Jul 9, 2023 16:16:02 GMT -6
Earlier this Spring, Hank Ballard gave me a seedling of a plant that I had never heard of before. It was called , Schwartzbeeren. Not really knowing what it was, I planted it in my garden in late April. Then, by mid-June, a grasshopper plague had moved through here, killing all of my potatoes, all of my sweet potatoes, all of my onions, all of my beans, all of my lettuce, all of my dill, all of my peppers, all of my squash, all of my pumpkins, all of my turnips, all of my corn, and all of my cantaloupe. All they left was the okra that had become larger than they had a taste for, my Roselle, and that single Schartzbeeren plant.
At that point, I became very curious as to what this plant was that grasshoppers didn't seem to enjoy, so I looked it up and the following is what I found. Below, is an article taken from yearonthefarm.com/2019/08/28/what-the-heck-is-schwartzbeeren/
What the heck is Schartzbeeren? That word literally means ‘blackberries’ in German. But unless you live in Ellis County, Kansas, I’m pretty sure the blackberry you are thinking of right now is not schwartzbeeren. You’re thinking of a bumpy dark purple berry that looks similar to a raspberry, right? That berry is well-known to most Germans also, who call it brombeeren. So, what the heck is schwartzbeeren, you ask? Before I can explain this berry and its bewitching hold on the locals, I need to give you a brief history lesson.
In the latter half of the eighteenth century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, but born a German princess, enticed German immigrants to settle the untamed Volga River region with promises of freedom of religion, no taxation for thirty years, and perpetual freedom from military service. The hard-working Germans who accepted her offer maintained closed communities, retaining their German language and customs. A century later, long after Catherine had died, the Russian government reneged on Catherine’s promises and began to draft the young men into military service. Disgruntled, many of the Germans immigrated again, this time to America, where quite a few of them made their way to Ellis County, Kansas.
They brought with them the seeds of a plant they had discovered growing wild along the banks of the Volga River. For want of a better name, they called the smooth, round, blackish berry schwartzbeeren.
It is a tart berry, delicious in baked goods such as pies and kuchen, (a German coffeecake). It grows on annual plants that can reach four feet in height in a single season. The plants grow naturally along creeks and river banks with the seeds spreading by birds who eat the berries. If grown in a garden, the plants require regular watering in order to produce an abundance of large, plump berries.
Each berry is filled with tiny seeds. Berries naturally fall off each plant and re-seed themselves annually. The climate of Western Kansas is very similar to the climate of the Volga River region, which is one of the reasons why the Volga Germans chose to re-settle here. It is also why schwartzbeeren thrive here.
Every year, I reserve fully half of my garden space for schwartzbeeren. We love them that much. I freeze the excess berries I pick each summer for use during the winter. The first year I planted my garden after our move to the farm, I sprinkled seeds from berries I had saved and dried the previous year. Since then, the plants have re-seeded themselves. Abundantly. In fact, most of the “weeds” around my cucumbers, beets, etc. are actually schwartzbeeren plants growing where they are not wanted.
Schwartzbeeren are not easy to pick. The plants are home to chiggers, minuscule blood-sucking mites, borne by birds that eat the berries there. Chiggers crawl inside your clothes and give you a bite that whelps up and itches like the dickens for several days. The berries grow low to the ground so it is also slow, dirty, backbreaking labor. The berry itself is fragile so it requires a firm, yet gentle plucking technique. If you squeeze the tender berry too hard, you end up with a handful of seeds for next year’s schwartzbeeren crop instead of berries for this year’s pie. It can take an hour or more of picking to get enough berries for just one kuchen.
So, you ask, why on earth would I put myself through all that for a few berries? Simple; because my family loves them. Rest assured, this particular berry will never be found in any supermarket.
We, Ellis Countians, are not alone in our obsession over local berries. In August, 2002, Danny and I took our family on vacation to Whitefish, Montana. It happened to be peak picking season for the wild huckleberries that grow along the mountain ridges of northwestern Montana. While we were there, we purchased huckleberry cookies, huckleberry-flavored candy, huckleberry-flavored tea, even huckleberry-scented soap. One afternoon, Danny and I stepped into a small, locally-owned café for a little refreshment after a morning of sight-seeing. The friendly woman behind the counter obviously knew every person who lived in the town and did not recognize us, so she asked us where we were from. After a pleasant chat, she asked what we would like to order. We pointed to the chalkboard advertising homemade huckleberry pie, and we each ordered a piece. The previously-smiling waitress now paused and looked at us warily. She then proceeded to explain how difficult the wild berries were to find and pick. And that not everyone liked and appreciated the berries the way the locals did. It was an acquired taste, she explained. I sensed a bit of a warning when she asked us, were we certain that we still wanted huckleberry pie? Two pieces of huckleberry pie?
We were certain.
We were quite convinced that we were the only non-locals in the café, because every eye in the place was watching us critically as we each took our first bite. Thank goodness, we loved it! It was delicious! To the approval of all the observing locals, we cleaned our plates of every last crumb.
I totally got it. I too, feel almost obsessively protective of my schwartzbeeren. You don’t work that hard just to see someone throw it in the trash. So, when I offer someone a piece of schwartzbeeren pie, and that someone graciously declines, saying, “No thanks, I don’t really care for schwartzbeeren,” I am never offended. In fact, just the opposite.
Mmmmm. More for me.
(My mother, descended from Volga Germans, made entire meals out of schwartzbeeren and dumplings. It was a simple, summer staple loved by our entire family and I still make it for my family to this day.)
Below are a few recipes:
Schwartzbeere’maultasche’
Make a dough by mixing together 2 c. flour, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 Tbsp. milk. Knead until the dough is smooth and moist, but not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and let it rest 30 minutes to 1 hour. This makes it much easier to work with.
Next prepare the filling: Mix together 1 qt. Schwartzbeeren, 1/4 c. flour, and 2/3 to 1 c. sugar. Mix the filling very gently as the berries have very tender skins and are easily smashed. A good way to do this is to place about a cup of berries in a large bowl, sprinkle them with a fourth of the flour and sugar and repeat this until all the berries, flour and sugar are used up.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick. Cut this into 4-inch squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filing in the center of each square. Bring the corners of each square together over the filling and pinch the edges together, forming a pyramid-shaped noodle pocket.
Drop two or three Maultaschen into the boiling water and boil them gently for 5 minutes after they rise to the surface. As the Maultaschen are cooked, carefully remove them from the water with a slotted or pierced spoon (a Schaumloeffel) and place them in a dish.
If you run out of filling before you run out of dough, cut the dough into pieces and cook them in the boiling water. (Grandma Herman called these “Leppchje,” which means little patches.) Keep the Maultaschen warm while you prepared the fried bread crumbs and onion and Schmeltz.
In a skillet, melt 1/4 c. of butter. Add 1 c. of coarse crumbs made by tearing up some stale white bread (crust removed). Saute until the crumbs begin to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally. At this point, add 1/4 c. chopped onion and continue to sauté until the onion is golden. Remove the crumbs and onion to a dish and set aside.
To make the Schmeltz, melt 1/4 c. of butter in the skillet. Stir in 1/2 c. of sweet or sour cream and cook until the mixture boils all over and starts to thicken. Pour the Schmeltz over the Schwartzbeere’maultashe’. Garnish with the browned crumbs and onion and enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schwartzbeere’kuchen’
Make a rich sweet yeast dough: In a small bowl, mix 1 packet of active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar into 1/4 c. of lukewarm water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 c. scalded milk, 1/4 c. of sugar and 1/4 c. of lard, butter or vegetable shortening; let cool to lukewarm. Add 1-1/2 c. flour to the milk mixture and beat well. Beat in the proofed yeast and 1 egg. Gradually work in 2 c. more flour. Knead until the soft dough is smooth and silky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over, cover and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down the dough and let it rise again.
Roll out the dough about 3/8 inch thick and transfer it to a greased baking or cookie sheet, making a raised ridge of dough around the perimeter with your fingers to contain the topping.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Distribute about 3 c. Schwartzbeeren over the dough. In a bowl, beat together 2 Tbsp. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. sweet or sour cream, and 2 eggs. Pour this over the berries. Dust with cinnamon.
Bake the Kuchen until the edges of the crust are nicely browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Brush the edges with melted butter when you remove it from the oven. This Kuchen is best eaten within a day of being made.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schwartzbeeren Cream Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
3 c. Schwartzbeeren
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. sweet or sour cream
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
a pinch of salt
3/4 c. sugar
Meringue (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the Schwartzbeeren in the pie shell. In a bowl, blend the flour with a little of the cream until smooth. Then add the rest of the cream, the egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue), salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly; pour the mixture over the Schwartzbeeren.
Bake the pie 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. and bake until the custard is set (a knife blade inserted into it should come out clean). Remove the pie from the oven and top with the meringue. Return the pie to the oven and bake 12-15 minutes more, until the meringue is golden brown. Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.
Meringue: Put 3 egg whites, 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add 6 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating after each addition. Beat 3 to 5 minutes longer, until all the sugar is dissolved and the whites are satiny and form stiff peaks. Apply the meringue to the hot pie, smoothing it to the edges of the crust to keep it from shrinking. Make peaks in the meringue with the back of a spoon.
Just for comparison, this is a photo of my Swartzbeeren plant, growing along side my broccoli patch.
As you can plainly see, the grasshoppers love my broccoli plants and happily destroy them by the dozens, but they don't bother the Swartzbeeren plant, which makes me wonder if its leaves sport some sort of natural insecticide.
At that point, I became very curious as to what this plant was that grasshoppers didn't seem to enjoy, so I looked it up and the following is what I found. Below, is an article taken from yearonthefarm.com/2019/08/28/what-the-heck-is-schwartzbeeren/
What the heck is Schartzbeeren? That word literally means ‘blackberries’ in German. But unless you live in Ellis County, Kansas, I’m pretty sure the blackberry you are thinking of right now is not schwartzbeeren. You’re thinking of a bumpy dark purple berry that looks similar to a raspberry, right? That berry is well-known to most Germans also, who call it brombeeren. So, what the heck is schwartzbeeren, you ask? Before I can explain this berry and its bewitching hold on the locals, I need to give you a brief history lesson.
In the latter half of the eighteenth century, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, but born a German princess, enticed German immigrants to settle the untamed Volga River region with promises of freedom of religion, no taxation for thirty years, and perpetual freedom from military service. The hard-working Germans who accepted her offer maintained closed communities, retaining their German language and customs. A century later, long after Catherine had died, the Russian government reneged on Catherine’s promises and began to draft the young men into military service. Disgruntled, many of the Germans immigrated again, this time to America, where quite a few of them made their way to Ellis County, Kansas.
They brought with them the seeds of a plant they had discovered growing wild along the banks of the Volga River. For want of a better name, they called the smooth, round, blackish berry schwartzbeeren.
It is a tart berry, delicious in baked goods such as pies and kuchen, (a German coffeecake). It grows on annual plants that can reach four feet in height in a single season. The plants grow naturally along creeks and river banks with the seeds spreading by birds who eat the berries. If grown in a garden, the plants require regular watering in order to produce an abundance of large, plump berries.
Each berry is filled with tiny seeds. Berries naturally fall off each plant and re-seed themselves annually. The climate of Western Kansas is very similar to the climate of the Volga River region, which is one of the reasons why the Volga Germans chose to re-settle here. It is also why schwartzbeeren thrive here.
Every year, I reserve fully half of my garden space for schwartzbeeren. We love them that much. I freeze the excess berries I pick each summer for use during the winter. The first year I planted my garden after our move to the farm, I sprinkled seeds from berries I had saved and dried the previous year. Since then, the plants have re-seeded themselves. Abundantly. In fact, most of the “weeds” around my cucumbers, beets, etc. are actually schwartzbeeren plants growing where they are not wanted.
Schwartzbeeren are not easy to pick. The plants are home to chiggers, minuscule blood-sucking mites, borne by birds that eat the berries there. Chiggers crawl inside your clothes and give you a bite that whelps up and itches like the dickens for several days. The berries grow low to the ground so it is also slow, dirty, backbreaking labor. The berry itself is fragile so it requires a firm, yet gentle plucking technique. If you squeeze the tender berry too hard, you end up with a handful of seeds for next year’s schwartzbeeren crop instead of berries for this year’s pie. It can take an hour or more of picking to get enough berries for just one kuchen.
So, you ask, why on earth would I put myself through all that for a few berries? Simple; because my family loves them. Rest assured, this particular berry will never be found in any supermarket.
We, Ellis Countians, are not alone in our obsession over local berries. In August, 2002, Danny and I took our family on vacation to Whitefish, Montana. It happened to be peak picking season for the wild huckleberries that grow along the mountain ridges of northwestern Montana. While we were there, we purchased huckleberry cookies, huckleberry-flavored candy, huckleberry-flavored tea, even huckleberry-scented soap. One afternoon, Danny and I stepped into a small, locally-owned café for a little refreshment after a morning of sight-seeing. The friendly woman behind the counter obviously knew every person who lived in the town and did not recognize us, so she asked us where we were from. After a pleasant chat, she asked what we would like to order. We pointed to the chalkboard advertising homemade huckleberry pie, and we each ordered a piece. The previously-smiling waitress now paused and looked at us warily. She then proceeded to explain how difficult the wild berries were to find and pick. And that not everyone liked and appreciated the berries the way the locals did. It was an acquired taste, she explained. I sensed a bit of a warning when she asked us, were we certain that we still wanted huckleberry pie? Two pieces of huckleberry pie?
We were certain.
We were quite convinced that we were the only non-locals in the café, because every eye in the place was watching us critically as we each took our first bite. Thank goodness, we loved it! It was delicious! To the approval of all the observing locals, we cleaned our plates of every last crumb.
I totally got it. I too, feel almost obsessively protective of my schwartzbeeren. You don’t work that hard just to see someone throw it in the trash. So, when I offer someone a piece of schwartzbeeren pie, and that someone graciously declines, saying, “No thanks, I don’t really care for schwartzbeeren,” I am never offended. In fact, just the opposite.
Mmmmm. More for me.
(My mother, descended from Volga Germans, made entire meals out of schwartzbeeren and dumplings. It was a simple, summer staple loved by our entire family and I still make it for my family to this day.)
Below are a few recipes:
Schwartzbeere’maultasche’
Make a dough by mixing together 2 c. flour, 2 slightly beaten eggs, 1/2 tsp. salt and 4 Tbsp. milk. Knead until the dough is smooth and moist, but not sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container and let it rest 30 minutes to 1 hour. This makes it much easier to work with.
Next prepare the filling: Mix together 1 qt. Schwartzbeeren, 1/4 c. flour, and 2/3 to 1 c. sugar. Mix the filling very gently as the berries have very tender skins and are easily smashed. A good way to do this is to place about a cup of berries in a large bowl, sprinkle them with a fourth of the flour and sugar and repeat this until all the berries, flour and sugar are used up.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out 1/8 inch thick. Cut this into 4-inch squares. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filing in the center of each square. Bring the corners of each square together over the filling and pinch the edges together, forming a pyramid-shaped noodle pocket.
Drop two or three Maultaschen into the boiling water and boil them gently for 5 minutes after they rise to the surface. As the Maultaschen are cooked, carefully remove them from the water with a slotted or pierced spoon (a Schaumloeffel) and place them in a dish.
If you run out of filling before you run out of dough, cut the dough into pieces and cook them in the boiling water. (Grandma Herman called these “Leppchje,” which means little patches.) Keep the Maultaschen warm while you prepared the fried bread crumbs and onion and Schmeltz.
In a skillet, melt 1/4 c. of butter. Add 1 c. of coarse crumbs made by tearing up some stale white bread (crust removed). Saute until the crumbs begin to turn golden brown, stirring occasionally. At this point, add 1/4 c. chopped onion and continue to sauté until the onion is golden. Remove the crumbs and onion to a dish and set aside.
To make the Schmeltz, melt 1/4 c. of butter in the skillet. Stir in 1/2 c. of sweet or sour cream and cook until the mixture boils all over and starts to thicken. Pour the Schmeltz over the Schwartzbeere’maultashe’. Garnish with the browned crumbs and onion and enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schwartzbeere’kuchen’
Make a rich sweet yeast dough: In a small bowl, mix 1 packet of active dry yeast and a pinch of sugar into 1/4 c. of lukewarm water.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 c. scalded milk, 1/4 c. of sugar and 1/4 c. of lard, butter or vegetable shortening; let cool to lukewarm. Add 1-1/2 c. flour to the milk mixture and beat well. Beat in the proofed yeast and 1 egg. Gradually work in 2 c. more flour. Knead until the soft dough is smooth and silky. Place the dough in a greased bowl, turn it over, cover and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down the dough and let it rise again.
Roll out the dough about 3/8 inch thick and transfer it to a greased baking or cookie sheet, making a raised ridge of dough around the perimeter with your fingers to contain the topping.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Distribute about 3 c. Schwartzbeeren over the dough. In a bowl, beat together 2 Tbsp. flour, 3/4 c. sugar, 1/4 c. sweet or sour cream, and 2 eggs. Pour this over the berries. Dust with cinnamon.
Bake the Kuchen until the edges of the crust are nicely browned, about 40 to 45 minutes. Brush the edges with melted butter when you remove it from the oven. This Kuchen is best eaten within a day of being made.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schwartzbeeren Cream Pie
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
3 c. Schwartzbeeren
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 c. sweet or sour cream
3 egg yolks, slightly beaten
a pinch of salt
3/4 c. sugar
Meringue (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the Schwartzbeeren in the pie shell. In a bowl, blend the flour with a little of the cream until smooth. Then add the rest of the cream, the egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue), salt and sugar. Mix thoroughly; pour the mixture over the Schwartzbeeren.
Bake the pie 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. and bake until the custard is set (a knife blade inserted into it should come out clean). Remove the pie from the oven and top with the meringue. Return the pie to the oven and bake 12-15 minutes more, until the meringue is golden brown. Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.
Meringue: Put 3 egg whites, 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add 6 Tbsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time, beating after each addition. Beat 3 to 5 minutes longer, until all the sugar is dissolved and the whites are satiny and form stiff peaks. Apply the meringue to the hot pie, smoothing it to the edges of the crust to keep it from shrinking. Make peaks in the meringue with the back of a spoon.
Just for comparison, this is a photo of my Swartzbeeren plant, growing along side my broccoli patch. As you can plainly see, the grasshoppers love my broccoli plants and happily destroy them by the dozens, but they don't bother the Swartzbeeren plant, which makes me wonder if its leaves sport some sort of natural insecticide.
