Well, my first blackberry pie that is. Texas women are a fashionable prize and hold true to the pride of the Lone Star in every action of her life since birth. This weekend has been a whirlwind of creation, fun, and moments of brief stress. And, a time to get a lesson in pie-making.

This month has been full of adventure, hard work – both in business and life, and several moments of trying to hold onto the season of Springtime while making vacation plans for the summer.

If people are feeling like their time and movements are in a daze this month, I’m certain Mother Earth is too. Are we still in winter, or can we finally move into spring in the northern hemisphere?

Despite random cold fronts that have still moved into the state of Texas, from my garden, I’ve been eyeing the blackberry patch. As the flowers of future fruit emerged the past few weeks, I could tell that recipe planning needed to be made quickly.

Right away I thought back to my first attempt at a berry pie. Oh, how delicious it tasted, but what a berry mush it was on the inside. Determining to right a wrong in my baking history, I wanted to make a full blackberry pie this season’s harvest.

My Memorial Day weekend started with getting dressed for berry picking, grabbing a dish to hold the berries, and out the door, I went in my work boots.

It was partly cloudy and I was thankful for a strong breeze every now and then. Not sure how long it took to gather this beautiful massive pile of berries, but I decide to have some fun with taking updated photos of me with my harvest.

It was a little scary tilting the pie dish towards me, as I attempted to eat them all, but it would have been a hysterical sight catching tumbling berries on camera. Lucky my future pie was saved from any falling out.

After taking a break to cool down, it was on to peach harvest.

I know the term smell-o-vision is not a real setting for television or a laptop, but for now, descriptions will have to satisfy the scenes.

The best part about having your own personal orchard is the smell of ripening fruit when there’s a breeze. Truly, Earth’s Perfume.

Not all the peaches were ready for baking a cobbler, so first up was the blackberry pie. After all, the weekend is extended out a day, so there’s no need to rush these sweet treats.

Here is an excerpt from a post I made about the berries:

I need a lesson in BlackBerry picking…cut up my hand very badly. Not really, that’s just the juice.

Coming in at 4lbs 1oz, perfectly set in a pie dish already, I’m going for another pie tonight.

My first fresh fruit pie came out tasting amazingly delicious, but my berries were not “picture perfect.”

At the time, during my associate’s, I stopped by my old baking class to get pointers on what went wrong with my filling. With an answer at hand, I made another attempt. Still not “picture perfect” I knew then that chefs will never reveal their secrets. I knew I wasn’t the only one to hold back!

So, I’m debating whether or not to increase the number of berries. But I’m afraid of leaking from the crust.

We shall see…all we know at this point, ice cream is on standby for this evening.

Yes, another Texas favorite, Blue Bell ice cream is always on standby.

Now, I went into the culinary side for my degrees, but baking is a love and art I still want to pursue. I have certificates for cake and icing decoration that I managed to take on the side during school. But nothing has ever prepared me for the world of pie.

During my short marriage, celebrating the holidays up north was close enough to a culture shock as anyone can ever experience. The shock came when it was time for dessert. No one ate my famous apple pie, because eating baked apples in a golden-perfection pie crust, apparently wasn’t a good thing to eat.

But to my delight, for the first time ever, I enjoyed an entire pie alone. Zero sharing. That was a great holiday indeed.

Looking back at my first fresh mixed berry pie, I dread seeing memories of a mushy filling. The rave was in the crust and flavor, but I was aiming for a “picture perfect” pie filling. Just like a magazine or cookbook photo.

I cannot offer any feedback on taste yet, as it’s still a waiting game to see if the filling has set.

Here was my second post, when the baking actually took place:

A day late, but sometimes you can’t control Friday plans.

Here is my LOVELY blackberry pie!! Still in the beta stage, so I’m not cutting into it tonight. I put some time into researching to develop my own method of making a fresh berry pie.

With some behind-the-scenes messages with friends, strangers, and family, this is the result.

Lots of stress for two days over my pie. I was determined to make a good-looking pie, so one day I can take out local competition, both by taste and service if I choose to with the bakery.

As always, you know me and flavor, anything less, is not good eats.

After preparing my berries for the pie, the fragrance was already hinting it was going to be good.

Making notes on timing, after the first round of minutes passed, opening the oven, every single ingredient flowed out in balance. Seeing that more time was needed, I closed the oven and added more time.

When the door closed, I did my happy food dance! (You bet I did!)

Waiting patiently, I decided to celebrate with a mixed drink. (Also new recipe.) I made it super weak, as we were not looking for a hard buzz. Another recipe hit! (Which I need to write down…)

Tomorrow will be the close of the blackberry pie chapter when it comes to judging on taste. I’m very proud of this much-improved pie.

My future in pie making, beyond my 7-mile high apple pie, is looking promising. With a few appearance changes, guests will have something new to look forward to.

Thank you all for the encouragement for this weekend’s pie journey. Maybe next time when you’re in Texas or visiting me, you’ll hear me say, “Would you like a piece of pie?”😂

Love always,

~Cassie

I had a lovely experience baking this pie with my mom. We gave feedback and new baking knowledge to each other as the pie came together. I embrace every chance with my parents in adulthood with love, my big heart and passion, and lots of fun.

Just a few more hours, and the pie will be served. And surprisingly enough, everyone is waiting patiently for their own slice. If you have first-hand advice on making fresh blackberry pies, leave me a comment.

I’d love to get some added tips on having a good-looking filing in the future. No baking advice to share? No worries, tell me about your own berry adventures and what berry is your favorite.