Blackberry Sorbet

Blackberry sorbet, with its deep, rich purple and its striking, mouth-puckering tartness, makes for a beautiful finish to a nourishing supper.  And while some families may prefer to balance their tartness with a touch of honey, we prefer to serve this blackberry sorbet without added sweetener so the full flavor of the berries, including their lovely sourness can shine.

Indeed, even when sweetened by raw honey (a good source of the food enzyme amylase), a simple blackberry sorbet presents a charming alternative to commercially prepared ice creams and sherbets which often contain refined sugars and other unnatural additions.  At its most complex, this blackberry sorbet contains but three ingredients: blackberries, water and honey and can be prepared in about twenty minutes.  If you’re just learning to prepare nutrient-dense, whole foods in your kitchen – a simple berry sorbet is a great place to start.  It’s easy to prepare and offers a lovely flavor.

Berries grow well in the mountains, and in early August, our market overflows with raspberries and blackberries.  We purchase the fruits by the case – filling our bellies with the sweet, tart berries and staining our fingers a brilliant purple with their juice.   Later, having eaten our fill, we freeze the berries and they wait until the deep, dark days of winter when nothing grows and we all long for a taste of summer.  I pull them from the chest freezer and prepare this blackberry sorbet.

Blackberries are rich sources of micronutrients and, like all berries, a potent source of antioxidants.  Blackberries are remarkable source of manganese, a mineral required for bone development and skin health as well as vitamin K1.