Homemade Blackberry Cobbler

The other week I travelled to a super secret location in San Francisco to pick blackberries. I wanted to make one of my very favorite desserts: blackberry cobbler. Just across the bay in the Oakland and Berkeley hills, there are tons of places to pick, but I wanted to stay in the area. More importantly, I wanted to avoid crossing the bay. More specifically, I wanted to not hand BART any money unnecessarily. So I jumped on my bike and rode the three or four miles to the secret location. It was so secret that just about every berry had already been picked. It took just about an eternity to fill a yogurt container with mostly ripe berries. It seems that the entire city picks at one meager patch.

The blackberries that grow out west are invasive. They take over vacant lots, gardens, and summer afternoons. Where I grew up in Oregon, you can pick them by the bucket full. My super secret location in San Francisco proved to have minimal yields. Sorry California, your limited rainfall only retards the berries, not the invasive species.

My favored recipe was missing so I threw a few different recipes together and made my very own.  To make the exact recipe that I made you need:

Mix together three cups of berries
between 3/4 to 1 cup of sugar (I did closer to one cup due to less than perfectly ripe berries)
1 tablespoon of corn starch

Set aside and let them get all juicy.

Set in oven at 375 until they start to simmer, then add your favorite biscuits. I chose drop biscuits. I chose them because I am lazy. They do taste great. Bake until golden brown.

Top with ice cream or don't.