If you were to come over to my place right this very minute and open up my freezer, you’d find a whole lot of frozen berries in there. It seems to be a sort of ritual I have, where every summer I buy or pick berries here and there, and the remainder of what wasn’t eaten in a couple of days is instantly placed into the freezer, so they won’t go to waste. I love doing this because then I get to eat them all year long and they’re perfectly ripe and sweet and a reminder of summer when it’s long gone.

This little habit of mine was formed greatly in part because of my grandmother. She used to have the grand kids over in the summer when we were out of school, so we could help her berry pick. We had our secret spots and we’d come back with or bellies full of berries and our fingers and cheeks stained a deep purple/red color. Then she’d either bake up a berry pie or we’d top them over our vanilla ice cream.

Even though there are still plenty of fresh blackberries right now, the ones I used for this pie were frozen. I picked them right before leaving for the weekend and since they were so delicate and fresh I new they would be moldy by the time I returned if I left them unfrozen. The apples are the first I’ve seen at the market, a sure sign that fall is just around the corner, so I tossed them in with the blackberries, lemon, and a bit of sweetness from the brown sugar. I’ve made this same pie before, but closer to November and used orange zest and juice with equally amazing results. I opted for lemon this time because it just feels more summer time to me than orange.

Blackberry Apple Pie / serves 8-10

I used an all whole wheat pasty flour for this and the results were a success. I love how homey and earthy the whole wheat flour mingles with the blackberries and apples. It feels like something my grandma would have made. But if you have a favorite pie crust please feel free to use it.

I know pie making can be intimidating, mostly because of the crust. I tried to give clear instructions below as well as images above that clearly show the dough in each stage. Don’t worry if the dough cracks or comes apart as you’re rolling it out, it happens, I know it did to me. Just patch it back up and keep on going, once it’s filled and baked nobody will even notice; they’ll be to busy eating and asking for a second slice.

for pie crust
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cane sugar
8 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, cubed
6-8 tablespoons ice cold water

for the filling
2-3 apples (depending on size) peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unthawed blackberries
1/3 cup brown sugar
zest of one lemon
juice of half a lemon
1 egg beaten
cinnamon and sugar for dusting

Place the flour, salt, and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times just to incorporate. Add the cubed butter and pulse until the dough starts forming pea sized bits. Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and process just until the dough starts coming together, it’s really important not to over work the dough. If it seems dry, add a tablespoon more water until you’re satisfied. Dump the still slightly crumbly dough onto a clean surface and gather it all up into a ball. Divide the ball in two equal pieces, wrap in plastic and set in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Dough can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated for two days or frozen for a month (defrost in fridge overnight if you had it in the freezer).

Place the apples, blackberries, sugar, lemon juice, and zest into a bowl and let sit while rolling out the pie crust.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Have a 9-inch pie dish ready.

Roll out each of the disks of dough, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface. Roll each to about a 12-inch circle. Place the first circle into the pie dish, making sure it fits into the edges, leaving the extra to hang over. Pour in the apple and berry mixture, then cover with the second circle of dough. Trim around the edge so the over hang is only about 1/2 an inch over. I like to roll this edge up as I press it together, then I crimp the edge for a good seal.

Brush the top with the egg yolk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut 5 or 6 slits into the top of the dough, so you have some steam vents.

Place the pie in the oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. If your pie is browning to fast, cover it with a piece of foil. Allow the pie to cool for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.