Honaker Mountain Blackberry Dumplings

 

These are named Honaker Mountain Blackberry Dumplings because that's where Mom first made them for us, and then I went on to make them many a day for lunch when there was nothing else to eat.

 

We didn't have electricity the summer I learned to make dumplings, so I cooked on a little two-burner wood or coal stove (whichever we happened to have on hand). Later on, when, I was 30 years old (or more), I learned that dumplings were supposed to be light and fluffy! I don't recall any complaints, though, unless it was that there weren't enough.

 

We also used raspberries, blueberries and cherries for dumplings. Blackberry just happens to be my favorite.

Fruit:

½ to 1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon butter

Blackberries (2 quarts)

 

Dumplings:

1 cup of flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter

 

Clean, rinse and prepare fruit. Remove and mash 1 or 2 cups of berries for juice. Add flour and sugar mixture to mashed fruit, then mix with remaining berries. Let sit awhile for berries to release fruit. Melt butter in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Add fruit and slowly bring to a bare boil. If mixture is too thick, mash additional berries and/or add a small amount of water, just to barely come to surface of fruit.

 

Then, make dumplings: mix flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl. Combine milk, egg and oil or butter. When fruit is steaming, stir flour and fruit mixture together, just to moisten.

 

Drop by tablespoons over steaming fruit. Put tight lid on and do not remove while cooking. Turn heat to lowest setting. Steam 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve.

 

  Ice cream would be great with blackberry dumplings, but that was an unheard-of luxury for us when we lived on Honaker Mountain.