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Meet the olallieberry and learn how to make the perfect gluten-free crisp
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Freshly picked olallieberries. Photo by A. Fothergill
In case you didn't know, olallieberries are officially in season. You'd better act quick because they are only available in this part of California between mid-June through mid-July. Resembling a large blackberry, when they are ripe, these little black gems are sweet and just a little tart. They can be made into jam, pies, crisps, smoothies, or simply eaten with yogurt.
You might be asking what an olallieberry is. Many don't know or assume it's a blackberry. An olallieberry is a cross between a blackberry, loganberry and youngberry, originated in 1949 in Oregon, but mostly thriving in California -- especially on the coast.
Olallieberries are available at some farmer's markets and grocery stores but you can also pick your own and make it a bit of an adventure. Take a beautiful drive down Highway 1, about 45 miles from San Francisco, and you will find Phipp's Ranch. You can pick strawberries and olallieberries, visit the fields, and find some fabulous dried beans. Drive a little further, right after Año Nuevo State Park and you'll find Swanton Farm's Coastways Ranch. With a gorgeous view of the ocean and wagons to carry pounds and pounds of berries, it's an outing that can't be beat. Both of these are very family friendly places.
Once you are home, feel free to dive in and enjoy them. If you have more than you can eat, place them in freezer bags and lay as flat as you can in the freezer. These berries will keep about 6 months.
If you think you can't eat a crisp because of the gluten, look no further. This gluten free olallieberry crisp recipe will change your way of thinking about baking. There's a non-gluten free (gf) recipe as well. For any fruit crisp, simply use cornstarch or tapioca flour instead of flour for the filling. For the crisp topping, use your favorite gf flour mix and some gf oats. Add butter and sugar, and you are in business. If you are looking for alternatives to refined sugar, try using agave nectar with the fruit and sucanat (Sugar Cane Natural) in the topping mixture. Both of these can be found at Whole Food's Markets and most health food stores.
Eating gluten free means making some adjustments. Some times these adjustments leads you to discover something you never would have considered. Enjoy the fruits of summer!
For more info: You can pick your own olallieberries in Pescadero at Phipp's Country Store and Farm or drive a little further south to Coastways Ranch Fields.
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