SC - Blue sauce - Blackberry types

[HICKS, MELISSA]

Greetings again,

When I first made this recipe I used commercial "blackberries" from the
supermarket here in Canberra, Australia.  The sauce came out red - it never
"oxidized to dark-blue" as the Redon redaction book said it would.
Strangely the translation says nothing about "turning" blue - just that it
IS blue.

I then bought some Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) from my local Organic
markets.  These berries were picked fresh and ripe that day by the owner of
the shop. I have been cultivating a friendship with these owners and believe
that these berries were picked fresh that day.  They are the type considered
as "wild blackberries" here in Australia.  According to my half-English
husband, they are identical to the "Blackberries" growing wild in England.

However, this sauce stayed red too !!!!

While these experiments were going on, Lord Ras tried the recipe using wild
"blackberries" he had picked last year from whatever part of America he is
from.  The juice of these berries was a dark blue-purple and I believe the
sauce was a blue-purple colour.  Is this right Ras?

According to Bear, what Americans call "Blackberries" are actually Black
Raspberries.  And these are not native to Europe?  What is the Latin name
for these Black Raspberries?

Rubus idaeus, which is definitely a red raspberry, is the only European
member of this group.  The American variant is R. idaeus var. strigosus.
The primary species known as blackberries are R. occidentalis (AKA blackcap
or thimbleberry) and R. leucodeamis (AKA western black raspberry).

Then Katharina added to the puzzle by giving Latin names to German words for
different berries:
> I did check my books and found the following: rubus fruticosus L. agg. for
> Brombeere, engl. Blackberry, Fr. Mure sauvage is a berry with almost 70
> different sorts growing in the wild in Central Europe alone! The differ
> mostly in look: black, redblack, blueblack or are glossy or  white
> frosted.
> This is what  you should try to find or the gardenvarieties R. discolor
> (weihe et Nees) syn. R. procerus (P.J. Muell.)
>  or Rubus laciniatus (Willd.)
> Heidelbeere is Vaccinium myrtillus Engl. Bilberry the American variety
> (Blueberry) is Vaccinium corymbosum which is also the garden variety.
> 
So in amongst all of this, does anyone know which "blackberry" the original
period Italian recipe calls for?  What is its Latin name?

Also, any ideas on what type Redon used?  And how did they get it to
oxidize?

Regards
Meliora.

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