What a lovely day to pick blackberries
Looks there will be more ripe next week
My haul after 10 minutes
It has been so nice out that I've been going down to the beach to pick blackberries most days for the last week. I freeze them, top cheese cakes with them, use them to make crumbles and now to complete my fruit based preserve smörgåsbord make Bramble Jelly with them. Recipes for bramble jelly range from being very simple, using just black berries, sugar and water to the more exotic which encompass tempting liqueurs.
After a long hard think I've opted for the alcoholic version using some Creme de Cassis .
Ingredients:
3lb of Blackberries, washed
2 large cooking Apples, peeled cored and diced
450ml Water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Jam Sugar
A couple of tablespoons of Creme de Cassis
First string up a jelly bag in you're kitchen. Put blackberries, apple, water and lemon juice in a large cooking pan bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins approx (until fruit is soft). Tip the contents of the pot into the jelly bag and with a large bowl underneath and leave to drip overnight (It is tempting to smash the fruit down to make more juice but this will result in cloudy jelly). For every 600ml of juice in the bowl add 1lb of jam sugar (or any with added pectin) and pour into the cooking pan, put on a low heat while stirring constantly to stop burning and to dissolve all the sugar. Now add the Creme de Cassis and bring to the boil for 15 minutes stirring constantly. The idea is for the jelly to have reached setting point by boiling, a good test of this is to dot a plate with the jelly and when you see the jelly wrinkle rather than run when you tip the plate then setting point has been reached. Decant the jelly into jars and when cooled slightly add the wax seals and lids. If the jelly has'nt set you can easily just boil it up again, as I had to do on my first batch.
These are all the preserves we've made this year (so far). Marmalade, Raspberry Jam (homegrown), Greengage Jam, Green tomato chutney (homegrown), Hot red tomato chutney (homegrown) and Bramble Jelly (homegrown).
Looks there will be more ripe next week
My haul after 10 minutes
It has been so nice out that I've been going down to the beach to pick blackberries most days for the last week. I freeze them, top cheese cakes with them, use them to make crumbles and now to complete my fruit based preserve smörgåsbord make Bramble Jelly with them. Recipes for bramble jelly range from being very simple, using just black berries, sugar and water to the more exotic which encompass tempting liqueurs.
After a long hard think I've opted for the alcoholic version using some Creme de Cassis .
Ingredients:
3lb of Blackberries, washed
2 large cooking Apples, peeled cored and diced
450ml Water
Juice of 1 Lemon
Jam Sugar
A couple of tablespoons of Creme de Cassis
First string up a jelly bag in you're kitchen. Put blackberries, apple, water and lemon juice in a large cooking pan bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 mins approx (until fruit is soft). Tip the contents of the pot into the jelly bag and with a large bowl underneath and leave to drip overnight (It is tempting to smash the fruit down to make more juice but this will result in cloudy jelly). For every 600ml of juice in the bowl add 1lb of jam sugar (or any with added pectin) and pour into the cooking pan, put on a low heat while stirring constantly to stop burning and to dissolve all the sugar. Now add the Creme de Cassis and bring to the boil for 15 minutes stirring constantly. The idea is for the jelly to have reached setting point by boiling, a good test of this is to dot a plate with the jelly and when you see the jelly wrinkle rather than run when you tip the plate then setting point has been reached. Decant the jelly into jars and when cooled slightly add the wax seals and lids. If the jelly has'nt set you can easily just boil it up again, as I had to do on my first batch.
These are all the preserves we've made this year (so far). Marmalade, Raspberry Jam (homegrown), Greengage Jam, Green tomato chutney (homegrown), Hot red tomato chutney (homegrown) and Bramble Jelly (homegrown).
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