Kitchen Tales - Pantry Preserves Processing the Blackberries

Yesterday when I went foraging I nearly fell down the dyke where one of the blackberry bushes was growing.  I also ended up also having to empty the small tray I was using for collection pretty regularly just in case I fell (I had already managed to spill them over the floor once which was far too much).  Never mind.   Its all very well going foraging but then you have a load of work to do to save and preserve that produce.  All good fun really especially if you manage to end up with something really tasty on the pantry shelf.  I am not too keen on the prickles though, they have caught me everywhere but if I will dive into a prickly blackberry bush to relieve it of its black jewels it really is to be expected.

In the end I processed 8 1/2 pounds of blackberries and have turned them into these preserves with the aid of some additional ingredients.

Apple, plum and blackberry pie mix (Hot water bathed/Canned).

Blackberry and apple jam. blackberry and apple jam

Eleven jars all told.  Basically 3lb blackberries, 1lb+ of bramleys and 2 bags of sugar.

Blackberry and apple jelly.

Blackberry and apple cheese.



I also have plans for doing the following as well:

Blackberry and apple leather.

Blackberry sauce

Blackberry vinegar.

Dried Blackberries for use in buttercream and icings and also in Muesli and/or porridge.

Blackberry Liqueur blackberry liqueur

Blackberry Gin.

Blackberry cordial. blackberry cordial

Blackberry and apple curd. Blackberry and apple curd

Blackberry and apple ice cream.

I now need to obtain some more blackberries to pop into the freezer for puddings and the like.  Yes I have some pie filling but if the blackberries are frozen as they are you have even more choice as to what you can do with them.  The above are just favourites that I make year in year out or at least when I can get the blackberries.

A good source for recipes last year was the Land Love magazine which had a special preserving section in it.  The link is here Land Love.

I managed to source other things too and find crops to use when they are ready including crab apples, quite a lot of them and some sloes quite a lot of them by the looks of things.  But I also came back with some Rowan berries, Elderberries, larch cones, twigs with lichen on to turn into some Christmas decorations, some large fir cones.  I need to go back for some of the teasel heads and some nettles.  Will probably have another foray next week sometime.  Hopefully OH will take me somewhere else all in the course of blackberrying over the weekend when he comes back from his fishing so that I can get some into the freezer.  Then I stand a chance at Christmas of making some blackberry and apple sorbet or ice cream.  Well that is the general idea in any event.

Anyway back to the grind still a lot to do.  Early start again tomorrow.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x

There will be more photos to come but for some unknown reason they are taking forever to load.