Foraging

Do you know I gain the most satisfaction and peace by being out in nature, being productive and absorbing the natural energies around me.  It is when I re-charge and make peace with myself. I also gain the same satisfaction grounding my fingers in soil, nurturing plants and growing food.  Both activities are to me highly soothing.  I am a country girl living in a City by necessity rather than choice.  As the saying goes, you can take the girl out of the country, but you can never take the country out of the girl.  The dream for me is to retire to the quiet away from the unbearable and substantial noise of modern City living to the countryside and return to my grass roots and a simpler way of life.  One day! 

This afternoon I have spent a lovely couple of hours Blackberrying again.  Getting stung and scratched to high heaven as I went for the big ones right at the top and at the back of a cage of brambles, some of them are absolutely massive.  It does give me a sense of peace to be able to engage in foraging it grounds me.  I am also in the process of  being useful and putting something edible and different onto the Pantry shelf for predominantly Winter use.  In reality though these are used all year long and beyond. Many of you already know and will be aware that Preserving whatever its form (where food is concerned) is a passion of mine.

We walked Missy not far, she cannot go that far these days, and she sat in the shade for some of the time with G whilst I braved the brambles.  She decided that watching me from a distance was not just on and so came to assist and knocked over my box of Brambles. What is the saying "never work with children or animals".  Bless her heart - she is very much loved.  Needless to say she is know cream-crackered and in a very deep sleep. The upturned Blackberries have been designated for jelly making in view of the fact that when gathering them up they got lots of bits of dried grass on them which will wash off. (Since been washed up and all the Blackberries prepped for starting Jelly tomorrow and making Jam) and residing in the fridge.  Today have managed to gather another  2.5 kilos of Blackberries. 

Now all washed up and minus the straw courtesy of a Jack Russell.  Now residing in the fridge.  I had three bowls full.  Containers for picking are also all washed out and ready to go tomorrow.  I have a foraging bag on the go at this time of year.

I also found a few more fallen apples on the ground which have also bought home to add to those found before and to use when making Bramble Jelly.  Waste not, want not!

Initially today's finds will be used towards Blackberry jam and Blackberry jelly (known as Bramble Delly in this household). I use traditional English recipes for making both.  Jam is equal amounts of sugar to fruit and the juice of a Lemon or a little fresh apple to help with the set.  The Bramble jelly is made by popping the fruit into a pan with just enough water to cover and simmering. I also often add in some raw apple to help with the pectin level and set.  I then set too with a potato masher and scrunch the fruit up and let it heat through a little more.  The contents of the pan are then passed through a jelly net hung up to drip overnight.  Do not squeeze the contents of the net, gravity will drip all the juice out.  You risk spoiling the clarity of your jelly if you do squeeze it. You then measure your juice and whatever that amount is you add the same of sugar.  Therefore if you get 1 litre of juice you will use 1kg of sugar.  Equally if measure in pints 1 pint of juice = 1lb of sugar or part thereof.  Put the juice back into your pan and simmer until warmed through.  Then add in your sugar until dissolved and then turn the heat up, and keep stirring.   I use a cold saucer with some of the jam on to test if set achieved.  If jam is nearing set it should leave a clean line on the plate without joining up and when ready when you push that jelly on the plate you should see it wrinkle. Then your jelly can be decanted into sterilised jars and the lids popped on.  Put somewhere you do not need to move it from until it is cooled.  Then pop on a label with date made and add to your Pantry store.

We are going again tomorrow in any event as there are some old regular recipes which I consider basics that I make every year.   This year though, I also have some new to me recipes which I want to attempt with recipes being found online.  These are for a Blackberry Hoi Sin sauce, and a Bramble Ketchup as well as a Blackberry and Chilli Chutney and a Blackberry and Chilli jelly.  Going to be a playing exercise with ingredients for chutney and the B & Chilli jelly.  I also want to get some Blackberry Syrup and Blackberry wine on the go.  I still have some Bramble Whisky left from the other year so no need to do that at the moment unless I manage to find more brambles than I need.  I also want to dry some for adding to Granola and Muesli and Granola which is something I have not done before.  Therefore I am keen on having a go at some point.

If the opportunity arises I will probably go out all week brambling as there are many different areas I can go to. I also want to look for Elderberries and anything else that can be useful in making a preserve or two. I make sure that I leave plenty for nature and the wild animals and am selective when I pick.  I do not pick all of them however I am intent on making sure that there is always something to add to a meal by way of pudding or other preserves such as Ketchup and chutneys.  

One of the places we go to which was our first pit stop today had been over-picked probably because the Blackberries situation was easily seen and easily to get at. They are also new bushes this year and not like a thicket at the moment. The ones I normally go to are not. Hence me wearing old tattered jeans or joggy bottoms and an old sweatshirt to protect myself against the thorns. Even so I still end up with lots of thorns but always make sure to have a wash up and antiseptic cream slapped on when I get in.  

It has been over a week since I last went as well.  I also want to see if there are any Crab apples and also Sloes available this year.  I did not get any Crab apples last year but I do need some for this as we are out of Crab Apple jelly.  Sacrilege!  Makes the most lovely accompaniment to Roast Pork instead of Apple sauce.  I have a new recipe to try for a Sloe Chutney as well.  More on that on the roundup post re preserves at the end of August.

Tea tonight is a repeat of last night, i.e. Cottage Pie with probably some fruit and cream to follow.

Am going to put my feet up now for the evening.

Have a lovely evening.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

x