Currently, England is experiencing a bonanza berry autumn. Blackberry yields in the Essex countryside are high and allotments and gardens in the county and East London abound with wonderful jewel-like fruit.
The blackberry grows abundantly throughout the woods, hedges and heaths of the British Isles. Blackberry bushes flower from May to September and bear fruit from August to November. Pick until early October.
Let’s start using our glut by making a few pounds of blackberry jam.
Blackberry Bush, by Perlmonger/Flickr
What you need:
• 1kg/2lb 4 oz blackberries
• 1kg/2lb 4 oz white granulated sugar
• Juice of one lemon
• ½kg/2 cooking apples, stewed gently in another saucepan
Method:
1) Wash the fruit and pop into a preserving pan or large heavy-based saucepan. Add 50ml and l½ tbsp lemon juice. Add the cooked apples. Bring slowly to the boil, and then lower the heat. Simmer for 15 minutes until soft.
2) Measure the pulp and add 1lb of sugar to each pint of blackberry pulp. Reheat gently and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Allow a full rolling boil, and then rapidly boil for 10-12 minutes. If using a cooking thermometer, the setting point is 105 C, but you can test for a set by putting a little mixture onto a cold saucer (pop into the fridge) until it stiffens. Take the pan off the stove while testing.
3) When satisfied, remove from the heat, skim off any excess scum, then stir a knob of butter across the surface (this helps to dissolve any remaining scum). Leave for about 15 minutes to allow the fruit to settle. Have ready five or six warm, previously sterilised jars, then clean off any juice drips, label and seal with rounds of greaseproof paper and lid.
Later on this week, Sylvia is sharing her award-winning blackberry wine recipe with LULR – not to be missed!
