blackberry picking

mumsrus

i havent eaten any that i picked yet, but have made 2 bottles of the blackberry gin with them for xmas presents

billieboy_2

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Very disappointed this year. All those I've picked I've been horrible - not the usual sweet, berry taste. Rather ..... a musty taste - botrytris, I would guess due to a very wet August and no sign of any improvement in September! :mad:

What have yours been like?

The jam and jelly I've made are delicious. Found some whoppers yesterday. Some are starting to go off and some plants are still flowering so still more to come hopefully. I have another 4.5 lb in the freezer to do stuff with.:j The dog's getting fed up with all the hanging around in the park!

30dirtybirds

Hi All,

I'm pretty new to these boards but am loving all the suggestions, Me, OH and Kids went blackberry picking and ended up with a large tub full of them.

I just wanted to know what great suggestions people have for using them, the kids are already excited about taking some to school tomorrow in their lunchboxes and the OH is considering an apple and blackberry crumble but you guys seems to have an amazing way of looking at things that we just haven't mastered yet

Any ideas and recipes would be great!

Many thanks
Jamie

tanith

If you have a surplus they freeze very well... don't wash them but spread them out on trays and just freeze them as they are . That way they freeze singly and can then be packed in bags to tip out and use as many or as few as you like... I have just finished using last years store from my freezer..
I use them in pies, crumbles, fruit salads, blackberry jelly is especially tasty...

Barneysmom

Hiya, I just made some jam the other week, and it's gorgeous. I never strained it through a cloth, as it said in the book, I just left the pips it. It's really good.

30dirtybirds

tanith wrote: »

If you have a surplus they freeze very well... don't wash them but spread them out on trays and just freeze them as they are . That way they freeze singly and can then be packed in bags to tip out and use as many or as few as you like... I have just finished using last years store from my freezer..
I use them in pies, crumbles, fruit salads, blackberry jelly is especially tasty...

Hi Tanith,

Thanks for that but in my eagerness to enjoy the fruits (quite literally) of my labor I have already washed them Is it too late? if I leave them to drain in the fridge overnight could I freeze them tomorrow?

Cheers
Jamie

30dirtybirds

Barneysmom wrote: »

Hiya, I just made some jam the other week, and it's gorgeous. I never strained it through a cloth, as it said in the book, I just left the pips it. It's really good.

Hi Barneysmom,

Thanks for the idea, do you have a recipe? sounds like fun.

affordmylife

i washed and froze mine today.

i dried them on kitchen paper and then spread out on a tray.

they popped of the tray lovely and i have but them into a tub.

perfect.

i shall probably pick some more tomorrow.

30dirtybirds

affordmylife wrote: »

i washed and froze mine today.
i dried them on kitchen paper and then spread out on a tray.
they popped of the tray lovely and i have but them into a tub.
perfect.
i shall probably pick some more tomorrow.

We had a great time picking them and will definitely be going again next weekend or one evening in the week if the weather permits.

I just googled a recipe for jam but it needs 6lbs of blackberries so I need to pick a few more

http://www.cookitsimply.com/recipe-0010-03s259.html

Will try drying them a bit too.

stef240377

My 3 kids went fruit picking in grandparents garden a couple of weeks ago so i were laiden down with blackberries, apples and the likes.

Instead of the usual crombles and pies i made a cobbler with a layer of mascarpone between fruit and topping and kids enjoyed it more than standard crumbles.

I also scoured the net and came back with a recipe for cereal bars using the blackberries these are ideal now with the kids being back at school as they give into the healthy eating schemes many schools are pushing now.