blackberry picking

loocyloo

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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.[/quote]

sounds good! do you have the recipe please?

thanks loocyloo

ps 30dirtybirds ... can you halve/quarter the recipe?
i made mine using equal quantities of blackberries to jam sugar, mashing and mixing together, bringing to boil, letting it boil for a few minutes, until it sets on a cool plate (that i had put in fridge) and then putting in a jar, and some in a dish to be eaten straight away! xxx

cherrycake

Hi,

I boil mine up with a little water and sugar to taste then allow to cool and store in a tupperware box in the fridge. We then use them for pancakes, with icecream or custard, or to add to yoghurt or museli.

Before boiling them it is a good idea to soak them in water with a pinch of salt to get rid of creepy crawlies which float to the top (unless you want the added protein;) ).

competitionscafe

I eat blackberries for breakfast in a bowl with plain yoghurt (low fat or greek style), runny honey and hot toasted almonds (flaked almonds put in a small frying pan until lightly toasted - careful though as the line between burnt and toasted is measured in seconds not minutes) Delicious! You can add granola or other cereal too (or instead of the nuts). You could have this as a pudding too. Works just as well with other soft fruit too (blueberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, etc or a mixture). If you make it with raspberries and have it as a pud you you can add a little splash of whisky and some toasted oatmeal - a slightly healthier version of cranachan (greek yoghurt instead of cream). Yum! I leave the fruit out of the fridge overnight so they are at room temp in the morning - much tastier than straight from the fridge.

Penelope_Penguin

I'll add this to the existing blackberry picking thread to keep all ideas together

Penny. x

always29

r.a.i.n.b.o.w wrote: »

Battersea Park's a bit well-kept for brambles, and Clapham Common too...Wandsworth Common does have brambles but I had a bad experience on the "wild" bit of that common about 15 years ago and haven't been back since :undecided

I saw some brambles today actually, but they were in the centre of some other bushes and I wouldn't have reached. Besides, it was on a main road with loads of people around, and the berries - although lovely and ripe - were really small/undeveloped...

bit north of the river but any good places in Epping Forest for the blackberries? Near the tube for an hour or so after work one day this week!

Barneysmom

30dirtybirds wrote: »

Hi Barneysmom,

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

I just Googled 'Blackberry jam'. But it's muchly the same amount of fruit to sugar ( I got jam-making suger but I don't think you have to) , some lemon juice.
Bring to the boil, stirring, then a fast simmer for about 10 minutes to reach the setting point.
I didn't have many jars, so I let it cool a bit and poured into Lock & Lock tubs.

billieboy_2

Barneysmom wrote: »

I just Googled 'Blackberry jam'. But it's muchly the same amount of fruit to sugar ( I got jam-making suger but I don't think you have to) , some lemon juice.
Bring to the boil, stirring, then a fast simmer for about 10 minutes to reach the setting point.
I didn't have many jars, so I let it cool a bit and poured into Lock & Lock tubs.

I made my second batch yesterday with jam sugar (not lemons) as I think blackberries have medium to low pectin - see this link. I think I boiled it for too long (10 minutes) as I couldn't find the recipe I used before and the one I used wasn't specific about timing. The second I did the saucer test it set. Might need a carving knife to get it out! BTW you should cook the blackberries first before adding the sugar.;)

r.a.i.n.b.o.w

Gigervamp wrote: »

Ah. It's been a long time since I've been there. (I used to live by Wandsworth Common).
I know it's a bit further afield, but what about Wimbledon Common or Richmond Park? There are also lots of nut trees there!

Gosh, I wouldn't know where to look!

ANyone help? please?

saffouri

I was in Oxfordshire this weekend and although we did see plenty of brambles with dark berries, the couple I tasted were hard and a bit bitter - one of them just tasted strange, I couldn't quite work out what it tasted like (but it wasn't very nice)! So total picked = zero Was disappointed as I'd picked up some free jars off someone through Freecycle on Friday to be ready to make jam after the weekend.

Now back in London (South). Any advice on berry-picking places welcome, thanks for the couple of suggestions over the past week or so.

saf

Gigervamp

saffouri wrote: »

Now back in London (South). Any advice on berry-picking places welcome, thanks for the couple of suggestions over the past week or so.

saf

My favourite places when I lived there were Mitcham Common and South Norwood Country Park.

I've heard a few people mention that the blackberries this year haven't tasted nice. I noticed that with my strawberries. I only have one little plant and it usually only has about 5 berries each year, but this year it had about twice that. The ones that weren't eaten by the birds that I tried, tasted really watery with a bitter aftertaste. I can only assume it was due to all the rain.