A glut of Blackberries

ska_lover

Hi there

Could anyone please help me with ideas of what to do with a lot of Blackberries?

I must admit - I am afraid, I am not a fantastic cook. I can make most meals, but baking, as in cakes etc - I have never learned

So any ideas, would need to be fairly simple to start - but I am prepared to learn

Many thanks x

PollyWollyDoodle

Well, jam is one option although because of the seeds it's better to make bramble jelly. As you say you're fairly new to cooking I wouldn't bother, it's a lot of work and with the cost of sugar it isn't cheap (although far superior to bought jam!)

Blackberries work well in cakes and muffins, you can make crumble, especially mixed with Apple, but the easiest thing is just to freeze them. Then you can use them up through the year - I just cook a few in my porridge every day.

Brambling

Blackberry whiskey, no need to cook anything . Blackberries, sugar and whiskey leave for three months and strain. I'm not a whiskey drinker but will drink this and it's nice over roasted peach or figs

Pollycat

Brambling wrote: »

Blackberry whiskey, no need to cook anything . Blackberries, sugar and whiskey leave for three months and strain. I'm not a whiskey drinker but will drink this and it's nice over roasted peach or figs

WOW! :T
Wonder if this will work with gin...? Like sloes...


A quick Google suggests it will. :dance:

Blackbeard_of_Perranporth

You're in a Jam!

grunnie

Blackberry and apple crumble is great. Served with icecream it is even better. Blackberries freeze really well so you can freeze them in small quantities and decide what to do with them later.

silverwhistle

I second the crumble idea. Also I have some 95% alcohol which is great for making drinks as it really extracts the flavours well. You then add sugar and dilute, I hasten to add!


How about summer pudding?

oldhaggis

Another vote for freezing them and making blackberry and apple crumble whenever the fancy takes you. I open freeze the blackberries on a tray and then bag them up once they have frozen solid. I now use thick ziplock bags to store them as I had problems in the past with the freezer bags splitting, resulting in blackberries spilling all over the freezer and the floor.
I love Delia's crumble recipe using half jumbo oats and half wholemeal flour. My family prefer blackberry and apple crumble cold from the fridge served with cream rather than hot with custard.

buildersdaughter

I too, freeze them, use some in my porridge and use in crumbles (I bottle lots of apples).
If you get some crab apples whilst out and about, then bramble jelly / jam is wonderful, but blackberries are so low in pectin that you need the apples to set them.
When my grandmother was young, and sugar was precious (they used honey to sweeten things) they saved the bought sugar to make blackberry & apple jam which they had on bread and in porridge all year round. We still did that when I was young.
We also made blackberry vinegar for coughs and colds - I still have my grandmother's recipe and always have some by me. You can use the 'less perfect' berries for this: Cover with vinegar (cider is best) and leave for 3 days. Strain. To each pint of liquid add 1lb sugar and boil until dissolved. It will keep for ages. At the first sign of a cold, dilute with hot water.
Some people simply make the vinegar, then make it up with honey and hot water.

ska_lover

oldhaggis wrote: »

Another vote for freezing them and making blackberry and apple crumble whenever the fancy takes you. I open freeze the blackberries on a tray and then bag them up once they have frozen solid. I now use thick ziplock bags to store them as I had problems in the past with the freezer bags splitting, resulting in blackberries spilling all over the freezer and the floor.
I love Delia's crumble recipe using half jumbo oats and half wholemeal flour. My family prefer blackberry and apple crumble cold from the fridge served with cream rather than hot with custard.

I really appreciate the detailed explanation of how to freeze them - massive help
thank you x

ska_lover

buildersdaughter wrote: »

I too, freeze them, use some in my porridge and use in crumbles (I bottle lots of apples).
If you get some crab apples whilst out and about, then bramble jelly / jam is wonderful, but blackberries are so low in pectin that you need the apples to set them.
When my grandmother was young, and sugar was precious (they used honey to sweeten things) they saved the bought sugar to make blackberry & apple jam which they had on bread and in porridge all year round. We still did that when I was young.
We also made blackberry vinegar for coughs and colds - I still have my grandmother's recipe and always have some by me. You can use the 'less perfect' berries for this: Cover with vinegar (cider is best) and leave for 3 days. Strain. To each pint of liquid add 1lb sugar and boil until dissolved. It will keep for ages. At the first sign of a cold, dilute with hot water.
Some people simply make the vinegar, then make it up with honey and hot water.

Thank you.

I am very wet behind the ears with the old style ways I am afraid

I didnt realise that Crab Apples were edible!! This is a relevation to me

When I was a kid, there was a Crab Apple tree in the garden and we were always told by parents not to touch, that they were inedible. Not sure why they would tell us this, maybe we were just greedy kids hahaha

I am really shocked - and thank you for letting me know!

What else can crab apples be used for?

I am quite excited about this, as I visited a relative last week, and in the shared grounds of her bungalow, there was a Crap Apple tree, full , completely full of apples and we stood looking at it = so I know where to snaffle some from