Black berries

Jo4

Ted_Hutchinson wrote:

No problems then, I just worry when I see folks picking blackberries from the side of main roads where they must be covered daily with exhaust fumes. Yours will be fine. See photos I provided links to in previous post where you see here in blue writing.
No I'd just rinse them in cold water like culpepper. As culpepper says the elderberries are a more acquired taste and will need more sugar than the blackberries. But they do make a good red wine or elderberry vinegar.

THANKS for responding again! Glad to hear I can go and pick them, yous know a lot better than I do. Mine are definitely black berries. Do I need cooking apples or what kind of apples would I need to put with them for a crumble?

Ted_Hutchinson

Jo4 wrote:

THANKS for responding again! Glad to hear I can go and pick them, yous know a lot better than I do. Mine are definitely black berries. Do I need cooking apples or what kind of apples would I need to put with them for a crumble?

This time of year there are lots of Fallen apples around so if anyone has any under their apple trees they may be pleased if you offered to pick them up. So you can use any apples but bramley's are usually best for cooking but most eaters will cook as well they just need less sugar.

Some people round here pick them up and put them outside their gates with a "Free" notice on them. If anyone has any spare this is much better than leaving them to rot. (hint hint)

moggins

Definitely cooking apples

Rikki

Cooking apples are best. But I use eating apples as well, they just stay a bit firmer and I don't add suger to these. You might have to with the blackberries. taste test.

Curry_Queen

scuzz wrote:

Blackberry icecream/sorbet I'm sure is achievable - not that I've tried that one.

It sure is!

Summer Berry Yoghurt Ice Cream

500g mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries)
150g caster sugar
500g full-fat plain yoghurt

Warm the berries and sugar in a saucepan over low heat for several minutes, until the fruit begins to release it's juices. Transfer to a food processor and blend to a puree. Push the puree through a fine-meshed nylon seive to remove seeds. Stir in the yoghurt.

Churn in ice-cream machine** until frozen then transfer to freeze-proof container and freeze until ready to serve.


**If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour into shallow freeze-proof container and place in freezer. When almost solid whisk with electric beater or ballon whisk and put back in freezer. Repeat process twice more to break down any ice crystals forming and result will be a smooth, silky ice cream.


Courtesy of (and presumably copyrighted) Liz Franklin - Ice cream - ISBN 1-84172-821-7

SnowyOwl_2

Jo4, have you tried any yet? Just go outside, pick one and put it in your mouth! Half a second from bush to mouth will be the freshest, purest yet cheapest organic food you have ever had, only ever washed with rain water! You will be totally converted and kick yourself for not having picked this manna before.

They will be in various stages of ripeness...green, green going red, and totally red - leave any like that, and go back another day and pick them when they are finally black.

I'm off blackberry picking tonight...going to a forest park where there are no cars, motorbikes etc allowed. I wonder if I will be carrying the berries home in a box or in my tum .

Jo4

SnowyOwl wrote:

Jo4, have you tried any yet? Just go outside, pick one and put it in your mouth! Half a second from bush to mouth will be the freshest, purest yet cheapest organic food you have ever had, only ever washed with rain water! You will be totally converted and kick yourself for not having picked this manna before.

They will be in various stages of ripeness...green, green going red, and totally red - leave any like that, and go back another day and pick them when they are finally black.

I'm off blackberry picking tonight...going to a forest park where there are no cars, motorbikes etc allowed. I wonder if I will be carrying the berries home in a box or in my tum .

Haven't tried them yet! They are at the black stage. Going to doctors tomorrow and on the way home I will go to shop and get cooking apples. When I get home I will pick the black berries and make black berry and apple crumble, sounds good! Will have to try and make other things as well as there is loads of them!

Might try freezing some for smoothies or whatever later in the year!!

maryb

I find it helps to mix the cut up apples with the blackberries and sugar then leave them in a sieve over a bowl for half an hour - they release a lot of juice which makes the crumble too soggy otherwise

ChocClare

The other thing you can do if you want to make them into a pie or crumble is to put the apples, blackberries and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil and switch off the gas. You'll now have half a gallon of juice as maryb says. Now take a teaspoonful of arrowroot, mix it with a little cold water, stir into the blackberry mix and bring to the boil again. This now makes it a slightly more "pie filling" type consistency (though not as stodgy as bought pie fillings) so that it will stay in the pie rather than making your pastry go purple and soggy!

If you heat the fruit for ten minutes or so in the saucepan before adding the arrowroot (so the fruit is soft), then you can put a layer of sponge cake (pref. home-made, but you can use little fairy cakes or madeleines, cut up), fruit and hot custard into a bowl, for the ultimate Autumn comfort pud which takes minutes but tastes like it takes much longer! Yum!

Mado

First of all keep a few to put on your breakfast cereals...
We are having blackeberries orgy at the moment.
And you can freeze them to use in crumbles later this year.

I just luuuuuvvv them