Blackberries are everywhere to be seen at the moment, hanging proud from their thorny branches, black and glossy. They can be found in many towns as well as in the countryside and if picked personally, can provide an hour's entertainment (and exercise) for the children in these last few weeks of school holidays.
Kate Colquhoun, in her book Taste - the Story of Britain Through its Cooking (Bloomsbury, 2007) reports that remains of blackberries, as well as cherries, sloes and raspberries have been discovered at the Iron Age fort at Glastonbury. These Iron Age inhabitants relied on foraging for a lot of their basic food. They seem to have been on to something, as it was reported in this month's Good Food magazine (September 2009) that they contain powerful antioxidants and Vitamin C as well as anti-angeing properties.
How to Use Blackberries in Cooking
Blackberries can be made into fruit pies, baked in muffins, crumbles or used in cheesecakes. They can also be used in game salads, fruit fools, or whizzed up in a blender to create smoothies and milkshakes.
One of the most common uses for them however, is to make them into jam, as in the recipe below. Think of jam-making and the mind conjures up images of hours of frantic boiling and scary "setting points", hot spluttering and stress. This recipe is surprisingly simple, quick and tasty and will inevitably encourage another trip to the hedgerows to make more. It uses "Jam Sugar" which contains more pectin than regular "Preserving Sugar" to help set otherwise unruly fruits such as blackberries, raspberries and rhubarb.
Blackberry Jam Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 lb blackberries, cleaned thoroughly and stalks removed
- 1 lb jam sugar
- splash of water (approx 2 tablespoons)
Method:
- Put a saucer in the freezer before starting the jam.
- Tip the cleaned blackberries into a large saucepan and heat gently, adding a splash of water.
- When the mixture heats gently and the berries start to break down, tip in the sugar.
- Once the sugar is added, bring to a rapid boil and stir regularly. The pink foam will rise up the sides of the saucepan - time four minutes from this stage and continue to boil and stir as needed.
- Take the saucer out of the freezer. With a teaspoon, drop a small amount of the hot jam onto the frozen saucer and push the blob of jam with a finger. If a wrinkle forms, the jam has reached setting point. Take off the heat and cool slightly, then pour into warmed sterilised glass jars. Seal while warm.
Tips:
- Don't be tempted to let the jam boil past its setting point. If it does, it may set too hard. Once the four minutes are up and a wrinkle forms it is ready.
- Experiment with adding apple to the fruit mixture, or use lemon juice in place of the water. Just remember that you need the same weight of sugar to fruit for a successful jam.
- Take care of spluttering hot jam. The fruit and sugar, when boiled together, make a molten liquid which is intensely hot and can leave a nasty burn. Always use a large saucepan to avoid the jam spilling over when it begins to froth and boil.
- Blackberries stain - the beautiful hot pink colour of blackberry juice will give a wonderful sheen in the pan, but spilled or splashed onto towels or clothes it will be tricky to wash out. Use old tea towels and an apron while making this recipe, just to be safe.
Blackberries at this time of year are abundant, seasonal and of course tasty. If picked yourself, they are also free! Make the most of this versatile fruit and combine a summery walk around the hedgerows with some blackberry picking. Just remember where those hedgerows are - you may find yourself back for more!
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