Salaric Cooking

Me and my children gathered these blackberries on our way back from the library, I had meant to bring tubs but had forgotten and was sad about this as we passed a rather abundant patch of briars when my 7 yr old had an idea – we drank the water out of her water bottle and the babies beaker and then filled them with black berries. When we got back I rinsed them and froze them reasoning there wasn’t enough there to do much with.

A quick tip is if you find they have lots of grubs or maggots in them then just give them a little soak in a weak solution of water and table salt, this extracts the bugs!

So having assessed the local forage a bit better this year than I managed last year, I have decided that I want to attempt black berry wine for which I need a lot of black berries – looks like we are going to be out picking most days!

Jean has requested crumbles and Mary cakes – I like to make ‘blood’ pies for halloween as well which I freeze. I think my main limit is going to be freezer space. We also spotted elderberries, rose hips, sloes, damsons, crab apples and haws so all I need for hedgerow jam is some rowan berries! People have been asking me if I am going to make it again and having already received a lovely jar of black current jam from one friend I feel I should get cracking!

I am still sadly awaiting an allotment but some of the best forage I found last year was along the pathway next to them last year.

I am still sorely missing the Perri Pear tree though that I used to get the pears from at the old house but I have just discovered that there are such things as community orchards so I am hoping we can get involved in same way with these things.

My favourite book for forage is still Food For Free by Richard Mabey – I have a very old copy but there are upto date ones with photographs and stuff.

The recipe I use for hedge row jam comes from a Womens Institute book.

Ingredients:

1 liter of orange juice
1/2 liter of water
1/4 liter of brandy
2 table spoons of muscovado sugar
1 cinnamon stick
10 cloves
1 cup of chopped pumpkin
1/2 lemon sliced
1/2 apple sliced
1/2 orange sliced

Put the orange juice and water into a suacepan and put on a moderate heat. Add the cinnamon, gloves and sugar, stir to stop sugar burning to the bottom of pan before it disolves. Add the fruits and bring to a rolling boil careful not to boil over and turn off heat. Serve in mugs of heat proof glass, fruit garnish for cups is optional.

It our little valley we are in a frost pocket so are already suffering from bad frosts!

And what better to warm you than a hot mulled type drink! We love our mulled wine and cider at Christmas but wanted something different to take us through the autumn! It also needs to be non-alcoholic due to pregnancy.

This is Harvest Hotty

Ingredients:

1 liter of orange juice
1/2 liter of water
2 table spoons of muscovado sugar
1 cinnamon stick
10 cloves
1 cup of chopped pumpkin
1/2 lemon sliced
1/2 apple sliced
1/2 orange sliced

Put the orange juice and water into a suacepan and put on a moderate heat. Add the cinnamon, gloves and sugar, stir to stop sugar burning to the bottom of pan before it disolves. Add the fruits and bring to a rolling boil careful not to boil over and turn off heat. Serve in mugs of heat proof glass, fruit garnish for cups is optional.