[loosey]

Help! 

Any idea's that aren't crumble or jam anyone? Every hedgerow of our 15 acres is overrun with blackberries ... I have a little graze on the ones that are ready when I'm out with the horses but there are so many!

A couple of my liveries have been and taken well over 2lb's each but I'm stuck for idea's of what to make??

I'll do a few jars of jam and freez esome to make crumbles etc out of but is there anything else I can do with them? 

[Calvadnack]

I make lots of bottles of Blackberry Vinegar.  It's sweet and sour and great used as a dressing for salad or something rich like duck.

# 1lb/450g ripe blackberries (brambles are better than cultivated)
# 1pt/560ml white wine vinegar
# 1 1/2 lb/675g granulated sugar

Put the blackberries in a deep bowl and pour the vinegar over them. Cover and leave to steep for five days, stirring occasionally. Strain the blackberries, pushing them down to extract as much juice as possible. Measure the deep purple vinegar and add a pound of sugar to each pint of juice (450g sugar to 570ml juice).

Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring the mixture to the boil. Skim off any white froth or scum that rises, then pour into steralised bottles and seal.

[scattybiker1972]

sounds lovely.id like to make that myself   

[Susie]

Or blackberry chutney instead of jam?

500g blackberries, 150g caster sugar, 150g red onions, 3tbsp chopped root ginger, 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 150ml white wine vinegar

Chuck everything except the vinegar into a pan over a medium heat until the blackberries burst. Season. Add vinegar then simmer with no lid on for about 15 mins. Allow to cool then spoon into sterilised jars.

Tried this last year and it was great. Could also try throwing in a bramley apple if you have any.

[Roxy]

Too many blackberries?!!

Er....I have eaten about six ripe ones so far, and was thinking how early they were!!  End of August is early for us, and usually well into the first week in September.  Most are still red at the moment, and some are green!!  Anythng we grow up here, is well behind most of the country.

[hexhammeasure]

blackberry gin?

[Fleecewife]

You can never have too many blackberries     Blackberry wine? - takes about 4 lbs for a gallon I think.  Blackberry jelly?  Blackberry ice cream?   Summer pudding?  Freeze loads for the winter when they are not available.

[loosey]

Brilliant thanks all!

Roxy I thought they were early too - we still ave thousands of red ones that are nowhere near ready but the ripe ones are getting more by the day!

Great idea's fleecewife - how would I go about making wine?!

Also what's the difference between brambles/blackberries?! 

[Calvadnack]

Brambles are the wild hedgerow berries, but you can also get cultivated thornless blackberries !

[Sonia in Cornwall]

I made blackberry wine last year.  Very very easy to make.  I'm at work at the mo but will grab the recipe when I'm back home and post it up here. 

Also - have you got a chest freezer?  I freeze mine as they come ripe and then keep them until I work out what to do with them.  As long as you freeze them as soon as they're picked they don't seem to lose any flavour. 

[Hermit]

Leave them for the birds who  nature intended them for. I leave half my rosehips for the birds and am rewarded by the passing migrations of  Scandanavian Bullfinches and Waxwings staying a few days in my garden.

[loosey]

Yes please sonia! Where abouts in cornwall are you?

Hermit, I don't think the birds are going to miss out, there are way more than I could ever pick!

[Sonia in Cornwall]

Sorry Loosey - just realised I'd forgotten all about it!     I'll do it this evening from home I promise. 

I'm in West Cornwall - near Helston. 

[valr]

I have just posted Wizard's bramble liqueur recipe on the thread started by Sharon...

It is too early in my neck of the woods for brambles but I can't wait to try it!
Val

[doganjo]

I have just posted Wizard's bramble liqueur recipe on the thread started by Sharon...

It is too early in my neck of the woods for brambles but I can't wait to try it!
Val

There's some in my garden - off to pick them now.

How's the new job going?