Proud Blackberry and Chilli Jam

Proud Blackberry and Chilli Jam

Oh yes there are lots of them about at the moment. Go and get an old shirt on and go blackberry picking before it's too late. These little unassuming beauties will knock your socks off for taste. The list is endless what you can do with these but I opted for a good old fashioned jam/jelly that I can have with butter and toast and in yogurts, granola, and puddings along with certain cheeses and meats...let your creativity flow. Hooray to the humble blackberry...your gorgeous.

This post is a little out of sync with the seasons...life is great it's just a bit busy at the moment but hey ho better late than never LOL.

© Fig 1.L .Moore Proud to be British...Blackberry and Chilli Jam 

Ingredients

1 large bowl of Blackberries
Sugar (same amount as extracted blackberry juice)
4 tbs lemon Juice
3 apples (any)
3 chillies (depending on stamina)

If you put your berries in the fridge for a while any crawlies tend to appear on the lid of your storage container so it is easier to get rid of any nasties. Put a saucer in your fridge for the plate test later on.

First give them a rinse gently so as not to take too much juice from them. Now add them to your pan with your chopped apples (keep peel on and cores) and cover with water about an inch from the berries and apples. Boil the berries and apples until soft simmering for about 15 minutes. Using a masher give them a mash and and then strain them. Collect the juice in a bowl and discard the pulp. Measure the same amount of sugar as your extracted juice. Now pour the juice into a clean pan and add the sugar. Heat up and dissolve the sugar. Keep stirring until it has dissolved. Then add your lemon juice and chillies.

Boil the juice rapidly for about half an hour and then do a plate test. The plate test is to see if the jam/jelly is ready. On your cold plate add a teaspoon of the boiling juice and pop back in the fridge until it cools down. Then take it out and push your finger through the jelly. If it crinkles up as you push your finger through it the jelly is done. If it is not done keep boiling a little longer and try again.

Now pour into your sterilized jars...Ta Dah. Just like that. Gorgeous...yummy. Great for present for xmas (why not make a hamper).

Enjoy x

Black Luxurious Elderberry Compote

Black Luxurious Elderberry Compote

OMG...so simple...so humble...amazing

Seasonally this post is a bit late...(Well err... about a month actually so apologies for not being seasonal and in real time...life is just taking over at the moment but it's all good).

This is heaven on a plate. The simplicity of this compote astounds me and it's great for you. Have this with a few dollops of natural Greek yogurt and fruit and it is enough to leave you truly satisfied. It's eye candy in a bowl so lush and rewarding. I tried this last year with just a few handfuls of elderberries and loved it. I was sad to see them go but they are back and here for a little while. Be quick if you want some the birds love them.

© Fig.1.L.Moore Black Luxury Elderberry Compote  

Ingredients

I pint of elderberries (more or less it does not matter) 

About a cup of sugar (taste as you go) 

Water to cover berries

Ok So to make your easy compote collect about a pint of elderberries (or a bowl). Using a folk comb through your berries and let them fall into a pan. Now just cover them with water and simmer in a pan for about 10 mins until soft. Use a masher and mash them just a little to get a little more juice out of them. Add sugar (about a cup) and stir until dissolved. Simmer for no more than 5 mins (otherwise you will get a syrup) and Ta dah... it's ready. I would recommend tasting your black luxury before you store it and add more sugar if you want to (or less...taste it as you are making it).

I normally put it in the fridge and use it over a week. I have it dolloped on top of some Greek yogurt and it's delicious...a great start to the day...and packed with lovely anti oxidants...and it's free YAY. You could of course add vanilla etc. to your compote to add a bit more flavor but experiment. 

The benefits of Elderberries is astounding. They have a high Vitamin A content, potassium, iron, B6, beta carotene, lots of flavanoids and they contain 87% of our daily vitamin C. 

Nettle & Jack (garlic mustard) Salsa Verde

Nettle & Jack (garlic mustard) Salsa Verde

Wow what a way to use your fresh foraged wild green weeds than to make a salsa verde. This certainly does live up to it's name (green sauce). This is packed with a punch of vitamins. When I was eating this I felt like I was taken back in time during my ancestral period but without the trimmings. The colour takes your breath away ... it is very dense and moss like. "Stinging nettles are one of the best plants for human health, both as food and medicine ... a complete, ready-packaged natural vitamin and mineral supplement" (Bruton - Seal J & Seal, M, 2008, p 114). We can find stinging nettles everywhere in out hedgerows packed with protein, calcium, vitamin c, beta-carotene and chlorophyll.

Jack by the hedge known as garlic mustard or (Alliaria petiolata) is found in shady hedgerows and woodland edges and it contains glucosinolates and apigenin flavonoids, both known to have anti-tumour effects and high in vitamin A. "The leaves also contain cancer preventing chemicals typical of both garlics (allyl sulphides) and mustards (isothiocyanates)" (Irving, M. 2009, p 77).

So no wonder this green sauce is such a winner. I would experiment with this recipe as I have based it on my own palette where I like a lot of garlic and chilli and the anchovies add a strong salty taste. I made this to go with my salmon steak with a wild mushroom risotto. You may decide to omit some ingredients and add more olive oil and make it more fluid. However I would always  recommend experimenting with my recipes to make them to your own liking. I see my recipes as a starting point to explore wild foods and alter them to your own taste buds. It is the sheer  'act' of gathering these wild weeds that makes this such a wonderful experience and journey of discovery.

Get yourself outdoors on a brisk January day and experience the thrill of looking, finding and exploring. It really is worth it. I forget myself when I am absorbed in looking for these weeds. I feel a real balance between mind and body in a state of complete absorption, it's a great feeling ... . so go and try it. As I have said in all my blogs 'if in doubt leave it out'.

When your new to foraging always make sure you know what you have and check it with diagrams and pictures and a number of sources (not just the internet) and having another pair of eyes to help you identify your find is always useful so bring someone with you. It is fun doing the research and when you feel sure always try a little first. Tasting small amounts is always wise just in case you don't agree with it. Remember you have never eaten these foods before.

Fig 1. L. Moore Nettle & Jack Salsa Verde 

Fig. 2. L. Moore. Nettles washed and ready for simmering

Fig.3. L.Moore. A detail of Salsa Verde topped with Jack leaf

                                      Fig.4. Salmon Fillet with Nettle/Jack Verde & wild mushroom risotto                          

Ingredients

Half a carrier bag of stinging nettle tops (or non stinging nettles)
1 cup of jack by the hedge
3-4 anchovies
6-8 cloves of garlic
2 tbs mascapone soft cheese
2 tbs (or handfuls) of pine nuts
2 tbs olive oil
2 small dried red chillies
1 tbs lime juice (or lemon)
salt and black pepper to taste

• Wash the nettles in lukewarm water and salt and strain (then rinse again to get rid of the salt)
• Boil the nettles for approx 3 mins until soft and then plunge them into ice cold water
• When cool squeeze the water out of the nettles
• Add the squeeded nettles into a bowl with all the other ingredients and blitz with a blender
• Put into a nice bowl and add a glug of olive oil on top and serve

Ta dah its ready (it should keep in the fridge for a couple of days)

I really enjoyed mine with my salmon steak however it did feel a bit thick for me so next time I would add more olive oil and perhaps think about roasting my garlic in the oven first and then squeeze this sweet garlic into my Verde and then blitz. I will also be trying pure Jack by the hedge (garlic mustard) salsa verde... yum.

References

Bruton-Seal, J & Seal, M. (2008) Hedgerow Medicine: Harvest and Make Your Own Herbal Remedies, Merlin Unwin Books  Ltd, London. p, 114.
Irving, M. (2009) The Forager Handbook: A Guide To The Edible Plants Of Britain, Ebury Press Publishing, p, 77.