Apple and Blackberry Jam

Bramble and Bramley Jam

I love September.

Apart from it being my birthday month,

I  have always enjoyed

how the month plays out.

It's that time of year when

you can feel the air is changing a little,

and it is just a little fresher

when we leave the house

in the morning.

The dark nights are creeping in and

the temperature is dropping

once the sun has gone.

I think Autumn maybe on it's way.

Following a recent day out

with my family

down to Bedale,

we made the

serendipitous discovery

of a huge Bramble bush

in the car park.

We always park down by the river

and it has become a ritual

to feed the ducks before we leave.

I make sure to empty the

bread bin before we leave

so that the children

have plenty of

treats to throw to the ducks.

Though I fear Little Bee was just a bit

over enthusiastic this time.

He threw in a whole bread bun,

much to the amusement of his sister,

and the ducks seem more than happy.

On returning to the car

Miss Bee commented on all

the black berries

which I must confess,

I had completely missed.

I discovered an emergency carrier bag

in the boot of the car

and berry picking commenced.

We managed to get quite a haul,

almost a full kilogram,

and some pretty purple fingers to boot.

I had a browse around my recipe books

at home and decided to try

this lovely recipe for

Bramble and Bramley Jam.

It is from Vivien Lloyd 

and is very simple

but tastes delicious.

I got about six medium size

jars of jam from this recipe.

They look beautiful stacked up on my shelf

and the beautiful deep, 

jewelled purple

colour looks so tempting.

I have given a couple away as gifts already

and the recipients seemed very pleased.

I have detailed the recipe below but the

link above will give you the same information.

You will need :

1kg(2lb) blackberries
200ml (7floz) water

340g (12oz) peeled, cored and sliced cooking apples ( prepared weight)

1.4kg (3lb) granulated cane sugar

1. Pick over the blackberries and place them

in a large pan with half the water.

I used my jam pan for this.

Bring to the boil, then simmer until tender.

Place the apples in a separate pan

with the remaining water

and cook until the fruit is pulpy.

Meanwhile warm the sugar

in a low oven,

140C/275F/Gas 1.

2. Place the cooked apples

into the preserving pan

with the blackberries,

Add the warmed sugar

and stir until it has dissolved,

then bring the jam quickly

to a rolling boil.

You benefit from a

thermometer at this stage.

This took about 5 minutes for me.

3. As soon as setting point is reached,

remove the pan from the heat and

leave it to stand for a few minutes.

I prefer to drop a little of the jam

onto a cold saucer and if you

get a little crinkle on the surface

when gently pushed with your finger tip

you know it's ready.

4.  Remove any scum with a metal spoon

by gently pushing out towards

the edge of the pan

and then scooping it  away.

5. Gently stir the jam and pour it into the jars,

 up to the brim.

Seal the jars immediately

with new twist top lids.

Leave the jars upright and

undisturbed until cold.

Label the jars and store in a cool cupboard.

These will keep for approximately

six months unopened

but they are perfect for gifts so

will they last that long?

Have fun with your foraging

and until next time,

enjoy your day.

Bernice

x

Christmas Cake Fruit

It's that time of year.....

                          (Yes, it really is)

Please do not scream at the computer screen.

It really is time to start soaking your

fruit for your Christmas cake.

I know, I know,

you are shaking your head in disbelief,

but the longer you can leave

these jewelled gems to soak,

the better your cake will taste.

I have followed this recipe

for many years now,

and after playing around
 with it several times,

I feel I have finally cracked it.

I first read about a

'good, long soak'

in The Bourke Street Bakery recipe book.

It is a lovely,

if somewhat large,

read.

With some delicious recipes,

it was their advice about fruit loaf

which really caught my eye.

They suggest a six week soak of the fruit,

in an alcohol and sugar syrup mixture,

so as to really get the fruit infused with all

the delicious flavours we

associate with Christmas.

The fruit is so soft and plump when

you come to bake with it.

I work on the basis of trying

to bake the cakes on

Stir Up Sunday,

so counting back six weeks from

November,

that is about now.

I pencil this into my calendar for September

every year.

It is terribly simple to do

and the rewards are well worth the little

bit of effort it requires.

You will need :

200g Sultanas

200g Raisins

175g Dried Apricots

100g Dried Dates

55g Glace Cherries

Juice (55ml) and zest of an orange

Cinnamon stick

170ml Dark Rum (or alcohol of your choice)

55g Caster sugar

You can use any combination

of dried fruits you prefer,

as long as the combined weight

is 730g.

1. Place the orange juice and caster sugar into a

pan over a low heat.

Warm gently until the sugar

has completely dissolved.

2. leave to cool for a few minutes and

add the rum.

Mix together and pour over the dried fruits,

cinnamon stick and orange zest.

Stir well until the liquid has coated all

the fruits.

Place into an airtight container .

3. Stir the fruit mixture every day for the first week,

and then once a week thereafter.

You will notice every time you open the

lid to stir up these glistening fruit gems,

the quite heady aroma that hits

you.

It is delicious.

After approximately six weeks of lovingly

tending your rum soaked fruits,

they are ready for baking.

I will be posting details of the cake recipe

a little later,

so until then,

enjoy your day.

Bernice

x