Saturday 1 September 2007

Day 233(ii) - Blackberry picking and cooking





I got up early this morning and was out with the dog picking blackberries by 8am! It was a beautiful morning and I cursed myself for not bringing my camera - the banks of lush black and red berries glistening in the early morning sunshine were so photogenic - sorry!


The dog was happy too - none of this jogging rubbish - she could snuffle around with her head buried in the long grass to her heart's content. It was a really old-fashioned treat - took me back to my Lincolnshire childhood it did - oooaaarrrh..... I looked like a kid too - my fingers were stained and I don't think my trousers will ever be the same again - I looked as though I'd been on a killing spree from all the berry juice! Still, it was lovely to be planning cooking again, even though I won't be eating the fruits of my harvest for a little while longer. I didn't want to miss out though, just because Autumn is unseasonably early this year!!
After the picking it was off to the footie. True to the dictates of the Great God Television, we were playing at 12.45 today so all our usual matchday rituals were upsidedown. Match first; get good and depressed by yet another gruesome defeat (Wednesday have Nul Points so far this season!!); then go to the pub for a couple of beers. I did actually have some beer this afternoon too!! I have been very good and have stuck to sparkling water since January but am loosening the reins a bit and had 2 halves of bitter and a water. It was gorgeous too.
Then back home to find that all my cook-y stuff had been delivered and the George Foreman grill too. D tried it out for his Lamb Chops and was favourably impressed although less keen to clean it after himself I notice! Maybe this'll wean him off his beloved frying pan?? Hope so - his waistline could do with all the help it can get!!
Then started the marathon cookoff: 4 mini blackberry and apple crumbles (used half oats instead of flour and wholegrain flour instead of white) and sucron instead of sugar in the fruit mixture. Froze them in small 2 man portion foil containers so there will be no temptation to overeat!! I hope my plan works.
Next up a big batch of bramble and apple jelly. I'll probably end up giving most of it away but it's nice to use up the apples from the garden and a big batch of blackberries from the hedgerows.
Tomorrow I'm going to make some pies - damson and apple, apple and elderberry and almond. Also to be frozen in small portions and with the pastry and fillings duly low-caloried and high-GI'd as far as possible.
So - we're off to the pub tonight but I reckon we'll not go to the local as I was bored last night - D is up for a change of scene to so we'll see what we can rustle up. Hope you're having fun.

2 comments:

Guinea said...

Sounds great. My father and the misus were stuffing their faces with brambles last week in Skye. She's bought some in the shop the day before, but the smaller, wild ones were apparently far sweeter.

My Aunt grows strawberries and raspberries and my mother and her jame jam and jelly from these and other fruits. Every year I get more jars of jam then is humanly possible to consume. Luckily I have lots of eager friends to eat them all.

I hope your jelly turns out great.

Unknown said...

Your yard is GORGEOUS and that photo of you really shows how lean you are! I'm terribly jealous of your access to all of these berries - we have to buy ours at the store or farmer's market - no bushes outside to pick from.