BLACKBERRY – SMART FRUIT
Blackberry time is here!
I thought that the lack of water over the last few months would have resulted in either no fruit or hard, dry fruits but no, the blackberries are pretty good this year, in quality and quantity.
I recall many happy blackberrying trips with my nan as a kid and her taking a walking stick to hook the best and highest fruits.
Nan used to make endless blackberry pies, tarts and jam but now the most popular way to use the little black beauties is apparently in a smoothie or with port as a sauce over game and pork.
Possibly one of the most unusual recipes I found is for blackberry leather – no, you don’t make shoes from it, it is a healthy Paleo fruit snack.
You’ll need 1 pint blackberries, 6-7 mint leaves, 2 oz honey and a dash of lime juice.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F, line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth.
Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake long and slow for 5-6 hours, or until completely dried out but still sticky.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Cut the mixture into long strips. Start at one end and roll up each strip. Store in an airtight container.
Other less conventional recipes you might want to try include blackberry cream cheese spread, blackberry and sage sorbet, blackberry BBQ sauce, blackberry butter or just add the berries to a stew or salad.
Or simply add a blackberry to each little ice compartment in your ice tray before filling with water and freezing, for posh blackberry ice cubes ideal for cocktails and soft summer drinks.
All the recipes are on the internet, which you may be able to access from your Blackberry (see what I did there?)
For more recipes ideas and other gardening tips do come along to Llangynidr Show tomorrow and ask me and Radio 2’s Terry Walton – we’ll be happy to see you and answer your questions in a Q and A session at around 2pm.