GREEN GODDESS

IT’S TIME FOR A SPELL OF BLACKBERRY MAGIC

Ispent a morning in the bright, hot sun recently, talking to cows and picking blackberries by the roadside.

Foraging is something we used to do in the old days as a matter of course. Free food was a great bonus. Rediscovering that tradition was one of the most pleasant things I’ve done in a long time and I ended up with half a bucket of gorgeous, plump blackberries.

You can find blackberries right through to early April, so why not grab a bucket and go foraging? Wear long pants and boots as the bushes do tend to scratch – but as your reward, you’ll have berries to make this jam, which I whipped up when I got home.

Many jam recipes give in to the temptation to add extra spices or other flavouring, but I think the blackberries need to be left alone to impress you.

Throw your blackberries into a big saucepan and cover them with water. Simmer until they start to soften, then give them a good squash with your potato masher. When they have broken up, pour the blackberries into a measuring jug and take a note of how much there is. Put them back in the pot, then pour sugar into the measuring jug to the same amount. So if you had 2 cups of blackberry pulp, measure out 2 cups of sugar.

Add the sugar to the berries, stirring to dissolve, then let the whole lot cook on a reasonably high heat.

If you have a thermometer, put that in and cook until it reaches the setting point of 105oC. Or you can take a bit of jam and drip it onto a cold saucer. If you can run your finger through it without it filling up again, you’re ready.

Pour the hot jam into hot jars, which you have sterilised in the oven for 10 minutes on 110oC, then cover with the lids (which you have boiled in a saucepan of water for 10 minutes).

Label the jars and give them to your appreciative friends – but be sure to save a few for yourself for yummy winter desserts and hot-buttered toast.