We’ve been mercifully distracted from preparations for the start of school, and have spent all our free time over the last few days foraging in hedgerows. The unusual combination (for England, anyway) of endless sunshine interrupted by intense downpours of rain has ensured that nature is putting on a glorious show as the seasons turn; blackberries are everywhere you look; acorns are likely to fall from the sky and render a nasty ding to your forehead should you be foolish enough to stand still, and the air is perfumed with cider as a million windfall apples quietly ferment in the grass. (Do I sound a little tipsy and effusive? Blame it on the apples..).
Harry has proven to be a stoic and unflappable blackberry-picker; whilst I bumble along, shrieking and tossing my pail in the air with fright every time a bug walks over my hand, Harry tuts gently and gathers our fallen harvest before starting over again. We returned home a little sweaty and scratched up, but with enough blackberries to fill several baskets and make for a weekend of berry-tastic cooking. We started with our favourite… JAM!!
I’ve found through trial and error that presentation is everything when it comes to homemade jam, and minimises the chance of recipients gingerly clutching their gift whilst stealthily examining the jar for mould, unconventional ingredients or smeary fingerprints. I made berry coloured labels for ours and then cut disks to cover the lids from a print-out of the photo above (at least there’s no doubt about the contents..). Sparkly thread covered the rubber band and completed the look.
with approximately a bathtub’s worth of berries leftover we decided to invent a new recipe; blackberry crumble bars, which combine sponge cake, blackberries, jam and crumble, and thus contain all the main food groups. All the ones we’re interested in anyway..
Exhausted – and deliciously full – we decided to abandon all further attempts in the kitchen and instead to package up our leftover berries and take round to friends and neighbours. I found these pretty trays on sale and added labels with recipe suggestions, and then Harry practised his balance and co-ordination skills with moderate success…
And now, in a further fit of procrastination as I avoid all school-related thoughts; what to do with our first apple harvest? We taste-tested these, and once we’d managed to un-shrivel our taste-buds, roll back our eyes and breathe without gasping, decided that they are probably a little too tart to be eating apples. If you have any to-die-for recipes for cooking apples I’d love to know; at the moment I’m just enjoying their beauty and scent as they adorn our kitchen table (but I know I need to act soon….).
Have a great weekend, when it arrives!
Kate
I live in the desert of Arizona and do miss the Pacific Northwest which has similar climate and grows beautiful fruits and berries. It’s like a taste of home. Apples? Applesauce is easy and could be lovely with and left over berries. I make a two crusted Dutch apple pie (All the crumbles, plus a crust). It’s always a hit.
Hi, I have a most amazing recipe for pickled apples. They are fantastic with turkey, pork or ham. The trick is leaving them alone long enough to pickle. Let me know if you are interested.
That sounds yummy Heather, yes please! Perfect for the forthcoming holiday season so the timing is good. Could you email it to me if you have it electronically? kate@katescreativespace thank you!
Hello!! Amazing….how did you put together the recipe with that beautiful mixture of photos, writing and drawings? Did you use a special program? I love it.
Thanks Marilu
I actually just use Powerpoint for my montages like this one… I import photos and add text boxes and so forth. For the drawings I photograph or scan doodles I make and then I can move them around like photos… I’m thinking of doing a post about how to do this as I get asked often and it requires very little technical skill (fortunately!)
would love to read the post about how you manipulate the photographs
also.. gorgeous labels for the jam.. and your son – he’s precious!
Looks yummy… Your little one is very city too…
I don’t claim to be a cook (creative or recipe follower) and I’m no baker but we lived in a house with an apple tree for a while and I wanted to try something. This was the recipe, given by a friend that I chose. Messy to make but delicious. Apple Cake.
8oz of cooking apples (although apples from your very own tree work just as well),8oz of sultanas,1/4 pint of milk, 6oz of soft brown sugar,12oz of self raising flour, 2tsp mixed spice (or just cinnamon is nice), 6oz butter,1 medium egg,1oz demerara sugar.
Peel, core and chop the apples into bite sized chunks.
Mix the apples, sultanas and milk together and put to one side.
Cream the butter and the soft brown sugar together, mix in the egg.
Sieve the flour and the spice together into the butter and sugar mixture and mix well.
Add the apples, sultanas and milk to the butter and flour mixture and give it a good stir.
Sprinkle the demerara sugar over the top before cooking.
Put it in an 8″ cake tin and cook in the oven (electric 160) for about 2 hours until cooked through. It may take a bit longer so towards the end of the cooking time out a knife or skewer in the centre and if it comes out clean it’s cooked.
Cool and enjoy.
We have a dearth of windfalls too. I have been boiling them until soft and then staining the juice off through jelly bags overnight. Then the next day I made a batch of hot chilli & coriander jelly using the apple juice, and a batch of apple and mint jelly. So far, we’ve only tasted the chilli jelly & it is divine!
Lovely photos and lovely berries! Looks like a lot of fun!
Gorgeous shots!!! Love that top one of Harry. I’m sure your neighbors loved the gift of berries.
Apples -> Apple Sauce, Apple Pie, Spiced Apples.
Beautiful post as always! Your posts are like masterclasses in how I should have done mine if I had any vision or skill…
Blackberry and apple crumble is the best. You have all the ingredients. Use brown sugar and oatmeal in your topping to give it extra interest.
So lovely! Nobody has enquired about that lovely fabric from your own photo- did you order online or do you have a local shop that works that kinda magic.
My ever popular apple dish is the Better Homes & Garden’s fruit crisp. I vary it many ways- coconut or hemp seeds in place of nuts, coconut oil in place of butter and a cup of berries subbed for one cup of the apples (cranberries for fall or whatever I have on hand). Any and all combinations garner approval from the masses- although, I’ve never subbed the brown sugar so that may be the prize ingredient that shines no matter what else changes.
What a dream! Your beautiful boy. Your beautiful blog. It is such a joy to slip away from my desk and visit you in your wonderful home. You always delight me with your creativity, your marvelous creations and your joie de vivre! Virginia
Mmmmm scrummy! I sampled a few blackberries from the hedgerow just this afternoon
I reckon apple cake is the best bet for your apple harvest – cake that counts as one of your five-a-day has to be a winner! Email me if you’d like the recipe and I’ll dig it out!
Jones x
PS I’m still having trouble with comments appearing in my WP reader despite unfollowing and adding you to my blog roll again… any more ideas? Is anyone else still having this problem?
Love your labels. Yes, with homemade jams, presentation is definitely my favourite part. For the apples. you could peel, core and slice them and freeze them in batches ready to be thrown (with a lot of sugar) into crumbles and pies in the winter. It’s a boring job but worth it when you just pull out a bag and tumble the fruit into a dish, frozen, then just top with ready made pastry or some crumble mix.
x
It’s very likely that I’m a little late to the party with apple ideas, but… never let it be said that I failed to show up! And here’s my little pip: My grandmother always said that tart apples were best for applesauce and baking. The tart flavor mellows with the heat (and the sugar!) resulting in delicious flavor. Apples that taste mellow and sweet off the tree don’t hold up as well in cooking. And I have to say, store bought applesauce has never been as good as Grandmother’s homemade Pippin Apple sauce…
Hi Kate,
Do you mind if I ask you the name of the font you used on your jam labels? I would love to use it on some homemade invitations. Thanks so much. Nicole x
The Cheats’ Guide to Calligraphy (or: How to Acquire Beautiful Penmanship In No Time At All).
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