Stepping out of the polytunnel the other day after doing a spot of watering and gathering some salady bits for my lunch, I spied some Blackberries on the bush I have planted in the tyres just outside the doors ... eight big juicy blackberries to be more specific.
Well one thing led to another and before I knew it I was gathering some cooking apples from the old apple tree in Chicken World, peeling, coring and soaking them before slicing them up ...
... and then cooking everything together in a very aromatic way.
A third of the lovely mixture was added to the bottom of a baking tin and topped with sponge mix and the other two thirds were put into baking tins, wrapped and placed in the freezer ready to be topped with crumble mix when the mood takes us.
And I only went over to the polytunnel for a couple of spring onions and a few lettuce leaves!!
Sue xx
Just lovely!
ReplyDeleteJ x
Amazing what you can do with six blackberries lo
ReplyDeleteOops eight blackberries not six! You were inspired
DeleteOh no! You've picked blackberries after September 29th (Michaelmass) and the Devil has spat on them. I don't think he really has, but it's a wildly held superstition in my part of the country, (Norfolk) I think it arose because us Pagans were taught that if we had a good harvest, or even a bad one, we should leave the berries for the birds after that date. I still have masses of blackberries just outside my back door, but tempting as they are I haven't touched them. Strange how we hold onto beliefs from our childhood. (I bet they tasted good though. lol) blessed Be. For some reason Google won't let me publish this on my usual account details, so I've had to resort to anonymous. But I'm not really anonymous. My name is Lesley
ReplyDeleteI had no choice they weren't there to pick last week!!
DeleteThat's a superstition from my part of the world too ( Devon ) and somehow I still stick to it!!
DeleteI wish I knew who posted this, I love it!
DeleteI still have LOADS in the freezer from last year (and probably 2014 too), so I really need to use mine up. Blackberries make such a difference to stewed apples and are the real smell of autumn to me.
ReplyDeleteI smiled at Lesley's comment, as I can remember being told that too. Our wild ones have all long gone over here so no chance of picking any, although the Autumn raspberries are still fruiting merrily.
Bingo! Great find, and great improvisation
ReplyDeleteA mouthwatering post Sue! DO you have a system for remembering what you have in your freezer? I am much better at popping things into the freezer than I am at systematically using it up again. What do you use (other than a brain-in-working-order)?
ReplyDeleteWonderful! I wasn't aware of the superstition surrounding berries. I hope you enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteI smiled at this Sue. I have friends coming for the weekend next week and I have just ordered some Bramley cooking apples so that I can make a crumble in advance and freeze it. They freeze well and it is a good standby should I need it.
ReplyDeleteSpontaneity often rewards us with the best of treats, looks and sounds delicious!
ReplyDeleteLoving the Pagan belief....it sort of makes sense.
ReplyDeleteIt does make a lot of sense, and means that there are always enough berries left for the birds and other creatures that eat them. Fortunately for me nothing eats the fruit from directly outside the polytunnel so these would have just rotted, as a few others already had, if I hadn't picked them.
DeleteI am envious, I didn't get to pick any this year, so you picked 8 more than me. Lucky!
ReplyDeleteHaha ..... I picked a lot more than 8 in total!!
DeleteThere's over 2 kilos of wild blackberries in the freezer and we have been picking from this little bush from outside the polytunnel for weeks. I just thought it had finished fruiting so was surprised to find these 8 berries waiting for me ... and they were too big and juicy to worry about the old superstition.
Oooh I love how you topped them with sponge - I'm going to try something like that x x
ReplyDelete... and it's the easiest sponge in the world!!
DeleteSimply 2 eggs and then their weight in caster sugar, butter and self raising flour, and a dash of vanilla essence. So if your eggs weigh 50g each, that's 100g each of the other ingredients. Just keep the amounts exactly the same and you can't go wrong.
Enjoy :-)
Something so delicious from a few simple, home grown, ingredients. Better than all those over the top TV cooking show food. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so much more satisfying than opening a packet, or slaving over a hot stove adding this that and anything else that the chefs tell you to isn't it ;-)
DeleteAnd a good big jug of creamy custard to go with it, ohohoh yes!
ReplyDelete