LET'S GO BLACKBERRYING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 22, Issue 557, 24 February 1950, Page 22

LET'S GO BLACKBERRYING

fun as well as a prickly job. Still, "there is no pleasure without pain," they say, and experienced blackberry pickers seem to work out a technique whereby they don’t get very scratched. Of course, the largest and most luscious berries seem always out of reach, but the tall boy-friend is very useful there. Bottled Blackberries Set aside the firmest and driest berries for bottling. The others will make jam und jelly, and the very ripe ones will do for wine. Bottle the berries just like any other fruit, either in the oven, or the water-bath, or by the easy "stewing method," in syrup. Blackberries and apples are excellent together in layers, using thick slices of apple. Blackberry Custard Bake sufficient blackberries in the oven in a covered casserole. Sprinkle. first with sugar, quite thickly, and add just about half an inch of water. Bake slowly, until the blackberries are tender and in a thick syrup. If you have a pyrex baking dish with a lid, that will do nicely, because you won't have to transfer the cooked berries to a piedish. Let cool. There must be enough room to put the custard on top. Prepare the custard with 2 egg yolks and % pint milk. Beat yolks, add a little sugar and about 1 teaspoon cornflour (to prevent custard curdling), and pour the heated milk over them; stir well, and pour it over the blackberries. Bake in moderge oven until custard is set. Beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons sugar and pile this meringue on top of the ‘custard; return to oven for a few minutes to brown meringue. Blackberry Sandwich Half pound flour, good 14 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of salt, 2 oz. butter or cooking fat, 12 lb. blackberries, 1 egg, 2 oz. sugar, milk and water to mix. For filling: 1 oz. butter, 1 oz. brown sugar and mixed spice. Mix flour, salt and baking powder and rub in fat. Mix in sugar and blackberries, beat egg, add, and then form into soft dough with milk and water. Bake in shallow greased baking tin in hot oven about 45 minutes! Turn out, split, and spread with butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and spice. Put together again and serve at once. Blackberry and Apple Jelly When making blackberry jelly, have berries a little under-ripe. It is better to make smal! quantities at a time, say _ half a dozen small pots. If there seem to be any grubs in the berries, put them into a weak salt and water solution for a little while-a teaspoon of salt to a pint of water. This will bring the grubs out. For this jelly, use 2 1b. cooking apples-to 6 Ib. of blackberries. Chop apples, including skins and cores, and put all into preserving pan with water to just cover. Simmer until soft and pulpy. Strain through jelly-bag, allowing plenty of time. Then measure the juice by the cupful and allow an equal quantity of sugar. Put sugar in oven to warm, and put juice on to boil. Stir in the ie means a picnic and a lot of

warm sugar to boiling juice, and continue stirring till it thoroughly dissolves. Then boil briskly, stirring occasionally, and testing very frequently till a little jellies on a cold saucer. Blackberry and Plum Jam For those who dislike seeds in iam, strain the cooked pulp chrough a sieve, and bring back tc boil before adding sugar. Five pounds blackberries, i pint water, 2 lb. plums, 542 Ib. rugar. Stew plums and water, add blackberries, boil till soft-about %-hour. Stir. Add warmed sugar, stir till dissolved. Boil hard till it sets. Ten minutes before taking up add small teaspoon tartaric or citric acid. Blackberry and Rhubarb Jam Six pounds blackberries, 3 Ib. rhubarb cut small, 6% Ib, sugar. Clean berries, crush in pan. No water. Add rhubarb and simmer about 20 minutes. Add warmed sugar, stir till dissolved, then boil hard till it will set, perhaps 1 hour or less. If it seems thin, add small teaspoon citric acid and boil another 5 minutes or so, Blackberry Jam To each pound fruit allow % cup water and 14% Ib. sugar: Boil fruit and water together for 4% hour, break up ‘berries with potato masher, add sugar, stir till thoroughly dissolved, then boil until it jellies (20 to 30 minutes). The juice of a lemon added for each 2 -lb. fruit gives an excellent flavour. Blackberry Chutney One pound sliced cooking. apples, 6 medium-sized chopped onions, 3 Ib. blackberries, 2 oz. salt, 1 oz. mustard, 1 oz. ground ginger, 1 teaspoon powdered mace, ¥2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 pint, vinegar. Cook 1 hour, then add 14% Ib. sugar. Continue cooking slowly for 2 hours. Rub through fine sieve with wooden spoon and put in dry bottles. Blackberry and Apple Mould Half pound blackberries, % Ib. apples, 3 oz. sugar, 4% pint’ water, 1 oz. cornflour. Stew fruit in boiling water and sugar. When tender, rub through sieve. Bring to boil, add moistened cornflour. Simmer 5 minutes. Pour into wetted mould to set. Blackberry Cobbler Cook 3 cups blackberries in 1 cup’ water, juice of 1 lemon and sugar. When cold,- put into piedish, sprinkle with sugar and flour (about 2 tablespoons of each),.and a dab or two of butter. Then’ cover with a good sheet of short pastry, "or with crushed biscuits, or sponge cake crumbs, Dab with a little more butter, and cook in a good oven for. about 14 hour. : Blackberry Sponge Have the blackberries stewed till soft, and boiling hot in the piedish when you pour the sponge over them. Should take about 20 minutes in hot oven. Beat wel! 1 egg with @ scant 1% breakfast cup sugar, add 1 oz. butter melted in 3 tablespoons milk. Then fold in lightly 1 breakfast cup flour (sifted before measuring), with 1 teaspoon baking powder and good pinch salt.