Having made raspberry liqueur and blueberry liqueur using essentially the same recipe, I was keen to try something a bit different for this Blackberry Liqueur. The use of red wine turns this more into a 'port' or fortified wine with a lower alcohol content than the liqueurs made wholly with vodka. This was a pleasant drink but didn't have the rich berry fruitiness that the other liqueurs had. 700g blackberries 750ml bottle of red wine 1 cup sugar 1 cup vodka or neutral spirit Mash the … [Read more...]
Home-made Blackberry Gin Recipe
This year my thornless blackberry has provided me with more blackberries than I can every remember having so I've definitely been seeking new recipes to try. This blackberry gin recipe isn't exactly new as I've made the same recipe with raspberries and blueberries previously but I had never made a blackberry gin. I made a double recipe that makes about 1500ml of blackberry gin (and didn't waste the berries at the end as I used them to make blackberry jam). You can use any gin for the … [Read more...]
The Birds and My Berries
I have a love-hate relationship with the birds in my garden and have written previously about feeding the birds and stopping the birds from eating all the plums. This year I have been fighting a losing battle between the birds and my berries, particularly my blueberries. There must be something special about blueberries or maybe it is that blackbirds really like a challenge. I'm tending towards the challenge explanation and have evidence that they keep learning new tricks to get to the netted … [Read more...]
Blueberry, Blackberry & Grape Jam Recipe
I love combination jams because they are a great way to use fruit that you have (either fresh or frozen) but don't have enough of anything to make a single fruit jam. They also provide a wonderful range of flavours. This jam recipe is courtesy of Chelsea sugar who make a great Jam Setting Sugar that allows you to make a quick and simple jam. You can also easily scale the recipe up or down because you just use equal quantities of fruit and sugar. Juice and peel of 1 lemon, large pieces … [Read more...]
Four Berry Jam Recipe
I grow as many different berries as I can in my garden because they are so easy to grow, freeze really well, and are great for cooking right throughout the year. Sometimes I end up with only a small amount of each of the different types of berries left in the freezer, not enough to make anything specific with any of them. This year I tried making a Four Berry Jam recipe with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. The amount of each doesn't really matter and the end result is … [Read more...]