Blackberries

Blackberries are the great free (and often ignored) treasure of Autumn.

Every hedgerow in Ireland contains blackberry bushes of varying quality and all are worth picking - even the smallest and bitterest.

The sweetest berries are the ones at the bottom of the bunch, and only pick the ones that come away from the stalk easily.

Blackberry jam is the classic recipe and has a nice rustic edge you don't get from other fruits such as blackcurrant, raspberry or strawberry. If you are not keen on the gritty texture you could make a jelly by allowing the pulp to drip through muslin over a couple of days.

Adding a dash of Crème de Mure (the blackberry equivalent of Crème de Cassis) will add some depth of flavour to the recipes below but it can be difficult to find in Ireland so experiment with Crème de Cassis.

Blackberry and Apple Jam
500g Cooking Apples, 1500g Blackberries,1500g sugar
Peel core and chop apples and boil in a little water until very soft, then push through a sieve. Combine the apple pulp with the blackberries and sugar in a large saucepan, bring slowly to a boil and cook rapidly for 30-40 minutes, stirring regularly, until the Jam will set (test with a saucer). If the jam fails to set add the juice of a lemon.


Blackberry Ice Cream
500g Blackberries, 50g Caster Sugar, Juice of 1 lemon, 400ml Double Cream.

Combine the blackberries and sugar and blend for 1 minute. Push through a plastic sieve to remove seeds. Whip cream lightly, mix with the Blackberry pulp and chill for 2 hours. Transfer to plastic tub and freeze or add to an ice-cream maker and churn until the consistency of whipped cream. If you are still freezing you should remove after an hour to beat out the ice crystals.


Blackberry Syrup
Put 1 kilo of picked-over de-stalked blackberries in a shallow bowl with about 200ml of water and leave overnight in a cool place. Add 400g of Caster Sugar and blend for a minute. Push through a sieve and adjust the flavour with lemon juice if you wish but be warned that the lemon will cause the syrup to thicken. Bottle in glass bottles and keep in the fridge. Pour on ice-cream, apple tarts and crumbles, or add to Cava or Prosecco to make Kir.