There’s so much wild food around at the moment, it’s impossible to collect it all and find time to do something with it all! Over the weekend the Tŷ Paned kitchen was turned into a production factory for jams, jellies, fruit leather and more jam!
As you can see from the picture there’s plenty available if you know what you’re looking for. In the picture there’s blackberries and elderberries in the bowl at the top left, rowan berries at the top right, crab apples from two different trees, sloes (the purple berries), two different types of rose-hips, and haws (the berries of the hawthorne tree) in the basket at the bottom right.
You don’t have to collect them all to make jam. You can find all sorts of different recipes using one or a few of these wild ingredients. I’ve already made blackberry jam this season, this jam has a greater depth of flavour. It’s tarter than most jams due to the rowan berries, crab apples and sloes yet sweeter than a standard marmalade. This is perfect for me who finds marmalade a little bitter, when I want something a little less sweet than jam.
450g crab apples (or cooking apples)
270g haws
270g rose-hips
300g rowan berries
325g sloes
600g blackberries
500g elderberries
Take the stalks off everything and put it all in a big saucepan (or preserving pan if you have one) apart from the blackberries and elderberries. Cover with water and simmer for 15 mins until all the fruit is soft.
Push the mixture through a sieve back into the saucepan and add the rest of the berries. Simmer for 15 mins.
Measure the weight of the fruit and add the same weight of sugar. I had about 2300g. Stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved and then boil hard for about 15 mins until setting point is reached*. Pour into sterilised jars** whilst still very hot.
PS This makes a lot of jam! You could make jam by leaving out some of the ingredients but I’d recommend keeping the apples, blackberries and elderberries***.
*220 degrees F on a thermometer or when the jam wrinkles when you put some on a cold plate that’s been in the freezer.
** I sterilise the jars by pouring boiling water into the jars and over the lid.
*** If you haven’t used them all for port!
Adapted from Fruits of the Earth by Gloria Nicol