There’s nothing quite as sweet as a glut. Growing your own food is never as difficult as some people claim, and if you need proof, it’s the inevitable excess of home grown produce that even first time gardeners have little trouble achieving. It might be an overabundance of zucchinis one year, a massive haul of tomatoes the next. Either way it’s a glut, and I can honestly say that since I started growing food 15 years ago, not a summer has passed when I haven’t palmed at least something off to neighbours and family.
This summer it’s blackberries. The season started back in early December with Waldo, a relatively tame thornless variety, and is now reaching monumental proportions with Chester, another thornless variety that bears humongous crops of fat, slightly tart fruit. The canes are so loaded in this hot, dry summer that they’re arching toward the ground, and each morning Kylie comes in with a basketful of berries. They’re beautiful eaten fresh, but there’s simply too many to consume while they’re at their best. The solution – turn the fruit into jam.
In our dining room we have an old leadlight dresser that’s more or less dedicated to holding empty jars and bottles. As winter arrives, these jars are returned to the dresser full of preserves, not least of which is a range of home made jams. Our favourite is made from Isabella grapes, but I’ve just tasted a batch of blackberry jam Kylie has boiling away on the stove and it’s amazing. Complex, not overly sweet, and very blackberry-ish. Summer in a bottle.
Just five jars have been filled today (1.2kg worth of fruit – how much would that cost in the supermarket!), but there’s still kilos of berries ripening and the old dresser will quickly start to fill. I fyou want to experience true security, you won’t find it in a job or a bank account. Look to the garden. A well stocked woodpile, a full rainwater tank, a bountiful fruit and vegie patch, and a cupboard stacked with preserves. These are the best sources of security I can think of.
Hi Justin,
We bought a blackberry vine from you a year or two ago and we’re getting some good fruit this year
What is a good recipe to use to make blackberry jam?
Bron
Hi Bron. The recipe is from Sally Wise’s book A Year in a Bottle, and is pretty basic – 1.5kg blackberries, 1.5kg white sugar, the juice of a lemon and half a cup of water. Sally reccomends bringing the berries, lemon and water to the boil before adding the sugar, other than that it’s a pretty straightforward jam recipe. Have fun!
Thanks Justin!
G’Day Justin, I thought blackberries were a no-no in Queensland – are there non-invasive types available?
I have to agree with you that they are superb especially with milk and sugar.
Regards
Denis
It’s prohibited to grow the Rubus fruiticosus species Denis, but as far as I’m aware it’s legal to grow any of the hybrid varieties, including the two I mention in the blog. They don’t self seed and are less likely to sucker.
Justin, you have to save some blackberries for a blackberry pie!! My folks drive out to the middle of no where each year and pick themselves about 30kgs of wild blackberries. It is a tradition they have been doing since I was a child and bushes were just down the rd… nonetheless, you have to try a pie! My mum recommends adding a few green apples to help adsorb the juice (much to my dad’s disgust!). I promise you won’t be disappointed. The pastry recipe is my nannas and has been passed down: 1 cup of self flour and 1 cup of plain, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbs custard powder, 50g cold cubed butter, 1egg, lemon juice and ice water to bring together in food processor.
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Try it!
Still loads of fruit on the canes so we’ll give it a go Amber. Thanks for the recipe!
I loved the last line of your article about security! Nothing beats growing your own food, burning your own wood and preserving all the excess bounty! We aren’t quite at that point yet as we only moved up here from Brisbane permanantly 3 months ago! But watch this space for 2013! Chook pen purchased (no chooks just yet!) garden beds going in, compost bins started with some lovely mushroom compost we got from Kilcoy, fencing in to hold sheep or cattle and next enlarging our dam for more water security!
Go for it Susan! By the way, I’ve been chasing bulk mushroom compost. Where at Kilcoy did you get yours?
I’m told by my better half that she always adds green apple to pies when the main fruit has a lot of liquid to absorb it
.I guess the Pectin in the Apple helps also, by the way for those making Jams at the present ,I notice on the supermarket shelves that C.S.R. are marketing a jam setter sugar which has the pectin and citric acid already added.
Jan and I both came from Sydneys Eastern Suburbs but moved to a small village , Bullaburra, in the early 60,s ,Monday to Friday lived the dark suit and tie around the corporate world of Hunter and O’Connell Sts ,but on the w/e would tramp through the Blue Mts National Park catching everything from Yabbies to ,yes, Blackberries !! Then take the kids and wander down the Great Western Rail line collecting coal off the side of the tracks for Winter.
Susan I offer some advice on your venture into Poultry keeping, know how many eggs you want each week,know whether you want efficiency from your birds in feed conversion to eggs,and DONT buy from markets or trading post or Gum tree ads.
You may end up with disease in your yard which may hang around for ages.
Want eggs you wont go wrong with birds from the Highfields produce on the Hwy.
You’re a forager from way back Kevin! Nicking coal from the railway lines and blackberries from the national park. Love it!
Loved this post and the last few lines about the sense of security that accompanies a self-sufficient lifestyle. Every time I do something for myself I feel more empowered, it’s an amazing feeling. Michael.