Gathering autumn goodies

Subject: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Will Fly
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 11:39 AM

I don't know about you, but it's that time down here in West Sussex, and the weather, this morning, was just right for a bit of autumn gathering. The apple tree (an old Sussex variety called a "Crawley Beauty") has fruited again this year - unusually, because it generally fruits every two years and I had a bumper harvest last year - and I just had to get out with the apple picker and gather a huge sackful. Crawley Beauty is either a rather sharp eater or a very sweet cooker - more to be got tomorrow if the weather stays good.

Then there was a trip just ten minutes down the road to the house of a good friend and guitar player, Di, and her guitar-playing partner Chris (a brilliant player). Not to play guitar though (we'll be doing that tonight at my monthly session), but to gather blackberries and sloes from her 17 acres of fields and hedgerows. They're ripening in profusion at the moment, with plenty of unripe ones to go back to in a few days. After an hour of that, bags bulging, a call from Di brings us back to the house for smoked salmon sandwiches and a beer. Back home with well-gotten gains to wash berries, sloes and apples - and look forward to pies and crumbles.

Now I'm going to look up some recipe options for sloe gin on the web. I usually just do it by bottling gin with pricked or cracked sloes (no sugar) and allowing it to "cook" for 2-3 years, but I'm going to see what other ways there are.

Well, the sun's still warm this late afternoon, so it's the Sunday papers for me now, and a coffee...

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: olddude
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 12:04 PM

Apples, peaches, pears, and lots of grapes for me Will. Everything is bustling in this farm community

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Mingulay
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 12:30 PM

Sadly the blackberries are over now but the plum tree has fast ripening fruit, so fsst they have to be shared with the rest of the moorings before they go off. Plum crumble for dessert methinks.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 01:31 PM

Wild elderberries nearly ripe here!

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: gnu
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 01:50 PM

Will... there are a couple of Catters who have recipes for Sloe Gin. They may post them. You might try a thread search...

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: gnu
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 01:52 PM

Here's one...

Subject: RE: BS: Sloe Gin
From: GUEST,Dazbo at work - PM
Date: 28 Sep 09 - 10:12 AM

Tried the freeze sloes first approach, didn't seem to make it any easier/quicker to me. I just hold each sloe between thumb and forefinger and with a sharp knife cut along as much of the circumference of the sloe as you can easily reach and drop into demijohn (actually a Weston's Old Rosie scrumpy bottle as mentioned above).

My brother spends a long time each year in France and they have plenty of sloes but don't make sloe gin (although they do use to flavour a different alcoholic drink but he couldn't remember what it is).

Sloe vodka was awful when I made it. Sloe (dark) rum was nice though.

My recipe:

1 bottle cheapest gin (7ocL)
1 lb of sloes
1 lb sugar (although I tend to put a bit less in, say 12-14oz)

Shake demijohn every day till sugar is dissolved

Leave for as long as possible (at least three months and years better)

Decant into bottles for use (I filter through an old but clean hankie)

Enjoy!

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Will Fly
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 02:31 PM

Yes - very similar to what I've done before, and to other recipes on the net. The addition of 2-3 drops of almond essence is supposed to improve the flavour - might try this. I also read that, with the addition of sugar (which I haven't done before), the mix should be shaken once a day to dissolve all the sugar, and about once a month thereafter. Anyway, they're in the freezer now. A few days there should split the skins and I've ordered some Kilner-type jars to store the mix. I used narrow-necked gin bottles in previous years - and it's a bugger to get the sloes out.

Why get them out? Well, I might try making "sloejacks" - sloe flapjacks - and, apparently, the dried stones in a cloth bag can be warmed up and used as neck-warmers.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 03:24 PM

I made 5lb of blackberry jam this morning from fruit available within 50 yds of my garden fence. Back in a couple of days for more.
Its blackberry and apple crumble time too, with apples from an ancient Bramley type tree that came with the garden, and there are a few eaters from a Laxton we planted a year ago.

The baby figs are starting to form for next year and I'm looking forward to cherries, pears, plums and sloes as well. The trees were too young this year.

Anyone else got a dog that picks and eats blackberries? Ours does.

Paws

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: olddude
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 03:27 PM

I talked my buddie Garry into doing our home made wine this year. Funny cause neither of us drink !! one year we made 50 gallons of the best wine from the finest french grapes and gave it to everyone. When the grape pickers go through they leave the end posts hanging with grapes. It is too expensive to pick those by hand so they leave them. We have permission go out and get as much as we like .. for the concord grapes my family makes jelly .. kinda nice having 20+ miles of grapes of all kinds around me. Most of them are concord

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Penny S.
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 04:32 PM

I bought a fruit picker and set off with a friend to pick plums from the communal orchard (having found out what is meant by references to low hanging fruit). And the grass was wet, and I slipped on a slope, twisted my left leg and ankle, reviving an injury I got the other year on a wet manhole cover in Stroud. Have been hors de combat since. In a house with two flights of stairs.

Not a happy bunny. And it happened before I got any plums or mirabelles. The fruit picker handle was useful as a walking stick, though.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Penny S.
Date: 12 Sep 10 - 04:33 PM

And while I was laid up, the slugs got to one of the two ready beefsteak tomatoes.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: olddude
Date: 13 Sep 10 - 03:51 PM

Well Penny please be careful huh ... that is awful. I hope you feel better soon

Dan

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Penny S.
Date: 14 Sep 10 - 05:20 AM

Well thanks olddude. It's taking a while to get right again. I can do a bit, but then I have to rest with my leg up again. Nuisance. Meanwhile I am thinking of new things to do with courgettes (zucchini). Ideas welcome.

penny

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: gnu
Date: 18 Sep 10 - 05:19 PM

Hope you are on the mend, Penny.

I gathered gorgeous green beens at the Farmer's Coop today for 99c a pound and fresh cabbage for 49c a pound and fresh carrots and new white spuds for... you get the pic. Just took a smoked picnic shoulder from the freezer (99c a pound). A boiled ham dinner is in nigh.... mmmm.

Oh, yeah... Dan... last night, I fried up 4 huge onions to make a hash with the veggies from a beef stew. The onions have been in the cellar fridge since early December! I lost a few due to sprouting and dehydration but you were right... they will keep a loooong time under the right conditions.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Ebbie
Date: 19 Sep 10 - 02:33 AM

Paws, I have a couple of acres of blackberries. When I used to live on the property the dogs would accompany me on my blackberry picking. At first I used to pick them an extra one as I went along but when I got busy they went to work for themselves. It was funny to watch: curling up their upper lip they approached each berry with their exposed teeth and pulled it off the vine. They loved 'em.

Subject: RE: Gathering autumn goodies
From: Wolfhound person
Date: 19 Sep 10 - 04:43 AM

Ours does that too, Ebbie. When he occasionally misfires and gets a stalk or prickles there's a lot of sneezing and snorting to get things cleared. I think that's how I first realised they were doing it.

My two acres or so of picking patch adjoins my property and is an overgrown area of mixed grass and scrub with blackberries and wild roses growing over. It used to be part of the infield when my house was a working farm.
We have travellers (Roma, mainly) in the area who use it to pasture tethered horses at times in spring and autumn when they're coming through, and that keeps some of the grass areas clear, and fertilises the blackberries etc. Other times of the year it's a dog exercise area.

More blackberries yesterday, and another 7 lb of jam - I reckon there'll be pickings for a week or so yet.

Paws