Mother Natures Store Cupboard.

[ginger ninger]

My neighbor and me have had a rather "Fruitful" morning today foraging in the countryside around where we live, between us we've picked...27lb of blackberries, 16lb of rowans, 30+lb of crab apples, just short of 20lb of sloe berries and 13lb of elderberries, not bad for a morning's work. Now what to do with them all, we're making jam's & jellies, stewing some for the freezer's and the all important thing...Wine.
What I was wondering, has anyone got any more idea's & has anyone got a good Dry cider recipe for the crab apple's (about 20lb). Very much appreciated. Thanks.

[mrdinkle]

Wow! That is a haul and a half!

I picked similar stuff this weekend, just in smaller quantities

I picked about 8lb of Elderberries and am making a gallon of wine and a gallon of port which leaves me with about 2lb. I am very interested in Pontack Sauce and have also used Elderberries in Jellies with Blackberries and crab apples.

I have about 10lb sloes (I already have a gallon of sloe wine fermenting) so will probably do a litre of sloe gin (sainsbury's basics gin is cheapest apparently). I also intend on doing some Jam/Jelly.

Blackberries a similar story though only about 4 or 5lb! I have a gallon of wine going and will be doing Jam/Jelly and Probably this chutney: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ney_38227.html

With regards to your crab apples, using them in jellies is an obvious avenue. However from what I can gather you need some other apples with crab apples to make a drinkable cider. However I did come across this recipe (3rd post):

JIM'S BEER KIT: HOMEBREW FORUM • View topic - crab apple cider

I made some rowanberry jelly and I found it a bit tarte. I suspect it would be nice stirred into a gravy for going with game meat though.

I am intending on doing a hedgerow jelly with a mix of the blackberries, sloes, elderberries and crab apples.

If I think of anything else i will let you know

[ginger ninger]

Thanks for that Mr D, I think I'll try the hedgerow jelly & the crab apple cider, with regard to the" cheep gin" do you have an ALDI near you, they do a cheep gin & it's great for sloe gin, I'm also doing blackberry vodka with there cheep vodka...Hic.

[mrdinkle]

No Aldi close to me They closed the nearest one and opened another one further away

Blackberry Vodka sounds very interesting - do you need many blackberries for it? I might just pick up a cheapo bottle of vodka!

[Reb Williams]

We made blackberry vodka the other day - to be honest a handful, handful and a half in a full sized bottle is all we used. Amazing how quickly the vodka changed colour and the berries went white. Can't wait... last year's black currant voddie went down a treat.
____________________
Should I publish? Vote now at Grow Your Own Cows

[ginger ninger]

Have you tried sloe vodka...now that is yummy, make it the same as you do the gin also very yummy.
Mmmmm.... I feel there's a theme going on here.

[ginger ninger]

O, forgot to mention "Netto" have a 75ml bottle of gin for £7.99, now that is a bargin.

[mrdinkle]

Yes, sloe vodka and 2 variations on blackberry vodka are colouring up nicely

[danmon_81]

picked plenty of elderberries and just got the river cottage preserves book...think i might try that pontack sauce!!

How big are Sloe's? are they quite small? there's a bush near ours and they are quite small at the minute...but i want to beat the birds!!