Rowling Makes a Stand

[JadeLeader]

Ok, so I know the educated classes hate us and our Dear Leader, but she's really not doing herself any favours here...

Gooseberry crumble with custard and lots of soft brown sugar.

Gooseberries with Mackerel, a traditional French dish.
The tartness of the gooseberries cuts through and complements the richness of the fish.

In Norway it is herring with gooseberries.

May I present the Soft Southerner version?

Toasted oats/seeds in a granola-type-thing, creme fraiche, raspberries and a drizzle of honey.

I echo the mackerel suggestion, but they also go well with pork.

Waitrose sell them, for anyone who hasn't got an obliging neighbour: https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-ci-gooseberries/088023-45002-45003

including forced early in season

😩not fair!!

Very expensive. An occasional treat!

For some! Wahhhh!!!

We can grow liquorice in England... that is something I want to try.

I grow them in the border as a spiky hedge, they take up surprisingly little ground space.

I'm going to grow tea. It looks really easy to make! You just bash the leaves and leave them to cure in the sun.

But you can just buy tea from any shop? ( I am not a gardener)

My blackcurrants are a couple of weeks early this year. I'm wondering what to make with them apart from jam

I know but it seems like magic to do it yourself!

I am making vinegars this year, steep the fruit in apple cider vinegar and then once they have had a few weeks in there, when it is cool enough to be arsed to do it, strain the fruit out, add some jam sugar and cook it down to make a sauce and have over salads, on ice cream etc.

I made this last year with my raspberry and bramble glut, it's fab. Might try this year with blackcurrants.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/aug/28/nigel-slater-raspberry-vinegar

🤭😬

I'm positive the blackberries around here (South Wales) will be ready to pick by late July this year, ditto the raspberries. And a few days ago, before I decided I wasn't going out anymore in this heat, I noticed that there are already apples on some of the trees. Ridiculously early!

In further tales of fruit based torture, we had a red currant and a black currant bush in the garden when I was a kid and my Mum always used to make me pick them, and I hated it. They never even really got made into anything I liked either but at least she never thought of putting them in coleslaw I suppose.

We have to take small blessings where we can find them. Redcurrant coleslaw? Bleeeeurgh!

That looks yummy! I think I would use Greek yogurt instead of creme fraiche. My raspberries are growing well, so looking forward to this recipe!

They do make a very nice jam, and dead easy to do because they set so easily.

Put a saucer in the freezer before you start. For 500g mixed berries (mostly blackberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and raspberries - I caution against too many strawberries because they're the very devil to get to set) mix in a pan with 450g sugar, the juice of a lemon and about 200ml water. Cook until the fruit has broken down. Don't have the heat too high at this stage else it will burn, even if it means cooking for longer.

Stir in a knob of butter (sounds mad, helps stops impurities in the sugar generating scum on the surface). Bring to a good boil, cook for 5 mins then test by putting a teaspoon of jam on the cold plate and leaving for 1 min. If it wrinkles when you push it with your finger after the minute, it's done. Otherwise, keep boiling and testing at 5 minute intervals.

Pour into clean jars (a jam funnel is useful - boiling jam and human skin are NOT a good combination) and keep in the fridge. If you want it to keep longer, sterilise the jars and lids first.

Clotted cream would also be nice!