While we were in Scotland we visited a couple of berry picking farms, Scotland has some wonderful fruits and in the summer it shines. You can find gooseberries a tart fruit that aren't allowed in North Carolina as it apparently carries a disease that infects the white pine. You can also find black currants, tart little berries that go into making Ribena a favorite British drink. In 1938 Ribena was invented taking its name from the Latin word for blackcurrants: Ribes Nigrum, it was given as a vitamin C supplement after world war two and still has the label rich in vitamin C.
The kids also enjoyed picking blackcurrant's in my brother and sister in laws Edinburgh back garden, and we snacked on wild raspberries in the woods behind my parents house :-)
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| British gooseberries |
After one of the visits to a fruit farm my Mum made a blackcurrant and strawberry Jam. Here's the recipe -
Blackcurrant Jam
Ingredients:
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| Blackcurrant's the kids picked in my brothers Edinburgh garden |
- 1lb of blackcurrants or blueberries, black berries
- 3/4 pint of water / 430 ml
- 1 1/4lb of sugar
Method:
- add the fruit and water to a pan, simmer until the black-currants are soft
- stir in the sugar and allow to dissolve then increase the temperature and boil rapidly until set
- add to jars
- to test when the jam is set add a little to a cold saucer allow to cool push with a finger or teaspoon if it wrinkles its set
looking at my mums recipes, all the fruit jams have equal amounts of fruit to sugar and its the sugar that gives the flavor and allows it to set.
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| Jam with crumpets so good |
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| Berry picking |
