A sweet version of a gin and tonic cocktail made with fresh blackberries, mint, and Meyer lemon

What a bumper crop of wild blackberries we have this year, I can’t quite remember when there was such an abundant harvest of plump and juicy FREE fruit. They have also ripened earlier than usual after those glorious sunny days, now just a distant memory.

It took me less than a half an hour to pick a huge bowl full…. My fingers were stained a delicious purple from the juice but it’s not just blackberries in the hedgerow, there are also lots of sloes and a promising crop of hazelnuts and crab apples too.

After my foraging expedition, I popped into town to do a bit of shopping and there on the display shelf in the midst of the season were plastic punnets of cultivated blackberries - €4.50 for 200g!

Maybe picking fruit off the brambles in the hedgerows isn’t everyone’s ‘cup of tea’ but I love a blackberry picking expedition, particularly when the group is made up of all ages and bring a picnic along too.

We show the children how to inspect the fruit and pick perfect berries. If the central core is discoloured or stained with juice, it usually indicates that a maggot has moved in. Nature provides for all of us…

Blackberries are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants and were traditionally used to soothe sore throats. When picking, stick to hedgerows on country lanes or boreens and areas that haven’t been sprayed with chemicals, and try to avoid busy roadside.

Blackberries freeze brilliantly and are a wonderful standby during winter months for tarts, compotes, crumbles and jam.  There will certainly be a glut this year but what to do apart from freezing? Of course, there is jam but it’s worth remembering that blackberries are low in pectin, so you’ll need to add some tart, pectin-rich apples to help the set and cut the sweetness. I like to include some chopped rosemary or sweet geranium to add some extra magic and how about making a cordial, wild blackberry mousse or a chutney…

We also love a riff on the classic Eton mess with wild blackberries or a mixture of blackberries and autumn raspberries. Maybe add a tablespoon or two of cassis if you have it.

I scattered a few into the batter for a batch of ‘wee buns’ today, slathered lemon icing on top and decorated them with a few fresh blackberries and sweet geranium leaves. I got showered with compliments while they disappeared like hot cakes.

In fact, you can pretty much substitute blackberries for any other summer berries in recipes.

Blackberry fool is also delish, try folding a few berries into your breakfast bircher muesli with a little grated tart apple. How about sprinkling a fistful of frozen blackberries into a batch of muffins or clafoutis? Sprinkle them with sweet geranium sugar. Blackberry ice cream and blackberry and sweet geranium granita are also exquisite. Everyone should have a sweet geranium plant to add that hauntingly, beautiful lemony flavour to so many dishes but it has a particular affinity to blackberries.

It's also worth making a wild blackberry syrup, just mash equal parts of blackberries, sugar and cider vinegar in a sterilized Kilner jar and allow to sit for a couple of weeks in a cool spot. Decant and dilute with sparkling water and lots of ice.

A more grown-up version…. blackberry gin or vodka is also super easy to make and use as a base for festive fizz or a perfect Christmas present.

So get gathering, it will be the game season soon, a fistful scattered into the pan when roasting pork, duck or game bird is delicious crushed into the gravy with lots of thyme. Add a few squished blackberries to a mojito …there’s no end to the delicious ways to use your wild blackberry harvest.

Here are a few recipes for you to enjoy…

Wee Blackberry Buns recipe by:Darina Allen If you don’t have sweet geranium, substitute fresh mint leaves for these adorable ‘wee buns’. Servings 10 Preparation Time 10 mins Cooking Time 25 mins Total Time 35 mins Course Dessert Cuisine European Ingredients 175g (6oz) soft butter 150g (5oz) castor sugar 3 eggs, preferably free range 175g (6oz) self-raising flour 110g (4oz) wild blackberries For the lemon glacé icing: 225g (8oz) icing sugar finely grated zest of 1 lemon 2-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1 bun tray with 10-12 holes Method Line the base of the tins with small muffin papers or bun cases Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put the soft butter, castor sugar, eggs and self-raising flour into the bowl of a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate. Sprinkle the blackberries over the mixture, fold in gently, then – Divide evenly between the 10 or 12 cases depending on size. I sometimes lay a geranium leaf on top of each bun. Bake in the preheated oven for 20- 25 minutes approx. or until golden and well risen. Cool on a wire rack.

If you don’t have sweet geranium, substitute fresh mint leaves for these adorable ‘wee buns’.

For the lemon glacé icing:

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 bun tray with 10-12 holes

Line the base of the tins with small muffin papers or bun cases

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Put the soft butter, castor sugar, eggs and self-raising flour into the bowl of a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate. Sprinkle the blackberries over the mixture, fold in gently, then – Divide evenly between the 10 or 12 cases depending on size. I sometimes lay a geranium leaf on top of each bun.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20- 25 minutes approx. or until golden and well risen.

Cool on a wire rack.

Blackberry and Sweet Geranium Gin recipe by:Darina Allen Make this now and enjoy neat or as a base for a Blackberry and Sweet Geranium gin and tonic. Servings 4 Course Dessert Cuisine English Ingredients 600g (1 1/4lbs) blackberries 600g (1 1/4lbs) sugar 600ml (1 pint) gin or vodka 4-6 sweet geranium leaves (pelargonium graveolens) MethodPut all the ingredients into a bottle for 2 – 3 months. Enjoy in small glasses. Damsons, sloes and haws also make delicious liqueurs. We’ve had excellent results with both gin and vodka.

Make this now and enjoy neat or as a base for a Blackberry and Sweet Geranium gin and tonic.

600ml (1 pint) gin or vodka

4-6 sweet geranium leaves (pelargonium graveolens)

Blackberry and Sweet Geranium Sorbet recipe by:Darina Allen Sweet Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens) has a wonderful affinity with blackberries. Fresh mint or lemon verbena leaves could also be substituted – deliciously refreshing. Servings 4 Preparation Time 30 mins Total Time 30 mins Course Dessert Cuisine French Ingredients 450g (1lb) wild blackberries 75g (3oz) sugar 150ml (5fl oz) water 4-6 large sweet geranium leaves (depending on size) Method Put the sugar, water and sweet geranium leaves into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, boil for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, liquidise and sieve the blackberries through a nylon sieve. When the syrup is cold, mix with the blackberry purée, taste, it ought to taste a little too sweet at this stage, but add some fresh lemon juice if it’s cloying. Freeze in a sorbetière for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, put into a freezer until almost frozen, then take it out and break up the crystals with a whisk or in a food processor, return to the freezer and repeat once or twice more. If you do not have a sorbetière you might like to fold half a stiffly beaten egg white into the sorbet to lighten the texture. Serve a scoop of sorbet on chilled white plates, decorate with whole blackberries and sweet geranium leaves.

Sweet Geranium (Pelargonium Graveolens) has a wonderful affinity with blackberries. Fresh mint or lemon verbena leaves could also be substituted – deliciously refreshing.

4-6 large sweet geranium leaves (depending on size)

Put the sugar, water and sweet geranium leaves into a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, boil for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool.

Meanwhile, liquidise and sieve the blackberries through a nylon sieve. When the syrup is cold, mix with the blackberry purée, taste, it ought to taste a little too sweet at this stage, but add some fresh lemon juice if it’s cloying. Freeze in a sorbetière for about 20 minutes. Alternatively, put into a freezer until almost frozen, then take it out and break up the crystals with a whisk or in a food processor, return to the freezer and repeat once or twice more. If you do not have a sorbetière you might like to fold half a stiffly beaten egg white into the sorbet to lighten the texture.

Serve a scoop of sorbet on chilled white plates, decorate with whole blackberries and sweet geranium leaves.

Woodcock Smokery Coastal Harvest Course

On the 15th September 2022, Woodcock Smokery located in beautiful Skibbereen in West Cork are running a special Coastal Harvest foraging course including mushrooms. Find out how to feed yourself from the wild coastline for oceanic edibles and secret wonders from local woods. Lunch is cooked with the foraged delights.

For more information , see www.woodcocksmokery.com

Ballymaloe Favourites at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Wednesday, 14th September.

Ballymaloe Country House and Restaurant has been welcoming guests from all over the world since 1964. Serving fresh, seasonal food from the farm, gardens and local area following Myrtle Allen’s philosophy.

The menu has evolved throughout the years, but even so, there are many classic Ballymaloe dishes that just continue to be favourites - simply too good to forget.

We have chosen a selection of signature dishes from the 60 years of Ballymaloe House menus for you to enjoy cooking at home.

We have a few places available, for more information, see www.cookingisfun.ie

Rare Ruminaire is a beautiful ecological farm owned by Clive Bright and his family in Ballymote, Co. Sligo. The flavourful, nutritious lamb and rosé veal, mob grazed on beautiful mixed organic pasture is maybe the best you’ll ever taste.

I don’t normally wax lyrical about this kind of thing but this is something different…Check out Rare Ruminaire for details of his meat boxes which can be couriered around the country within 24 hours. For more information , see www.rareruminare.com

Sweet Geranium Plants – Ballymaloe Farm Shop

In response to queries - we have a few Sweet Geranium plants for sale at the Ballymaloe Farm Shop beside the cookery school in Shanagarry but you can also find it at many garden centres – the Latin name is Pelargonium graveolens.

For more information, contact Carrie 021 4646 785

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