Whatever we feel about the weather we've had of late, it has been a marvellous season for hedgerow fruit: the sloes, blackberries, elderberries, haws, crab apples (pictured) and rosehips are abundant right now.
Harvested from the wild, they are naturally organic, although do try and avoid sources too close to the road as they will have been affected by traffic fumes.
Rosehips are extremely high in vitamin C, carotene and rutin, making them excellent for the skin; hawthorn berries, or haws are used in herbal medicine to tonify the heart and circulation as well as the digestion; elderberries are immune boosting; blackberries tonify the whole body and cleanse the blood; crab apples are extremely high in pectin, a prebiotic, feeding your beneficial gut flora and improving bowel movements; and sloes are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C.
Hedgerow jam is a wonderful way to capture the health-giving properties of our native fruits. Making it is easy. Harvest as much as you can, keeping the soft fruits like the elderberries and blackberries separate. Wash and pick over the fruits, put in a large pan and cover with water. Simmer gently until the fruits are soft - about 30-45 minutes. Leave to cool, add the soft fruit and push through a sieve to obtain a smooth pink pulp. Weigh the pulp and add an equal amount of sugar, using a very large pan to prevent the mixture boiling over. Bring to the boil, and simmer until setting point is reached.
There is nothing complicated about finding the setting point: when the mixture thickens, spread a bit onto a saucer. If it looks like jam, it is done! Pot up into sterilised jars and use throughout the winter to keep your nutrient levels high.
Enjoy!