The weekend past was a Bank Holiday and as such, hubby and I took every pain to enjoy the rest and slower pace.
The girls stayed with grandparents on Sunday night and on the Monday morning Hubby and I went walking. It was glorious! We sat for a while on a bench so I could add a few rows to something I am working on for Rosie’s birthday.
The girls returned in the afternoon and we spent a happy hour making jam from all the blackberries we have been collecting. We have bottles and bottles of the stuff now! I have an easy, pretty foolproof recipe that I use each year so that we have an abundance, all ready for making those Blackberry jam tarts for Michaelmas!
We also made fresh lemonade. This is so easy & delicious! I have included my recipe below.
As evening approached we all went for a lovely evening walk to the river. I sat and knitted while the girls played with hubby and walked a large tree trunk that spans the river. There was much screaming, laughing & the splashing of dogs!
We headed home to a fire in the garden and enjoyed a delicious dinner of lamb steaks and caramelised onions on crusty bread, ice cold lemonade and vanilla ice cream drizzled with warmed blackberry jam. We chatted for a while then the girls decided it was time for s’mores; which, I have to say are such a treat!
After a long hot day, the sun began to fade and we all began to grow tired; that lovely, physically spent and full-bellied sleepiness that follows a perfect summer day…
Lemonade
3 large lemons
100g sugar
1L of water
Halve the lemons & juice them. Add the rinds to a bowl, along with the sugar & drench with 1L of boiling water. Stir, cover with a clean tea towel & leave to cool. Once cooled, strain the lemons from the water and add the lemon juice. Serve chilled.
Please share the foolproof blackberry jam recipe please:-)) Ours are out but still very sour. Going to have a go with my lot this autumn!!
🙂
weigh your blackberries, & measure out an equal weight of sugar. (I always use the added pectin variety)
Put the blackberried in a big, heavy bottomed pan & bring to the boil with a splash of water & the juice of a lemon. Simmer for about 10 mins or so, until they have broken down.
Add the sugar & cook on a low heat until it has completely dissolved.
Bring to a rolling boil & boil for 10 mins. Turn off the heat & test the setting point (keep a plate in the freezer, lift it out, put on a smidge of jam, leave it for about 30 secs then push your finger through it. If it ‘wrinkles’ & leaves a gap, without the jam flooding back in it is done. If not, boil again for a minute or two & test again.)
Leave to stand for 15 minutes, then put into sterilised jars, et voila!
oxoxoxox