Well away from a road, and crop spraying I found a wonderful elderberry bush fragrant with the pollen on its newly opened blossom...so we had to stop and came away with a large carrier bag full. The extra pockets in my walking trousers always house a bag for foraging!
The previous day I had spied some wonderful small gooseberries at the market, but with an eye watering price...but they were local and I imagined the pricks of the pickers and succumbed, having got a little mark down as I bought over a kg, made up from several small punnets. I love it that this market holder will decant the fruit into brown paper bags and reuse the plastic tubs.
I started by using the scissors to top and tail the gooseberries, but found that nipping them with finger and thumb did a much better job. It took ages, and in the end finished this jam around midnight!
I wanted to made a green jam...and these little gooseberries looked a little under ripe, often the best for pectin etc...but the jam did turn a delightful blush colour in the end, so the berries must have been on the ripe side. I wonder if there will be some elderflower petals in the jam. If I lived in the really great gooseberry growing areas, I might be able to ask someone for their thinnings, which would give green jam!
