It's been very wet the last few days which is good for my parched garden and plot. I popped down yesterday to pick my berries only to discover that the birds had got to my blackcurrants 😱 And they'd broken 2 big branches by standing on them. I did have netting on that bed but it had blown off and I'd never got round to replacing it. Heyho, my own fault! You'll see in the video how many I got!! 😂
I decided to make gooseberry gin liqueur with a bottle of gin my Lovely Mum had opened and not used in ages. Neither of us are keen on this one. I froze the gooseberries to soften the skin (like you do with sloes) so I didn't need to prick each one!! I'll let it sit for a few months to infuse then make jam with the gooseberries when I strain them off. Flavoured gin and jam from the same berries 😋
I've been drying some rose petals on my sunny window so I can make a rosemary and rose infused oil to make a salve later in the Summer. I'm definitely going to be making more lotions and potions with my garden produce. These petals came from the rose Very Berry which is growing abundantly in my front garden in one of the raised beds 🌹
Gorgeous and has a lovely rose scent!
P.S. Just one more day until I retire!! 🎈🎉🎊
Funnily enough we've picked our gooseberries today - pounds of them, did well even after the recent very dry weather. I've now got the tedious task of topping and tailing prior to freezing. A very useful fruit.
ReplyDeleteLove the gin/jam idea and the rose petal salve will be gorgeous.
Alison in Wales x
The alcohol burns off when you're boiling the jam so it's a fab win/win for 2 yummy things!! I saw a Youtube video on making a rose petal salve and thought it sounded lovely :-)
DeleteI’m a lover of gooseberries but there are a challenge to buy near me. My daughter recently started off some rhubarb gin and I made my share into poached rhubarb for yoghurt and froze some chopped stalks for winter crumbles. Catriona
ReplyDeleteI made rhubarb gin last year that went down a storm as gifts at Christmas!!
DeleteSo have you got a ‘hoolie’ planned to celebrate your retirement? Be a devil and get absolutely p*ssed and kick your heels up (bugger the hangover) you deserve the all the fun in the world 💐🥂. Jan in Castle Gresley xx
ReplyDeleteThe party last week was the hoolie!!! But I may partake in a wee glass or 2 tonight!
DeleteLots of great berries.
ReplyDeleteI am also making more lotions and potions using my herbs. I didn't know one could dry rose petals and use them. Perhaps I need to plant some roses and keep my fingers crossed they actually grow.
God bless.
Yes, you dry the herbs or petals first then soak them in oil for a few weeks before using the oil to make salves etc I've had dried calendula in oil for months that needs straining and using soon!
DeleteReused gooseberries - genius. I have a bowl of apricots strained out of apricot liqueur in the fridge at the moment, which we are eating (carefully rationed!) with ice cream for dessert. As the liquid was mainly wine, with some added vodka, they don't taste too much of alcohol. Usually I steep fruit in straight vodka, gin or whisky and end up throwing the fruit away afterwards as it is just too strong, but making it into jam really appeals to my frugal streak! The one fruit I have successfully recycled is the sloes from sloe gin. Added to a bottle of port for 3 weeks and then strained off they produce Nelson's Blood, which tastes amazing. Think super rich and porty port. If you don't like port you can also infuse them in cider to produce something lighter and fresher.
ReplyDeleteOooo that sounds absolutely delicious!!! Might try that!
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