Rambling and brambling

I kept a some 500g yoghurt cartons with plastic lids in my rucksack so that whenever we came across a particularly good spot for picking, we had something to carry the fruit in without it getting all squashed. I recommend using such tubs as they're easy to hold while you're picking and they transport the fruit well - fill them up enough so that when  the lid is on it is just gently pressing against the top fruit. That'll stop the berries getting shoogled aboot. Four tubs from the same brand of yoghurt will fit inside each other as will the lids, so the empties don't take up much space. And that amount of full tubs will give you enough berries to do a few tasty things with. We made jam a couple of times - but, it was Russian-style jam - a wee bit different from the British stuff. It's cooked quite gently so that the berries stay whole and we used less sugar than is often used in jams. As the fruit is not boiled enough for the pectin to be released, this jam does not set. It's more like preserved berries. It's messy on a piece, but it's usually eaten from a tiny wee jam dish with a teaspoon, while you're sipping tea. It's also delicious with blini pancakes and sour cream.

It's easier to make this sort of jam than a lot of other kinds. Here's what you do.... Rinse two tubs of berries - that's a litre by volume  but I don't know how much by weight. Put them in a pan with half a tub of sugar (probably about 250g) and heat and stir. A lot of juice will come out andf the sugar will dissolve. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for twenty minutes and skim off any foam that appears with a spoon and chuck it away.Pour the jam into sterilized jars and seal tightly.

I don't know how long it will last as, on both occasions, we scoffed our lot just after we made it. I suspect it will keep a few months.

Another recipe we did, but which we have not tried yet, is bramble vodka. Recipe: One 70cl bottle of good vodka (not any watery British Brand - it should be at least 40 degrees), one 500g tub of berries. Unlike when making jam, it's better if the berries are whole and unbruised for this recipe.

Pour about half the bottle into a glass or a cup or something, then drop the berries into the bottle one by one. Top up the bottle with vodka and seal. There will be some left-over voddie when you're finished. You can do what you like with that.

I think the bottle should sit undisturbed in a cool place for a few months. We left our bottle in Scotland and we'll check nit out in December, as we plan to spend Christmas and New Year in Scotland for a change. It will be the first time in maybe twenty years. At least Bute has palm trees....