(Ouch)…… blackberries today!
Going to make jam  :)

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Taste sensation!
I used only a little raw sugar, the rest was xylitol and 20ml of lemon juice,
and wild organic blackberries of course.
Cooked it in the Thermomix.

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Hope the council hadn’t sprayed those!

Reading about the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi in the US Civil War—once the Union besiegers’ trenches were getting close to the rebel fortifications there would be impromptu local ceasefires so the soldiers of both sides could pick blackberries!

The rebel soldiers used them to settle certain stomach disorders consequent on starvation portions of food. Some actual brother to brother meetings happened during these ceasefires—Missouri, a slave state but in the Union, saw volunteers for both sides.

Jovial Monk wrote on Feb 6^th, 2024 at 3:00pm:

Hope the council hadn’t sprayed those! Reading about the siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi in the US Civil War—once the Union besiegers’ trenches were getting close to the rebel fortifications there would be impromptu local ceasefires so the soldiers of both sides could pick blackberries! The rebel soldiers used them to settle certain stomach disorders consequent on starvation portions of food. Some actual brother to brother meetings happened during these ceasefires—Missouri, a slave state but in the Union, saw volunteers for both sides.

Wow what an amazing story! Love that.
And no council hadn’t sprayed as it’s between private properties… ours and neighbour.
Plus we have some growing around base of old orchard of apple trees.
I’ve put jam in jars now… setting really well.

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Nice. I am about to spray Tree and Blackberry killer next windless day. Already spent half an hour hoeing blackberry plants out of one part of the orchard—can’t use herbicides around newly planted trees of course.

Tell you what, I like preserving better than cooking!

I guess there is something satisfying in seeing rows of jars of canned goodness accumulating!

Guess what I did today  :) …..

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I bet you have berry stain all around your mouth too Sophia  :D

Blackberry jam?

One of the most joyful things in life… home made jam on toasted buttered crumpets!
There’s more berries to be picked in coming weeks as many are still unripe.
Months for blackberries are from late Dec to April.

The wild ones here are very small berries. I do pick a few as I walk the dog but wouldn’t pick a basket full.

I have been given permission to pick apples from this 100 year old apple tree. Apple sauce, apple butter here I come! Yum!

I was given persimmons so I’m making jam today … on this nice wintry day…messy things

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I’ve never liked persimmons on their own… but in jam is delectable!

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Don’t like them enough to even see if they grow here. Am adding three plum trees this spring, suitable for eating fresh (greengage, Angelina Burdett) and cooking (especially the third plum, Robe de Sargent, a prune.)

Seems damsons are the plum equivalent of persimmons

Quote:

Damsons aren’t really suitable for eating raw – cooking brings out the full depth of flavour and allows for some sugar to be added. Damson jam is without compare, they are heavenly simply stewed and served with custard or cream.

https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/article/damsons-tree-rootstocks-pollination

Damson plums … never heard of them… but if similar to persimmons then I won’t like them on their own, same as quinces … only way it’s yummy is when made as a purée or jam.

Damsons are tiny plums, have some thorns so not mch cherry slug damage. Acid beyond belief until cooked and some sugar added, just like persimmons.

I recall when I was 5 years old and living out west. One of our nearby neighbours had a mulberry tree. One night at a party they were hosting, the lady of the home let me and my sister pick the mulberries. Half an hour later, there was a bare patch on the tree, and both my sister and I looked like we were doing our version of blackface.

Yeah, not impressed by mulberries and if birds get to the fruit cars in the area will be thickly covered in purple birdshit! No mulberry tree for me!

Same reason no olive tree—no idea if olive trees would grow here—but if birds get to the fruit—olive trees be popping up everywhere! Had that in Adelaide!

Might add a damson to my order.

Stew/preserve/jam/mead or country wine.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jun 30^th, 2024 at 10:02pm:

Same reason no olive tree—no idea if olive trees would grow here—but if birds get to the fruit—olive trees be popping up everywhere! Had that in Adelaide!

Up in Nth Qld, some cassowaries eat a certain type of fruit whole. They digest the fruit and the seed comes out near whole during their poop. The fertiliser from the dung, mixed with the seed laying upon the ground is why there are so many fruit trees of the same type in one particular area.

My latest freshly picked… little bell peppers or are they also called Bishops hats?
Chopped up and ready to gently fry in olive oil to bottle.
Served at dinner to take tea spoonfuls to add on pasta etc.
I think I need a new chopping board! So well used  ;D

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Customer just bought in a bucket of freshly picked raspberries today as well as a few kgs of cucumbers.
I like living in a more rural area. :D

Nice!

And pumpkin soup made in Thermomix with an added bit of cooked crisp chilli topping.
I cooked the chilli in olive oil earlier today and had to have doors open … lucky it’s a beautiful sunny day today!
I made up some garlic bread in air fryer too.
Crush my own garlic and mix with butter … I didn’t have parsley but garlic bread was still good!

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....if I could get my mandarin tree to start producing fruit again, I could join this conversation...

Told you what to so, Unsub! Prune the tree so light and air gets everywhere, spread a bag or two of sheep manure around the tree, sprinkling a tiny amount of potassium sulphate with the manure. Water the manure and pot. sulphate in.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 5^th, 2024 at 8:52am:

Told you what to so, Unsub! Prune the tree so light and air gets everywhere, spread a bag or two of sheep manure around the tree, sprinkling a tiny amount of potassium sulphate with the manure. Water the manure and pot. sulphate in.

I do similar. Prune of the lower small branches, that helps reduce disease and increases air flow.
I use 'Organic Xtra' and have just started to add Sulphur powder to lower the pH in the compost bins.

Easy on the sulphur tho Sprint—will kill the symbiotic fungi in the soil too.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 5^th, 2024 at 8:52am:

Told you what to so, Unsub! Prune the tree so light and air gets everywhere, spread a bag or two of sheep manure around the tree, sprinkling a tiny amount of potassium sulphate with the manure. Water the manure and pot. sulphate in.

I was making a bit of a whinge. The tree is starting to look healthier in recent years. Like you said, I need to prune the tree. I have to anyway. The branches are getting in the way of my mowing. And I need to dump some gypsum over the backyard to do what I can to mitigate the salinity of the soil.

Salinity of the soil?

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 5^th, 2024 at 5:01pm:

Salinity of the soil?

I made a real dick up of the soil when I was undergoing a schizophrenic episode. What it was I will not go into detail. I do blame the company for lying to me about their product, though.

Only thing can make a soil saline is salt.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 6^th, 2024 at 3:35pm:

Only thing can make a soil saline is salt.

Yup. And that is where I messed up.

Dig in compost, water well to flush out the salt. The compost makes the soil lighter, more permeable.

I was thinking about just mowing the lawn today without the catcher on. Let the grass clippings act to 'mulch' the ground. Is that advisable? My neighbour told me that its a good way to get the soil to be protected and somewhat regenerate during winter months.

To me, sounds more like a case of dig it up, add compost, dig it in, water it well to flush out the salt.

A few years ago, I did a considerable effort fixing up my error. I went right around the yard and dug up areas of grass that looked "dead". By the end of my efforts, the whole yard looked very patchy (free of yellow grass) lawn. I laid down some potting mix over the patches. A week later, I laid down some lawn seeds -- which might have been a waste, until the lawn got better. The yard did look better after a month.

Lawn care experts have told me to put gypsum over the lawn, which should draw out the salt -- or whatever it was that the guy said. Given that this year is expected to be very wet, I should have the yard done over with gypsum again. When the rains come, salt contents should be washed out to the street. Then I can try and golf green the front yard, and let it look presentable.

John Smith wrote on Jul 2^nd, 2024 at 6:42pm:

Customer just bought in a bucket of freshly picked raspberries today as well as a few kgs of cucumbers. I like living in a more rural area. :D

About half were turned into jam  another kg to go.  Wife will probably make that into jam today as well as they're a bit over ripe now. 

UnSubRocky wrote on Jul 8^th, 2024 at 12:30am:

A few years ago, I did a considerable effort fixing up my error. I went right around the yard and dug up areas of grass that looked "dead". By the end of my efforts, the whole yard looked very patchy (free of yellow grass) lawn. I laid down some potting mix over the patches. A week later, I laid down some lawn seeds -- which might have been a waste, until the lawn got better. The yard did look better after a month. Lawn care experts have told me to put gypsum over the lawn, which should draw out the salt -- or whatever it was that the guy said. Given that this year is expected to be very wet, I should have the yard done over with gypsum again. When the rains come, salt contents should be washed out to the street. Then I can try and golf green the front yard, and let it look presentable.

OK, if that is the expert advice you got.

Seems to be correct:


Quote:

Gypsum is composed of fine particles with low water content, which could reduce soil salinity and alkalinity, enhance soil structure and permeability when applied to saline-alkali lands (Liu et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2021a).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653523003946#:~:text=Gypsum%20is%20composed%20of%20fine,et%20al.%2C%202021a).

I collect a few tomatoes and the odd passionfruit most days from the wicking buckets.

I’ve been finishing off cooking all the Bishops Crown chillies and saved some seeds to sow.
Not that I’m any good at growing anything! But hope to!

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I was lucky to find a local selling it so cheap … a kg for $10
Normally chillies are about $4 for 80 grams

All cooked in olive oil and jarred. Sprinkle a bit in food or pasta, or on crusty bread with sliced tomatoes.
Good for keeping winter bugs away.  :)

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You recycle your jars too!

Problem is the lids do wear out.

Jovial Monk wrote on Jul 19^th, 2024 at 1:11pm:

You recycle your jars too! Problem is the lids do wear out.

Oh yeah of course!
As long as they’re very well washed and cleaned.
There’s a bit of a market going for old jars in market place and in op shops. I’ve naturally and instinctively saved and collected for years! Keep in boxes until needed.
Good things come in glass  :)
I usually go for lids that are metal and yes I realised I took pic without lids. But they’re all on now.
I’ve got a jar each for my son and daughter …. They like that hot stuff, I’m getting to like it and hubby not at all…. Good then….more for me!  ;D

I boil the jars in the water bath after washing them thoroughly. Reckon I will use washing soda after cleaning with dishwasher detergent. That will shift any organic matter clinging to the sides. Then boil the jars and lids.

In Adelaide while I reused jars (as long as they had a standard size lid) and would occasionally buy a couple bags of standard lids—need to find a source here for that. Failing that will buy jars and lids when back in Adelaide.

Woo hoo… it’s wild blackberry time!
Seems a bumper crop this year!
Just made jam and it’s amazing!
I’m going to freeze some of the berries for smoothies etc.

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Chillin’ out today!
Picked bishops hats chillies today, and chopped them and slowly cooked in oil, then put into sterilised jars.
I think they are either hotter this year compared to last year, or I’m getting more sensitive!
And even if you think you’ve washed hands … don’t scratch itchy eye!  ;D

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It was a common act during my pre-teen years for us feral neighbourhood kids in Mt Druitt to give another kid a prepared left hand rubbed with Chilli a good eye gouge swipe during a fight.  ;D

Jasin wrote on May 16^th, 2025 at 4:28pm:

It was a common act during my pre-teen years for us feral neighbourhood kids in Mt Druitt to give another kid a prepared left hand rubbed with Chilli a good eye gouge swipe during a fight.  ;D

I was actually thinking how chillies can be weaponised! I’ve done it to myself today! I didn’t wear gloves when chopping up the chillies…. No matter how many times I’ve washed my hands… it’s just embedded into the pores of the skin…. my itchy eye told me so  ;D

It was a good effective ploy. Got one kid a good one in both eyes as we grappled on the ground in a scuff. Brought tears to his eyes, he couldn't fight on and brought much laughter to the surrounding mob of fight fans. Reckon he would have beaten me, if I hadn't 'cheated'.  :D

Aahh yes my little blackberry babies are nearly ready for this years’ crop to pick, and it’s going to be a bumper year!

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Sophia wrote on Jan 14^th, 2026 at 10:36am:

Aahh yes my little blackberry babies are nearly ready for this years’ crop to pick, and it’s going to be a bumper year!

Do you have to protect them from birds and insects?

tallowood wrote on Jan 14^th, 2026 at 12:13pm:

Sophia wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 10:36am: Aahh yes my little blackberry babies are nearly ready for this years’ crop to pick, and it’s going to be a bumper year! Do you have to protect them from birds and insects?

No. Nothing! Not even sprayed. Just let them be organic wild grown blackberries. The prickles keep out birds, and insects don’t seem to have a bar of them! Lucky me  :)

Sophia wrote on Jan 14^th, 2026 at 1:03pm:

tallowood wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 12:13pm: Sophia wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 10:36am: Aahh yes my little blackberry babies are nearly ready for this years’ crop to pick, and it’s going to be a bumper year! Do you have to protect them from birds and insects? No. Nothing! Not even sprayed. Just let them be organic wild grown blackberries. The prickles keep out birds, and insects don’t seem to have a bar of them! Lucky me  :)

Our veggie patch, peach trees and roseberry bushes went under two meters of water in May flood so no harvest this year  :(
Next year should be back to normal I hope.

tallowood wrote on Jan 14^th, 2026 at 1:33pm:

Sophia wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 1:03pm: tallowood wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 12:13pm: Sophia wrote on Jan 14th, 2026 at 10:36am: Aahh yes my little blackberry babies are nearly ready for this years’ crop to pick, and it’s going to be a bumper year! Do you have to protect them from birds and insects? No. Nothing! Not even sprayed. Just let them be organic wild grown blackberries. The prickles keep out birds, and insects don’t seem to have a bar of them! Lucky me  :) Our veggie patch, peach trees and roseberry bushes went under two meters of water in May flood so no harvest this year  :( Next year should be back to normal I hope.

Oh no! 2 metres flood water!  :o I hope your house is okay!
We occasionally have 1 metre flood in driveway, entry and road when it rains a lot. And the shed too gets about 1 foot flooded!
House is safe.
But last 2 years we’ve had less rain than usual, going through a green drought. I hope it rains soon, I’m missing it.

Well….I’ve done the blackberries past few weeks, there was an abundance! I especially loved making blackberry juice!
Now it’s tomatoes coming soon to make and bottle sauce!
I will take pic of tomatoes when I get them Thursday.
For next 2 days I’m sterilising jars and bottles….the old vintage thick beer bottles I kept from my mum and dad’s era.
Pics later!

I sterilised jars and bottles yesterday. Today I picked up 4 boxes tomatoes.
I’ve done 12 bottles tonight. 3 n half hours. And only 2/3rds down in first lot.
3 n 1/3rd to go! Tomorrow sterilise more bottles.
Weekend all hands on deck!

I had bought bottled passata sauce for $8 each, or whole tomatoes in big jars for $16.50
So with all these tomatoes I could have about 70 bottles. For $100 I paid for Roma tomatoes, it’s worth the effort!
Friends want my sauce, but I need to make a trade!  ;D

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Now…. There’s some advice here about which canned tomatoes to avoid, and which are recommended.

Tomatoes ain’t tomatoes with some of them!

https://youtu.be/ux8Gvxc49FM?si=u7vDnxDwlT31uaPW

I can’t locate the topic Monk and I were debating over RE: use of citric acid when making passata etc.
I found this interesting discussion.


https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/105377/why-dont-some-italian-tomato-sauces-and-pastes-use-citric-acid