Easy Blackberry Jam

What better a way to capture the joy and sweetness of summer than by making a jar of blackberry jam? There is something so comforting and luxurious about being able to have this rich deep crimson preserve on a cold winters day, smothered onto a slice of toast or stirred into rice pudding.

Despite the rain, I had a lovely walk and saw lots of other fruit ripening. Hopefully I'll be able to use some of them too later this month!

 Betty was having a great time jumping over long grass and chasing Ruby but she did NOT like the rain and once she got wet she refused to walk home so I had to carry her.

 The recipe I use is so unbelievably simple its hard to go wrong:

*1 Kg blackberries

*1 Kg jam sugar

*The juice of one lemon

First, I washed the blackberries and put them on the hob for about half an hour on a low heat, stirring occasionally.  Because I don't like to have too many lumps in my jelly, I blended the mixture at this point, and I often sieve the mixture to remove the pips, but I decided not to this year.

I then added the lemon juice and the jam sugar and once dissolved, boiled the mixture until the setting point was achieved. The way to do this is by dripping a small amount onto a refrigerated plate,  waiting for a few seconds (I usually blow on it) and then pushing it with your finger. If it wrinkles then it is ready to take off the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes.

I poured this liquid into freshly sterilised jars and left to cool, much to the frustration of my little brother Ned who want to eat it strait away! I know from my own experience it is never a good idea to stick your finger in a freshly boiled batch of jam...

 Safely back in her bed, Betty is back to her normal bitey self after her rainy ordeal. Look at that tummy!

Bitey Betty

Although Betty is a little angel most of the time, she sure has got a good set of teeth on her! She was having a little play with Ned and her squeaky toys earlier and I snapped this pretty terrifying shot - it looks like something from a horror film! I think were all going to have nightmares tonight...

New Puppy!

Equipped with blankets, puppy training pads, crafts and coffee in plastic mugs, me and my mum and sister began to make the long and tiring journey from Bristol to Saltburnby-by-the-Sea near Middlesbrough. It was a nine hour round trip but but who wouldn't want to make that trip for a teeny tiny puppy?? 

We decided that the scruffy and energetic Bedlington Terrier/Whippet cross would fit in perfectly with our family. Heres mum, apparently she was feeling a bit sad because two of her other pups had already been taken that morning, which made me feel particularly bad as we were about to take another one... I couldn't believe she had managed to feed eight little puppies, but according to the breeders, they once had a litter of thirteen! Ouch!

 Our little pup was so worried and it felt heartbreaking to take her away from her mummy, but after a bit of a quiet and shivery car journey she began to perk up and have a look around.

Safely home and beginning to settle in we were ready to finaly decide on her name. A few days before we had all been suggesting names and making a list, much to the delight of my 5 year old brother Ned. It wasn't until he was being tucked in at night that it was discovered he had made a little list of his own, which included Chip, Gertrude and Mega EX. How adorable it that?

So here is the full name, its a bit of a mouthful!

Betty Sue Tranquility Gertrude Mega EX Gunning-Bown-Legg-Cook

Betty LOVES the garden. If shes not running around biting ankles, she's chewing the football net or being a little too interested in the guinea pigs, Demi, Dora and Daphne.

 Mossy wasn't too sure about Betty at first, but they did suspiciously greet each other. I am hoping to get Betty accustomed to Mossy being around so she doesn't think of her as prey, but at the moment they are about the same size so theres not too much to worry about for now.

 Just like human babies, Betty loves a good snooze. I suppose all that chasing and biting and chewing must have tired her out!

Beetroot Lip Stain

Although I can't stand the taste, I have always loved the beautiful colour of beetroot. Today I decided to have another go at making a naturally coloured lip salve/stain, this time using beetroot juice instead of sour cherry juice, which gave a nice colour, but tasted pretty gross! I put loads of salt and vinegar as a preservative in it, and mixed with the sweet and sour cherry juice made a pretty disgusting mixture. I hopes that this time, even if I don't like beetroot it wouldn't be nearly as strong, but give a more vibrant colour.

I first grated some of the beetroot and ground this together with about 2 teaspoons of glycerin in a mortar and pestle. I then strained this lovely bright crimson liquid and heated with beeswax and a bit of olive oil, hoping to make a creamy emulsion. 

 As it cooled I whisked the mixture, trying to stop it from separating and...
What a disaster! As you can probably tell, this didn't quite turn out as I was hoping. It reminds me of some gruesome halloween makeup. Time for another attempt!

 Instead of mixing the juice/glycerin with oil and wax, I decided to try it out on its own as a lip and cheek stain and found it very effective. It tastes faintly sweet but not overpoweringly of beetroot, and has a consistent smooth and strong colour which I like. I am hoping the glycerin will help to preserve it for a while, but I'll keep it in the fridge and try and use it up before it starts to smell!

Happy Birthday

The beginning of July heralds the start of birthday season, with me, my sister and my boyfriend all having birthdays within 6 days of each other. It's especially busy for me, because I make a lot of my gifts, but being in a creative family means I also receive lots of handmade gifts myself!

Here are few of my favourite birthday gifts this year...

One of the many things me and my mum have in common is our love for the Country Living magazine. In the August edition is a wonderful article about couple who hand make herbal goats milk soaps using local natural ingredients like rapeseed oil from rural Hampshire. Now I have a passion for all things herbal, local, sustainable and made from scratch so I swiftly got googling and checking all the places in Bristol I could buy some, and its lucky I didn't buy any yet because, to my surprise, I was a bar each of their Lavender Goats Milk soap and Pure Goats Milk soap. How well she knows me!

I found the lavender soap to be extremely creamy and moisturising with a pleasing familiar aroma. They also came with a soft cotton cloth, which paired with the simple wholesome packaging and delicate earthy logo, makes a really lovely gift.

 Another of my birthday presents was given to me by my talented Gran, who recently has begun to experiment with glass fusing. This beautiful glass dish has been made by fusing slices of transparent and dichroic glass onto a circle of glass into a mould. It's really nice to have something she has made, and it would go very well with my new soaps.

 My friend Lily has always been one for herbal remedies, with a collection of essential oils to rival any aromatherapists. This soothing cream has been working wonders on my dry skin, and leaves a lovely floral smell that lingers for hours. Lush!

 Along with lots of delicious Asian treats, my sister has been up to lots of creative things, and gave me this sewn drawstring pouch and friendship bracelet. What could be better than handmade gifts and chocolate?

 I seem to be starting lots of projects at the moment and then forgetting to finish them, but one thing I am really enjoying is doing some weaving using wool I have spun. Ive done so much knitting with it its quite refreshing to be using it for something new. With alternating rings of white, turmeric dyed, dark brown, and ginger alpaca wool, I am hoping it will make a good if perhaps slightly scratchy cushion.