Wild Blackberry and Elderflower Jelly and Tea
I love how things can circle around and complete each other. When we first moved to our property, we let the back acres behind our house grow. We ended up, as expected in Georgia, with a crazy amount of wild blackberries. And stinging nettles, and countless other myriad “weeds.” We do not spray herbicides or pesticides anywhere on our property.
We got bees last year. We want the bees for pollinating our elderberries, and all the other bushes and trees that need pollinating. And, really, we’ve always wanted bees. Well, guess what?- the bees love the wild blackberries. They make the best tasting honey while the blackberries are blooming.
On top of that, our bees did such a great job of pollinating our wild blackberries that the blackberries themselves are larger and sweeter than ever before. So, that’s how we found ourselves deep in the stinging nettles with the ticks and fire ants, gathering wild blackberries to make this jelly and tea for you. The elderflower, which is blooming on our farm at the same time, mellows the tartness of the blackberries a bit, and adds a slight floral note.
Tea ingredients: Blackberries, elderflower Jelly ingredients: Sugar, blackberries, elderflower, pectin
Y’all, after my kids tasted the first batch, they couldn’t wait to go and get in the thickets to get more blackberries. Let me know how you like it, ok?
