Hedgerow Harvests

As sultry Summer evenings transition into crisp Autumn mornings, so do the hedgerow offerings change their hues. Apples of all shapes and sizes fill the hedge boxes along Sark's quaint lanes and the headlands burst with blackberries, sloes and rosehips. Tis truly the season for long walks, berry picking and the sweet aroma of jam and syrup bubbling in the kitchen!

Here's 4 Sark pantry recipes for enjoying and preserving these seasonal delights.

Sark Blackberry Jam - the easiest recipe!

1. You will need: Sark blackberries, caster sugar (same weight sugar as you have blackberries) and juice from 1 freshly squeezed lemon.

2. Add your rinsed and de-stalked blackberries and sugar to a saucepan and use a potato masher to squash them together.

3. Add the lemon juice and mix together with a wooden spoon.

4. Leave overnight to soak.

5. After 24 hours, give the blackberry mixture a good stir.

6. Turn on the heat to medium and bring to the boil, stirring every few minutes.

7. Boil gently for 25-30 mins, continue stirring every few minutes.

8. During that time, sterilise and prepare your jam jars.

9. Once boiled for 25-30 mins, turn off and leave to cool in the pan for 20 mins.

10. Spoon into your jars and leave the lids off while the jam cools completely. Wipe the jars and write your labels with dates. Store in a cool dry place.

Sark Blackberry, Apple and Ginger Crumble

1. You will need: cooking apples (plenty to be found in hedge boxes or ‘free to take’ crates!), freshly picked blackberries, fresh ginger and a crumble topping.

2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

3. Peel, core and roughly chop your cooking apples, enough to almost fill your (oven safe) crumble dish. De-stalk and rinse your blackberries.

4. Layer your chopped apples and blackberries in your dish, almost up to the top.

5. Sprinkle in grated fresh ginger (as much or as little as you like).

6. Cover the dish with tin foil and cook for 20 mins.

7. While that's cooking, make a crumble topping. (There are lots of different crumble variations to choose from - if using a basic crumble recipe, consider jazzing it up by adding granola and a decent pinch of ground nutmeg!)

8. After 20 mins, turn the oven down to 160 degrees. Remove the tin foil and let the dish sit for 5 mins out of the oven.

9. Now add your crumble topping and return to the oven for another 15 mins, or until the topping is golden brown.

10. Set aside to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy with cream, custard or mascarpone.

Sark Sloe Gin - best enjoyed with a cheeseboard beside a cosy fire!

1. You will need 500ml gin (any kind will do!), 500g freshly picked Sark sloes (washed and de-stalked), caster sugar and a 1litre glass bottle - a previously emptied gin bottle will do the trick nicely.

2. Ensure your bottle is clean, then pop the sloes into it one by one, giving them a gentle squeeze between your finger and thumb as you do so to break their skin. (Alternatively, you can score them with a cocktail stick or freeze them beforehand so the expansion splits their skins).

3. Pour caster sugar into the bottle, giving it a little shake to move the granules down. Stop when the sugar covers the sloes.

4. Pour in your gin (or vodka) up to the top of your bottle.

5. Give it a good shake to dissolve the sugar - this will take a few goes so do it a couple of times over 20 mins. Once fully dissolved, label the bottle with the date.

6. Every day for a month the bottle will need a good shake; tip or rotate to mix up the slows, sugar and gin. After a month, this process only needs to happen once a week and in the 3rd month probably every couple of weeks.

7. From month 4 just let it sit in a cool dark place and do its thing! Leave it for as long as you are able (6 months minimum) before giving it a taste test. If it burns and the gin/vodka is too strong then add a little more sugar (you should have some space in the top of the bottle) and tip, shake and rotate. Leave it longer.

8. Repeat this process until you’re happy with the taste. 2-3 years is the ideal time, checking on it and taste testing every few months after the initial 4.

Sark Rosehip Syrup - jam packed with Vintamin C

1. Pick and prepare the rosehips by removing the stems and rinsing with cold water. Cut off the ends and half any harder ones. The soft ones can stay whole.

2. Mash the rosehips using a blender or food processor to pulse and break them apart. Pulse them a few times until they are mashed but not completely pureed.

3. Macerate overnight by placing the mashed rosehips in a large saucepan and pouring in boiling water. Place the lid on the saucepan and let sit overnight.

4. The next day, bring the mixture to the boil then simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Once cooled, strain the syrup through a fine mesh sieve lined with a few layers of cheesecloth, removing any seeds or hairs.

6. Sweeten the syrup by adding your choice of honey, brown sugar, stevia or other. Gently warm the syrup until the sugar is completely dissolved.

7. Finally, pour the syrup into sterilized bottles and seal well. Use within 6 months and keep refrigerate once opened. Enjoy drizzled over almost anything, add a splash into cocktails and teas or turn the syrup into a spreadable jelly by adding gelatine.