Our blackberry picking continues.
The season is coming to its end soon.
We met a grey heron.
Elderberries
Behind the elderflowers we enjoyed making cordial with in the early summer,
these cute berries are now being produced.
Sweet and a little bit sour; very tasty.
It lets us feel the changing seasons.
These are sloes.
Apparently it's a type of wild plum especially used for making gin.
It's very bitter and sour if you just eat it, so be careful!
Sudden applause.
Let's enjoy the forest shower.
I separate the picked berries into a few bunches and rinse them very well.
I'll make jam since we've picked so many.
First, I'll measure them.
Wild blackberries are smaller than the ones from the supermarket,
But apparently they contain more pectin and have a stronger taste so they're perfect for making jam.
It was three cups plus extra.
I add 1 cup of sugar to about 3 cups of blackberries.
I didn't have any lemons so I squeezed a bit of lime juice in instead.
Boil down for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat.
I need to crush the berries with a wooden spoon and keep stirring so it doesn't burn burn.
It's thickening.
It's looking good :)
I like my jam a bit runny, so I'll stop cooking now.
The jars I'm storing the jam in have been boiled to disinfect them.
Freshly made jam smells so good :D
We could make just enough for 2 jars
Lets give them a 10 minute hot bath so they'll vacuum seal.
Hot hot hot ~
Ni~ce ho~t bath ♪ A-rah-rah ♪ (old Japanese song :P)
Rescue them, cool them down and done!
We got another thing to look forward to in the winter :)
The sky is so blue, like a painting.
It looks like the cows are enjoying the weather.
Lick lick
Ah, one solitary, laid-back cow-san.
A somewhat melancholy view from behind.
There are young cows here as well.
Today we'll enjoy some nostalgic ebi gyoza (Japanese shrimp dumplings).
The mouth-watering sound makes our hearts beat faster.
Flipping the pan is J-san's task.
Whoa!
Looks so delicate and tasty.
I want eat right meow～
The sky makes us feel autumn's arrival.
We spotted a small hint of autumn.
Ah.
Yayy!
Ah, again… haha.