This is the most incredible year for Rowan / Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia) berries so wanted to celebrate the glut with a nifty 2 – way recipe for enjoying them! The bad news is Rowan berries contain Parasorbic acid which is irritates the gut lining, the good news this is easily converted to sorbic acid through heating which is an important part of both recipes. Finally, just before you grab your bag, basket or bucket to fill with wild botanicals, make sure to follow these sustainable foraging guidelines.

Recipe 1: Rowan Berry Jam

This recipe celebrates the natural bitterness of Rowan berries making a marmalade-like jam. If you prefer a sweeter jam but want to avoid using more sugar either gather the berries after a hard frost which naturally sweetens them or else pop the berries in a freezer for 24hrs.

GATHER..

• Rowan berries (as many as you have the time & energy to gather!)
• Dessert Apples (the sweeter the better) – same weight as rowan berries.
• 50:50 Brown sugar : Granulated sugar – same weight as berries & apples processed into a smooth pulp.
• Pectin
• Sieve or Moulin
• Large jam pan
• Sterilised jam jars (pour over boiling water & leave for 2 mins)

WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL..

1. Start by processing your berries – ensure as many stems removed as possible. Weigh & add to your jam pan. Add the same weight of roughly chopped dessert apples. Pour just enough water into your pan to cover the base, add a lid & cook on a medium heat until the chopped apples can be mashed easily.
2. Push the pulp through a sieve or moulin to remove all fruit seeds & any other rough fibre – you’ll be left with a beautifully smooth fruit pulp.
3. Weigh the fruit pulp & add back to the jam pan (cleaned) with same weight of sugar & enough pectin to set the jam to your desired consistency (follow the instructions on the pack).
4. Cook on a medium heat until reach setting point (I put a saucer in the freezer & drop a small bit of jam into the cold plate periodically & once cool, push the drop with my finger to check the consistency – once the skin crinkles you’ll have a nice set jam)
5. Immediately fill your jam jars. To avoid the top spoiling, I fill the jars right to the top, add the lid & then flip the jar over & leave for a minute or two to allow the piping hot jam to sterilise the inside of the jar.
6. To serve: Enjoy as a jam on toast or add to cakes, puddings or biscuits!

Recipe 2: Rowan Fruit Leathers

As much as I love jam, there’s only so much of the stuff you can munch through. Instead of adding pectin at the last stage of the jam making process, add some extra seasoning to the pulp & make some Autumn spiced fruit leathers! These fruit winders are addictively chewy – perfect as a quick snack on the go. Read on for how to..

GATHER..

• Rowan & Apple Pulp (Follow steps 1 & 2 above)
• Soft brown sugar / honey to taste
• Sweet spices – Ginger / Cinnamon / All Spice (Powdered) – Optional)
• Food dehydrator (work best but can use baking trays covered with grease proof paper & oven instead)

WHAT TO DO WITH IT ALL..

1. Add soft brown sugar / honey & spices to the hot fruit pulp to sweeten to your taste.
2. Spread a thin layer of the pulp onto lined trays & place in your food dehydrator & heat until the pulp has dried to form a tacky leather-like layer which can be peeled off the trays.
3. Roll like a swiss roll & slice into tight spirals & store in sealed jars.
4. SERVE: Snack on whenever you get the munchies or chop as a chewy garnish to top desserts.

Hope you enjoy foraging for & celebrating the incredible glut of Rowan berries this Autumn! Want to taste them!? I’m currently serving up Rowan berries on my foraging tours running until the end of September!