Berry good eats: 12 easy & delicious recipes using your foraged summer berries

The sun is shining, the birds are singing and the bushes are bursting with juicy, ripe berries! Summer foraging is such a joyful experience, letting you connect with nature while gathering a treasure trove of tasty ingredients; bilberries, wild raspberries, woodland strawberries and blackberries.

But now that your baskets are brimming with these little delights, what’s next? No need to stress – we’ve got your back! Here are 12 easy & delicious recipes to turn your foraged summer berries into unforgettable dishes.

Get ready to wow your friends and family (and yourself!) with these easy yet delightful recipes. From breakfast to dessert, there’s something here for everyone. Just remember to always positively identify your foraged berries before consuming them. When in doubt, throw it out!

Breakfast bliss

Berry overnight oats: This is a super simple breakfast you can whip up the night before. Just mix rolled oats, your choice of milk (dairy or non-dairy), chia seeds, some of those delicious fresh berries and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey in a jar. Let it chill in the fridge overnight, and you’ll wake up to a tasty and nutritious breakfast!

Berry smoothie sensation: Grab a handful of those fresh berries and toss them into your go-to smoothie mix. Blend them up with yoghurt, bananas, spinach and a splash of almond, soya or coconut milk for a colourful, healthy drink that’s sure to brighten your morning.

Berry-licious pancakes/waffles: Give your morning pancakes or waffles a fruity twist! Just fold in those tasty berries into the batter right before you cook them. Top it off with a scoop of yoghurt or a swirl of whipped cream for an extra treat.

Lunch & savoury delights:

Berry & spinach salad with balsamic vinaigrette: Elevate your salad game with the sweet and tart flavour of wild berries. Combine fresh spinach, crumbled feta cheese, toasted nuts and your colourful berries. Drizzle with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette for a light and refreshing lunch.

Berry salsa: A surprising and delicious accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. Put your foraged berries into a bowl and toss them together with red onion, jalapeño, coriander and lime juice.

Sweet treats & desserts

Berry crumble/crisp: A classic dessert that’s always a crowd-pleaser. Combine your foraged berries with a crumble topping made from flour, butter, sugar and oats. Bake until golden brown and bubbling.

Berry simple syrup: Homemade syrup or cordial is perfect for flavouring cocktails, lemonade or drizzling over ice cream. Simmer your mixed berries with sugar and water until the berries break down. Strain the mixture and store your syrup in a jar in the refrigerator.
Berry frozen yoghurt bark: A healthy and refreshing treat for a hot summer day. Spread a layer of yoghurt onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with your foraged berries and freeze until solid. Break into pieces and enjoy!
Berry jam: Capture the taste of summer in a jar! Make a batch of homemade jam using your foraged berries, pectin, sugar and lemon juice. Perfect for spreading on toast or gifting to friends.
Berry infused water: Staying hydrated has never been so delicious! Add a handful of your foraged berries to a jug of water (still or sparkling) along with a sprig of mint for a refreshing and flavourful drink.
Berry nice cream: Blend frozen bananas and your foraged berries in a food processor until smooth and creamy. This healthy and delicious treat is a guilt-free way to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Berry ice lollies: Combine your foraged berries with water, juice or yoghurt and pour the mixture into ice lolly moulds. Freeze until solid for a refreshing and healthy summer treat.

Essential tips for berry foraging success

Here’s a quick reminder of key things you should keep in mind while foraging:

Identification: Always positively identify your foraged berries before consuming them. Use a reliable field guide or consult with an expert.
Location: Be mindful of where you are foraging. Avoid areas that may have been treated with pesticides or herbicides.
Respect for nature: Only take what you need and leave enough for wildlife and future growth.
Hygiene: Wash your foraged berries thoroughly before using them.

Ready to start cooking?

With these 12 easy and delicious recipes, you can transform your foraged summer berries into scrumptious culinary creations. So, grab your trugs, head out into nature and start foraging! Happy cooking (and eating)!

Cakes & Bakes: Home-made summer fruit Pavlova

When the weather’s as hot as it has been recently, we’re never in the mood for large, heavy meals. It’s been lots of salads, fruit and ice cream recently.

Our strawberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and redcurrant bushes have been bountiful over the past couple of weeks, so I’ve used a bowlful of them to make a summer fruit Pavlova which really suits the mood when it comes to dessert.

This recipe uses a Swiss meringue. I created a few, different sized ’rounds’ so a stacked, tapering tower could be formed.

When it came to the fruit, I made a strained coulis or sauce with most of it – and also held some pieces for garnishing. Then simply built the stack of meringue layers sandwiched with cream, coulis and whole fruit.

The combination of crisp yet chewy meringue, rich cream and intense fruit is a real joy – both in appearance and taste. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side doesn’t go amiss either!

Save my summer fruit Pavlova recipe to Pinterest for later!

Summer fruit Pavlova

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the meringue

4 egg whites
200 g/7oz caster sugar
pinch of cream of tartar

For the fruit

250 g/9oz fresh mixed summer fruit whatever you have: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cherries, bilberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants
75 g/2½oz granulated sugar
50 ml/1¾fl oz water

To finish

300 ml/10½fl oz whipping cream
100 g/3½ fresh mixed summer fruit
fresh mint leaves optional

Instructions

For the meringue

Preheat the oven to 100ºC/200ºF/Gas mark ½
Line a large oven tray with baking parchment
In a heat-proof mixing bowl, gently mix the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar over a simmering saucepan of water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water). Keep stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved and there's no graininess
Remove the mixing bowl from the saucepan and, using an electric or stand mixer, beat on a slow speed rising gradually to a high speed. Continue for about 3-5 minutes until the meringue forms stiff peaks
Spoon the meringue onto the lined baking sheet, making three graduated circular shapes and a single meringue kiss for the top
Bake for 1-1½ hours depending on how sticky or hard you want the finished meringue
When cooked, remove the meringue from the parchment paper (you may need to use a palette knife) and allow to cool completely on a wire rack

For the fruit syrup

Put the fruit, sugar and water into a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring up to the boil and simmer until the fruit has softened - stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar and stop the fruit from sticking. (If you use blackcurrants, you may need to pop them using the back of your spoon)
Remove from the heat and spoon the mixture into a sieve over a heat-proof bowl or measuring jug
Push the fruit down through the sieve using the back of your spoon to get as much of the fruit as you can away from the seeds
Discard the seeds and put the mixture back into the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to reduce to a lovely syrupy consistency
Allow to cool completely

To finish

Beat the whipping cream until thickened and forms peaks. Set aside
Put the largest meringue round on to a large serving plate (put a little dollop of the cream on to the plate first, to keep the meringue round in place) and top with ⅓ of the whipped cream, ⅓ of the fresh fruit mixture and drizzle with ⅓ of the fruit syrup
Repeat with the two other circles of meringue (the smallest goes on the top) and finish with the little meringue 'kiss'
Garnish with the mint leaves, if using

If you have an excess of the fruit syrup, you could freeze it into portions using an ice cube tray

Keyword fruit, meringue, Pavlova, summer, Swiss meringue

Vanilla cream with red berries

Have you been watching Wimbledon? Haven’t the Brits been doing well this year? Scrap that – I’ve just watched Murray get knocked out!

Nothing says Wimbledon fortnight more than strawberries & cream. I’ve adapted a Nigel Slater recipe to create a little twist on the classic – vanilla cream with red berries.

I planned on using our home and allotment-grown strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants, but we didn’t have a large enough quantity that were ripe all at the same time. I made a quick trip to the supermarket for a punnet of strawberries to bulk up our rations.

Slater used orange juice and passion fruits in the original recipe. However, I used a few glugs from a bottle of grenadine syrup I’ve had in the store cupboard for ages. What a fantastic, last-minute idea – it worked brilliantly, with the strawberries especially. From this day forward, I’ll always team my fresh strawberries with it!

Save this recipe on Pinterest for later…

Vanilla cream with red berries

Print recipe Pin recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Ingredients

250 g/9oz crème fraîche
250 g/9oz mascarpone
1 vanilla pod
800 g/28oz mixture of red berries I used strawberries, raspberries and redcurrants
50 ml/1 ¾ fl oz grenadine syrup
sprig of mint to garnish

Instructions

Place a sieve or small colander over a mixing bowl and line it with a piece of muslin (I used a jelly bag)
Spoon the crème fraîche and fromage frais into a mixing bowl
Split the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife, open it flat and scrape out the dark, sticky seeds. Fold the seeds through the crème fraîche/fromage frais mixture and spoon it into the muslin-lined sieve
Cover the sieve/colander and its under-bowl with cling film (Saran wrap) and leave in the fridge overnight, during which time the vanilla cream will thicken to cheesecake-like texture
Hull & slice the berries (not redcurrants if using), put them into a mixing bowl, pour over the grenadine syrup. Mix gently to cover all the fruit with the liquid, cover with cling film and refrigerate for about an hour
Upturn the sieve/colander on to a plate and allow the muslin and cream to slide out
Carefully peel away the muslin
Spoon the marinated red berries and liquid around the vanilla cream
Drizzle an extra capful or two of grenadine syrup over the top of the vanilla cream
Serve!

Keyword raspberries, redcurrants, strawberries, vanilla

Canned blackcurrants

I’ve preserved all our other allotment and foraged fruit in one way or another – raspberry jelly, redcurrant relish, rose hip syrup. I thought this time I’d give canned blackcurrants a go. Home canning (in glass jars that is!) is much more popular in the US than it is here in the UK, but I’ve always fancied giving it a go.

Canning, according to Wikipedia…

Is a method of preserving food in which the food contents are processed and sealed in an airtight container. Canning provides a shelf life typically ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances it can be much longer.

Some websites I’ve visited say you need special equipment; a big stove-top canner – much like a pressure cooker – for starters. A jar rack, jar lifter, funnel… In practice, the only foodstuffs that need to be canned in a high pressure canner are meat, seafood, dairy and most vegetables (sweet tasting ones such as carrots, beetroot, sweetcorn, peas and beans). Fruit (which is what I’ll mainly be canning) and acidic vegetables can be done using the water bath method in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. It’s not absolutely necessary for them to reach the 116-130ºC temperature necessary for the first group of foods.

I used utensils I already had to hand. Aforementioned heavy bottomed pan. A jam thermometer to be perfectly sure the water bath got to the optimum temperature. A funnel to make sure the little berries didn’t bounce all over the floor and under the kitchen cabinets as I tried to pour them into the jars. A wire cooling rack to keep the jars from rattling against the bottom of the saucepan during boiling. A pair of tongs to lift the jars out of the hot water. Some vintage Mason-type jars with new rubber seals. It’s important that jars are in perfect condition with no chips or ill-fitting lids. If they aren’t, they won’t be air-tight and contents will spoil and may prove a health risk!

Here’s the method…

Canned blackcurrants

Print recipe Pin recipe

Ingredients

At least 500g freshly picked blackcurrants. Use only perfect fruit - no bruised over-ripe berries need not apply!

For the sugar syrup

1 part sugar to 2.5 parts water e.g. 200g granulated sugar to 500ml water

Instructions

Sterilise the jars & lids - you can do this by putting them into a large saucepan and covering them with water and bringing it to the boil. Once it boils, turn off the heat and leave them in the hot water until you're ready to use them
Top & tail and rinse the fruit well in a colander
Decant the fruit into the sterilised jars (using a funnel if you have one). Leave a space of about 2.5cm/1inch from the rim of the jar
Put your sugar and water into a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat
Stir until all the sugar has dissolved. Turn off the heat
Carefully pour the hot sugar syrup over the fruit - enough to completely cover the fruit but leaving a gap of 1.25cm/½inch to the rim of the jar
Remove any air bubbles using a plastic or wooden knife (like the ones you get from a take-away)
Screw the lids onto the jars firmly, but not too tightly
Put a wire cooling rack into the base of a large heavy-bottomed saucepan (if you don't have one or the one you have doesn't fit - use a folded tea towel)
Put the jars into the saucepan and fill the saucepan with enough hot water to completely cover the jars by at least 2.5cm/1inch. Make sure there's at least 5cm/2inches gap to the top of the saucepan; if there isn't you'll need a larger pan
Put a lid on the saucepan
Bring the water to a low, rolling boil. Once it gets to this point, boil at this level for a further 15 minutes
Turn off the heat and carefully remove the jars using a jar lifter or metal tongs
Put the jars on a thick tea towel or wire rack to cool. The lids on the jars should be concave and should not move when pressed down with your finger. If one of your jars has not formed a vacuum - just refrigerate and use it's contents within a week
Label, date and store the jars in a cool, dry, dark place. The fruit will store for at least next year when you can do it all over again! 🙂

This recipe will work for any kind of similar fruit - redcurrants, white currants, bilberries, blueberries etc.

Keyword blackcurrants, canning, currants, preserves

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: berries

Berry good eats: 12 easy & delicious recipes using your foraged summer berries

Breakfast bliss

Lunch & savoury delights:

Sweet treats & desserts

Essential tips for berry foraging success

Ready to start cooking?

Cakes & Bakes: Home-made summer fruit Pavlova

Summer fruit Pavlova

Ingredients

For the meringue

For the fruit

To finish

Instructions

For the meringue

For the fruit syrup

To finish

Vanilla cream with red berries

Vanilla cream with red berries

Ingredients

Instructions

Canned blackcurrants

Canned blackcurrants

Ingredients

For the sugar syrup

Instructions