Hi Logician. I was just suggesting to OP - to maybe try washing the blackberries in diluted PP water to disinfect the berries before consuming. I haven't got a clue on what PP will do to those fly-larvae by spraying them but It wouldn't hurt to try it out. Maybe it'll get kill them or maybe it won't. Speaking from personal experience, spraying my plants with a weak solution of PP for a few consecutive days did get rid off powder mildew on my blueberry canes. It also got rid off earth worms and beetle grubs in my potted blueberries. I learnt of using PP from other gardeners on online forums - with no scientific studies or backups, just a bunch of home remedies suggested by online strangers. I was afraid to spray and water my plants with PP at first - thinking it might kill my blueberries. Thankfully, it didn't, PP is now my go to remedy for all ailments and treatments. I know that I shouldn't be suggesting anything without enough solid evidence and scientific backups, as it potentially could be dangerous and risky for others thinking of trying it out. PP is relatively safe as it's being used for soaking in bath. Also, it didn't harm my plants.

This will use 1 3/4 cups. It might suit the bill if you prefer savory things: Pork Tenderloins With Blackberry-Mustard Sauce Yield: 6 Servings Ingredients 1 1/2 ts minced fresh thyme, divided 1/2 ts ground pepper 1/4 ts salt 1/4 ts ground allspice 1/4 ts ground cinnamon 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 pork tenderloins, -(3/4-pound) 1 vegetable cooking spray 1 tb olive oil 1 1/4 c no-salt-added chicken broth, - divide; d 2 tb balsamic vinegar 1 tb brown sugar 1/2 ts cornstarch 2 tb water 1/4 c blackberry mustard 3/4 c fresh blackberries 1 fresh thyme sprigs, -(optional) Instructions: Prepare Blackberry Mustard (see below) Pork: Combine 1/2 teaspoon minced thyme and next 5 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Trim fat from pork; rub pork with thyme mixture. Place in a shallow dish; cover and chill 2 hours. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork; cook 4 minutes or until browned on all sides. Add 1/4 cup chicken broth and 2 tablespoons vinegar to skillet; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove pork from skillet; set aside, and keep warm. Add remaining 1 cup chicken broth and brown sugar to skillet; bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes or until broth mixture is reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain mixture, and discard solids. Place cornstarch in a small saucepan; gradually add water, blending with a wire whisk. Stir in strained broth mixture and 1/4 cup Blackberry Mustard; bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove sauce from heat; stir in remaining teaspoon minced thyme. Yield: 6 servings(serving size: 3 ounces pork, 2 tablespoons sauce, and 2 tablespoons blackberries). Per serving: 140 Calories; 5g Fat (33% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 49mg Cholesterol; 361mg Sodium NOTES : A dry marinade of sweet spices rubbed over the tenderloins makes the blackberry sauce taste even sweeter. To serve, cut pork into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce onto each of 6 serving plates, and arrange pork slices on top of sauce. Top with 2 tablespoons blackberries, and garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired. Recipe by: Cooking Light, Jul/Aug 1994, page 71 Blackberry Mustard 1 c. fresh blackberries 1/4 c. plus 3 T. hot Dijon mustard 3 T. honey 1 T. balsamic vinegar 1 t. dry mustard Process blackberries in food processor, strain and discard seeds.Combine puree with remaining ingredients and stir well. Store in airtight container in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Alternatively: Blackberry-Peach Chutney 1 medium onion, chopped 1 tbs minced garlic 3 tbs olive oil 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 c. white wine vinegar 3/4 c. light brown sugar 1 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 4 c. sliced peaches, (about 1-1/2 lbs) 1 c. fresh blackberries 1/2 c. walnut halves Instructions: In a large frying pan, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil over low heat. Add the salt, vinegar, sugar and spices, blending well. Add the fruits and nuts. Continue cooking over low heat for 12-15 minutes, until the fruit is lightly cooked. Let cool. For best taste, cover and refrigerate overnight before using. It keeps for months when stored in a covered jar in the refrigerator. NOTES : Makes enough to accompany 8 servings of pork or game as main course And there's a very nice Just-Blackberry Chutney at the site below. I hope this helps. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: UKTV Food

For instant gratification, you can't beat homemade salad dressings. It will probably take you longer to get the ingredients out on the counter than to actually make a dressing, and it will improve the taste of the salad as much as using a garden-fresh tomato instead of a hydroponic one! Since they're quick, inexpensive and usually keep a long time, it's definitely practical to have several on hand if everybody in your family prefers a different 'flavor'. If you have kids who won't touch a salad, try making ranch with a little less milk or buttermilk than called for so it's thicker. Tell them it's a dip, and even picky eaters can usually be coaxed into trying it with something that's raw and good for them. And I can almost guarantee that the next time you have company for dinner, somebody will say, "Ooh, your dressing is so much better than mine! What brand do you buy?" It's priceless to see the looks on their faces when you say, "Well, actually..." lol Of course, salad dressing is a small item in the grand scheme of things, even though making it should give you a lot of positive reinforcement. Ruthanna made such a good point about identifying the "big offenders" so you won't just be spittin' in the wind in your efforts to eat healthier meals. If you're a working mom juggling an insane schedule, chances are that casseroles are a mainstay, so one of the huge culprits is soup. (Cream of ______, anybody?) Learn to make a white sauce instead, seasoning it with various herbs and spices and adding different cheeses for infinite variety and insanely improved taste! It's easy as can be, I promise. Also, as so many others have said, make your own broth. There are some superb tutorials, with lots of pix, on recipezaar for chicken, vegetable and shrimp stock. (I apologize again for not figuring out links here. Just click on "Communities" at the top of the recipezaar home page, then scroll down to the French Forum.) There was an amazing post here the other day about beef broth. You have to babysit a little since it must simmer for several hours, but the 'hands on' time is minimal, and it's so simple to assemble that a 3rd grader could do it. (Well, maybe a 6th grader, since a knife is involved...) So don't be intimidated when you think "homemade broth"! It's as simple and straightforward as boiling eggs. If you never bought a can of Campbell's again, it would reduce the offending stuff in your diet to an astounding degree. Then there are all those little foil packets. Fajitas, tacos, spaghetti sauce, chili, Hidden Valley ranch dressing mix... Lots of dishes are so simple if you just sprinkle in the stuff in the little foil packet. Not great, but edible. I'm thinking the junk in those little foil packets probably is about the unhealthiest stuff you buy. If you use them often, your salt intake is off the charts. The internet is such a wonderful source for recipes for stuff like Creole/Cajun seasonings so you can reduce or eliminate the salt. Here's a recipe I found for a substitute for dry onion soup mix. Haven't tried it yet, but I plan to soon. Lipton Onion Soup Mix Sub 4 t. beef bouillon granules 8 t. dried onion flakes 1 t. onion powder 1/4 t. celery salt Mix well to blend. Can be stored for up to 6 months. Equivalent of 1 envelope dry onion soup mix. With pre-teen or teenaged children, snacks may be the single biggest problem you need to address. There is nothing in the frozen food section you can't do better and cheaper at home, using far less sodium and preservatives. But there's a big trade-off of taste vs. time. Maybe you could organize a OAMC group of moms, preparing dozens of after-school snacks to be frozen? Or just call your sister and demand that she come over to help? :) The main thing, I think, is to keep a sense of balance. Healthy is wonderful, but all of us must have our "Cheetos" in one form or another. If your family hates one of the substitutes you come up with, give it up. There are other ways to introduce healthy foods that they will enjoy. If your kids are miserable without their Oreos, preach moderation instead of denial.

I think that it's fine for lighter colored wines to be bottled in dark glass. It gives them more protection from damaging sunlight and, as you say, you can always put it in a decanter for people to see the wine. Personally, all of my wines and meads go into dark bottles since I want people to focus on the wine when it's in the drinking glass where it can really shine and be appreciated. Congratulations on the blackberry wine! When it's well done, blackberry is very tasty and the color is beautiful. Fizzy while you're bottling can be a couple of things ... either coming out of the racking tube into the bottle very fast and splashing around inside the bottle (which isn't too bad) or the wine is not done fermenting (which is only good if you're intending on it and using champagne bottles). I'd move one of the bottles to a warm spot for a few days and then open carefully to see if it's settled down or if you're making bombs. A little harsh at bottling time is probably not too much to worry about depending on how long you've bulk aged the wine - a lot of that harshness will hopefully go away with a few months in teh bottle. I've never used screw top bottles with a cork and I haven't seen it recommended. I think it's something to do with the design of the neck on the screw tops and possibly their strength to hold a cork but I don't remember exactly. I haven't bought labels in a long while - I just grab a graphics package like MS-Publisher or Photoshop and create them there. Then I print them on normal paper, cut to size and attach to the bottles with a glue stick. Works well and it's pretty fast if you have a little help. For the vin ordinaire that I just serve at the house for friends, I'm really lazy and just write what's in the bottle using a silver or gold glass marking pen from Staples. I have to get brewing again this weekend - I've just been overwhelmed at the though of racking 15 batches to free up some glass but the thought of starting a mandarin orange metheglin and some cyser in season is getting really exciting. Good luck with your batches.