Allgold & Giant Greens

What a treat! I found these in a local garden centre last week. Golden raspberries! Who knew?
Apparently they taste even yummier than their red sisters & as an autumn fruiting crop they should provide me with an alternative source of fresh fruit late in the jam season.
I'm quite excited about the prospect of making jam with these although will my buying public be willing to accept yellow raspberry jam?
That remains to be seen & I can't help worrying that the final colour may turn out to be an odd mustard ochre rather than the liquid gold that my heart imagines!
Anyway, they're in the allotment now so there's no going back.

I'm looking forward to harvesting the first of our broad beans later this month. It's not a veg I'm particularly keen on but after being resssured that the fresh & young beans are so much better tasting I've taken a gamble. I have a recipe for Broad Bean Pesto that I want to try and some lovely small pots to put it in to sell if the recipe works.
I suppose if all else fails I can add another table to out market stall & sell the beans as a crop otherwise it's broad bean risotto for the rest of the summer.

I'm abandoning the home garden for 2 weeks, leaving it in the capable picking hands of my youngest, although where she'll find room in the freezer I don't know! (I think the time to invest in a chest freezer is rapidly approaching) We're off on holiday & I'm just hoping that she doesn't become lost amongst the cabbages while we are away.
They seem to have taken on giant proportions but I like to think that by the time we get back they'll have finished stretching their wings and will be learning to curl inwards into neat heads.
If I can't find Tilly when we return it'll be the first place I look!

Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam

Elderflowers from the hedgerow

Quick! While you still can!
This has got to be the easiest & most delicious jam you can make at this time of year!
Small un-ripened gooseberries are great for this jam, they're full of pectin & really tart. Using the small ones also thins out your gooseberry bush branches so the remainder can get nice and fat for gooseberry crumble!
Although the young gooseberries are loaded with pectin I always use less sugar than recommended so I play safe & use jam sugar but normal granulated sugar is fine and doesn't add a lot of time to the making.

Gooseberry & Elderflower Jam
makes approx 10 x 7oz jars
1kg preferably small, un-ripened, gooseberries
approx. 8 elderflower heads* (I used 10 smallish ones) shaken & checked for bugs
1kg jam sugar (or granulated sugar)
500ml water

Method
Top and tail the gooseberries.
I use scissors; managed to put myself in a self-induced trance & gormed tuned out for 15 minutes while this boring but necessary chore was performed.

before

after

Place the fruit in your pan with 500ml of water.
Put the elderflower heads on top. Gently heat until the gooseberries are soft but maintain their shape (5 - 10 minutes)
TIP: watch the flower heads don't catch the side of the pan, they turn brown very quickly with the heat

Remove the elderflowers (compost them!) & add the sugar. (I used approximately 800g of jam sugar)
Bring to a boil slowly, allowing the sugar to dissolve, stir gently trying not to break up the fruit. Inevitably some will break up so don't stress about it; it's just jam!

the sugar has dissolved & its beginning to boil

Bring to a rapid rolling boil without stirring. If you are using jam sugar setting point will be reach in about 5 minutes, otherwise 9-10 minutes. Test.

single elderflower petal in my testing spoonful

If setting point is reached pour into hot, sterilised jars & seal. If not boil & re-check until reached.

Eat within 12 months, IF you can keep it that long.

Cooling! 

But I have a saucer full of pan scrapings waiting for

a nice bit of bread

* If elderflowers are no longer in season, cheat and add 4 tablespoons of elderflower cordial in with the water at the beginning of the process.

Perry's Plotment

Well, we've been very lucky & managed to secure an allotment.

Its nothing like this!

It's a brand new site, previously part of a field, covered in nettles, thistles, couch grass, blackberry, the occasional viola, oil seed rape and, in parts, so compact from the digger it needs a pick axe to break it up. But, its ours!
We had 2 hours there this morning weeding.
It'll take 2 days to recover!
I've had a Radox bath, I'm about to take some ibuprofen & I'm trying to keep moving.
I'm trying to stay motivated by picturing all the lovely things I can grow to turn into jam & pickles. Obviously there will be no return this year but my garden at home is bursting with raspberries, rhubarb, gooseberries already & the cabbages, beans & peas are coming along a treat.

Can't wait to get my shed, it might just be the highlight of the month! Unfortunately the rules say it has to be brown otherwise I'd have one like this:

This would be perfect though!

Oh, and it'll be gooseberry & elderflower jam this month! Second only to my strawberry jam in gorgeousness.

Once more unto the breach...

There is a wonderful smell drifting up from my kitchen as my new Hot Courgette Chutney reduces in the pan. If its a success I will post the recipe later but in the meantime here's a few tantalising pics to keep you going...

Courgettes have been standing for nearly 2 hours covered with salt to remove the excess water.

Spices, onion, garlic & chilli getting a fry-off...the smell was fantastic!

All in the pan looking & smelling good enough to eat!

It's all going to be for sale at the market Drayton Farmers Market on Sunday 3rd April. Oh and some exciting Strawberry Jam with Cracked Black Pepper & Balsamic Vinegar!

See you there!

A few assumptions

I seem to go through life with moments where I forget that people can't see into my head or are not party to the conversation I am having with myself!

It occurred to me that in posting recipes for jam & preserves I'm making a couple of assumptions...well, probably more than a couple but two quite important ones spring to mind. So, for all newbie jammers, a couple of helpful tips:
 
Testing for Setting Point - low-tech saucer method
Before starting to make your jam, while you are gathering everything together, pop a couple of saucers in the feezer to chill.
When the recipe calls for you to test for setting point, put a blob of jam on the chilled saucer, leave for a moment, then gently push with your finger. If the surface of the jam wrinkles the jam is ready to go into your jars.

 

I have a expensive jam thermometer &, as a guide it's great, but I STILL use the chilled saucer...it never fails!

Sterilising Jam Jars

Clean sterilised jar are essential to the success & longevity of the jams and preserves we spend a lot of time making. Dirty or jars that have not been sterilised properly will infect the preserve inside and it will spoil very quickly and need to be thrown away.

Never omit sterilising, its quick & easy and can be done while you are making your jam.

My prefered method:  Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C/Gas 4 - don't be tempted to heat the oven any higher or you may risk the glass breaking.  Arrange the jars on the shelf or large clean roasting tray (for easy removal) making sure the jars are not touching each other. Close the oven door and leave in the oven for about 20 minutes. Carefully remove the jars when you are almost ready to use them. Allow to cool slightly for a minute or two as sometimes hot jam into hot jars can cause the jam to boil over &, trust me, that smarts!

Fill the jars as required.  Use a funnel if you can, it's soooo much easier!

I pop my lids on once all the jars are filled. Some people like to leave the fruit to settle for 15 minutes. Personally I like to get that lid on & the insides sealed! If your fruit floats to the top, when the jam has cooled a little, give the jar a twist & the fruit should settle.

Dishwasher Method:

Fill your dishwasher with clean cold jars and run a minimum or rinse wash to time the ending with when your jam, preserve or pickle will be ready. Use the jars one at a time from the dishwasher needed making sure you fill while the jam or preserve is hot as is the jar.

In the Microwave:
Clean the jars as normal, rinse but leave the jars a little wet. Microwave for no more than one minute.

Now don't forget your lids too...make sure they are lovely & clean them pop them into boiling water for a few minutes!

Remember: Do NOT add cold food to hot jars, or hot food to cold jars.

Green Fruit Pastilles?

Not my favourite Fruit Pastilles by a long shot (& I can't stand the black ones) but this jam I made for the Market Drayton Christmas Farmers Market could definitely change my way of thinking!

I promised ages ago to share this recipe for kiwi fruit, lime & ginger jam and, while the fruit hasn't been gathered or foraged locally, I did take advantage of the shop's Ooops-ies & bought fruit that otherwise would've been wasted. My conscience hasn't totally been assuaged but the jam is outstanding in flavour so I think I'll allow myself this small indulgence.

The jam is a really vibrant green colour. It flew off our market stall. I dare say a few eyebrows would be raised at many breakfast tables Christmas morning!

Kiwi Fruit, Lime & Ginger Jam

1kg Jam Sugar (with added pectin)
800g kiwi fruit (about 20 kiwis)
6 limes
50g root ginger peeled & grated

Peel & chop the kiwi fruits, zest & juice the limes.
Put into a large pan along with the grated ginger.
Cook gently for about 20 minutes.

Add the sugar to the fruit & bring gradually to the boil.
Keep boiling for about 5 minutes, watching to ensure it doesn't boil over
or catch on the bottom of the pan.

Test for setting point by putting a put a blob of jam on a chilled saucer, leave for a moment, then gently push with your finger. If the surface of the jam wrinkles the jam is ready. If it hasn't set cook for a further couple of minutes & re-test.

Pour into hot sterilised jars!

Great on toast of course but wouldn't it be great as a cheesecake topping?

Piccalilli Passion

I've always had a thing for piccalilli, actually I've always loved anything pickled....eating pickled onions straight from the jar probably has a lot to do with the stomach problems I put up with now!
Inspired by River Cottage & Pam-the jam-Corbin's recipe I battled all my pre-conceived ideas & thoughts of mustard yellow cauli, and flung everything possible into my first batch back in October. 
Such jewels!

Cauli (couldn't leave it out), purple sprouting broccoli,courgettes,

peppers, cucumber, tomato, radish, fennel salted & draining.

It's maturing nicely along side a batch of chilli-lilli made using some of my home-grown chillies.
I shall be tasting next week before our next Farmer's Market. If I can't speak you'll know it was a success!