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!

Inner Peace?

I can't help finding a kind of inner peace as I stand by the cooker stirring. Watching for that magical moment when my ingredients find that moment of metamorphosis, the sugar solution turns into liquid crystal & all the fruit is suspended in it's sparkly glory. It makes me happy.

Of course it makes me even happier that people want to buy it too! But most of all it's the joy and enthusiasm that I see on people's faces when they taste it. I'm not saying that's it's MY jam in particular that brings the joy...it's just the taste! You can't even begin to compare the taste of homemade preserve with shop bought - even the high-end stuff. It's just too mass produced and too full of sugar.

I use less sugar than a recipe calls for and compensate with additional pectin when necessary. This means that the taste of the fruit comes out and the jam is a soft set. I firmly believe that we've forgotten what real jam should be like; it should ooze out of your scone under - or over depending on your preference, I'm an under personally - your clotted cream with a gentle squeeze.

Try this Strawberry Jam recipe. Trust me, you will not go back...

Strawberry Jam

800g fresh or frozen strawberries, hulled (900g unprepared)
1kg Jam Sugar* (has added pectin)
Knob of butter

Makes appox. 1.5 kg

Method
Add the strawberries to a large pan with the sugar (* I don't usually add all the sugar, I couldn't say exactly how much I add, it's a 'feeling' thing but it's about 3/4)
Heat gently whilst stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved. DO NOT BOIL YET!
Whilst stirring you may wish to crush some of the strawberries with a masher.
Add a knob of butter.
Keep stirring, increasing the heat to bring to a full rolling boil (jam rises in the pan and cannot be stirred down). Boil for 4 minutes only.
Remove from the heat & pot into warm sterilised jars & cover.

This recipe is equally as good for raspberries and loganberries.

Mmmmm jammy!

Its been a busy old weekend, but thanks to Himself acting as general gofer & Number 1 Chopper-Upper I managed twice as much magic as planned on Sunday. Chilli Jam, Carrot & Cardamom Marmalade, Pumpkin Chutney, Raspberry Jam, Loganberry Jam, Seville Orange and Sultana Whisky Marmalade & Spicy Carrot and Garlic Chutney all done before I ran out of jars!

Market Drayton Farmer's Market Christmas Extravaganza on 12th December is fast approaching and I have a freezer full of foraged summer fruit to transform into jewelled delights for eating pleasure!

Bring it on!

Wild cherries, cherry-plums & turning into my mother

My parents were, and still are, great foragers; I used to think they were slightly batty as they dragged us around the countryside, as children, looking for free stuff!. I guess it rubbed off more than I thought. Himself grew up in Somerset and was a great scrumper apparently...and he's still fab at jumping gates!
Shropshire & the West Midlands has bountiful hedgerows & I can't drive anywhere now without shouting out if I see fruit dangling, unharvested, by the side of the road. The shout is usually followed by a dreadful realisation that I have, indeed, turned into my mother. No bad thing really.


Having spent the best part of an hour, last weekend, pitting a good kilo of the last of the wild cherries and sharing the juice with my clothing & the rest of the room, I'm took a leaf out of Delia's book and cooked them for 20 minutes, left them to cool then got my hands in! Worked a treat.
 

Last few remaining kilos of cherry-plums

I've applied the same theory to the cherry-plums we found earlier this week but, as we'd nearly 16 kilos & there are not enough hours in the day to hand pick all those stones. They're going through the collander!.

Cooling, ready to be mashed!

 

Now, if I could only find a use for these left-overs!