I save my jars throughout the year to recycle and fill with my own jam
Welcome back to my Merry Midwinter blog!
The publication of my first book, ‘Merry Midwinter; How to Rediscover the Magic of the Christmas Season’ on the 4th October has kept me very busy indeed.
The beginning of winter may be approaching but, as often happens, I am still trying to catch up with autumn and complete all the things I planned. Regardless of where we live or what occupation we have, we still retain the element of bringing the harvest into our lives and our homes. Many of us have gardens and grow edible veg and fruit. Even if we don’t, we are often tempted by abundant seasonal crops in shops and on market stalls. It feels good to choose fresh fruit with the bloom still upon it and carry it triumphantly into our kitchen to preserve and squirrel away until the winter.
My preserving activities have been gradual and various beginning back in June with blossom from the trees and the first soft fruits from the garden. Thank goodness for the freezer where I can simply store a box of fruit until I have time to deal with it properly or use it freshly defrosted. Here I deposited boxes of luscious fat blackberries until I could marry them with some of the abundant apple crop and send up a boiling of jam.
Over the years I have become particularly fond of blackberry and apple jam. I use it in a lot of my cooking; in sponge cakes and puddings, and a hefty dollop of such sweetness added to a bowl of hot creamy rice pudding redolent with the scent of nutmeg on a cold winter’s day can be the ultimate comfort! Continue reading The Magic of Blackberries and Apples…
