Jammin'

When Spot and I were married, some friends gave us gardening vouchers. Among the plants we bought was a redcurrant. That was 6 years ago. It's bore fruit every year, but for one reason or another, I haven't done anything with it.

That changed yesterday. With the assistance of Spot, I harvested the fruit. There was more than either of us expected - 2.75 pounds. My Mum had kept mentioning how much she likes redcurrant jelly, but I couldn't be bothered with  the faff of passing the sweated fruit through an old pillowcase to make that, so I came up with this:

Redcurrant and chilli jam.

To make it, I sweated the fruit in a large pan until there was as much liquid as fruit. I then added 1.75 pounds of sugar and stirred thoroughly to make sure the sugar was dissolved. This mix was brought to the boil and after 5 minutes 3 finely chopped cayenne chilli peppers were added (these were growing on our windowsill). The whole mix continued to boil until set. Just about another 7 or 8 minutes. Redcurrants are high in pectin, so jams made with them set quickly! I test the set point by putting a little bit of jam on a plate I put in the freezer just before starting the jamming process.

It tastes really quite nice, even if I say so myself. The chilli just gives a bit of an edge, but not so much as to give heat and take away from the fruit. There's also less sugar than in a "proper" jam - such as strawberry. Normally it's 1 pound of sugar to 1 pound of fruit, though I use 0.75 pounds of sugar. I used less sugar as this is more a savory "with cheese" type jam.

Next thing I'll be making is elderberry jam and maybe some wine too. I've already made strawberry jam from the crop at the front of the house. There's nothing like reducing food miles. And the smell in the house is amazing.

Home Made

I was very domestic this afternoon. I made strawberry jam from the strawberries which have taken over our front garden - great weed suppressant, though. I even used fair trade sugar and some of the jars are years old. Talk about reducing our food miles and carbon footprint

I've been making my own jam, marmalade and chutney since the last recession. Then, I was in my mid teens, money was tight with both my Mum and Uncle being either unemployed or in very low income jobs. It was also when interest rates went through the roof and those with a mortgage really felt the pinch. Anyway, I worked out how much cheaper making jam was verses shop bought and I've never looked back. Nothing compares with home made jam and there's something quite wonderful about the smell of the jam wafting through the house - it's one of the smells of summer for me.

Before the crash back in February, I didn't need help doing things like this. In fact I was probably too independent. Today, I had to get my hubbie to help me out, as I can't safely lift the big pot when it has jam in it. It's partly strength, but mainly the pain I get lifting heavy things. Not a good idea with all that boiling sugar!

Yes, so I've lost a little Independence, but I've gained the knowledge of my limitations and the humility to ask for help. I so often find it amazing how everything works out and comes good in the end. Change is constant, but it is how we deal with it that matters. I pray I can accept change more freely and embrace it, even when it is imposed.