Brief visit to allotment. Half a carrier bag of blackcurrant, josta berries, gooseberrie, an artichoke, peas, mange tout and broad beans.
And finally my caulis, which had no heads last week, finally. Took one home for tea.
Then spent hoyrs cooking, prepping, wasging, freezing, jamming, saucing and baking.
Cauli pakora
Allotment broth
Allotment egg salad
Josta jam
Cassis
Gooseberry fool
Am knackered.
I started bc jam but my mum phoned and i burnt the berries. Probably a good thing. I needed rid of some.
Have started making jam in smaller quantities. There is only so much jam you can eat. I need smaller jars. I don't like chutney that has been open long. I love those wee hexagonal ones but they are 50p each!!! Hoping i will find someone who eats a lot of sandwich paste.
Anyway I now have a jam thermospoon. Best thing ever. Although I did just use the wrinkle test for years and it is pretty foolproof.
But yy currants, gooseberries and bramble are loaded with pectin. Beware of making toffee. Sadly my quince cannot be sliced. Its a definite wobbly jelly.
If you want to test for pectin you can make a syrup drop some in meths or strong spirits if it forms clumps you have pectin.
The only jam i add pectin too (in the form of lemon pips and juice) is strawberry.
For plum you use cracked open plum stones.
But you can set other jams with currants. Handful of currants in your strawb jam will have it setting perfectly.
Basically don't bother with jam sugar.