Picking your own... and some accidental jam making

It's well documented on the blog that I love preserving - however,  M and his family were all astounded to hear that I'd never been to a PYO. It seems a necessary rite of passage for most people but one I've missed out on. Or had. Until last week. Still slightly dopey from a general anasthetic, and on a lot of painkillers (don't let anyone tell you getting your wisdom teeth out doesn't hurt like a hurty thing) we trundled happily around Parkside Pick Your Own for a couple of hours, investigating strawberries, raspberries and green beans.

M was thrilled that the strawberries were being grown at waist height - his memories of PYO were not happy ones - we easily filled our punnets and moved on to the raspberries. A cunning move seemed to be to go to the end of the canes/ plant rows and work backwards as most people started on those closest to you. If that makes sense.

The only thing I was sad about was the lack of tomatoes, but I suspect the early cold weather this summer has put them back a bit, as there were plenty of other fruit and veg around. Lots of people were there in family groups, everyone joining in.

I suppose my only negative about the day would be that PYO is no longer the cheap day out: we had a minimum spend of £3 per person which we easily surpassed, and our fruit was more expensive than the supermarket. That said, as far as food miles go - each strawberry travelled a grand total of 5 miles and many were sampled within 3 hours, which combined with the fun of the activity itself and the time spent together more than compensated for the lack of a BOGOF.

However, what is one to do with a glut of strawberries from some overenthusiastic PYOing? Well, it'd be rude not to make jam. Even if you are banned from preserving (space and moving). I mean it's the thrifty way to use them up. Honest.

Quick and easy strawberry jam - honest. I mean, even if - hypothetically of course - your laptop died halfway through making this jam and you decided to go to PC world to see the offerings then you could get this done before your partner got back and could meet him outside with only a little bit of jam on your top. And only slightly sticky fingers. Ahem. Hypothetically of course

If you've never made jam before - here is not your starting point. Use the recipe by all means, but go back to my first Strawberry jam post as that covers everything in detail

2lb strawberries, hulled and quartered
Juice of 1 large lemon
2lb granulated sugar

Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a large pan or maslin and bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes
Mush the strawberries up with your potato masher
Add the sugar and bring to a rolling boil - mine reached setting point after about 15 minutes, but as always, that's gong to vary depending on how wet your fruit is etc
Once you've tested on your freezered saucer and you're happy that the jam is duly wrinkly, pour into sterilised jam jars, label* and seal
There you have it - accidental jam

I found this made 5 225ml jars with a bit over for testing purposes

*Note: Always label your jam shortly after making so that 12 months on you aren't looking at a pretty jar in your cupboard with no flipping clue as to what's in it. I think it's plum. Or gooseberry.

Tea with jam and bread... with jam.... Preserving exploits part 2 - Strawberry jam

As part of convalescing after last week's resurgence of the Migraine from hell (TM) I spent a few days taking it easy, wearing my sunglasses around the house to rest my eyes, ignoring the Le Mans 24 hours race, and having regular naps. Thus meaning that come Saturday afternoon I could take the opportunity to make jam with Mark's Mum.
 
A lot of the process of jam making is similar to what we did with the Seville Marmalade earlier this year, so have a read of that post too, but I'll try to include the basics here. We're working in imperial measures, but it's important (essential maybe) to remember that fruit is going to react differently depending on where you got it from.  We were lucky enough to pick our own (well I wasn't well enough, so HUGE thanks to Mark's Mum and Dad for doing that for me) and it was following a dry spell, if you were picking today, the fruit would be completely different to work with because of all the rain we've had over the last 48 hours. It's those things that make a difference which mean that jam is done much of the time, by eye. You'll find no sugar thermometers here.
 
3lb strawberries, hulled
3lb caster sugar
juice of 2 lemons
 
This made about 7 half pound jars (250grams or thereabouts) of strawberry jam.

Put the hulled strawberries in a colander and rinse briefly. Put straight in a preserving pan and bring to the boil until pulpy. This is where you need to use your eyes, the strawberries need to have softened but not to an apple sauce type mush, you still want them to retain their shape as individual fruit.
Now we left them overnight, and returned to them the next day.
Put a saucer in the fridge
Add the lemon juice to your pan, bring the strawberries back to a rolling boil and add the sugar. As with the marmalade we used regular granulated sugar.
As you're stirring, run a knob of butter around the pan just above the level of the jam - this will stop the sugar crystallising on the pan and not where it should be doing it's job, in the jam.
Once the sugar has been added, stir continuously until it has dissolved, you can hear and feel when this is the case, but it took about 10 minutes I would say.
Now, boil fairly rapidly (be careful for spitting jam as it's hot and burns) for 15 minutes, still stirring all the while.
Remove your pan from the heat (move the pan, don't turn the heat off), and test to see if you're at setting point. This is really straightforward. Take the saucer out of the fridge, and drop a teaspoonful of jam on it. Leave it for a minute or so and then run your finger over the surface of the jam. If the surface wrinkles, you've reached setting point. If not, it's not a crisis, return the pan to the heat (this is why you leave it on) and boil for another 5 minutes before repeating this process. The jam will reach setting point just stay patient. It also flakes on the back of the spoon and on the sides of the pan, but I'm not good enough yet to notice this, so the timing and saucer is easier if you're just beginning.
Add a knob of butter to get rid of any scum.
Use a jam funnel, to fill sterilised jars, fuller than you think. Put lids on them. If you don't have lids, top with waxed discs, and then a cellophane wrapper that you've dipped in a saucer of water (this makes it dry taut)
If you have a little bit left that won't fill a whole jar, then pop it in a cup or spare jar, let it cool and top with some clingfilm. Use this for your breakfast over the next couple of days. Demand people you love try some.
Label up with what it is, and when you made it, but essentially there you have it - strawberry jam.

I can honestly say that preserving is up there with bread making for me as a relaxing and lovely way to spend an afternoon. And it's so rewarding, seeing all the pots of jam in your cupboard. Not that I have a jam cupboard. Nope. Not me.

When all else fails? Just add chocolate

Well, we're without song lyrics today, as all I could think of when starting this post was a postcard a good friend of mine Andrew used to have up on his desk when we worked together. It simply said "Things are getting desperate. Please send chocolate." It felt appropriate for how life is at the moment. My diet, as previously stated is balanced nicely between Tunnock's teacakes and toasted hot cross buns, but I felt it was lacking in the most important food group when depressed; chocolate.

Under the guise of prepping for Guides next week, I did a trial run tonight of some chocolate truffles - the theory being that we could shape them like Easter Eggs, and with the addition of some relatively cheap Easter cellophane bags and pretty ribbon we have home made, quick and easy Easter presents. Unfortunately I can't take any credit for the recipe - which is all down to Jules of Butcher, Baker and random stuff maker. Her post at Christmas on Snowball truffles was my inspiration, and after some guidance from her on flavours I made, dark chocolate rum truffles - half rolled in cocoa and half rolled in icing sugar, and white chocolate strawberry truffles rolled in icing sugar. We have an extra special treat in store for the Guides - edible glitter! It'll be my first time using this and I'm so excited! Sadly the resources are all packed away at the hut and I'm at home so had to make do with cocoa and icing sugar, but I will add photos of the glittery goodness.

The truffles were incredibly easy to make (hence the Guides will be having a bash in Patrols)

Snowball Truffles
Makes 30 (approx)

200g dark chocolate, broken into pieces (plus extra if you want to dip your truffles in chocolate like Jules has in her pictures. I haven't dipped mine)
4 tbsp condensed milk
flavourings e.g. 2 tsp orange extract or 2 tbsp rum
Cocoa/icing sugar/desiccated coconut for rolling truffles in

1) In a microwave proof bowl mix together chocolate, condensed milk and flavouring.

2) Heat the ingredients. At 10 second intervals stir the chocolate. When the chocolate has melted remove the bowl from the microwave.

3) Continue to stir until the ingredients turn into a fudge-like consistency. It does begin to look like the chocolate has seized but don’t worry, it is meant to do this. Allow it to cool for a few minute.

4) Take tsp of the mixture and roll into balls. Roll in coating then place on baking parchment to set and harden. If wish to dip the truffles in chocolate allow the truffles to first cool then dip in melted chocolate and leave to set on parchment.


Changes I will make next week

• I think we can make do with half teaspoons of truffle for each sweet. Ever thrifty, this will double the amount we make, but also I think these are plenty sweet enough in half portions. I'm working on the basis we'll make about 90 with the girls, if we do half teaspoons that will possibly go up to 180 - eeek!
• To make them look most like Easter eggs I found a kind of rounded quinelle was the easiest, but when coating them they went back round. I think I may need to shelve my dreams of pretty egg shaped truffles but we can try.
• Obviously we won't be using rum with the girls, but strawberry and mint flavourings. We also have lemon but I'm just not sure about that - although sometimes the things I'm dubious come out the best!
  

Oh and can I just mention the goodness of condensed milk? I am not a fan of dairy products as a rule, but this is lush... I can imagine it would be a huge treat at camp, I just now have to work out a way to include it in the menu!

The aim of this was not just to produce chocolate for eating (I haven't actually eaten any yet, they're going into work as a thank you for my team for covering my work while I've been off weeping copiously and some to the other Guiders at Brownies who just look after me all the time) however, the actual act of making them has served as a fantastic distraction. After a day spent largely in tears, the act of making a simple recipe which required straightforward, repetitive action was soothing in the extreme.

People write a lot about food being comforting, but for me the actual act of cooking is comforting - I know what I'm working towards, I can focus on that and that alone and know I'll have something to show for it at the end. Something that no one else can pass off as theirs, something that is entirely individual, something that has a part of me in it. When I look at what I do on a day to day basis, what pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head, I wonder why it can't be something that leaves me calm and peaceful like cooking or Guiding.