Thursday 7 October 2010

Ode to strawberry jam

Despite trying my best to grow strawberries and raspberries year after year, we have never really had much success (see picture below for this year's harvest!)
We have a relatively huge space dedicated to them, and have painstakingly planted, weeded, watered and checked the crop.  We got a handful this year, but it was all very disappointing.
Things came to a crisis point when we recently ran out of the 2008 supply of homemade jam.  As we used the last drop, with no sign of our own glut, something had to be done.  So we went to Garson's pick your own farm, in Esher, Surrey.  What a find!  There are as many as 40 crops you can pick throughout the year, depending on season.  They have popular crops such as strawberries in succession, so you can pick them more or less any time from spring to autumn.
I can't quite put my finger on why our home-made jam is so special and so essential in my kitchen.
It could be that the jam is made with fresh and ripe fruit, usually on the same day as picking?
It could be the dash of balsamic vinegar that Nigella recommended?
It could be the gooey lumpiness which it has, rather than the pert jelliness of shop bought jam?
Whatever it is, it makes it well worth the hours of picking, preparing, cooking and putting into jars.  I am so looking forward to that first batch of scones with cream and jam.

2 comments:

  1. oooh me too - when can we come over????

    xxx

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  2. Okay I'm hopping the first thing crossing the ocean to help you try out the new batch of jams.
    Those look so good...and it is probably the big does of love you add to every jar.
    I missed your posts. Glad to see you back.

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