Fellow British Isle dwellers…this country we live in is truly amazing – particularly when it comes to food! A recent obsession of mine is foraging, as there’s something so wonderful about food for free! So I want to ask you all: do you make the most of the abundance of amazing food that is growing in your hedgerows, in your back gardens and along public byways?
Since moving to Cambridge from Australia two years ago, I find myself in a constant state of awe at this (to me) incredible phenomenon, and I try my hardest to make the most of it. I have always thought that there is nothing more satisfying than creating a delicious something from food picked mere minutes before, and this is incredibly easy to do at this time of year.
Now on to the jam! There is an ancient mulberry tree growing at the college where my partner and I live…so a couple of weeks ago we traipsed out of our house armed with a bucket each, and we went to pick us some mulberries! This was a completely new experience for my boyfriend, but he quickly discovered how much fun it is; we worked well as a team as he pulled the branches closer to the ground and I picked the dark, juicy berries as fast as I could. At the end of an hour our buckets were full and our hands were stained red – perfect!
Funnily enough I don’t enjoy eating mulberries…but I love mulberry jam! So as soon as we got home out came my big pot and in went the berries. Add some heat, mash the berries, mix in some sugar, stir, bottle…done! Making your own jam really is that simple, and if you have access to fresh fruits and berries then there’s no reason why you ever need to buy jam again.
There are thousands of jam recipes out there – in books, magazines, the internet. My Mum uses a particular recipe for each kind of jam, but I tend to open five different variations online and then pick and choose the elements that apply to me or that I think will work best. In the case of the mulberry jam I had 1.5kg of berries and I added approximately 800g of jam sugar with added pectin. The 2:1 ratio always seems to work for me quite well, but I don’t think it matters too much.
Here are some fantastic websites where you can be inspired by the wonderful thing that is jam making:
So why not give it a go? Blackberries are still in abundance, and fruits like plums, apples, pears that are in season at the moment can also be turned in to pots of sweet deliciousness! If you don’t have any fruit or berries at home then check out this free fruit map created by Transition Cambridge and go foraging yourself. Or speak to a local grower at the Cambridge Sunday Farmers’ Market and buy seasonal produce from local people.
And I promise that with a little patience and practice you’ll be enjoying homemade preserves from now on!
by Elaina
September 19, 2013