Choices

OK so over the past few months the lovely fruit trees in the back yard have ripened and blessed us with its bounty. There are a few choices that can be made from this 1- eat fruit straight from the trees, and actually we have been the kids ate the green gauges before i even had a chance to preserve anything if i was to. 2- give it away, i have given away when i have remembered. 3- preserve them!!
My good friend Liz Walker gave me a preserving book for my birthday this year called Year in a bottle by Sally Wise. Even though over the years gone i have put my hand to making jams most of the time they never have quite set the way i would like, for example last year i made plum jam and it sort of turned into a sweet sauce, a few years before i tried marmalade and i used it for cordial. Well with the jam instead of chucking it i still jarred it and just use it for a base to marinades. But you know we all have choices in life that we have to make, i could have looked at those trees in the yard and watched the fruit drop off them and go and buy my jam and chutneys, or i could put in a little elbow grease and actually do something about it. I had a new book to use so below are some of the fruits of my labor pardon the pun. I can honestly say that even though i really enjoy cooking i thought preserving would be a drag. One day twice a month and none of it was boring. the apricots my mum picked for me went to my favorite apricot jam (home made) and the most lovely chutney i have tasted, the apples are up and i will feed Baydan with the apple sauce while he gets on to solids (all for free) and then the yellow plum jam and the i guess normal plum jam are divine. Thank you Sally wise for being the vessel i used to get me inspired and excited about preserving.