My garden and a spoonful of sunshine
I’m a keen gardener but I mostly just plant and hope, if I could pull my planning up to the level of my enthusiasm my vegetables and I would be much better off. I this year I’ve had the greatest success with my Autumn raspberries and I’m fairly sure that’s because I haven’t had to do anything to or with them after I cut them back at the end of last year.
My beloved tomatoes are plentiful and beautiful, but sadly quite tasteless, full of water and many slightly floury, my salads have bolted up the middle and become bitter and my carrots are still the size of my little finger.
Apparently horse manure is the answer so I’ve asked for a truckload for Christmas. It may well be that I’ve been working my soil too hard without giving enough back. My garden never lets me settle, become comfortable, something that works one year may not the next. But it always gives me hope, enough hope to keep believing that I’ll get it right eventually. I know that I’ll be as excited and optimistic ever when I see the first green shoots of garlic next spring.
To see me through to then , I’ve been preserving, I love the act of preserving, the idea that when it’s warm and nature’s feeling good and generous that you can bottle it’s bounty for when it’s miserable and decides to hibernate in winter. Born out of necessity, preserving now gives us an enormous amount of our treats, from Smoked Salmon to sunblush tomatoes to Parma ham and Dulce de Leche. All came about as ways of keeping fish, vegetables, pork and milk for longer, all are great delicacies.
My great raspberry crop means that I’ve been able to make jam. Even the autumn raspberries are now finished so I’ll give you a recipe for plum jam that I’ve had great success with over the years. It works with everything from Victoria plums to damsons; it’s also good for raspberries and blackberries, either fresh or frozen.
I’ve made a tiny bit in years gone by, but this year I’ve got about 20 jars. I’ll give a few to very special friends over the winter, but mostly I’ll keep them for a spoonful of sunshine on toast or ice cream on a cold winter’s day.
Victoria Plum Jam
I tried this jam first with ordinary sugar, then preserving, and finally jam sugar. The jam sugar with added pectin was by far the best, with a better set, and fresher flavour than the other two. Just make sure you heat the fruit slowly before boiling so that the sugar dissolves completely and the plums begin to cook. I’ve added a little lemon juice to balance the sweetness of the jam.
Makes Approx 1.8kg / 4lb
Prep ahead If stored in a cool dark place the jam should keep for up to a year. I keep mine in the fridge.
Prep / Cooking 30 mins
Active Time 15-20 mins
Prep Time; 20 minutes
Cooking Time; Approximately 10 minutes
1 kg / 2lb 4 oz plums
Juice of 2 large lemons
1 kg / 2lb 4 oz jam sugar
40g / 1 1/2 oz unsalted butter
Method Preheat your oven to 150c/Gas 2
Step 1
Cut the plums in half and remove the stones. Cut the halves into approximately 2cm pieces and put them in a large pan.
Step 2
Add the lemon juice and jam sugar and stir in well.
Step 3
Cook over a medium heat for 6-7 minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved and the plums have started to soften.
Step 4
Raise the heat and bring the jam to the boil. Once it is boiling fiercely and coming up the side of the pan, boil very rapidly, stirring occasionally, for exactly 4 minutes (set a timer).
Step 5
Once the jam is cooked stir in the butter and leave to sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to evenly distribute the morsels of plum.
Step 6
While the jam is sitting, heat your jars in the preheated oven. Stir the jam and pour it into the hot jars, cover with waxed paper circles and seal. Leave to cool before labelling.
