jam*

* Edited for paragraphing!

Dear Diary,

Writing this from my phone as just too tired to think about finding lappy.

Tris finally seems to have shown some improvement although he remains very poorly. Finally started drinking again properly today, seems the threat of a drip works! Not really been anywhere given that I have been playing Florence.

Did manage to snaffle around 12 kilos of strawberries for £5 from fruit and veg place. Cracking bargain even if they were past their best. Given that they have all been hulled, chopped and boiled up to make jam. I’d be happy not to see another strawberry for the rest of the summer!

So, jam making. So often viewed as alchemy. Nothing to it really, you just need to know whether you have a high or low pectin fruit. Ingredients are few. Whatever weight you have in fruit, you need the same of sugar. Just normal sugar. Oh and then lemon juice, quantity dependent on the pectin you need to add.

Pectin is the stuff that makes the jam set. You can buy bottles of apple pectin extract to help get a set but I tend to find it a waste of money. The juice of an extra lemon tends to be enough. Lemon pips are super high in pectin so you can either throw them in and then try to fish them all out at the end, or perhaps better, tie the pips in some muslin and throw that in. Bit like a lemon pip boquet garni. Far easier to fish out!

Strawberries have sod all natural pectin and therefore need plenty of lemon juice. I’ve found that the amount needed can vary with each batch. As a rule of thumb, for 3kg of strawberries you will need 3kg of sugar and the juice of 4 lemons. The next bit is really important…throw it all in a pan together!

Strir occasionally and bring to a brisk boil. If it starts to foam a bit much, stir in a knob of butter. Keep it boiling for around 30 mins and then test for a ‘set’. Easiest way to test is to dribble a little bit onto a cold (been in the freezer) saucer. Leave it whilst you make a cup of tea and then push the blob. If it wrinkles up, sticks to your finger, then it is set. If not keep boiling and retest every 5 – 7 mins.

Bingo, you have jam. Or in this case, I do. Jars and jars and jars of the frigging stuff. Ho hum, perhaps I’ll start a cottage industry. £2 a jar, first 2 jars already sold. Hurrah! That and at least jam doesn’t go off. No artificial preservatives, just sugar!

Right, off to swallow a handful of pills and sleep.

Fi