Damp Autumn Days

Winter is rushing towards me at an alarming rate! Need to hold on to those precious moments while the garden has a little colour and interesting things.

Lots of fungi have sprung up. Fascinating to see. A large collection under a hedge and others dotted about.

Another sign that Winter is on its way is the sight and sound of geese overhead. Beautiful V-formations of them have been announcing their arrival at our local lake. I love to see and hear them with their beating wings and loud honking calls. Too fast and unpredictable to catch them on camera. Perhaps one day I might be lucky.

The asters and late flowers are fading but there are a few marigolds clinging on, some borage and lots of lovely mellowing leaves.

The winter plants I put in were attacked by slugs. I read a tip somewhere that copper pan scourers placed around the plants would deter them so I thought I’d give it a try. Opened out they form a good barrier.

Fingers crossed that it will work.

As well as slug problems, I had “one of those days” last week. I cut one finger and burnt another! For such events though I always have an aloe vera plant in the house. I’m usually sceptical about herbal, home remedies but this really does work. I break off the end of a leaf and rub the lovely cooling gel onto the cut or burn. It takes away the pain and makes it heal very quickly.

If you try this, don’t be persuaded to buy anything prepared in a tube. You need the fresh juice from the plant for it to work. If it’s a particularly sore cut or burn apply it a couple of times. It’s very soothing and heals in a trice.

Talking of burns, I’ve just made jam and that’s definitely a process which needs care. Boiling jam splashed on the skin is horrible. I have ways of doing it safely.

I wanted to use the plums we picked a couple of weeks ago to free up some freezer space. I added some cooking apples to increase the pectin and flavour. Nothing special about my recipe so I won’t put it on here. There are numerous ones available and it’s a simple enough process. I do have some useful tips though to make it stress-free.

Buy a long handled, wooden spoon. It will save you from splashes as the jam boils vigorously. It’s sometimes necessary to stir to prevent sticking and a normal spoon would not protect you. This is mine.

A ladle and a jam funnel make easy work of filling jars. The funnel should fit into the mouth of the jar to prevent jam running down the outside. Saves a sticky, unsatifactory job afterwards.

Organise your equipment before you start.

Old jam jars are fine, well washed and thoroughly rinsed, providing the lids are in good condition. After washing, place them in a cold oven and turn the temperature to low. Dry the lids with kitchen paper and place them somewhere warm if possible (not in the oven – some have plastic coating inside).

Have a surface prepared for the hot jars as close to the cooker as possible. I use an old wooden chopping board with a layer of newspaper topped with kitchen paper. It stops the hot jars touching a cold surface which might crack them.

Always take jars out of the oven one at a time so they remain hot. Fill with very hot jam and leave a gap at the top of the jar. Screw on the lid immediately while its’s hot. As the jam cools a vacuum will form at the top of the jar and pull the lid on. You will hear it pop as it seals. Then it will keep indefinitely. If you do this you don’t need a paper disc at the top of the jam. I have made jam for over 50 years and never had it go mouldy.

Recipes often tell you to skim off the “scum” as the jam cooks. This so-called scum is nothing more than air bubbles and can be stirred back in. When the jam is ready turn the heat to low and stir. The bubbles will disappear. Keep the jam warm though so the jars will seal as I mentioned above.

You often find lemon juice mentioned to increase pectin. I don’t believe this. You would need an awful lot of lemons to produce enough pectin and that would alter the flavour. Cooking apples are ideal instead. They have lots of pectin and mix in nicely with most fruit.

I hope these tips help. I could explain further but I’ll save details for a cookbook I’m preparing.

Jam might not be the most nutritious food with all that sugar but home-made jam is delicious. It’s not only good on toast, it’s also lovely on cake or even a spoonful with yoghurt.

And finally, here’s a little painting of a building on one of our favourite walks. This was painted with gouache from one of my photos.

With you again next week. Stay safe and happy. Bye for now.