Cosy Comfort, Jam and Dreams of Spring

Halfway through January. Real winter! Time for cosy cushions, blankets, hot drinks and daydreams about Spring.

Some cold grey days but dry enough to work outside. I did some tidying in the greenhouse. Far too many plastic pots and plug trays. They tend to pile up whenever I buy plants. Sadly, the black ones can’t be recycled so I try to re-use them. I’m pleased to see my local nursery is now supplying light coloured ones so I will be able to put any I don’t need in the recycling bin.

The polytunnels need weeding. I pulled out most of the carrots and stirred up the soil in the gaps. At the end of the month I might try a sowing of mangetout. I especially like “Sugar Anne”. They produce lots of tender pods, then any which mature are filled with lovely peas.

The cabbages have been very nibbled. I found several caterpillars. Green ones and brown ones. Not sure which moths or butterflies they belong to but they’re not welcome when they’re munching our food. Surprising that they found their way into the tunnel, especially during Autumn. We keep the mesh doors closed at all times except while we’re watering. Must have sneaked in! I fed the cabbages with comfrey pellets to revive them and also the cauliflowers. Worked them into the soil for extra, organic nutrition.

I was delighted to find the caulis are already forming lovely white heads. Didn’t expect them for months yet. I sowed the seeds in late Summer. I think the variety is called “Maystar”.

Outdoors, the Kale had been thoroughly pecked by wood pigeons. They’re covered with nets now so I’m hoping they will recover. It’s a constant battle against pests and the weather but it’s well worth it in the end. Homegrown food is so delicious.

In the tunnels I have seasonal veggies for soothing soups and satisfying meals. Parsnips, celeriac and carrots have done well. Boiled and mashed with a spoonful of soured cream, they are delicious. In the house I still have a couple of my favourite “Buttercup” squashes to use. Good for soups or roasting, these are a real treat with their sweet orange flesh.

The garden has a few treasures at this time of year but they are more subtle than summer flowers. Here are some little pleasures I picked up as I looked around.

Our neighbours have a corkscrew hazel. I could just see the lovely catkins over the fence.

Home comforts are so necessary in winter, especially if you’re unlucky enough to catch a cold as I did just after Christmas. I don’t take much in the way of medicine for a cold but here’s a little tip you might not know about. If you have a cold your nose can become sore and inflamed. Keep a lip salve in the house and if you have a cold rub the salve around your nose each time you’ve blown it. It will stop it from becoming sore. One less misery to put up with.

On cold days I enjoy being cosy in the kitchen and making jam always seems a good thing to do in Winter. I froze a large bag of strawberries from the garden last Summer so I thought it was time to get on with it.

Jam making is easy if you follow a few simple rules. Only use sound fruit, nothing mouldy. Keep everything clean. Wash and rinse the jars before you begin cooking. Put them in the oven and heat gently until the jam is ready to fill them. Dry the lids with kitchen paper and put somewhere warm to finish drying but not in the oven as some lids have a plastic coating inside. Keep a cold plate ready for testing a spoonful of jam now and then until the setting point is reached. The surface of the jam should wrinkle as it cools. This is so easy that I’ve never used a thermometer. Keeping it simple seems to work well.

Strawberry jam is difficult to set as the fruit has very little pectin. Apples are rich in pectin so I added three small, peeled and cored, cooking apples cut into tiny pieces, to the stewing strawberries. You can buy bottles of pectin to add, or jam sugar which has added pectin, but as I have a few of my apples leftover from Autumn I preferred to use these.

When the fruit had cooked I stirred in an equal weight of sugar and mixed well before bringing to a rapid boil. The smell of strawberries was wonderful as the steam sent it around the kitchen.

Once setting point was reached I stood the jars, one by one, on a board covered with kitchen paper to prevent the hot glass from touching a cold surface and, using a funnel, I ladled the hot jam into each jar and screwed the lids on tightly. It’s important to leave a gap at the top rather than filling right up. This helps the jam to form a vacuum as it cools and seals the lid on.

More tips for jam making are in my Earthy Homemaker’s Cookbook.

Winter can seem long and dreary. Gardeners, like me, are eager to start growing again. When I look back at my summer photos I can hardly believe the glorious colours and abundant produce in my garden but Spring will be here before we know it and it will all begin again.

Last May I painted a picture of a pot of pansies and although I showed it at the time, I think it’s cheerful enough to show again. So, here is my painting, done with gouache from my own photo.

With you again in a couple of weeks. I hope you have happy moments, stay warm and keep well. Bye for now.