In a couple of hours time, I will be taking Nigel back to the airport for his return to the UK. Today the sky is blue once more, just as it was the day before he arrived!! During his stay, the weather has been mostly cold and wet. The fire has been lit a couple of times and the hot water bottles came back out of the cupboard. I know it has to be coincidence, but Nigel really seems to change the weather every time he arrives here. Fingers crossed that he can break the spell for his return in mid July to watch the Tour de France.
I hope that by the time of his return, there will masses of vegetables ready to eat in the garden. I have to say it is looking quite promising at the moment. I just need to sort out the matter of the aphids and black fly, who seem to have been thriving, thanks to the weather of the last few weeks.
Yesterday I made some cherry jam. Nigel did the miserable job of de-stoning for me, while I took on the easy job of cutting them in half, cooking and bottling them. As they are eating cherries, I am not sure how much flavour the jam will have. I am sure after tasting it, I will find they there is a lack of flavour. It will give me an idea, though, what to put in the next batch, maybe some kirsch or almond flavour - I will have to see.
De-stoning the cherries
Checking the weight after the stones were removed.
There was one small hiccup in the process; while I turned my back for a minute, the mixture boiled over! What a mess, even though I caught it quickly and very little went on the stove.
I used special jam sugar, so it was a simple recipe. 1.2 kg of cherries to 1kg of sugar. Bring to the boil and boil for exactly seven minutes. Pour into sterilised jars, put on the lids and wait for them to pop and make a vacuum.
Enjoy!
We always have lots of cherries in our french garden too - we skip the jam making process and just whack them in a big jar and fill it with vodka! A really yummy treat 6 months later with ice cream...
ReplyDeleteI'm also growing some veg - my lettuces have just come up!
Oh that jam looks wonderful but it is a lot of work taking the stones out.
ReplyDeletePoor Nigel!! Sometimes the weather just does not co-operate. :) And poor you too that he has to go back. :)
So sad that Nigel's stay was so short, and that the weather didn't cooperate! Hopefully July will be better.
ReplyDeleteThe jam sounds good, but I'm sure you're sorry to see Nigel leave.
ReplyDeleteDiane: What a sweet treat, the jam should be really good.
ReplyDeleteOO yummy - looks lovely, hope you enjoy it on some lovely fresh bread xx
ReplyDeleteHi Kirsty, we have also whacked them in cognac but with the amount of cherries we have I can't afford the alcohol!!! I have frozen a lot, but the freezer has limited space! Hope your lettuce turn out well. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Joan I have got quite fast at de-stoning and Nigel speeded up quite bit as well. It was his first time and he did very well. Yes I agree it is a lot of trouble but I cannot stand watching the birds, bees and wasps eating them all.
ReplyDeleteNigel was very sad at the airport, even more so as the sky was blue and the sun was shining for the first time since he had arrived!
Diane
Hi Marjie, I certainly hope the weather is good in July, it was a tough goodbye today for both of us. Diane
ReplyDeleteGaelyn, yes it was a very sad departure. It seems to get worse each time! One of the jars of jam did not pop, so as I wanted to taste it anyway I tried some on my return. Hmmmm, it was not too bad, maybe some kirsch in it is a good idea though:) Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Fishing Guy, as I have just said to Gaelyn it tasted pretty good. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Roz, Yep, yummy it was, especially on French country bread:) Diane
ReplyDeletePoor Nigel... I hope the weather is better for him in July. The cherry jam sounds great - I've never had it before.
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be a few weeks before any cherry jam making is done here! It has been raining again the last couple of days.
ReplyDeleteHi Pam. I have not had it before either but it tastes pretty good. My neighbour (who has no cherries) picked a whole carry bag this afternoon and she said she was going to make cherry cakes.Diane
ReplyDeleteLindyLouMac, it seems so strange that you are so far behind us with your cherries. If we do not pick quickly, we are not going to get many more. The sun today brought out the flies, wasps and birds! Diane
ReplyDeleteI bet that tastes good. Hate that Nigel is gone so soon. I was just catching up with your blog. You have so many beauties blooming there. Hope the weather gets better soon. Have a good day.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how good this is going to taste. I'm sorry Nigel has had such bad weather for his visit. Have a good and hopefully dry day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteThanks Becca. Life is not easy when we are apart so much. I used to drive back more often but it has just got too expensive. Its about 11 hours driving time with either the tunnel or a ferry in the middle, cost of that plus fuel and tolls..... Flying is much cheaper and it is better that Nigel tries to take a break from work and comes here. It is sad though when the weather is so bad!. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, thanks for your good wishes. Diane
ReplyDeleteI love sour cherries more that just about anything but chocolate!!! How I do hate the stoning. It is best if you put on a great movie with a friend and just do it. I get pounds (are they as pricey there as they are here?) and freeze some for later. Cherry jam.. what a luxury. I must make some with this perfect recipe!!!
ReplyDeletelongpastremembered. Our cherries are not sour ones which would make much better jam, but I must say I am very happy with what I have made. I put in a little almond and that made all the difference. I have no idea of the cost to buy, we have so many in the garden that I have never looked. My guess though is that they are expensive.Diane
ReplyDeleteWish I had some of that jam! It's my favorite and I can't wait until there are good fresh cherries here. I have added kirsch sometimes and it makes a tasty jam. I used to put it all in a gallon glass jar and then scoop it out when I needed it or wanted to give some away. It worked great and will probably do it again next time. Sorry the weather wasn't better when Nigel was there. You have a good day!
ReplyDeleteHi Pam, sure you will have cherries around soon. Yes, as I have just discovered cherry jam is excellent:) I am just off to the kitchen now to make another batch. Diane
ReplyDeleteOOOHHHH OOOO OOOO!!! That's one thing I"d LOVEEEEEE to do is to make cherry jam-- to have a tree and make all sorts of cherry desserts... You're are lucky... Can you save a jar for me one day??
ReplyDeleteI'll have to come down and collect it but I'll swap you for a batch of any choice of cupcakes from my end!!!
Sure you will enjoy a trip South Leesa. Also have cherries in vodka to try for the first time. Diane
ReplyDeleteYum... Cherries in Vodka! That sounds interesting... Hopefully, then next year.. I want to go down to where Jennifer (chez Loulou) lives and take pics of the poppy fields there.. Do you have poppy fields where you are?
ReplyDeleteTake care and have a great week!
Leesa
Hi Leesa, there are many poppies around, but not usually in whole fields like Jennifer's photos. We have mainly crops everywhere and the poppies grow thickly down the sides. Diane
ReplyDeleteHi Diane
ReplyDeleteMy mom's quince jelly recipe is probably like yours, but here it is:
4-5 medium size quince
1 1/2 kg confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 cups of water
Core and dice the fruit and let it stand in an uncovered dish over night or until it is rust colored. (save the seeds in a cheese cloth for later use). Next day combine everything in a large pot, add the reserved seed packet boil until thickened (her test is a drop of jelly in a glass of water). The color should be like amber. I hope you'll like it. Enjoy