In our past life at Lacewood, (our
former farming property) with its 300 tree orchard it was impossible
to keep the birds from eating what the previous owner called their allotted
portion. He declared that there was one quarter for the birds and three
quarters for us, and that's how it was, no argument. However, we now
only have one plum tree and one apricot tree, having moved from the
farm into the town, and each piece of fruit is jealously guarded. If
I catch a bird casting its little beady eye over my fruit I am out there
under the branches clapping loudly. Not in applause you understand,
but to let the little beggars know that only when I am finished picking
can they come for their share.
When I sold Lacewood (the farm and
cottage manufacturing industry that developed from it) I hadn't anticipated
making any more jam, having cut, stoned, stirred, and bottled more fruit
than you could poke a stick at, so it was a surprise to me when I actually
had the energy to make three batches of plum jam this year. During my
manufacturing years I learned that one way to have added pectin in the
jam and therefore a better set, was to add some chopped citrus, and
having a grapefruit tree is a boon. The first fruit to hit the pot was
plum, blueberry with a hint of grapefruit. Not content with that, and
because the plums were so plentiful, plump and beautiful I made Strawberry
& Plum and Plum & Raspberry. They taste delicious, glow like
rubies in glass jars and are marvellous on toast.
I just wish I could train my Abyssinian
cat to climb the fruit trees to ward of those feathered invaders until
I have picked my supplies, but he seems content to lie on the driveway
in the shade, blinking an eye upwards only when the offending cheeping
becomes too loud.
The golden jars of marmalade, made
just three months ago have had to move over on the pantry shelves to
make room for the latest ruby bottles, and my heart rejoices that there
are jars of jam to give away to friends and family alike. It is a wonderful
thing to present a jar of home-made jam as a gift when calling at the
home of a friend or loved one, and seems to me that there is more than
fruit and sugar inside the glass jar. There is also love!
Plum sauce and Chili Plum
Sauce
Today we have cut the last of the
ripened plums. The birds have also had their share and I feel justified
in turning the remainder of the crop into Plum Sauce with just a hint
of citrus for added bite. We sat at the kitchen table this morning with
tiny rivulets of red juice running down to our elbows as we worked.
I then finely sliced and diced two grapefruit and added them to the
pot with ground ginger and a hint of ground cloves. This will all boil
down before I add the remaining spices, vinegar and sugar. Last year's
crop of tiny birds-eye chillies was made into a chili paste so I shall
add some of this to part of the batch to make a small quantity of Hot
Chili Plum Sauce which my sons love. It goes so well with Asian foods
and pork dishes.
Apricots
With the last of the plums down
from the tree I now turn my attention to the apricot tree whose branches
intertwine with the plum. It is loaded with fruit and, because I wouldn't
let my husband, Brian, thin the fruit when it = was quite small, the
tree has a heavy burden, as he keeps reminding me.
This tree is a miracle. Parts of
the tree have died and been cut back, but the living part of the tree
is thriving. I have great difficulty in reaching the fruit even with
the aid of a step ladder. I stand below and look skywards to the fruit
which I know I must dedicate to the native bird population because it
is out of range. The fruit however is firm and flavoursome with the
slightly acidic flavour that I love. The sugar doesn't develop in the
apricots until the flesh becomes quite soft and orange in colour. My
preference however is to eat the fruit straight from the tree. I know
it's delicious in pies, stewed, on top of cakes, in tarts and slices,
but for my money you can't beat standing underneath the branches, devouring
the just-picked fruit while juice trickles down your chin.
Night and morning we climb the ladder
as near the top of the tree as we dare to reach the ripening fruit .
Of course this gives us a physical workout as well as a different perspective
on our neighborhood, in particular Bailey and Zo, our neighbour's dogs,
who are so excited to see our heads pop above the tall dividing fence,
and bark with joy when the odd apricot bounces at their feet.
Meanwhile the kitchen is redolent
of sugar and spice and all things nice. The aroma of pickled apricots
rises into the range hood, and spicy apricot sauce is stirred slowly,
blended smooth and then bottled into hot sterilised bottles. What a
golden bounty. I feel rich beyond my dreams. The pickled apricots are
something I decided to make on the spur of the moment and have proved
a success to eat with cold turkey or ham.
This was followed by a batch of
Apricot sauce, Apricot and Chilli sauce, Apricot and Citrus jam and
Gingered Apricot jam. Meanwhile I have processed the last two boxes
of apricots, the last of the crop. They are small; some are a little
spotty and not good for eating so I have decided to make another batch
of Apricot Sauce with Ginger. When I saw small vacuum packs of red pickled
shredded ginger on my supermarket shelves last week my heart took a
leap, and you couldn't stop my rush through the checkout to go home
and experiment. The cut apricots, lemons and grapefruit were placed
into the pan with a quantity of vinegar and cooked until they were soft
and squashy. With my hand-held blender I turned the fruit into a pulp,
much easier than having to pass the fruit through a sieve I can tell
you. I then added the remainder of the spiced vinegar and the sugar,
and lastly two packets of the shredded ginger. The finished product
is a beautiful colour with little red pieces of ginger showing through
the glass. I love the freedom to try all kinds of different things.
As long as one sticks to the basic recipe and keeps the correct proportions
of fruit to acid (vinegar) and sugar there is no end to the combinations
that can be achieved. Go on, try it for yourself, you can have basic
sauce or a spiced up version with chilli and hot pepper on your shelf.
It all depends on your taste, so go for it.
©
