ABC Wednesday – J is for…

…Jars of Jam

Or Jelly for those of you reading this across the Pond. 2005 was rather a good year for soft fruit in VP’s family and we’re still eating the produce. I made the gooseberry and rhubarb & ginger; NAH’s mum gave us the raspberry and blackcurrant ones. We’ve also done a rather nice line in recycled jars don’t you think? The rhubarb & ginger was made on the hottest day of the year – temperatures were well in the nineties. I was ready to melt by the end of it all.

Click here for raspberry, blackcurrant and gooseberry jam recipes; or here for the rhubarb & ginger one. In my usual style I don’t bother with the crystallised ginger but use a little more root ginger instead. Taste any of these for an instant summer.

ABC Wednesday is bought to you courtesy of the letter J and Mrs Nesbitt’s Place.

Comments

  1. DeeMom26 March 2008 at 00:22

    Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh what a perfect “J”…we have the most fabulous grape vines here and the Jelly is awesome…

    But that will wait until early September Your recipe link is wonderful THANKS…

    Our gooseberry, blueberry and current bushes are still developing and are not quite ready for Jam or jelly. Instead I weed then pop a few into my mouth…the bushes are only starting their 4th season…

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pernille26 March 2008 at 00:38

    Wy did'nt I think og that??? Just a great choice for the letter J!! Nice shot:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. dot26 March 2008 at 03:12

    Who doesn't love jam and your's looks delicious!
    I was going to post on jam but realized I didn't have any.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Andrea26 March 2008 at 04:21

    I did not even think of JARS....I didn't have any jam to take pictures of anyway but I did have jars. Good "J" post.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Andrea26 March 2008 at 04:22

    I did not even think of JARS....I didn't have any jam to take pictures of anyway but I did have jars. Good "J" post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. FO - 226 March 2008 at 07:28

    Home made as well. Yummi! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Unknown26 March 2008 at 08:10

    Very good idea for ABC "J"!

    ReplyDelete
  8. mrsnesbitt26 March 2008 at 09:36

    MMMMMMMMMMM!
    Our plums and apples ....budding as we speak.

    ReplyDelete
  9. ArneA26 March 2008 at 09:53

    Jam out of strawberry as posted by me.
    Good choice

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anne-Berit26 March 2008 at 10:15

    That`s a great choice for J.Have a nice day:o)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous26 March 2008 at 10:34

    Raspberry jam, on hot buttered toast,is my favourite! xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Rune Eide26 March 2008 at 10:48

    One of the best-tasting Js so far - do you have any jam to spare?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Silly Goose26 March 2008 at 10:50

    VP
    Yum! What a delicious post. ;-)

    BTW, we make both jam and jelly on this side of the pond. Jam has suspended fruit in it, jelly is clear. ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. imac26 March 2008 at 11:37

    Taste the home made jam, great ABC post.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Daryl26 March 2008 at 12:19

    Yum .. Jam! Excellent J!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Paulie26 March 2008 at 12:47

    Homemade jelly or jam are always scrumptius!

    T make a link do this but don't leave any spaces in the href or /a part:

    your name followed by

    Hope that goes through.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Paulie26 March 2008 at 12:54

    o darn the html did not work right . . . trying again Well, it won't let me so just give Denise your email and she can tell you how to do it. Sorry!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Patty26 March 2008 at 13:50

    Great choices, thanks for including the recipes. I plan on making some jam this suumer

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous26 March 2008 at 15:38

    Wonderful choice for J. I'm always impressed with anyone who has the patience to make jam! I have always called it jam and I'm from across the pond. I'll be over later for some toast and jam...
    could you save me some blackcurrent?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Leslie:26 March 2008 at 15:54

    Reminds me of the hot summer days when my mother would be steaming over the steaming pot of jars and stirring the mixture to make all sorts of jams, jellies, pickles, and fruit for us to enJoy all year.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Lilli & Nevada26 March 2008 at 16:35

    That will go with my Peanut butter great looking Jam

    ReplyDelete
  22. BumbleVee26 March 2008 at 17:30

    we have jellies and jams over here... jelly usually has no seeds...jams on the other hand are the whole thing. all are tasty on scones, muffins..toast...oh, that does it..I'm off to make some toast...!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Miss_Yves26 March 2008 at 20:36

    Appetizing jam!
    And your cat is lovely!
    Miss Yves

    ReplyDelete
  24. Jo's-D-Eyes26 March 2008 at 21:04

    yes of course JAM is also a J I like also always the most simple things, This post is very good I like it,

    Greeting from ABC's 'J' JoAnn :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Liz Hinds26 March 2008 at 21:25

    Mmm, lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Barbara26 March 2008 at 23:30

    Good choice for J. I no longer have time to make jam, maybe I will one day.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Katney27 March 2008 at 04:48

    We have both jam and jelly on this side of the pond. I much prefer jam, as it has more body.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Neva27 March 2008 at 05:22

    This is a great post.....I love jam and these recipes look good.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Powell River Books27 March 2008 at 06:25

    Thanks for the recipe links. We get lots of blackberries here. They grow wild along the roads and I've always wanted to make some jam. Maybe this year. - Margy

    ReplyDelete
  30. VP28 March 2008 at 20:44

    Hi everyone - glad you like the Jam and the recipes! You know what, I've 'had' to have toast with jam each morning since making this post as those jams are oh so tempting :)

    Runee and ellen B - we do have some spare if you don't mind jam that's 3 years old. It seems to have kept well though and you'll need to hurry before I eat it all...

    Dirty Knees and Bumblevee - we make that distinction between jam and jelly too. Jelly can also mean a fruit flavoured dessert made using gelatin (hence gelatin = jellatin = jelly). Also Bumblevee - thanks for your first comment on here!

    Paulie - thanks for the link help - I'll see what Mrs Nesbitt does next week...

    Miss Yves - glad you like our cats - guess what K might be next week?

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous31 March 2008 at 22:24

    Rhubarb and ginger sounds tempting - I might have a go later in the spring. My mum used to do a lot of jam making when I was a child. I was a reluctant helper in the kitchen on jam making days. I have vivid memories of flicking many a wasp out of the kitchen window and of fishing endless plum stones out of the pan :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. VP1 April 2008 at 20:43

    Anna - I have similar memories too. Do try the rhubarb and ginger jam recipe, it's yummy :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from you and welcome thoughtful conversations :)

Comments aiming to link back and give credence to commercial websites will be composted!

Your essential reads

That blue flower: A spring spotter's guide

Image
Spring is a prime time for blue flowers and my daily walks currently have several from the same plant family* lining the local footpaths. As I walked past the Donkey Field the other day, I overheard some children ask their parents** what the pictured blue flower was. It reminded me it's often mistaken for those other familial blues and this time was no different, as they said it was forget-me-not, instead of the green alkanet it actually is. As well as similar flowers, most of these plants are hairy in their nature, flower around the same time, and favour damp, shady places. Many of them are great for pollinators too, especially bees and this week's warm weather has certainly drawn them to these flowers. This makes it even more likely for these plants to be mistaken for each other and it's a great opportunity for me to put together a spotter's guide in case you find the same flowers on your outings. Staying with green alkanet, the key features which set it
Read more

Jack Go To Bed At Noon

Image
Last year this rather exotic looking flower appeared on mine and several other allotments for the first time. Having been stumped (again) by Mr Allotment Warden as to its identity, I rushed home to find out what it was. It's salsify, aka the marvellous Jack Go To Bed At Noon - named as such because its flowers always close by midday. Here you can see both open and closed flowers - making it seem even more exotic and alien than in the first picture. I think this must be the cultivated version because the flower in my Francis Rose Wild Flower Key looks exactly the same in form, but is bright yellow in colour and called meadow salsify . Its other common name is Goatsbeard, which must be a nod to the fantastic dandelion-like clock which forms the seed head. With 'parachutes' like those shown above, who knows how far our plotted plants came from. I rather like the photographic dissection of the seedhead found in this link . Salsify is edible: its lateral shoots and fl
Read more

Salad Days: Mastering Lettuce

Image
I've decided one of my salad challenges for this year is to grow as many lettuce varieties as I can, ready for the publication of my planned Factsheet* later on. The idea is to grow as many of the Tried and Trusted lettuce varieties last year's Salad Challengers helped compile, then provide a visual guide and as many lettuce facts as I can muster. So far I've found around half of those listed**. Then naturally whilst I was out searching - because such is the way with seeds - a number of other varieties found their way home too ;) A couple of weeks ago I sowed 22 varieties***. Just the simple act of sowing them has me intrigued. Why are some lettuce seeds black and others white****? They split into about half white to half black in my sample and as far as I can tell it's nothing to do with whether they're a type of cos, iceberg, or whatever. I sowed them indoors and popped them into a propagator on the windowsill. The soil's too cold outside for sowing
Read more

Red Nose Day - Gardening Jokes Anyone?

Image
The nation goes ever so slightly bonkers on Red Nose Day - hurrah! Previously, it's been very easy to join in - usually via a dress down day at work plus lots of people up to mad things at the station and in the office. Everyone smiling for once - it's a real feel good day and all in a good cause. This year's different - every day's a dress down day for me now - my friend L suggested yesterday that perhaps I could have a dress up day instead and whilst that's a good idea, I confess that ballgowns and tiaras don't really feature in my wardrobe: scruffy student's always been my favourite look. So my Red Nose Day contribution for this year is to compile a list of gardening related jokes. For each one (clean ones only please) you leave in the comments below, I'll make a donation of 50p to the cause. Here's a few for starters just to get you warmed up: Q Why do potatoes make good detectives? A Because they keep their eyes peeled. Q What did the grape
Read more

VPs VIPs: Derry Watkins of Special Plants

Image
Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Derry Watkins at her home, garden and nursery - the acclaimed Special Plants - just a few miles along the road from me. I first met Derry at one of her open garden days last year and was keen to find out more about her wonderful garden and running an independent nursery. She specialises in tender perennials and regularly goes on plant hunting trips to find new treasures, particularly in South Africa. As well as running Special Plants and opening her garden under the NGS scheme , Derry holds day courses at her nursery, hosts Special Tuesdays from April until September, lectures and has written a couple of books. How did you find your way from Connecticut to the UK? I'd started a biodynamic vegetable garden in Connecticut and we used to have people come along at weekends to help out. A particular young man turned up: he returned many times and at the end of the summer I married him. So it was all down to love? Isn't that the
Read more

The Resilient Garden

Image
  Part of Tom Massey's Resilient Garden at RHS Hampton Court I've been pondering VP Gardens a lot lately. Last year's drought conditions set me off initially, then our harsher than usual winter combined with this summer's flip and flop weather means the thinking continues. It's a huge topic which I freely admit I'm struggling to get my head around. Tom Massey's Resilient Garden  at Hampton Court recently  tackled this topic brilliantly and was a timely interlude which gave me much food for thought. There he encapsulated the detailed research he'd found which informed both his show garden and book of the same name. I think it's one of the most important show gardens I've ever seen. It's clear the way I garden needs to change so that I have my own resilient garden. I haven't worked out the exact details yet, but Tom's book plus a couple of others (see below), alongside the rainwater management handout from the show garden's  sponso
Read more

#mygardenrightnow: heading into summer with the Chelsea Fringe

Image
Ahhhhhh, that's better! I love walking through dewy grass in bare feet, not that there's much in the way of grass on my back lawn this weekend. My wild and woolly lawn has morphed into meadow of sorts this month, which even NAH admits looks attractive*. It's also proved a great source for my Flowers for mum project so far, yielding self-sown perennial cornflowers, lamb's ears, and lemon balm in addition to the blooms you can see. These originated from elsewhere in the garden, the ox-eye daisies must have blown in from the A350 nearby. * = he got very stroppy about the weeds aka self-sown foxgloves in the lawn one year, so he's come along a bit since then. Skimble's demanding to say hello to you too. He does enjoy the patio when it warms up. If the embedded video doesn't work try this link instead. The Nectaroscordum are a revelation. I planted the bulbs around 2 years ago, but it's only this year they've bloomed properly. The bee
Read more

Testing Times: Tomatoes

Image
  I've run a couple of tomato trials this year. The first is a revisit of the biochar trial with Oxford University I attempted some years ago (with a different organisation this time), and the second is a trial of a water gadget called Plantsurge which I was given to try at Malvern Spring Show earlier this year. Most of you have probably heard of biochar already and the claim that this inert, carbon-rich material can help soil fertility and plant health. The RHS information in the above link says results can be mixed, with reduced effects found in alkaline soils. This may help to explain the lack of difference I found in my previous trial as VP Gardens is on a lime-rich soil. Plantsurge is a different beast altogether. It's a strong magnet which is attached to a hosepipe as shown in the photo above. It's claimed that it softens water, with the result more like watering with rainwater. The higher nitrogen found in rainwater is thought to be beneficial to plants. Gardener
Read more

Chelsea Fringe 2014: Shows of Hands - Episode I

Image
The gloves NAH used to build the raised bed . The effects are L to R, top to bottom:  Original photo, Warhol, HDR, Green tint, B&W, Posterize, Boost, Cross process and Sepia Welcome to Shows of Hands - my Chelsea Fringe project for 2014! As you can see I've been having a bit of a play around in Pic Monkey for my first contribution. You're welcome to join in between now and 8th June 2014. The idea behind this year's project is to highlight the tool most precious to a gardener: their hands. How do I take part? It's simple. All you need to do is take a photo of hand(s) in a gardening context and then share it via your blog or other social media (such as Twitter or Facebook), then make sure I know you've done so. I've set up Mr Linky below for your blog contributions. The Chelsea Fringe photo on the right sidebar links to this post, so you can easily find it again when you're ready to add your contribution. If you share your photo on Twitter,
Read more

Make Use of Mildew

Image
On my garden patrol this morning I spotted some powdery mildew on a couple of my new Verbena bonariensis plants. I suppose it was almost inevitable as I prefer to grow my plants hard - this means no water for them unless they look absolutely desperate. This approach means plants root themselves more deeply and have a better chance of survival during spells of dry weather like we've had lately. However, it also means I run the risk of problems like today's, especially with any garden newbies planted late in the season. We've had a good drop of rain overnight, so this should help my plants survive. I'll mulch them later today to help lock in the moisture as it's water stress which encourages the mildew to take hold. I've also removed the infected leaves and sprayed the rest with a milky drink.* I'm also pleased to find there's a use for my infected leaves. Oliver Ellingham at Reading University has started a PhD - sponsored by the RHS - researchi
Read more