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Time for Preserving
When I started my allotment journey, a small step towards self sufficiency I never thought for a moment that it would have filled me with the pleasure that it has. Or shown my what we are actually capable to grow in Britain. Or have the foodie effect that I thought it would on me.
With the sun blistering down upon me, I started my day at a clients, weeding out a long overgrown bed in the presence of a multitude of enormous, orange slugs. Immense to the scale of obesity, sitting sticky in the undergrowth, fat beads of golden and brown. I resisted the temptation to slaughter them all on sight, instead raising them from their worlds of moist dark to the scorching rays of the sun and a sharp beak of an obliging and friendly blackbird. My client’s jack russels raced round the garden with a never ending supply of energy, barking at a bird, a stone, a blade of grass. I suddenly realised that the fig tree, which had been left unpruned for several years was laden with figs! We can grow figs in Britain!? I couldn’t believe it. Only weeks before I’d been telling dear Leonora that she wouldn’t see any fruit from her tree. What a lie, here they were, bronzed, plump and heavy. Branches thick with rich, exotic fruit, growing in a london suburb….far from the exotic climes I’d imagined figs to hail from.
Juicy, exotic figs in London!?
Well, you can imagine it didn’t take me long before that little find was nimbly picked from the tree and in my mouth. It’s red, slightly woody texture bringing a sparkle to my eye. I’d already nabbed a greengage or two from a fruit tree by the cricket ground, it was turning into a delectably fruitful day! Wandering home I was in a highly happy mood. I was finding it difficult to get past the fig incident, and was feveroushly turning the cogs in my mind about needing a larger garden, about getting some fruit tree’s, hell, about creating an orchard!
But I had yet more surprises in waiting and on arriving at Mary’s, she was delighted to inform me that she had spent a happy weekend preserving fruit in Kilner jars and that there was still more to do! Preserving fruit?! But it makes sense. We waste so much fruit from tree’s that are spread across the nation. Squirrels have their nibble, birds a juicy peck and then the wasps move in. Lawns become covered in rotting fruit which is then discarded. When all the time it’s perfectly good and should have been used!!
Settling my eyes on an engorged bucket of plums, it made sense. Preserve 52 kilner jars and you have a years supply. Who needs Morrisons, or Tesco’s tinned fruit! Bleurgh. Home made, quality preserves must be far better and are certainly much more fun to do. It doesn’t even take long and soon, as Corrie twittered in the background we were stoning plums, packing them tightly into jars and covering them in sugar water. Popping into the AGA (lids open, we don’t want any explosive excitement) for a couple of hours and all you do is quickly seal the lids as they come out, let them cool and check the seal. Presuming they’ve sealed effectively you’ve preserved your fruit. It’ll keep, all year long. Bloody marvellous if you ask me.
Home preserving fruit is A LOT of fun!
I wonder why more people don’t do it, it seems perfectly sensible. Mary related a tale of picking wild raspberries whilst camping when she was young. She and her father then made jam over the campfire which certainly added to the British eccentricity when an American couple passed by and uttered “Gee, how quaint!” But if they did it then, well, on our bid to self sufficiency we certainly need to do it now. Last year the stored apples lasted particularly well. This year, with the combination of preserved fruit in addition, we seem to be one step closer to the “Good Life”. Tom and Barbara would be proud.
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