There's no rest for the wicked and all that. Taph headed off yesterday leaving me with a laundry tub full of soaking apricots. Her last words after assuring me they'd last at least 48 hours were "don't take them out of the water or they'll rot faster!So there they stayed. After work today I googled apricot chutney recipes, pulled out the large pot she'd left me, and set out to make some pickles all by my little lonesome (plus some more stewed apricots for the freezer)
It was a bit scary, really. Chutney doesn't smell half as good as jam. Which sent me into a frenzy of uncertainty. Does my flat smell like shit because a) the apricots are dead and rotten and should be chucked out or b) because vinegar and sugar and stuff just smells like that?
Oh well, I've made and frozen eight containers of stewed fruit and nine jars of chutney (two different sorts). I'll let the expert make the final decision.
I finally read the back of the packet that my labels come in today. Bugger. I obviously should have bought the other "Full of jam" pack when I was at Officeworks...(Remind me next time I see a tree full of fruit to RUN AWAY!!!!)
6 comments :
Hi, I just found you and am enjoying your blog. This sounds like a lot of work but so delicious. I'd love to be able to taste this. I'm off to see the rest of your blog.
Happy Holidays!
SO the apricot saga is coming to an end huh. Well done. A
By the way - lemons are the natural form of pectin you can use, and save the cost/buying the processed variety.
I am pleased you found some Jam Free labels - because labels full of jam usually get pretty messy and may kind of grow mould before you use the jam.
And - vinegar and sugar and stuff do smell like ... well you know now anyhow. Especially if a little bit spilled onto your stove and burned. But the rewards of eating fresh, home made jam for the rest of the year is enormous.
Would you like to try some lemon butter now. It is NOTHING like the bought .... - even if it is full of butter and eggs.
And the LETS idea - hmmm been thinking seriously about that too.
Janet
Hi Kathy and welcome! You might like to check out the other two blogs I write for in the lefthand sidebar when you're done here!
Janet: We didn't need to buy pectin as Taph provided some which I think came from her stash under the house. She brought lemons too.
As for lemon butter I think I'll pass as a) I don't eat the stuff and b) I need to recover from the apricots before I even consider another round...
I adore lemon butter and will only eat the hmemade stuff but, alas, I can no longer eat butter. *sigh*
"Lemon margarine" doesn't quite have the same ring to it really...
lol yeh sounds like work and a half. But still, i think you had fun secretly :P
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