Thursday, 09th July 2009

Jam Session: When Mum makes jam...

Usually when I start my annual jam production line I have two excited watchers on my side - sometimes even more. They hope I would ask them to give me a hand or have afterwards the chance to lick the remains from the pots. Very proud my children  tell their friends that me, their mum, is the best jam maker of the world. And when the glasses are filled with the delicious product and lovely labelled resting decorative on the kitchen table, their pride does not know any limit. Immediately an inner force tells them to grab that wonderful stuff from the table and distribute it to all the neighbours, the friends of the neighbours or to everybody they know with the very important message that this was made by their own mother.
From now on every morning when they eat the bread or rolls nicely covered with the new jam they do not hesitate to praise the quality of that sweet thing on their bread.
I like the way how they celebrate this “event” in their small world and at that moment I wish they will remember these times when they are grown up. That are experiences which you do normally not forget and which accompany your entire life like mile stones.
I have similar memories. The “Dampfnudeln” (sweet yeast dumplings) which my mother used to cook on my birthday I will never forget. Or the “Zwetschgenknödel” which my grandma made for me only, also a favourite of mine. I remember even the sweet smell dancing through the house.

I would like to know, if my two little kids remember all that things which they experienced during their childhood – the jam-session or the chocolate cake-session or all the other adventures.
Of course I do not know, but I enjoy this moments of life very much indeed, when the two little dwarfs sitting beside me accompanying my doing with wide open eyes and waiting for that what is coming up.
And here is the source of the story: the james I created two days ago:

Physalis-Apricot-Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Remove the physalis from the hulls and cut in half. Put physalis into a pot and heat it. Add preserving sugar and bring it to boil. Then remove pot from the oven and puree physalis.
2. Wash, remove cores and quarter apricots and put them into a pot. Add preserving sugar. Bring it to boil over medium heat, stirring every minute, until the consistence thickens.  Then puree it. Add Physalis and stir it.
3. Then fill it into the cleaned jars, wipe the rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and close the jars with the cleaned covers. And now turn the jars upside down for some minutes.

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Strawberry-Vanilla-Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Wash and quarter strawberries. Put them into a pot.
2. Split vanilla pod in half lengthwise and scrape seeds from pod into the cooking pot and the strawberries. Add preserving sugar and heat pot.
3. Bring it to boil over medium heat, stirring every minute, until the consistence thickens.  Then puree it.
4. Then fill it into the cleaned jars, wipe the rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and close the jars with the cleaned covers. And now turn the jars upside down for some minutes.

*******

Apricot-Coconut-Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Wash, remove cores and quarter apricots and put them into a pot. Add preserving sugar. Bring it to boil over medium heat, stirring every minute, until the consistence thickens. Then puree it.
2. Add coconut syrup, stir it and boil again for another minute.
3. Then fill it into the cleaned jars, wipe the rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and close the jars with the cleaned covers. And now turn the jars upside down for some minutes.

*******

Strawberry-Cherry Brandy-Jam

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Wash and quarter strawberries. Put them into a pot. Add preserving sugar. Bring it to boil over medium heat, stirring every minute, until the consistence thickens. Then puree it.
2. Add cherry brandy, stir it and boil again for another minute.
3. Then fill it into the cleaned jars, wipe the rims with a clean cloth or paper towel, and close the jars with the cleaned covers. And now turn the jars upside down for some minutes.