Yesterday after a rummage in the freezer I pulled out 31/2 lbs of raspberries, they were harvested from the fruit cage end of summer.
It was a busy time for me and I didn't have time to do anything with them, so into the freezer they went.
Raspberry jam is my all time favourite of jams, I had used the last jar that I had in store.
A jamming session was on the cards for these raspberries
With sugar added they were soon boiling away in the jam pan, the smell was fantastic, a real blast of summer as it filled the kitchen.
Don't they look great, a lovely rich red colour, there is a lot to be said for making jam in January instead of summer when you just want to be outside. This lot is now ready to replenish the store cupboard.
I still have Blueberries from summer picking to do something with, along with a few tubs of mixed berry fruit, Tayberries, blackberries, black currants, they are earmarked for a mix fruit jam I think.
Yesterday evening when the goats were bedded down for the night,
We gave them there worming treatment, fairly straight forward to do, squirt it down there throat, they didn't put up any objections, this week end we have the Alpacas to do that will be a different story.
We went out for a meal last night, down the village to the pub, the food was great and its lovely to get out and be waited on.
It's good to hear your exploits and how much energy you have again after being poorly...it's giving me hope!! x
ReplyDeleteI do hope you are better soon
DeleteThe jam looks yummy, I'm envious! I used to make a lot of jam, don't bother now as I'm diabetic and husband hardly ever eats it, an opened jar sits in the fridge for months.
ReplyDeleteJam butties are a regular for me at lunch time
DeleteOh I bet that was smelling gorgeous! What a lovely sight for the store cupboard!
ReplyDeleteIts lovely to open the cupboard and see all the colours of summer
DeleteOooh scrummy - I used some of my raspberries for a couli to go with the Chocolate Roulade on Christmas Day. As you said, the smell of summer.
ReplyDeletePROPER jam too - just two ingredients - fruit and sugar!
Apart from fruit and sugar what else is there to add
DeleteA really beautiful sight and I bet your kitchen smelt amazing. I don't eat jam now as like Sooze I am diabetic and I miss jam making sessions.
ReplyDeleteLovely to do it in winter on a cold day-x-
A much more pleasant task in winter
DeleteYour jam looks yummy, nice to have a meal out
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely treat going out for a meal
DeleteYou mention my 2 favourite jams - raspeberry and mixed fruits. Simply love them both. I have brambles in the freezer from the poor harvest we had though they were very ripe so I think they would be better in something else.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Alpaca worming. 3 of my horses are good, 1 is a nightmare so I know how you feel.
I am gearing myself for Alpaca husbandry this week end we have injections to do as well
DeleteOoh, raspberry jam is my favourite too, brilliant stash xx
ReplyDeleteIts great to have these things on hand ready to use
DeleteRaspberry is my fave jam; yours looks delicious. I have loads of foraged blackberries I re-discovered when I did my new year freezer inventory; I don't make jam so I'm thinking a blackberry and apple crumble might be on the menu soon.
ReplyDeleteThe other year I made up pie fillings ready to use to clear the fruit from the freezer
DeleteDo you worm all year round Dawn? I was under the impression that if you did good paddock management/rotation ( like I believe you do ) that it was better to just worm during worm burden times, not during the colder months? I tend to do this with the chooks ( worm start and end of summer only ) and we will be doing this with my daughters horse too. Would you consider worming to poop count or is that more expensive than just regular worming? Very curious as these are all things I'd look into if we owned our own land...
ReplyDeleteRegardless, I'm glad they were easy. I hope the alpacas are easy too...why can't they make worm paste palatable?!
Its Liver fluke we are doing at the moment, its given annualy in late Autumn/early winter, worming itself is done early summer, worm counts are only done if we think we have a problem, the vet recommended that once they have moved onto new land we start a course of preventive treatment. Paddocks are managed and kept clean and they are rotated. Its just a case of keeping on top of everything and trying to prevent problems.
DeleteOfcourse! I hadn't thought of liver fluke ( my mind if just in horse world ;) ). Your way of worming sounds very sensible. I've ready many overkill stories, it must impact on their health to over worm as much as under worm?
DeleteYou can't beat homemade jam, a country mile away from the store bought basics stuff!
ReplyDeleteIt knocks spots of the stuff in shops
DeleteI love raspberry anything, 3 jars of jam and 2 of jelly still in the pantry. I scooped up a load of reduced packs in Tesco a while ago, they were open froze and are sitting in the freezer ready to go. Good to hear that you are feeling better and energised again.
ReplyDeleteI didnt think we were going to get enough to make jam, I was eating them when ever I passed, its surprising how much it mounts ups
DeleteJam looks lovely. I have a good few years worth of fruit in our chest freezer, really need to start running down the stocks! Do you make your jam from the frozen berries or let them defrost first? I mainly have lots of blackcurrants.
ReplyDelete