fruity sunday

Yesterday we had a loooong day of making things will all that fruit. Neither of us had ever done any of these recipes before, so it was a learning curve for us both but turned out really well. First thing we went and took all the apples off James parents tree. It was literally touching he ground in places, it was so heavy with fruit, we got four 'bags for life' full of eating apples. James had been planning to try brewing cider with this lot, He and a friend built a press last year. we tried pressing the apples, but it just wasn't working well enough. I can assure you, unless you have almost proffessional equipment, this is backbreaking work. So I have a two litre jug of the cloudiest but nicest apple juice in the world to drink. the rest of the apples, we are trying to turn into apple wine, which is easier to do, so I'll fill you in if that works....

Then I set about making plum jam. (warning. large amounts of plums, stain your fingernails. minging) I used the recipe my mum always uses, from Delias original complete cookery collection. I had to test it about 6 times but it finally set, and its flippin gorgeous. I'm totally doing this for my favours next year.

While the plum jam was setting, I started getting the ingredients together for the chutney. This also was from Delia the same book), and used up more plums. Its called Old Dowerhouse Chutney, and again, its shockingly simple. You basically chop and stone everything, pulverise some things in a blender, and then cook it with sugar and vinegar. simples!
It went from this (in the muslin is a chilli):

To this: I'm so pleased with myself!I know that sounds awful but I always have these ideas and dont folow them through, the fruit goes off or whatever. Its like another milestone on my way to being a wife. I can now make chutney. done.