Below are the first few paragraphs, written by Hugh bravely eats it all, from the forward to the River Cottage "Preserves" book by Pam" the Jam" Corbin. Beautiful writing I think. Ta muchly to ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
doushkasmum !
"I love jam and all its jarred and bottled relatives, the extended family we call by the rather austere name ‘preserves’. Actually they’re not austere at all. They are warm, forward and friendly, offering up both generous feisty flavours and intriguing spicy subtleties to all who embrace them.
Mostly I love them for being so delicious. But I also cherish and admire them for something else. They epitomise the values at the heart of a well-run, contented kitchen. Firstly they embody and thrive and seasonal abundance. Secondly they are, or should be, intrinsically local, perfectly complementing the grow-your-own (or at least pick-your-own) philosophy. And thirdly, not to be sniffed at in these days of ecological anxiety, they are frugal, thrifty and parsimonious: they waste not, so we want not.
Jams, chutneys and pickles embrace the seasons, but they also, in an elegant and entirely positive manner, defy them. They do so by stretching the bounty of more abundant months into the sparser ones. We shouldn’t underestimate this achievement. Over the centuries, wizards and alchemists have used all the power and magic they can muster to try and catch rainbows, spin straw into gold, and even bring the dead back to life. They’ve failed of course. Yet all the while, humble peasants and ordinary housewives have got on with the simple business of bottling sunshine, so that it may spread a little joy in the leaner seasons… They call it jam."
I've had a quick flick through the recipes. There are several things I want to make at once! And rather a few for later.
I'm also both pleased and amused that the majority of my few pressies this year are related to preserving and cooking in general.
Soooo. Anyone got small jars I could have? ~250ml are excellent. Many of you should have empties from preserves I've given you in the past?
doushkasmum !"I love jam and all its jarred and bottled relatives, the extended family we call by the rather austere name ‘preserves’. Actually they’re not austere at all. They are warm, forward and friendly, offering up both generous feisty flavours and intriguing spicy subtleties to all who embrace them.
Mostly I love them for being so delicious. But I also cherish and admire them for something else. They epitomise the values at the heart of a well-run, contented kitchen. Firstly they embody and thrive and seasonal abundance. Secondly they are, or should be, intrinsically local, perfectly complementing the grow-your-own (or at least pick-your-own) philosophy. And thirdly, not to be sniffed at in these days of ecological anxiety, they are frugal, thrifty and parsimonious: they waste not, so we want not.
Jams, chutneys and pickles embrace the seasons, but they also, in an elegant and entirely positive manner, defy them. They do so by stretching the bounty of more abundant months into the sparser ones. We shouldn’t underestimate this achievement. Over the centuries, wizards and alchemists have used all the power and magic they can muster to try and catch rainbows, spin straw into gold, and even bring the dead back to life. They’ve failed of course. Yet all the while, humble peasants and ordinary housewives have got on with the simple business of bottling sunshine, so that it may spread a little joy in the leaner seasons… They call it jam."
I've had a quick flick through the recipes. There are several things I want to make at once! And rather a few for later.
I'm also both pleased and amused that the majority of my few pressies this year are related to preserving and cooking in general.
Soooo. Anyone got small jars I could have? ~250ml are excellent. Many of you should have empties from preserves I've given you in the past?
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