'Tis the season to make jelly

[french frank]

tra la la la LA, la la la la

Last year I was too late to buy a jelly bag with a stand, so had to manage with an upturned stool, colander and piece of muslin. This year I'm professionally equipped and the rose hips and haws are very plentiful (curiously, I have only four tiny crab apples on my tree this year). Mid September will be for picking the rose hips, beginning of October for the haws. Pessimistically, I'm a believer in beginner's luck so I fully expect this year with all my expert knowledge to be a complete failure after last year's surprising triumph.

[gradus]

Did all that Vitamin C do the trick and keep colds away?

[french frank]

Did all that Vitamin C do the trick and keep colds away?

True, I haven't had a cold for some years, but that was probably because people were wearing masks and we haven't had a particularly germy season since then.

[ardcarp]

Tis the season for fig jam too, Tra la la la lah, etc
And talking of prevention of ills, that has its uses too

[Bryn]

Did all that Vitamin C do the trick and keep colds away?

No, but vitamin D might have.

[Petrushka]

'Tis the season to make jelly

Have you been taking punning lessons from Serial?

[Bryn]

Hmm:

[french frank]

'Tis the season to make jelly

Have you been taking punning lessons from Serial?

I modestly thought it worthy

Bryn - I think mine was better, but perhaps Zappa's wasn't meant to be a joke? In my innocence, probably , I'm not sure what his version means.

[Bryn]

I modestly thought it worthy

Bryn - I think mine was better, but perhaps Zappa's wasn't meant to be a joke? In my innocence, probably , I'm not sure what his version means.

It was not, strictly, Zappa's title. It was a bootleg recording which he got copied and released to undermine the bootleggers.

[french frank]

It was not, strictly, Zappa's title. It was a bootleg recording which he got copied and released to undermine the bootleggers.

Ah, that clarifies the situation, thank you

Meanwhile a productive and educational walk on the Common this afternoon:

Productive: I'm not an industrial collector but I have picked a small container of blackberries for tomorrow's breakfast (and maybe for Monday); also, I picked four small plums which I may poach (no pun intended!) rather than eat raw.

Educational: No, snowberries are not edible: they are toxic to humans; but an interesting recipe which I may have a go at tomorrow: sautéed stinging nettles. They look a bit like spinach though probably have a distinctive taste. I might add some fresh lemon juice to the garlic suggested. But now I've found creamed nettles and I think I might do something with that instead. To the Coop for some crème fraîche. I'll have the sautéed nettles on Monday.

Edit: Oooh, look at this. I'm going to be busy!

[gurnemanz]

Productive: I'm not an industrial collector but I have picked a small container of blackberries for tomorrow's breakfast (and maybe for Monday); also, I picked four small plums which I may poach (no pun intended!) rather than eat raw.

Just had breakfast of cereal with fresh fruit including blackberries (thornless from garden) and plums (Victoria)

Re Jelly. We have a Japanese quince, bought as an ornamental shrub, which produces a good crop of fruit. A couple of years ago my wife made about a dozen jars of quince jelly. We still have several left and use it more often as an excellent condiment with cheese, ham etc than on bread or toast.

[french frank]

Re Jelly. We have a Japanese quince, bought as an ornamental shrub, which produces a good crop of fruit. A couple of years ago my wife made about a dozen jars of quince jelly. We still have several left and use it more often as an excellent condiment with cheese, ham etc than on bread or toast.

They've had quince in the greengrocers lately and I was thinking I might have to get a few for my pectin as the crab apples seem so scarce this year; otherwise the greenest apples I can see. Also, I can see a few passion fruits hovering over my fence from a neighbour's lane … Not enough to make jelly (several recipes for what the Americans call Jello but that's not the same) but I think they have more pectin.

[ardcarp]

Does anyone remember jelly as a big treat as a child...i.e. as a pudding in its own right. Soon after it became somewhat despised as ice-cream and fridges became more common.
The cheating way to make jelly was to buy those packs of joined-up wobbly cubes, pour on hot water and allow to cool and solidify. Are they still available? I'd secretly eat a cube or two on their own.

[HighlandDougie]

Ah, that clarifies the situation, thank you

Meanwhile a productive and educational walk on the Common this afternoon:

Productive: I'm not an industrial collector but I have picked a small container of blackberries for tomorrow's breakfast (and maybe for Monday); also, I picked four small plums which I may poach (no pun intended!) rather than eat raw.

Educational: No, snowberries are not edible: they are toxic to humans; but an interesting recipe which I may have a go at tomorrow: sautéed stinging nettles. They look a bit like spinach though probably have a distinctive taste. I might add some fresh lemon juice to the garlic suggested. But now I've found creamed nettles and I think I might do something with that instead. To the Coop for some crème fraîche. I'll have the sautéed nettles on Monday.

Edit: Oooh, look at this. I'm going to be busy!

Stung from experience with making nettle soup (and stuffing for cannelloni - with lemon zest, drained ricotta and parmesan/pecorino), young nettles definitely to be preferred as the older ones have a rather coarse taste and bitter flavour. They might be better for jelly, though.

[oddoneout]

Does anyone remember jelly as a big treat as a child...i.e. as a pudding in its own right. Soon after it became somewhat despised as ice-cream and fridges became more common.
The cheating way to make jelly was to buy those packs of joined-up wobbly cubes, pour on hot water and allow to cool and solidify. Are they still available? I'd secretly eat a cube or two on their own.

Like this? https://www.hartleysfruit.co.uk/our-...s-jelly-cubes/
Stirring the cubes as they dissolved was one of our childhood tasks - something that even quite small children could do(once the water had cooled a bit), and which took up too much of my mother's time in relation to the end product, and need planning as it took time to set, even if there was space in the fridge. We weren't routinely allowed sweets but jelly cubes were sometimes allowed as treats. My paternal granny would make a high tea dessert with orange jelly and tinned mandarin segments, served with Jersey cream from the dairy up the road.