In a different life, one of my greatest pleasures was the growing and preserving of fruit and vegetables. I've always hankered after a 'Smallholding' life-style.
As Winter approached, every single cupboard was filled with bottles of jams and preserves, and the freezer filled with certain vegs. Onions, Squashes, and Apples, filled boxes. At Haddock's itself, there was always plenty of greenery right through to the following Spring. It really was 'The Good Life'.
These days we are not in France for long enough to grow what's needed to 'preserve' in the same way, but we do still manage to make plenty of Jams; Plum, Apricot, and Greengage.
One of the fruits which we have in profusion in late August are Figs, and this year I intend to return to bottling some for Winter. They are very simple to process, and are preserved in an Armagnac flavoured syrup (500 gms water to 300 gms sugar). We have three HUGE Fig trees, and we hate to see them go to waste.
The trimmed, slightly unripe fruits are pricked all over, and blanched for about 4 minutes, then plunged into ice-cold water before being bottled, covered in the syrup, and sterilised for an hour. It couldn't be simpler.
A few of these Figs with a big dollop of thick cream in the Winter months is pure heaven.
I am very pleased to see that my Greengage tree doesn't seem to have suffered from its radical pruning (thank you Kimbo), and it is now looking extremely healthy. Whether or not it is producing lots of fruit remains to be seen. If it is, I shall be making LOTS of Greengage Jam. Delicious.
My mind is filled with Summer things at the moment, and I'm really looking forward to it all. All you veg' gardeners out there will know how I feel.
I can hardly wait.
12 comments:
You can't have long to wait now.
About 3 weeks I think. I'm looking forward to swimming again.
Almost time! I can't wait to hear about this year's summer. I'd never thought of preserving figs. We used to get given a lot but none last year and they were expensive. You're so lucky to have that abundance of fruit. Do you leave any preserves back in France?
Yes, we have lots of jam, and a few other bits and pieces. Why don't you plant a Fig tree. They are such good producers of fruit.
I was thinking as I read this, a couple of weeks until your summer begins.
Not long now, we're even beginning to pack!
I am thinking about planting a fig tree here but it's probably too cold and windy for it to thrive.
If you put it in a warm sheltered site, it should be OK. We had one in Shropshire that fruited. If it doesn't totally ripen, do as above, and bottle them.
Last year was a bumper year for fruit here. I made dozens of jars of jam for local fundraising. The greengage sold particularly well as did the bullace.
I don't know why, but my Greengage Jam was particularly nice last year. I'm not sure how much fruit we'll have this year, as the tree has been severely reduced in size, but I shall use all that is available. Wonderful on toasted Muffins.
Only Lady Magnon's fingers know how you feel Crozier - but let's not go there. Oh and there was that farm girl in Shropshire too. What was her name? Ethel I believe. It was so long ago.
I've been up a tall ladder this morning; painting. I need to lie down in a darkened room.
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