Task one. Homemade jam.

I decided to start this little project with something I had wanted to do for quite a while. Make jam. 

Initially, I had hoped to start with a simple strawberry jam, but by the time my poor brother made it to the local strawberry 'gate sale', they were already sold out. So instead, I decided (with the help of Donna Hay) on nectarine and passionfruit jam ("Nectarine?" said my friend Meredith, "that sounds hard to set."). My next door neighbour, Christina, used to own a jam making company, so I jumped over the fence and walked up the hill to ask her advice. 

She wasn't home. So I embarked on this task alone...with a bit of help from Dad. I started off by fishing around the house for a variety of little jars to sterilise. I ended up with some cute little ones. I'm really not a fan of the one with the Kan Tong simmer sauce lid, though (is that why nannas put pretty cloth over the top? To hide ugly lids?). It took a little longer than I thought it would, but after lots of chopping fruit, stirring and boiling, and skimming foam I ended up with five little jars of nectarine and passionfruit jam. 

For some silly reason, I had decided to also do a load of washing at the same time, so I spent a lot of time sprinting out to the clothesline and back again between 'ocassionally stirring' my jam. I'm sure my washing will have lots of odd peg marks. Although all good housewives must be able to do multiple things at once, I do not recommend this particular multi-tasking combination. At least not for beginner jam-makers.

After letting my little jars of jam cool upside down (and becoming very excited when I realised they were sort-of setting), Dad announced it was tea time, so I threw some quick scones in the oven and within fifteen minutes we were enjoying my first ever homemade jam with scones and cream. It tasted pretty darn good. And although it didn't really set like real jam, it was solid enough to be able to spread it rather than pour it on the scones. 

I think I will call task one a semi-success.

Tips I learned:

1. When the recipe says 'roughly chop', you should probably go smaller rather than larger (my jam is very, very chunky...).

2. When choosing a saucepan for making jam, you should probably go larger rather than smaller.

3. It's always a good idea to have a variety of little jars on hand. Thank you Mama for collecting these over the years.