I think I may have inadvertently stepped into some kind of time machine. You would think I would remember something like that but what else could explain my current obsession with an activity that hasn't been popular for 100 years. I'll give you a hint: it's something you put on bread. (No, I'm not churning butter - that at least would be good for my biceps). I'm making jam. I started making it a couple of weeks ago and I just can't seem to stop.
So far, peach is my favorite. As Robert Barone from "Everybody Loves Raymond" said the first time he tasted Italian gelato, "It's as if I never tasted a peach before". Next in line, the forest fruits and raspberry, make me happy the French invented the croissant. It doesn't really matter what flavor I pull out of the fridge, any of them beat the heck out of anything you can buy in a jar. And the best part - each of them took all of ten minutes to make.
You didn't actually think I was going to stand there and sterilize jars and lids, did you? The fact that I don't have to is the main reason that I'm now obsessed. I found a loop hole in the whole canning ritual that does not involve putting lives at risk. It's called refrigerator jam. I found it in the America's Test Kitchen cookbook (and you know they wouldn't try to kill you) and since then, have been scouring produce sections for whatever fruit I can find to stuff in those little jars.
One added bonus - I've never seen my husband happier. He says it reminds him of all the homemade jams his mom used to make in Switzerland. He even had it for dinner tonight. So, I guess I'll keep making it as long as I can get my hands on decent looking fruit.
But my husband better get ready for a few more jam dinners. These babies need to be eaten within two weeks.
If you've got too many... ;)
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