I had hoped to make damson jam, but when I popped into my local green-grocers (the infamous Reg the Veg) I was told they're massively out of season. I settled for strawberries instead.
I couldn't find any pectin in Clifton Village, so my recipe includes lemon juice (high in pectin - helps the jam set.)
1kg strawberries (£4 from Reg the Veg)
1kg granulated sugar (£1)
1/2 lemon juice
Put all the ingredients in a large pan and boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, hard boil the strawberries and test every 10 minutes for the setting point.
Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then pour into hot, sterilized jam jars.
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| My chest of drawers |
Everything was going well, until a few minutes before serving time, when I burnt the strawberries.
Now my jam is an acrid, black goo. I decided to try again tomorrow, and have put aside my cherry scones until then.
With a free afternoon ahead of me I tuned into Radio 6 and sat down to make some more felt hearts.
I bought this wonderful cream lace from Ebay earlier this week, and I couldn't wait to put it against bright red felt.
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| My new hearts |
I love hanging hearts, as they're a ridiculously easy way to brighten up a plain room, by hanging them off door and drawer handles. You can have so much fun with different patterns, ribbons and buttons and they can be functional too if you stuff them with fresh lavender.