Adventure Jam and Jelly

Last Fall my crazy somewhat ditsy friend Jill called me with a problem.  She and her husband were leaving for the winter and she was going to unplug her freezer.  She had quart jars of fruit and fruit juice frozen all ready to make jam and jelly.  Would I take them...she wasn't sure what each jar held...other than the rhubarb.  One jar was marked fruit and another cherry juice.  She said aw come on it will be an adventure Con.  (Not many people call me Con ...but Jill does).

The fruit turned out to be blueberries whole with juice.  The cherry is chokecherry. One unmarked was raspberry juice.  All made delicious jam and jelly.

Sunday afternoon was a jam and jelly making time  One batch of each.

There are still three jars of rhubarb and a few jars of "unknown" juice to be dealt with.   I think I got nine or ten quart jars from her...I put them in the bottom of our freezer.

I have jars, sugar  and pectin to do a few more batches. It will be another adventure one day this week.

Far Side

Fruity

Found a new fruit in the grocery store.  I paired it with some blueberries.

It is golden kiwi, specifically California Golden Kiwi.  Far Guy thought the flavor was more intense.  I thought it was about the same.  The fruits seem a bit smaller than regular kiwi.

This is a fruit we had in Hawaii.

These are half peeled.  The white part is the part you eat, there is a small brown seed inside the white part which you should not eat.  This is a Rambutan and it is very rich in Vitamin C.  It has the texture of a grape and kinda tastes like a tangy grape.  Needless to say our grocery store does not have them.

Far Side

Sweetness of Winter

Have you ever tried Cara Cara Navel Oranges?

They are my favorite orange.  Our local store has them in the late fall from South Africa and now in winter they are from California.  They are more expensive than regular navel oranges….but then when buying fresh fruits I never let the price sway me one way or the other.

I complain to who ever is in the produce department if they are not in their usual spot.  Way up here in the frozen North we need every bit of sunshine goodness we can get.

They are juicy and seedless, yes the flesh is a beautiful rose color. An accident of nature a cross between two different orange trees…a delightful accident.

Just my opinion…they are a tad bit tart but still sweet enough…perhaps with berry like notes if you are an orange connoisseur. I slice them into small wedges and throw them in a bowl for breakfast.

Oh yes that is an orange cutting board…just for oranges and other fruits.