Blackberry Jam & Messy Kittens

I was really bad this morning. I not only overslept, but I then read in bed until way past 10am... My two kittens finally got me up when they started digging under the bedroom door, obviously hoping to spur me into dishing out their morning Whiskas bikkies. It worked.

When I entered the kitchen to dispense the cat bikkies for my little darlings, I realised what had kept them occupied until 10am. The kitchen floor was littered with the contents of a box left ready for the compost heap ! There were mushroom stalks, bits of onion peel, old tea bags (green of course), strawberry tops, crushed egg shells and various parts of a dismembered butterfly, all over my lovely clean kitchen tiles. Such are the joys of country living with easily bored pets !

That sorted, I made some tea and toast and waded into a morning's proof reading - just to add to the Monday morning excitement...

So now it's lunchtime and I am looking forward to an afternoon calmly making some lush blackberry jam. I will need to pick a few more from the hedges round about so that I can make a good sized batch, but gathering free food is always a joy and I am totally addicted to it.

Talk to you later !

The recipe I use to make Blackberry Jam is below:

Blackberry Jam a la Amanda

Ingredients

6 lb Blackberries
1/4 pint Water
Rind and juice of 2 Lemons
6 lb Sugar

1. Put the cleaned fruit, the water and lemon rind and juice into a large pan.

2. Simmer until the fruit is soft.

3. Stir in the sugar and boil rapidly until setting point is reached.

4. Remove from the heat, skim, pot, cover, and label. (Put the lids on whilst it is hot).

This will make about 10 lbs of jam.See ! It's easy !