Preserving: The good, the bad and the explosive

On the urgings of a very old friend I am getting my act together and writing this post! There's alot more incentive now I know its not just my sister and PP reading this...and PP only does it because I make him.

So I am in the full swing of preserving season and its a good thing I love cooking, because I've been doing an awful lot of it. I wouldn't say I'm over it yet but if I didn't have to cook another chutney for the next twelve months I'd be pretty happy.

Whilst PP is lamenting the apparent lack of produce compared to last year (personally I think he is denial) I am attempting to come up with ingenious ways to use vegetables. There is only so many ways I enjoy zucchini, and eating them every day all day is not one of them. PP and I's relationship is generally symbiotic, he plants the stuff, I eat it. Oh and cook it. (Although as I write this, he is the one in the kitchen, frypan in hand, attempting to boil 15 cobs of corn into submission). But for me, keeping up with the garden is almost a part time job in itself.

When I started the process of making and preserving it was a total breeze and I wondered what on earth people were doing buying their own mustard pickle. But you have to be pretty dedicated to it. As I said, lucky I like cooking.

In the garden at the moment we have a glut of corn which has now been completely harvested, zucchini, cucmbers and spinach. There are some carrots, rocket and bean but not so much we are overwhelmed with those. To be honest, whilst PP is depressed over our lacklustre tomato season, I see it as a bit or a miracle. God forbid I would have to deal with those too.

Since December last year, excepting when we go to a party and need to take some offering (and in those cases it is only to the people who think bringing homemade baked goods is an affront to their materialinity - and yes, I did just make that up) nothing that I can make myself has been bought. Breads, cookies, crackers, icecream. You name it (virtually). Im starting to now move into cheese as well (ricotta and my somwehat dubious attempt at mozarella) and am hoping to get into hard cheeses over winter.

This week has been particularly busy and trying to balance the PhD and the cooking has been a struggle, with the cooking mostly winning out. I like to blame my rubbish laptop but really, I just like having a scapegoat. Tuesday was spent at home making bread and butter cucumbers, chinese plum sauce, onion marmalade, zucchini and chocolate cake (fed to PP's oblivious brother who hates zucchini) and spelt sourdough. Yesterday I had a somehwat disastrous attempt at plum jam, rhubarb and vanilla jam and zucchini, raisin and walnut bread. I let Hanson distract me and the jam boiled over, temporarily dyeing my stove a bright pink colour, followed by many MANY expletives. As you can see, zucchinis are my #1 enemy at the moment. Tomorrow its looking like more bread and butter cucumbers, river cottage chutney (thank god for Hugh) and something else with plums - possibly sorbet.

We had our second ever produce swap this week. Vegies for more plums than I know what to do with. I was feeling quite proud and environmental until I realised I needed to buy new jars to accomodate said plums. I wish we could swap more but unfortunately we don't know many other gardeners and the others in our community garden aren't exactly the friendliest or the most environmental sort (surprisingly).

The plum and rhubarb jams I have made specifically for presents this year. SO apologies to all out there who may receive some unwanted jam this year. Feel free to re-gift. I've grown pretty tired not only of giving some clearly unwanted gifts, but also receiving things that just go under the bed until we think its safe to ditch them. Most of all, I would rather people saved their money. We've tried to institute this for family events with some limited success. Of course, I still do like buying things for people I know will appreciate them, but I am hoping this homemade thing might catch on - I'm envisioning hampers of jam, scones and homemade butter - finding the time is one thing, convincing everyone its an awesome idea is another.

Well, its back to the kitchen for me I guess. I do love all our amazing produce (and the fact we have only bought tomatoes for three months), but I am half-heartedly praying for a tornado to destroy the zucchini. Just the zucchini. Please.

Plum Jam, Rhubarb and Vanilla Jam and Zucchini Bread