One of our most popular home made jams, blackberry
The season marches on with quiet determination. Although not that quiet, round about these parts over the last couple of days, we have seen some pretty spectacular thunderstorms which have lit the heavens in a way that makes one just gape at nature in awe. The rain has been very much needed, and as I write the temperature has climbed, once again, to 31c and the air is distinctly heavy...
Looks innocent enough, but be careful where you put your feet
Anyway back to the question of time and using it well. Lesley and I have both been acutely aware of the passing days. No, we are not getting maudlin about getting older, but have been conscious of the necessity to gather ye blackberries and figs whilst ye may. Jam making can become ever so slightly obsessional and there has been a gnawing doubt that we had left it just a little too late to gather blackberries and even the figs this year.
You can't put a price on supplying jam like this, definitely not LeClerc's
On arriving at one of our 'secret location' blackberrying sites we were dismayed to find the blackberries dry and withered and staring back at our eager eyes blankly. Not ones to give up easily we pressed on into the thickets and brambles, finally turning our attention to the hedgerows that faced north. We were saved. Fat succulent blackberries were to be found there, nestling under leaves, hidden behind thick spiders webs. Mostly suspended, just out of reach, these beautes were not going to yield their pleasures easily. Indeed Lesley (who seems to attract snakes) disturbed a viper as she made her way across the grassy field to some far flung bush that looked promising.
The hornets were good enough to leave us some of these splendid figs
By this time we were fully laden and secure in the knowledge that our B&B guests would not be going without one of our most popular breakfast jams over the 2012 season. With the proverbial bit between our teeth it was onward and upwards to a beauty of a fig tree that sits at the side of a quiet country road facing south overlooking a beautiful valley.
The countryside bearing all its fruits
Alas, the ubiquitous giant European hornet had beaten us there. So prolific is this beast that one hardly ever sees a common or garden wasp anymore. The tree was so abundant that there were enough figs for us all to share, albeit it made for some very interesting and tense picking but all in a good cause; jam was not the driver for this pick, but a fig and walnut chutney to be created by the "equipe de Repos á Ribérac". Now if that's not a pure taste of the Dordogne countryside then I don't know what is.
Some of these will be saved for a Rick Stein recipe...
A chutney born of the Dordogne, fig and walnut, just add a little ginger and cayenne
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