Peachy time?

God's country

It's all or nothing at this time in Ribérac.  One barely has time to draw breath;  the B&B fit to burst at the seams and all the consequent table d'hôtes, swimming pools requiring urgent attention due to algae bloom caused by excessive temperatures and the odd patch of grass or hedge to cut.  As I say, time is of a premium so when a kindly neighbour tentatively enquires "Would you be interested in a few of my peaches that are overwhelming me at the moment?" it's difficult to explain, without being rude, that you simply don't have the time to take up this kind offer, whilst knowing inside that you can't refuse.  To break it down, almost half a day to travel to said fruit trees, pick the fruit and return home and then a further 5 or 6 precious hours to allow for washing, stoning and making into a jam fit to carry the 'Repos à Ribérac, faites maison' label.

Sans pesticide, from God to Man

Peaches by their nature are delicate and fragile things.  The way the supermarkets get around this problem of fragility is to pick them when they're green.  Because of their vulnerability you cannot rest on your laurels as you stand back and admire a couple of bulging paniers of fresh fruit.  Every over zealous kiss or caress to the fruit will result in a bruise, and then rot sets in at an alarming rate.  Because of this  you have to treat them as carefully as Zsar Nicholas 11 had to treat his son, Alexi who suffered from Hemophilia B.  No time to tarry then, on with the jam pan. 

The jam 'Peche avec gingembre' takes shape

Lesley began the unenviable task of stoning the fruit, a sticky, messy job, particularly in high summer temperatures of around 37 degrees and climbing.  My job was to peel and chop copious amounts of fresh ginger in order to give the jam a little exotic piquancy.  Well, in comparison my job was easy and I was finished well before Lesley.  So it was all hands to the stoning and working in unison.  We soon got into a rythmn.  It was way past 10 o' clock that evening by the time the boiling and bubbling process had finished and all the fruit was safely stuffed into its respective sterilised jars.   

The flavour of this jam will improve over time, if it lasts that long!

Jam making is an incredibly messy business.  The sugar gets eveywhere, mostly it seems on the soles of one's shoes and coating every available work surface.  It was well past bedtime by the time the kitchen was suitably cleaned for its next role, the preparation of the next morning's breakfasts.  When our guests settle down for their p'tit dejeuners and tuck into jam and croissants, it will only be the fellow jam makers who truly appreciate all the time and effort that goes into this integral part of Bed and Breakfast life.