Wham bam Thank you Jam

In recent years jam making has become a bit of an annual tradition in our house, with a slight blip in the tradition last year when a really bad Summer meant 'pick your own' farms were struggling to produce much in the way of fruit. This year has been a very different story and the season is extending well into September with fruit still ripe and ready to be picked.

On Sunday we headed back to Craigie farm and with a promise of hot chocolate and cake as a reward, four of us made the trip (including Little Cook). Having a little one with you is actually a real advantage as they are at a perfect height for spotting the low lying fruit on the raspberry canes.

We opted to pick both strawberries and raspberries. The raspberry picking was pretty easy and it didn't matter that some of the fruit was on the ripe side, when it comes to jam making it doesn't really matter.

Craigie Farm have a new system with their strawberries which means they are raised high off the ground in long troughs, no more back breaking work as you stoop over the grow bags! We had to take a lot more care over picking the strawberries, they have had such a successful season that loads have been ripe and not picked causing them to start to rot and go a bit mushy. We saw loads of big juicy looking ones only to pick them and find them brown on the other side. There were still plenty good ones though, and I have to confess that a couple of the small sweeter ones didn't quite make it to the baskets (sorry Mr Craigie!). We did however spend £25 on picked fruit.

Laden with fruit we headed to the cafe for a well earned treat. It was hot chocolate all round, Craigie even make a kid's version which comes at the perfect temperature so you don't have to worry about wee mouths getting burnt. I spotted a polenta cake which was gluten free and it was delicious, a lovely lemony icing and a moist cake in a rather generous helping.

We came home happy with our fruit and immediately got the jam making on the go. I just used the recipe on the back of the pack of sugar which is quick and simple. We currently have  five jars of strawberry jam ready and four large jars of raspberry jam ready with a huge amount of fruit still to go. I estimate another fifteen jars in the making.

Can't wait for toast and jam for breakfast...