I never imagined that I’d be the type of person to make jam.
People that make jam have immaculately kept gardens, submit their tax return on time, never lose library books, and never turn up at their child’s school on a scheduled day off. They don’t stay up all night writing when the muse hits and then read for a further hour when they eventually go to bed. They don’t destroy the kitchen – my husband’s exact words – when making a simple meal.
People that make jam are sensible.
I am definitely not sensible, according to my mother.
However I’ve always liked the idea of home-made jam. Making jam is an act of defiant domesticity in this age of instant-everything-have-you-got-the-latest-tech-gizmo-multi-tasking insanity.
So when we had a glut of onions and tomatoes in the house a couple of weeks ago, I decided to take the plunge.
Like most things in life that one puts off for no particularly good reason, making jam was surprisingly easy. I wasn’t making berry or citrus jams, which may have required pectin as a setting agent; all I did was cook some fruit, vegetables and onions, blend it up and bottle it.
Seriously. It was that easy.
The chilli and caramelised onion jams were fantastic with juicy pork sausages and as part of a cheese board but then I hit upon the idea of making some mini tarts with puff pastry from the freezer.
Were they good? Actually, they were better than good. I think I’d even go so far as to describe them as ‘tart-tastic’.
So go on then. Live a little. Take a walk on the sensible side and try making jam tarts yourself.
