Chris - 'King Jam' !

Chris has been very busy with his jam, jelly and chutney making this year, and here are the results. They range from cherry to gooseberry and elderflower, crab apple with a hint of lavender jelly, blackberry, mixed fruit and damson jelly. The blackberry has been extremely popular, with lots of compliments, but the others have been really enjoyed too.

He has also become fascinated by the variety of apples that are still in the area, and has found several that he is trying to identify. I have the feeling that this could become an obsession, but at least it is a harmless one! It is wonderful to be able to make the most of all the fruit available at the moment, and also to be able to give it to friends and colleagues.

Life is...

Life is like a bowl of cherries - I don't know who said that, or quite what they meant, but I do think that a bowl of cherries is a wonderful thing! Chris asked me to de-stalk these cherries prior to him making cherry jam (he is a fantastic jam and pickle maker), and while I was watching TV and removing stalks, I was inspired to take a photo to capture these luscious reds.

I have only just decided that I like fresh cherries, as for many years, the only ones I knew were the hideously sweet and squidgy glace cherries or the pale pink sad looking ones that came in a tin of fruit cocktail - ugh! So, maybe I shall be converted to cherry jam...