Make jam whilst you can

Sometimes I make other than bake, and jam is no exception with the autumn imminent it seemed a good idea to invest in a new preserving pan and to get started.  This is strawberry jam in progress last night. I would have bought a few more and made double this amount but sent DH to market who came back with 2 punnets of strawberries and some plums, so I decided to just make small quantities to see how the pan behaved.  It was superb and at £33 from a local Keswick shop a bargain compared to Lakeland who advertise the same pan for £39.

This shot shows the busy scene in my farmhouse style kitchen whilst I wait for the jam to cook. I also bought a new jam funnel which you can see on the left. As it turned out I did not use it this time because of the small quantity of jam I was making, but I will definately need it in the future. I need to make some more jam ready for the Thornthwaite , Braithwaite and Newlands Home and Garden Show which I mentioned about earlier.  I also told you to check out Linton Tweeds in Carlisle which prompted me to send for some samples and this is some of them.

I love the red one in the middle of the first piccie. I am not so sure that I could ever wear something made from fabric like this 2nd shot.  I would feel like a walking tea cosy.... But some  of the fabrics are superb and I may make a patchwork cushion from them, anyway I need a new challenge. Speaking of which I bought some fabric before the summer and I took a closer look at it yesterday, to spark ideas for another quilt.

It is made by Moda and the pack is called Portugal by April Cornell and of course its 100% cotton, so I need to start playing with it and see what comes to mind. It always seems such a shame to cut it up but that is where the challenge really begins, wish me luck...