In Good Taste: Jars of kindness
Jam recipes
How wonderful it is to stroll into the newly opened teashop and enjoy a “nice cup of tea”. You simply choose your tea, watch as it is being prepared, and calmness prevails. No loud music, no loud wait staff, just clean, quiet, calm. Perfect to visit on your own when you have time to fill before the next thing, or make it a lunch destination and peruse the good quality gifts for sale while you’re there. A special mention for the bread too…many varieties for sale depending on the day you visit, and the only reason we haven’t tried them all is that the first two varieties we tried (a rustic wholemeal loaf with a gorgeous crust, perfect to eat fresh for two days and then toast any remainder; and the foccacia) were instant favourites and so hard to go past! Bravo Takaka Infusion!
On another note, yet with food still in mind—I was once sent a card, which had the words “No Act Of Kindness Is Ever Wasted” written on the front. This little sentence has stayed with me and I often write it on our blackboard at home as it’s good to remember. Either you do it for others or they do it for you—what goes around, comes around as they say, and goodness prevails. As said before in this column, nothing beats a jar of home preserves as a way of showing kindness.
A friend, Julie Tuck, and I are catering for a private wedding soon, and Julie has been up to her elbows in a preserving pan. First she made the best tamarillo marmalade I have ever tasted, and then it was an exquisite kiwifruit and ginger jam, both ladled into little jars, which will be decorated and presented to each guest to take home. The stunning contrast of the cerise tamarillo and the lime of the kiwi look fantastic side by side and couldn’t be more different in taste, colour or texture.
Preserving will always be seen as an act of kindness, as anyone who has embarked on this venture will understand the time, attention and skill involved in producing the perfect result. My husband has a fetish for Berna Soper’s jams and will drive to Rototai just to buy more. Bereft when we run out and the stall has closed for the winter, he utters the same words: “NEXT year we’ll stock up with MORE!”
Both of these recipes came from a little book called The Home Orchard Cookery Book by Gillian Painter (1997), and each recipe is described in the simplest form.
Tamarillo Marmalade
2kg tamarillos
2kg sugar
4 oranges
2 lemons
6 cups of water
Skin and slice the tamarillos into a non-reactive bowl and cover with two cups of sugar. Leave overnight. Slice the oranges and lemons finely, remove the pips and soak the fruit in all the water overnight. The next day cook the citrus fruit in its soaking water until the skins are transparent. This takes a while so be patient; the peel needs to be really soft. Add the tamarillos and cook until tender. Finally add the remaining sugar and boil until it gels. Use a potato masher to help break up any lumpy bits and make it all smoother. Pour into sterilised jars and seal.
Kiwifruit and Ginger Jam
Using fresh ginger in this recipe instead of the specified crystallised ginger gives the jam a hint of spiciness and makes for a refreshing flavour that is not too sweet.
2kg kiwifruit
2 cups of water
Juice of 2 lemons
6 cups of sugar
1 heaped tablespoon of freshly grated ginger
Peel the kiwis and wash to remove any hairs. Chop and put into a pan with the water and lemon juice. Simmer for ten minutes and mash with a potato masher. Add the sugar and the ginger, stirring until it boils. Boil for half an hour or until it gels. Bottle and cover when cold.
Now if you happen to have a jar of homemade jam, some pure New Zealand butter, and a loaf of wholemeal bread from the Takaka Infusion on your table, you can enjoy a sensational experience by combining all three…maybe with a nice cup of tea?
Fiona Feasey
