Snail Spirals

The Great Jam Adventure of 2008 continued this weekend, with two more batches: kiwi and pear-lavender.



The grand totals, left to right:

1. kiwi jam (6 half-pints)
2. pear-lavender jam (6 half-pints)
3. plum jam (36 half-pints)
4. plum-orange jam (19 half-pints)
5. chunky peach jam (12 half-pints)
6. smooth peach jam (12 half-pints)
7. plum-orange syrup (9 half-pints)
   

It's just so much FUN! I got all adventurous yesterday, after picking some free pears from the tree outside my office. I decided to see what lavender-y jam was like, so I steeped 1 heaping tablespoon of lavender flowers in half a cup of boiling water for about 20 minutes, strained it, added that liquid to the mashed pears before I added the pectin, then proceeded as usual. It came out quite nice. I think the lavender would be fabulous in peach jam as well.

The kiwi jam was a spur of the moment idea, when I was in the grocery store getting pectin. I've never heard of kiwi jam, but the kiwis were on sale, and they're one of the few fruits Shaun will actually eat, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's really good. The little seeds are crunchy and it tastes very kiwi-y. Shaun hasn't tried it, so no verdict on that yet. (I just won't tell him I think it looks like frog eggs!) Emma and I like it, so it's a winner.

Yes, I think a round 100 jars of jam should hold us.