Jam Session

TThis week I decided to make use of the 4lb of blackberries that David gathered from the clifftops the other week and, after collecting some of  our neighbours' windfall apples, I had a go at making Bramble Jelly.

It was quite an adventure - household alchemy at its best as the juices dripped slowly through a jelly bag before being cooked with sugar and brought to that slightly terrifying violent boil that raises it to setting point, while the whole kitchen smells tantalisingly fruity!
 
The Bramble Jelly having proved succesful and the windfall apples being so plentiful I decided to try out a very frugal recipe for Apple and Orange Jam. I have a feeling that this may be a wartime recipe for a marmalade substitute, based as it is on apple puree and orange rinds. I have it written in my precious 'Recipes I Might Get Round To Trying One Day' notebook without a source, so I cannot be sure where it came from. It produced a lovely light golden 'mock marmalade' and I was delighted to see the peel evenly distributed throughout. Yes, sugar was severely rationed during the war, but an extra amount was allowed at jam-making time in order to help preserve some of the results of all that Digging for Victory with Mr. Middleton!

It was nice to be able to pass on a jar of each variety to our lovely neighbours, whose apples had been an essential part of the process, and of the celebration of the Late Harvest, Mabon, and the Equinox as the year slows down towards the Autumn, and the changing colours and the darkening evenings bring their own pleasures and treasures.

As the above picture shows, I have caught the bug, as the following day I made Three Fruit Marmalade, and Compost Heap Jelly (which uses all those pectin-rich apple cores and peelings, plus citrus peelings, which would normally go on the compost heap!)

The Three Fruit Marmalade recipe came from the back of a bag of T*** and L***'s Preserving sugar. To my taste it's over-sweet, advocating as it does a whole kilo of the said sugar. Surely T*** and L*** wouldn't encourage us to use more than necessary of their excellent product...?

The Compost Heap Jelly recipe came from the excellent River Cottage Handbook 2 - Preserves by Pam Corbin, which I would thoroughly recommend to anyone planning to try their hand at jam making. It also covers chutneys and pickles, bottling, etc and I am going to have to get myself a copy soon. I have added my own sticky fingermarks to the existing ones in the copy I've borrowed from the local library.....frugal as ever!

Apologies

Deepest apologies for not bringing you an update on frugal bargains this week, but after a trip to catch up with friends and family it has taken a while to setle back into anything resembling a routine! 
Here then are the highlights of this weeks bargains, though they may have expired by now - sorry!

ARGOS has an offer on a small, budget DAB radio (the old-fashioned Woolworths transistor radio of the digital age) at £24.99, but if you take them an old analogue radio in any condition they will knock a fiver off the price! The Item number is 500/5914 and the 'Radio Amnesty' discount code when taking them an old radio is 926/2533. Perfectly portable and saves you computer megabyte thingies if it costs you money to stream BBC Radio 7!


B & M has 2x1kg bags of granulated sugar for £1 - perfect for jam-making!
Also 200g Skinny Cow Mint Choc drink for 79p.


NETTO has a pack of 24 Cushelle (the artist formerly known as Charmin) loo rolls for £7;that's under 30p a roll.
Also a budget range swivel office chair at 11.99, but be warned, this is quite a low chair and is best suited to those of us who have have trouble reaching the ground even when we're standing up...!
They also have a box of 48 packs of Golden Wonder crisps for £3.49
John West Corned Beef just £1 a tin. Perfect for hash!


MORRISONS has a 3-pack of 170g cans of flaked tuna for £1. Fine for sandwiches etc.
Flora Buttery 500g is 84p.


ICELAND still has frozen veg  for £1 and
Fray Bentos pies £1.


Hope this helps save a penny here and there!

Poor Man's Tuna Pasta Bake

This is a very fast and easy 'student' version of the classic recipe. 
It can  quickly be knocked up from store cupboard standbys, yet looks presentable and makes a great hot lunch or snack. 
It can also serve as the basis of an ultra-fast dinner with the addition of a some vegetables or salad and some crusty  bread (warmed, with garlic butter if you like).
Serves 2 as a lunch or supper dish, or up to 4 if served  with plenty of veg etc.


Ingredients:
A tin of Tuna, drained. A standard 185g tin is plenty.
A cheap tin of Macaroni Cheese. A Value brand is fine.
A couple of Tablespoons of Sweetcorn, tinned or frozen.
A heaped Tablespoon or so of Breadcrumbs. Just grate a crust!
A little grated cheese, any variety, incuding goatsmilk. A level Tablespoon is plenty.


Method:
Empty the tuna and macaroni cheese into a saucepan and heat gently, adding the sweetcorn. Stir well to combine. Heat thoroughly.
Pour into an oven-proof casserole dish.
Top with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Pop in the oven, or halogen oven, (or under the grill if your dish will withstand it) at 200°C, 390°F, or Gas Regulo 6, for about 15 minutes or until the breadcrumbs have crisped and browned and the cheese has melted. 
You could probably get away with using a cook's blowtorch at a push, provided the original mixture has been heated thoroughly beforehand!
Serve and enjoy.