We have quite a few red fruits in the garden; strawberries, blackberries, cherries, redcurrants and blackcurrants, so I decided to make a small batch of bachelor’s jam (or Rumtopf as the Germans would call it) using the recipe from the River Cottage Handbook No 2 (Preserves).
I’ve kicked off with some local Kent strawberries (500g), a bottle of rum and 250g sugar. Instead of the traditional ceramic container I’m using a 2 litre le parfait preserving jar (as I have loads of them) and I figure that 2 litres of alcoholic berries is enough, especially as I’m the only one who drinks in this house!
Over the summer I will keep adding fruit and sugar to the jar and turning it until it’s full. I lined 4 of the short edges of the vegetable patch with Alpine Strawberries last year so we will have loads spare and this seems like a good way of using them up.
The fruit I grow in the garden are:
Blackcurrant – Delbard Robusta
Redcurrant – Red Lake
Red Gooseberry – Hinnomaki
Cherry – Lapins, Colt
Strawberry (Alpine) – Mignonette
Rhubarb – Champagne & Timberly Early (actually a vegetable I think)
Blackberry – Thornless
Fig – Brown Turkey
Blueberry – not sure what kind, I grew it in a pot at our last house
Crab Apple - Red Sentinel
Medlar - Nottingham
I am also growing Melon Edonis in the greenhouse.
The crab apple and medlar are new (I planted them last year) so this will be the first time I can pick fruit from these and I’m rather looking forward to it as there are quite a few flowers on the medlar tree.
