oh gosh i do love being home. part two.

my brother came home one day and told me on the sly that's he'd bought some chickens eggs off ebay to hatch in an incubator he'd acquired...much to the ignorance and naivety of our parents. after weeks of beavering away in his bedroom, rolling the eggs in their heated home. they hatched.

and then he hatched some more.

and some more.

and know we have a little chicken swarm. and i really do miss them when i'm at university.

even when they are MASSIVE pains in the bum. like eating my herb garden. and basically any plant within jumping height for them,

Our gorgeous king cockerel...patriotically named English. but he is a bit of a wimp.

Pingu is my little baby..isn't she cute? and she's really intelligent to boot.

This view excited me the second I laid eyes on it! Mother Marsh has been sprouting numerous veggie plants for the vegetable patch and here they are lined up and ready for planting. I CANNOT wait to start cooking with their lovely produce.

I'm not really a rhubarb fan. However, last year I saved a poorly rhubarb plant from Wilkinsons for £3 and nursed it to happiness. For the summer it went to Mother Marsh for further love and stroking and this season it has rewarded me with (maybe only a few) stalks of fruity goodness. And i'm determined to make myself like rhubarb!

I did come across an interesting jam recipe that used rhubarb with blueberries and lime. Seeing as i LOVE jam, it seemed like a no-brainer to me!!

Here's the recipe (which I halved due to lack of rhubarb):

600g rhubarb 

300g blueberries

2 limes (zest and juice)

700g sugar (I just used unrefined granulated which gives a softer jam but you can use preserving sugar if you want it set firmer)

First the recipe called to chop the rhubarb up into 1cm pieces and place them in a bowl with the sugar on top, and to leave it overnight or for several hours. So I did...

...even though I was like 'Pffft, why?' Well it turns out rhubarb is FULL of water...look at that juice! It smelt amazing!

Simmer the blueberries with the lime juice/zest over a low heat until the berries have softened. Then in a jam pan, gently heat the rhubarb/sugar mix until the sugar has dissolved.  

Add the blueberry/lime mix to the rhubarb and bring to a rolling boil for about 10mins until it becomes syrupy. Dribble some jam onto a cool plant, give it a couple of seconds and run your finger through it. It has formed a kind of 'skin,' it has reached setting point...and its ready! (Oh you may need to skim the foamy goo off your jam as its boiling...it isn't bad for you, just doesn't look to pretty.)

All you need to do now, I pour your jam into sterilised jam jars whilst hot, then allow it to cool so the jars seal. You can sterilise your jars either by giving them a good wash and heating them in the oven, or boiling them in a water bath.
Serve with scones, toast, yogurt. Anything really, cos its tasted bladdy good!!


I'm sure there is more to come.


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