The Drying of Mint

It's really simple. No mixing, measuring, or adding. And yet, I almost missed the chance to enjoy our mint through the fall and winter. Right now, everything is in bloom. Bright purple flower abuzz with bees, and this is the wrong time to harvest. Luckily I started a couple of weeks ago. Last week, I took the bunches tied with string out of our shed and brought them into to be stored in jars.

Ironically (or perhaps not to those who know better), the mild spearmint has the stronger dried mint scent, while it is quite mild when fresh. The peppermint was quite a bit less potent. Perhaps I picked the wrong time to harvest them. That is always a possibility. But it is a joy to have fresh, um, dried mint for tea.

Apple Chutney Improvisation

Well it turns out that I couldn't make the "English" recipe for apple chutney, as "Allspice", apparently, does not exist in Belgium. And I didn't feel like using black peppercorns. So, I compromised and with the ginger added two cardamom pods and 4 or 5 cloves.

It didn't come out with chunks of apples, but rather like a purée. But we've already eaten the half jar extra as a condiment to burgers (lamb and veggie) and with potatoes. It is spicy and sweet with a hint of apple.

That same day, I had some red currants from a friend's garden. It wasn't enough for a pot, so I added some cherries. We just ate opened it today, and it has a lovely red-purple color and taste. The raspberry-currant one was a bit tastier, but we are not complaining. Here's to raspberries, currants and all things red.. combined with a bit of ginger and green apple!

Apples and Things

Over the past week, our apple tree has been shedding some of the smaller fruit. I can't tell whether it is the wind, or some sort of self-pruning mechanism.

Then, this past weekend we had friends over with their 7 month-old baby, and then more friends with two more kids. These kids are tall enough to reach the apples, and so they did. "I was just caressing them", the oldest said. Hmmm... the bite mark in one of the three picked apples says that perhaps some sort of fairy tale fantasy of "picking fruits in the forest" was running through their minds...

So now we have 7 small green apples... and someone suggested CHUTNEY. What a great idea! Now that I've begun making preserves.

I have found two recipes. One that is more "English". The other more "Indian". I haven't decided which one I'll make yet. Any votes?

Champagne Currant-Raspberry Jam

Champagne currants (as opposed to black- or red currants) look like perfect pale pink transparent spherical jewels, but they are sour and seedy, even when at their ripest. So, this week, we picked them all and today began the great experiment. My first attempt at making jam.

I added a handful of raspberries, mushed them all together. Bring to a boil, add lots of sugar, cook some more... and my first pot of jam!

Only one pot. But, I'm so proud! Hopefully, it will still be around when my friends from Switzerland come by at the end of the month.

I ma-ade ja-am! I ma-ade ja-am! And it looks beautiful.