Thursday, June 25, 2009

PLAY TIME!

Rosa and I had a great time playing with my new jam-making machine this afternoon and guess what? - It works!



All you have to do is prepare the fruit and bung it in, with sugar and water as directed in the recipe instructions, programme the machine and you're off!



We both watched, spellbound, as the miracle machine proceeded to do its job. "Funziona!" ["It works!"] we exclaimed to each other over and over again. Lucia arrived in the middle of all this and beheld the new kitchen wonder, too.


After a mere 40 minutes, we were able to pot our cherry jam. [I'd tested for a set the traditional way, ie., on a cold saucer. ] You can't buy wax discs and cellophane covers for home preserves here. The Italian women use vacuum seal lids on their jars and nothing you do - well, nothing I do, at any rate - will release the vacuum. So I brought 10 years' supply of discs and cellophane covers with me when I moved here because this is one British way of doing things that I like.

Admittedly, you cannot make enormous amounts of jam in the machine and it will give you a light, "French" set, but I think it's superb! In fact, I think I might start worshipping it, like the woman in Forster's tale. "Oh, Machine, oh, Machine!" I shall declare every morning.


Look, it even cleans itself!




Next I am going to "jam" these plums from a kind friend's garden.

19 comments:

Leslie: said...

I am VERY impressed! I can remember my mother sweating over a hot stove doing her jams and pickles back in the day. This looks like a great way to do it in the heat of Sicily. Brava!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Thanks, Leslie. Yeas, I've sweated over jam-making so many times and oh, the mess! But this is so calm and unmessy!

Maria said...

Looks like so much fun! Don't forget to whip up some marmalade *(my favorite)* lol or some lemon jam.. that would be nice over sugar cookies... oh wow.. i keep thinking of all the possiblities!

Maybe I should get one of those toys!

:) M

Rowena said...

WL! You put my Wilkin and Sons purchases from Esselunga to shame! Brava!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Well done WL...I have never Jam!!! This machine seems a breeze...

Rosa seems really amused by the machine...she must of learnt so many different things since coming over to you :-)....Who is this mad British/Welsh woman ha ha ha take care Anne xox

Liz Hinds said...

Wonderful machine!

James Higham said...

It's a science, isn't it?

flutterby said...

What a magic machine! I've never seen one before, it is such a great idea. I'm with Leslie, my mother, sweated over a hot stove and mounds of fruit to prepare for the next winter.

Gledwood said...

Bloody hell whatever next! I thought that was a slow cooker ~ that's about as exotic as my culliniation gets...

... ps I'm thinking of emigrating too, only en espana ~ and the magic carpet gizmo over the N has vanished. Typical, and I was using it all morning!
;->...

Whispering Walls said...

This is just what I need!

Lucia said...

I was there???Just kidding, I know you didn't mean me, I wish I was there, hmmm, looks good!

CherryPie said...

That looks like a fascinating gadget :-)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, M. What good ideas! Maybe you should get one - it's fun! Glad you like it, Rowena. Hi, Anne. Rosa wants one, too! She thinks everything that comes from Britain is wonderful. I think she does reckon I'm mad sometimes! Hi, Liz. It is, it is! Just made plum jam in it. Hi, James. I suppose it is. Hi, Flutterby. I like it even more today! No sweating or sweltering.... Hi, GLeds. Yes, what next? A machine that will effortlessly iron is what I'd like. Sorry you lost the tilde accent. If you press ALT and 164 on the number keys you should get it again. Hi, WW. You should try one! Ciao, Lucia. That would have been fun! Hi, Cherie. It is!

Mopsa said...

I've never seen anything like it!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Neither had I, Mopsa!

Chelsea + Shiloh said...

Yummo... now Mountaingirl will want one. We use the vacumn way but traditionally my gran uses your way to bottle her jam...

Im afraid Id eat the cherries before they got in the jam :)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Abbey. I expect she will! I bought extra cherries for eating!

Ellee Seymour said...

I particularly like the way it cleans itself too. What a great machine.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Me too, Ellee. x

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