Jam.

I love getting something for nothing, even if it really wasn't strictly for nothing.
Well, you know what I mean right?
Today I found myself with a handful of apples past their best.
Skin starting to wrinkle, bruises... not rotten, but not about to pass muster in anyones lunch box either.
After some thought, and a rummage in the freezer that yielded 1/4 box of frozen strawberries, I decided jam was in order.
Well I needed jam, and now I have some... simples!

When there's only a small amount of fruit I'm eternally grateful for the jam setting on my bread maker, which can only take 500g of fruit at a time, which is often the perfect amount for that fruit past its best you don;t know what to do with.

I also find it hard to get heat up high enough for setting on my little portable hot plate or the log burner, the former being good for short bursts of high heat, the latter for longer cooking times, neither of which suit the science of jam, with its measuring time from boiling point and simmer.

The bread makers jam setting means I just put the softened and mashed fruit in the bread tin, add and mix in sugar, shut the lid and turn it on.
One hour and twenty minutes later I have jam.

Anyway, in keeping with the ethos of the Various Shades of Green blog, the apple peel and cores where also cooked up, mashed and fed to the chickens.

Now I'm off for some pancakes and jam ;)