Farmers Market Saturday - Leftovers and Lughnassadh

Last Saturday I bought some mullberries and piled them on ice cream and in smoothies and snacked away whenever I wandered by the bowl of that pretty purple fruit.  But by mid-week I was tired of eating them 'as-is' and worried that they wouldn't keep much longer.

The only downside to farmers market buying is that you are often at the mercy of the seller's portions.  Things like berries are too delicate to be massed into large boxes and then scooped out and weighed according to the purchaser's desired amount.

So, a girl on her own like me finds that a large basket of berries is sometimes too much to eat quickly, before they spoil.  Not one to let anything go to waste, I made a quick jam of these mullberries when I realized I wouldn't be able to keep them whole and fresh much longer.

Refrigerator jams are super-quick and easy (exactly how I like to cook!)  You simply place your fruit in a saucepan, add sugar, cook until you get a nice boil and the fruit thickens, then remove from heat, pour into jars and cool.  Use on toast or if your jam is a bit thin, you can use it syrup-style on pancakes. 

For the mullberries (which aren't a super sweet berry) I used 2 cups of berries and just under 1/2 cup of sugar.  It's very simple to put a teaspoon of your mixture on a plate, let it cool a bit and taste - then add more sugar if you need to.

Today, in lieu of the market, I spent the morning in the garden and then made some bread (in the magickal breadmaker) for Lughnanssadh.  I hope your First Harvest is abundant and blessed!

(picture linked to provider site)