Nature's Bounty

As we begin our second year living in West Cambridge, we have helped ourselves once again to nature's bounty in the form of some very tasty blackberries. One of the sad things about modern living is the disconnect between consumers and their food supply; simply going out and gathering what nature has to offer is an uncomplicated, wholesome pleasure. We picked some berries when my parent's visited and made the customary blackberry/apple crumble, but yesterday Todd and I went out, brought home 3.5 lbs of berries, and I tried my hand at jam-making.




Here is the recipe I followed:

Equal weights of blackberries and sugar
The juice and rind of 1 lemon

I stewed and mashed the blackberries and lemon, then added the sugar and waited until the mixture reached the 'setting point' (when a spoonful turns 'jammy' in the fridge after about 5 mins.). Apparently I needed the lemon to help with this setting process, since it adds extra pectin, which makes the jam jell. I ended up with about 8 jars of jam.

We're pretty pleased with the results, though it is SUPER SWEET!

Chelsea Bun Mission Accomplished

Fitzbillies was less busy today, so my parents and I did get to enjoy our Chelsea Buns. Now they have really experienced Cambridge!

Blog not forgotten...

I haven't blogged in so long--the past half-year has been so filled with the worries and joys of finding jobs that chronicling the experience was far from my radar screen. However, I've decided it is a good exercise to put oneself out there in writing for other people to read, so hopefully I can be a lot more regular.

My parents arrived on Tuesday en route to their new life in Kosovo. We have SO enjoyed just having them around and seeing Cambridge anew through their eyes. It's weird how my eyes were so dimmed to what a cool place Cambridge is--there is so much living history all around. I think that the uniqueness of our four years here will continue to sink in more and more as we prepare to leave and continue our lives in a very different setting. We will be moving to Qatar in February--the whole idea seems so adventurous! I'm looking forward to experiencing the enchantment of a new place.

The parents and I have particularly enjoyed sampling afternoon tea at various Cambridge establishments. So far, we have been fairly impressed with the Michaelhouse Cafe, though I think the clotted cream was better at The Orchard. Fitzbillies was too crowded to venture in at this time of year, so the joys of Chelsea Buns will have to wait.

The joys of the English summer

Blackberries!!!!

Two weeks ago I joined my good friend Beth and her daughter Maria (my very own god-daughter) on a fun-filled blackberry-picking excursion. The mild Cambridge summer is perfect for brambles, and we barely made a dent in the bush.

This berry-picking has meant good things for Todd, who has enjoyed several crumbles since.