The Old and the New

Preserving season is upon us.
When I got married Mum informed me that her best peach halves for dessert were done in a 1 cup sugar 2 cups water.
Other fruit was done 1: 2.5 cups.
Later in my marriage I started to do 1:3.
This year I have done my preserving 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water.
Will I be brave enough to try 1:5 next??

Nectarines are nice and easy to do because you don't have to peel them. I did 8 jars in all. The jars with the gold bands are mums old jars. She gave me some when I got married as the new design had come in. So they must be 50 years old at least. I prefer them to the newer model as they have a lip which means they are easier to grip. I even have some of her jars fashioned out of recycled beer bottles which apparently they used at the end of WW2 when getting clear glass was expensive.

Two years ago we had John and Jill Thurston to stay and Jill bought us some bottled Black Doris Plums. Duncan really liked them for a change, so we went and bought a tree. Today I harvested them and boiled them up (1:4 syrup). We had them with gingernut icecream and a Wooing Tree sweet rose (wine). This was after a pizza done on the Weber, using the left over beef roast that we did on the Weber last night. Very yum and not at all greasy.