le temps des cerises - or we're jamming now that cherry picking time is here

After a wet, wet Spring the warm sun came out and ripened a bumper crop of cherries. There were easy pickings from Irene's tree which the birds had not spotted. She had an unusual method which involves sawing off large branches: pruning and harvesting in one.

Donning fine latex gloves to avoid hands like Lady Macbeth, I sat on the diving board to stone the haul. This made a tedious, mindless task more agreeable. When I'd finished I weighed the stoned fruit and made the mistake of following another foodie blogger's assertion that you could use just 75% equivalent weight in sugar. I had to reboil with the extra 25% to get even a soft French set (and that was with cracked stones and 2 lemons for added pectin). However after the second boiling, the resulting jam was superb.

Flushed with success I then made a batch of apricot which is rich, deep coloured and full-flavoured. Instead of lemons I used oranges and added a few apricot kernels. No messing this time - I added equal weights of sugar and fruit. I didn't precook the fruit as it is ripe, soft and sweet. An excellent set after 4 minutes boiling at temperature ("jam" on the sugar themometre).

I don't skim as I think it a waste and I don't add any butter. I tend to cook manageable batches of 1 - 2 kilos at a time. It's a lot less trouble, makes less mess and allows you to have a real variety of jams in the larder - next week I'll be making nectarine, peach and greengage! The recipe stays the same - equal weights of prepared fruit and sugar, layered in a big bowl, covered with a cloth and left a few hours, then cooked slowly together until the sugar has completely dissolved, the fruit is soft and a full rolling boil is reached. Boil 4 minutes and test for a set on cool dry saucer. Allow to stand a few minutes before potting in scrupulously clean, warm, dry jars (I stand mine on a newspaper-lined roasting tray in a slow oven -  but if you time it right you can whip them directly from the dishwasher, still hot from the drying cycle!)