WI given jam demo
BARROW WI July Meeting: Summer Market - Our stall was in a isolated position in the Co-op car park and the public mostly unaware of our existence there. Doriter has been in correspondence with the organiser, Sallie Hooper, explaining our grievance. We did, however, make £134.90 selling crafts and cakes but our profit would have increased if we had been on the High Street.
Christmas Stall - Judith Rodgers has asked whether we are having a Christmas stall this year. We are in discussion about this but must take into consideration that we did not take part last year, mostly due to the High Street not being available.
Harvest Festival - Quorn Folk Dance Club have been booked for this event on September 27.
Scrooge - Tilly is organising a trip to the Curve to see Scrooge”on November 20.
Helen introduced us to Rosie Jameson who is the President of the Langham and Barleythorpe WI. She also runs a business, “Rosie makes Jam” and this evening would be giving us a demonstration in the art of jam-making. Apart from teaching the subject, Rosie also writes for magazines.
Rosie gave us a brief talk on preserving food which she is passionate about. Our ancestors preserved food as a necessity, prolonging produce that had a short season. Today, since the introduction of freezers and more women working, preserving has taken a back seat in the UK, unlike Germany and the Eastern Bloc where it is still very popular.
Sugar, vinegar and salt, or any combination of the three, are the ingredients used for preserving food. Refined sugar (cane/beet) should be used against synthetic sugars which are deemed unhealthy and found in many processed foods.
Sitting at four tables in teams, we were given a hot plate, large pan (with 2lbs raspberries inside) utensils, a lemon and 2lbs sugar. We cooked the fruit over a gentle heat until soft, stirring in the sugar until dissolved. On a higher heat we brought the mixture to a rolling boil for five minutes. A teaspoon of jam on a saucer passing the “wrinkle” test proved the jam a success. Sealed with a proper jam lid, the preserve should last many years.
We had great fun making the jam and it was definitely a “united” effort. Armed with Rosie’s recipe leaflet, I am sure more of us will be excited about preserving in the future. Thanking Rosie for her demonstration, we finished the evening judging the home-made scones in our “scone bake-off”. Mary Thompson’s cheese scones won with most votes.
Next month’s meeting will be at the function room at the Conservative Club on August 9, 2017 at 7.30pm, when we will be having a talk/ demonstration on “Hypnotheraphy” with Penny Harris. Guests are always welcome. Pat Moore