Those were the days.

Friend, reader and blogger extraordinaire Rachel Lauden writes in to say:

This is all music to my ears because growing up in an English farm family, the late summer was spent making jam and bottling fruit (never called either canning) and that was what we had for the next year. The one exception was marmalade made in huge quantities when Seville oranges became available in February. My family would have been with you. None of these oh so solid solid jams and marmalades. Close to runny was preferred.

All relatives had a pantry largely given over to these stores. The window was always cracked ajar and they stayed cool. Everything lasted a year. Both were more casual than your methods, perhaps safe in a cooler climate. We never used parrafin or canned jam. A little bit of mold on the top of jam was spooned off and we proceeded to eat the rest. Those were the days.

If you’ve never read Rachel’s site before, it’s worth a look, especially for all you history buffs, and those interested in the politics of food and agriculture.