Broad Beans and Jam

I have spent most of the day in the kitchen making jam and freezing broad beans. It takes so long to pod the beans, blanch them briefly then prepare them for freezing, but it had to be done as I didn't want  them going soft and having to compost them. I shouldn't have harvested them on Sunday as I knew I didn't have time until today to freeze them. But they were fine.

The Beans podded and before blanching, some were kept back for dinner this evening and were delicious, especially the red ones. Green beans are 'Bunyards Exhibition' Red beans are 'Red Epicure'
.

I harvested a huge basket of beans but the  amount of beans you get after podding doesn't look much, but then there's a huge pile of pods for the compost bin, so it all goes back into the earth again to enrich the soil for next year.

I had harvested most of my green gooseberries as they were trailing on the ground and going a bit soft.  I gave some away, but had so many left over I decided to try and make some gooseberry jam.  It turned out very good and had a great set. I also had loads of red gooseberries and wasn't sure what to do with them all. I  had frozen strawberries in the freezer from last year, so after looking through my preserve book I decided to make Strawberry and Gooseberry jam.  It's such a lovely combination and the colour is lovely.

I made three and a half jars of the gooseberry and five jars of strawberry and gooseberry. A good days work I think, now for a glass of wine !!!