Kitty's Scratch Pad

Cello players are soooo cool...

At a dinner party the other night, I was discussing Fen's new musical ventures with the cello to my friend Jenny who played violin for years and years.  She explained to me that someone once described to her the stereotypical breakdown of orchestra members.  She assured me that the cello and bass players were always the coolest people in the strings section. 

Charles Noble, the Assistant principal violist of the Oregon Symphony, observed that "the cellos are an almost schizophrenic bunch. Since they have a comparable body of solo literature to the violin, they have a soloistic impulse almost from the get go."  I think this is partly why Fen enjoys it so much (remember this is the kid that prefers to play keeper in soccer). 

I was trying to relay this to Fen the other night after a frustrating bout with "Oh Come Little Children" during his evening practice time.  I wasn't sure I was making sense so I decided to do a little research on-line.  We both sat and watched this together in awe and now I think he is convinced.

Hardy Kiwi Freezer Jam

 
 
Alex and I swung by the University Farmers Market today.  There was a bounty of wonderful fruits and vegetables.  There were boatloads of squash and peppers in a million varieties.  We found parsnips, beets, kale, turnips, cauliflower and shallots.  There were also dahlias, sunflowers, delicious homemade cheeses and tasty brioche.  Amongst all of this gastronomic potential, the highlight for me was discovering hardy kiwi. 

Hardy kiwi is a funny little fruit.  It sort of looks like a green olive which for me is pretty disgusting.  The flesh is mostly green and some may blush a little with a touch of pink.  The skin is soft and not furry.  The inside is green and filled with tiny seeds just like their cousin. You just pop them into your mouth and chew.  What is so amazing about these tiny little bits of goodness is that they taste just like kiwi only slightly more sweet.  After trying them, we decided to buy four pints and I thought jam would be a perfect way to savor them.

I adapted the Sure-Jell Low Sugar recipe which I have also spelled out below:

4 cups prepared fruit (buy about 4 pt. hardy kiwi)

3 cups  sugar, measured into separate bowl

1 box SURE.JELL For Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Premium Fruit Pectin

1 cup  water

RINSE clean plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. You can also use Weck canning jars which make really nice hostess gifts.

PREPARE kiwi by rinsing, removing stems and ends and dicing long-ways in half.  One cup at a time, gently crush kiwi using a potato masher.  Measure exactly 4 cups crushed kiwis into large bowl.

MIX sugar and pectin in large saucepan. Stir in water. Bring to boil on medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add kiwi; stir 1 minute or until well blended.

FILL all containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Terrain - Another Terribly Tasteful Shopping Experience

I have this fun and local gardening blog I keep up on called Diggin' Food where I discover all kinds of fun things about Northwest Gardening. Browsing one day, I was thrilled to discover a link to a wonderful website called Terrain where I picked up a few things I had drooled over.  I was super excited to see my treasures arrived today carefully packed and ready for me to use!