Janice has provided an update on what’s been happening at the Tayport Fruit Tree Walk in July:
At Garvie Brae playpark there are miniature strawberries and blackcurrants ready, with gooseberries and redcurrants to follow shortly. The fruiting hedge around the Community Garden fence is also full of yummy berries. Please help yourselves! Marian has already harvested a lot of the blackcurrants to make jelly which will be for sale at Tayport Community Garden along with other produce. You can find her recipe below.
Apples along Scotscraig Drive and beside the native hedge are shaping up well with a reasonable crop so far. Not so many plums this year. What few there are should be ready at the end of July, and apples from end of September through to beginning November.
The wildflower border looks great too and is very kindly displaying their best show beside the new Fruit Tree Walk sign. If you haven’t read the sign it’s well worth a look. It was designed by our very own artist Julie Wyness, and is situated near the bus stop on the main road before the mini roundabout. The boat too just always looks great. All credit and thanks to a local resident, Lachie, for keeping it that way.
There are lots of regular, exciting happenings including weeding, pruning, harvesting and planting, and occasional tea and cake. All done with proper social distancing! We now liaise via a WhatsApp group for meetings and people tend to just do what they can when they can. Everyone is welcome and if you’d like to be involved you can just join in or contact Ali, PLANT Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@tayportgarden.org.
Marian’s recipe for red or black currant jelly
Ingredients
1.5 kg fruit (2lbs fruit)
1.5 litres water (1 pint water)
1.3 kg sugar (1lb sugar to pint of fruit juice after straining)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (a tablespoon of lemon juice)
Method
Wash the fruit but don’t bother to take the currants off the stalks. Put fruit, water and lemon juice in a large pan. The fruit should be just covered by liquid. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 20mins. Mash the fruit with a wooden spoon while cooking.
Strain the mixture through a jellybag or equivalent for 3 hours or overnight. Don’t squeeze the bag. Discard the pulp.
Return the currant liquid to a large pan and heat. Slowly add the sugar while stirring. Bring to the boil: boil rapidly uncovered without stirring for about 45 minutes or until jelly sets when tested.
Remove any scum formed round the top of the jelly mix.
Pour the jelly into hot sterilised jars, seal immediately.
To test set of jelly
Dip a wooden spoon into the cooking fruit and sugar mix. Watch the drips off the spoon. If they look slow and sticky the jelly is beginning to set.
Or put some drops on a cold saucer – if the jelly wrinkles when you push a finger through it is ready.
To sterilise jars
Wash the jars and lids well in hot water with washing up liquid. Rinse then put the wet jars on a tray in a warm oven. Leave in the oven until ready to be filled.
Put the washed lids in a pan of water and bring to the boil.
