Abundance Wimbledon Newsletter
July 6, 2021

Welcome to Abundance Wimbledon - July 6, 2021 Newsletter

The local fruit is still at its ripening stage so we are yet to undertake any official "picking" duties.  Having said that it doesn't mean our wonderful team has not been busy - read on for details about Sue's Jam Making Classes, the Quince Jam and Jelly ready made for this year's Fruit Day and a fun story from Gilli about the weird and wonderful tastes of the squirrel in her garden. 
Sue's Jam Making Masterclass - a great success!
Our Master Jam Maker, Sue held a jam making masterclass in June.  Fully subscribed, Sue welcomed 6 local ladies for a fun afternoon of jam making.  As you can see, the pots were boiling on the stove and each participant was able to take their master creations home with them.  A resounding success all round and a great way to introduce locals to not only jam making but to Abundance Wimbledon.

Sue is planning another class in Summer 2021 so if you would like to register your interest for the upcoming course (date to be determined), please contact Sue at lovellgre[email protected]

Save the date!
Abundance Wimbledon, 11th Annual Fruit Day

SATURDAY 18 SEPTEMBER, 2021
11.00am - 2.30pm
St Mark's Church Hall & Grounds
St Mark's Pl, Wimbledon, London SW19 7ND

Gilli's Cheeky Squirrel
We love a good local story and Gilli's news about the cheeky (and sweet-toothed) squirrel in her garden is no exception:

"No picking requested so far although we did have a handful of redcurrants and six small sticks of rhubarb from our garden but not enough to make any jam!
Well not fruit related but it really made me smile:-
I was digging around in some of my pots ready to plant some lovely colourful plants- see below for what I found!! I knew squirrels buried their nuts but I did not know they were partial to Mars bars! There is no other way that sweetie would have got there!"

Quince Jam and Jelly will be available at Fruit Day this year
Did you know that Quince Jelly is not only great on muffins and crumpets but is a tasty accompaniment for hot and cold roasts meats - particularly game?

The bad news is that quinces generally ripen after we have held our Annual Fruit Day each year.  That doesn't stop us sourcing this wonderful fruit though and from pickings made after fruit day we already have a stock of quince jam and jelly ready for this year's Fruit Day.

So, if you have any quinces ripening in September, don't forget to let us know - we love making them up into jams and jellies for the next year!

Elderflower Cordial is always a hit!
At Fruit Day, one of our most popular items is our home made Elderflower Cordial.  We are already making it ready from locally picked Elderflower.  Here are some great ideas from the Delicious Magazine with what to do with your Elderflower Cordial:
  • Aromatic icing - Add a couple of teaspoons of elderflower cordial to icing sugar with enough water to make a thick, spreadable icing. Use to decorate biscuits, or thin down with a little more water to ice fairy cakes.
  • Twist on a classic - Add a couple of tablespoons of elderflower cordial to a simple victoria sponge cake mix.
  • Elderflower spritz - Mix a glug of cordial, a measure of vodka, some chopped fresh mint and a good squeeze of fresh lime in a glass, then top up with prosecco and soda water.

Seeking a Volunteer Coordinator for Raynes Park Area
Once the fruit ripens, we will be looking for donations and pickers across our six local regions.  Our volunteer region coordinators are an integral part of this as they link our donors with our pickers who then either distribute the fruit/vegetables to local charities or send to locals to make into home made jams, jellies, cordials, pies, bakes, cakes and juice for our annual Fruit Day (September 18. 11.00am - 2.30pm, St Mark's Church Hall - entry via Compton Road - Wimbledon SW19 7ND).  Our regions are made up of the following:
  • Martin Way Allotments (Coordinator Alison)
  • Morden and Mitcham (Coordinator Liz)
  • Motspur Park (Coordinator Gilli)
  • Raynes Park (Coordinator - vacant position - please contact us if you would like to do this role at [email protected])
  • Wimbledon (Coordinator - Juliet)
  • Wimbledon Park (Coordinator Jane)
As you can see, we are looking for a Raynes Park Coordinator, so if you are interested and able, please contact Juliet at [email protected] - we would love to hear from you!

What is your Green Transport Policy?
This was a question posed to us recently by an email from a concerned local - they asked whether we were using green/sustainable methods when picking and distributing our local fruit.  Absolutely we said - and here are some of the ways we are considerate in our energy and low carbon use:
  • Our activities are split into regions - 6 of them - where we ensure that the fruit picked and distributed is done locally - reducing travel across large areas in Merton;
  • Our people often travel together to picking sites and then take the donations direct to the donor recipients.  If this is not possible, we work with drivers to distribute the fruit and vegetables in a low/er traffic time;
  • When there is a small pick, our pickers have been known to travel by bike to local gardens.  This is not always possible when there are 10s of kilos of fruit, picking poles and trugs to be transported but is achieved on a case by case basi;
  • We are always looking for new ways to be considerate to our environment so if you have any suggestions, we welcome them!
Thank you for the question!  We are always keen to ensure everyone knows that we do our best to be mindful of our environmental impact when undertaking Abundance Wimbledon activities.

How Much Sugar is in your Jams?
On the TV Show Dragon's Den recently there was young woman who has made jam for children with 40 per cent less sugar. The jam has a shelf life of a year but the Dragons said it tasted good.

When the question about reducing sugar for jam was posed to our Master Jam Maker Sue, her response was:

"All the jam we make now - we being anyone who is contact with me -  is being made with a third less sugar if the recipes are based on the old fashioned ones.  This I did for the class last week and the jams set well and I cant see any reason for them not to last as long but of course we will see in the course of time."
 
Given how good our jams are, I don't think there will be any issue about them not lasting - my guess is they will be well consumed before any possible deterioration in taste or freshness!

My Fruit/Vegetables are ripe and there is too much - What can I do?
Here are the steps to follow:
  1. Email Juliet at [email protected]
  2. Juliet will put you in contact with your local area coordinator (whatsapp or email)
  3. Make contact with your local area coordinator.  You need to let them know:
  • type of fruit
  • location of fruit
  • approximately how much fruit needs to be picked
  • time/s that pickers can attend
Your local area coordinator will then arrange for pickers to attend at a time convenient to you!

Our Local Charity would love to receive some of the picked fruit.  What do I do?
Here are the steps to follow:
  1. Email Juliet at [email protected]
  2. Juliet will put you in contact with your local area coordinator (whatsapp or email)
  3. Make contact with your local area coordinator.  You need to let them know:
  • type of fruit required
  • approximately how much fruit you would like
  • when is the best time to drop the fruit off
Your local area coordinator will then coordinate with you when there is fruit available and when they can drop it off to your location.

In honour of the Wimbledon Championships - James Martin's Strawberry Jam recipe!
Straight from BBC Good Food, here is James Martin's Strawberry Jam recipe:

Prep: 20 Mins  Cook: 40 mins  Makes: 3-4 Jars

Ingredients: Method:
  1. Prepare the strawberries by wiping them with a piece of damp kitchen paper. (Wiping the strawberries rather than washing them ensures the fruit doesn’t absorb lots of water – too much water and the jam won’t set easily.) To hull the fruit, use a knife to cut a cone shape into the strawberry and remove the stem. Cut any large berries in half.
  2. Put the strawberries in a bowl and gently toss through the sugar. Leave uncovered at room temperature for 12 hrs or overnight. This process helps the sugar to dissolve, ensures the fruit doesn’t disintegrate too much and helps to keep its vibrant colour.
  3. Before starting the jam, put 2 saucers in the freezer. Tip the strawberry mixture into a preserving pan with the lemon juice. Set over a low heat and cook very gently. If any sugar remains on the sides of the pan, dip a pastry brush in hot water and brush the sugar away.
  4. When you can no longer feel any grains of sugar remaining, turn up the heat to start bubbling the jam and bringing it to the boil. (The sugar must be completely dissolved before increasing the heat, otherwise it will be difficult for the jam to set, and it may contain crystallised lumps of sugar.)
  5. Boil hard for 5-10 mins until the jam has reached 105C on a preserving or digital thermometer, then turn off the heat. If you don’t have a thermometer, spoon a little jam onto one of the cold saucers. Leave for 30 secs, then push with your finger; if the jam wrinkles and doesn’t flood to fill the gap, it is ready. If not, turn the heat back on and boil for 2 mins more, then turn off the heat and do the wrinkle test again. Repeat until ready.
  6. Use a spoon to skim any scum that has risen to the surface and discard this. Do this only once at the end, rather than constantly during the boiling stage, to reduce wastage.
  7. Add a knob of butter, if you like, to the finished jam, and stir in to melt. This will help to dissolve any remaining scum that you haven’t managed to spoon off the top. Leave the jam to settle for 15 mins – this will ensure that the fruit stays suspended in the mixture and doesn’t all float to the top of the jam jar. Meanwhile, sterilise your jars.
  8. Ladle into warm jars, filling to just below the rim. Place a wax disc on top of the jam (this prevents mildew forming), then cover with a lid or a cellophane circle and elastic band. Pop on a label (include the date), plus a pretty fabric top, if you like. The jam can be stored for up to 1 year in a cool, dry place. Refrigerate after opening.
Other options:
  • Strawberry & Black Pepper Jam:  Stir 1 tbsp cracked black peppercorns through the jam while it is cooling.
  • Strawberry & Tarragon Jam:  Stir 2 tbsp chopped tarragon through the jam before ladling into jars.
  • Strawberry & Vanilla Jam: Scrape the seeds from 2 vanilla pods into the strawberries as you toss with the sugar, then poke the scraped pods in, too. Take them out before ladling the jam into jars.
  • Strawberry & Rose Water Jam: Add 2 tbsp rose water along with the lemon juice.

Our next newsletter
We will be back in touch again soon.

Feel free to send any news to our editor - Sally at [email protected].

** To get in touch about any of the above information, please just reply to this email **

Best wishes and sincere thanks from us all

Juliet and the team at Abundance Wimbledon