Today should have been a simple case of jam-making using the Black Cherries my cousin bought down last month. I've never had any problem cooking damsons, Morello cherries or wild plums from frozen; it's just a matter of skimming off the stones as they rise to the surface of the bubbling mixture...perhaps an extra hour's work ( no wonder you never see those jams made commercially!). Anyway, these black cherry stones were tenacious little blighters who didn't want to leave the lush cocoon of the mother fruit. Four hours it took me, of mashing and sieving to end up with what I can only call 'jam' and not 'conserve' ( that's jam with big lumps of fruit in). Oh, and another half hour to clean up all the mess I'd made.

Moral of the story....de-stone before freezing!

The wonderful aerial displays by the swifts are over, now that they've headed south for the sun. Instead, today I was treated to a fascinating stand-off as a lone crow ( or possibly jackdaw) attempted to mob a buzzard. I suppose if he was a hooded crow you could call it a 'mugging'. Anyway, I just loved the way that with an almost contemptuous flick of his wing tips, the larger bird would lazily change direction; as if to say "Go away little fella, I've got important business to do". Perhaps its a game of 'dare' and the crow was being egged on by his mates in the wings (sorry!).
Back in the kitchen; the autumn harvest is slowly being transformed into market produce. It's such a shame that the massive beefsteak tomatoes produce so few jars, but the concentrated tomatoey taste is worth it.