The last couple of weeks since the launch of “A Year on the Farm” have been extremely busy but fun. A week or two ago I was invited to do a demonstration at the Habitat store in Hobart on one of their regular VIP evenings. Daughter Courtney, a uni student, now works there part time and is a dab hand at preserving. By the time I got there she was in full swing making jam, strawberry cordial and a delicious onion jam. I was able to spend a couple of very enjoyable hours talking to people there. I love how people are so happy to pass on their tips and tricks for all sorts of cooking.
One lady, Margaret Rust, told me that there is a solution for softening the pips for raspberry jam, a tip passed down to her from her father. He told her that it is especially helpful for those who have dentures – usually the raspberry pips are like little pieces of sharp glass. The trick is to freeze the raspberries before making them into jam she told me. It’s certainly worth trying!