Azoresgal~Life on an Island

Well September snuck in somehow, very quietly, on it's tiptoes. It's very hard to believe that this time next week, my little's will be back to school. We have had a wonderful summer, lot's of swimming, many long lazy days, and glorious sunny weather. In the last couple of days, there seems to have been a shift somewhere, the weather is much cooler, the mornings are crisp, and the nights have become much shorter. At every corner, we are now reminded that kids are going back to school, the flyers in the mailbox affirm this. So now fall lingers just around the corner, and a sure full sign of this is the harvest. All the corn fields around our home have been cut down, giving way to mountains of covered silage. In the vineyards grapes are being picked to make next years wine. In our own gardens, the grape arbor this year, was amazing, producing endless amounts of white table grapes. We have picked most of them now, atleast the one's the birds didn't get too. Blackbe...

We are still in the depths of winter, and the island has been grey and windy. Today it rained all day, and I have been dreaming about summer. Right now the only thing close to summer, is the many jars of jam and jelly I have in the hutch in my kitchen. I went looking through the jars today, and way in the back, found a jar of grape jam. It made me really happy, funny how a jar of jam can do that, it reminded me of late August, and it's lazy afternoons. I decided to bake something, I haven't made in a very long time..in fact way too long, a simple jelly roll. It turned out lovely, warmed up the kitchen, and put some smiles on our faces. 3/4 cup flour 3/4 teaspoon  Baking Powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 eggs 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup Jam  - flavor is your choice, ( I used grape) confectioners' sugar/ or sugar Instructions: Mix together flour, Baking Powder and salt. In a small bowl beat together eggs and sugar until well mixed and ...

What does one do with 61 store bought ground cherries ?? Well, make one very small, jar of jam...isn´t that what everyone does ? What is a ground cherry, also known as Physalis ?  It is a small, smooth round fruit wrapped in a papery case, the fruit itself is a pretty orange-golden colour. It can be eaten as is, they have a delicate sweet-sour taste – sort of a cross between a gooseberry and a cherry tomato. This is not something we have growing in our garden yet , as it is very invasive. They do however grow abundantly on the island, wild. When I saw these at the market, I just had to buy them. I got them home, and counted how many there were, 61 lovely little golden gems, so I decide to make a jar of jam, a very tiny jar of jam. It came together very quickly, I swear it was ready in 15 minutes. I love all the little flecks in it, all the tiny seeds, it was great paired with cheese, the sweet and tart flavor, a wonderful contrast. Now was it really worth it , just to have one ...

Today is the first day of autumn, perhaps my favorite season. I love the cooler weather, I even enjoy that it gets darker out early. I think for me it's even a return to the kitchen, baking, and cooking comfort foods. You  almost feel the need to have foods that are warm and cozy. This is also the time of year, when I do most of my jam making, sadly this year, the fruit pickings are so very slim. Our figs and grapes, this year did not fair well, not only us, but on the whole island. Last year was so bountiful, it resulted in plenty of jars to enjoy during the winter month's. The next best thing is, to purchase frozen fruit, which is the case with these blackberries. One kilo of berries, resulted in about 4 jars of jam, some what costly, but it will still be nice to open up a jar of jam during the winter. The perfect pairing to blackberry jam, has got to be warm bread. So I set to it and baked a loaf, of quick Irish soda bread. It was nice to get back into my kitchen, and it...

Quince looks a bit like it's cousins the apple and the pear. It´s oval and irregular, with a fuzzy coating on its yellow skin which is sometimes mistaken for mold. It is hard textured and  if eaten raw it will make you squirm, it’s inedible. Quince releases into the air, a perfume, a floral,tropical scent that is incredible. Almost makes you want to eat the scent from the air. While my quinces sat in the kitchen, for a couple of days, I could not help and take a whiff of them  my children stared at me like I was crazy  everytime I walked past the fruit bowl. Ancient Romans used the flowers and fruit of the quince tree for everything from perfume to honey. It was also considered a symbol of love and given to one's intended as a sign of commitment, and it has also been  suggested, that in the garden of Eden, Eve's fruit of temptation might have been a quince, and not an apple.  When I bought my quince, our young Quince tr...

I have mentioned before, that in the countryside, it is very common to have someone drop in, and give you produce from their garden. Our wonderful neighbor Antonio, stopped in the other day, and gifted me with these beautiful Tamarillo's. So what the heck is a Tamarillo, the fruit grows in clusters on trees like cherries. It's also known as the tomato tree. The flesh of the tamarillo is tangy and mildly sweet, and may be compared to kiwifruit, tomato, or passion fruit. I of course, made some jam with these lovely little fruits. Once again using this method. xo,Diana

Oh the wonderful aroma, in my kitchen this morning........ I made some red onion jam, I do not know why I waited so long to make this. I just always thought it would be more complicated to make. But it isn´t,  I suppose the hardest part is the crying.......while slicing the onions. I used my mandoline, perhaps its cheating, but it  just makes it quicker. The jam was not even finished and I was already imagining some spread on a hamburger, or in a turkey sandwich. After placing this lovely ruby colored, sticky mixture into one little magical jar, I managed to save a little spoonful for moi. I had it on top of some Brie cheese ....I cannot tell a lie.......it was sooooo good. ingredients thinly slice the onions sauté in the olive oil for about 10 mins (please excuse this and the next 3 very crappy pictures, this camera, and heat do not mix well) add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, and thyme, cook and stir for about 15 mins. add in the vinegars...

This was the first time I ever made pumpkin jam, I am so pleased with how it turned out. I made two jars, with the recipe below, I think perhaps next time, maybe I might add some ginger, or even better some vanilla beans. We have been noshing away crackers, cheese and the pumpkin jam. I will have to make some more very soon ! And again I think this would be a wonderful christmas gift for someone. Hope you all have a fantastic weekend. pumpkin,sugar,water,lemon juice,cinnamon sticks shred/grate or chop up very finely the pumpkin into a thick bottom pan, add all the ingredients bring to a boil, and then simmer the simmer time, will vary, it could take from 1/2 hour to an hour, till the jam cooks, and thickens, due to the water content of the pumpkin, and the humidity in the air..........mine took 1 hour, spoon into hot sterilized jars, cover and cool my little slaves helpers, cleaning jars ! we ate ours with crackers and Brie cheese..........DELISH Pum...