Strawberry Jam

Today the sun came out for a change. It was such a relief. Not being used to all this cold weather I have been finding it a bit hard to deal with. For some reason the cold makes me feel so sad. You will be all fine and getting ready for your day, but when you step out the door it hits you so hard. All you can think about it how cold you are. I have invented a new strategy for getting out of the showers in order to help with this. I have started to take a blanket into the bathroom with me, and then when i emerge shivering and wet, I wrap myself up. It feels so delicious. Like a hug.

Some friends took me to a lovely organic market today. It was so wonderful and alternative. Everyone was walking around in there hippy clothes with there screaming kids in tow (why do hippies children always scream so much?) My favourite part of it was a cake competition where they were giving out prizes for the 'most unusual', and the 'best tasting' cakes. It made me long for a simple life like this. A life where cake competitions mattered and you are encircled by people who just want to love and support you. A life where you grow your own food, cook for your friends, live simply, live happily.

After this we went to the preston markets. These were crazy in comparison. Full of yelling stall owners. Everything is super cheap and you can buy boxes of stone fruit for two dollars. I bought a heap of strawberries for making jam and lots of peaches to poach. I went to buy a bunch of flowers but instead bought a chilli bush for my window sill. It looks lovely.

I'll leave you with my jam recipe as thats what i'll be making tonight. Its so lovely to make and its the sort of thing you can put all your emotions into.

Strawberry Jam

You will need:

• Equal parts fruit to sugar (1kg of strawberries to 1kg of sugar)
• one lemon
• one vanilla bean

What to do:

1. Cut up all your fruit
2. Slice down the middle of the vanilla bean
3. Juice your lemon
4. Mix everything together and leave it overnight
5. Drain all the liquid off the fruit the next day and cook on love heat for 30 minutes
6. Add the fruit
7. Stir
8. simmer for a couple of hours, stir to make sure it doesn't stick
9. Towards the end when most of the liquid has absorbed and its getting thick keep more of an eye on it so it doesn't burn
10. It is ready when it coats the back of the spoon.
11. Eat it with someone you love.