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Autumn harvest in Tasmania with Hilary Burden

18/5/2013

 
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Regular readers of Good Things may already know of journalist and writer, Hilary Burden.  Hilary is the author of A Story of Seven Summers - Life in the Nuns' House, a delicious memoir with recipes that captures Hilary's return to Australia from London and her discovery of a ramshackle old place in Tasmania that she would be delighted to call home.

Hilary shares a similar food philosophy to my own in that she relishes the produce that every new season brings and is a keen supporter of growers and farmer's markets; but she also says that for her an appreciation of food is not about being a cook, a chef or a foodie.  It's more about having an appreciation for where things come from and knowing what makes something truly itself.

It is with great pleasure that I welcome Hilary as a Good Things guest blogger and I'd also like to thank my Peter for compiling this post for me as I recover from a bout of illness.  I hope to be fit and well very soon.  And now, over to Hilary...

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'Looking back over seven summers, I know that who I am is where I am.  It might not be the secret to life, but it is the secret to this life...  I'll tell how you that came to be and that will be the story of the Nuns' House.'
                                                                                         - Hilary Burden, A Story of Seven Summers - Life in the Nuns' House

Hilary says...
'I live in rural northeast Tasmania and operate hilbarn, a small fruit and vegetable fresh produce box business, with my partner in Karoola – hunting and gathering local and seasonal produce from farmers and growers, packing it into boxes and delivering it to customers across Tasmania.  I met Lizzy  when she interviewed me about my book A Story Of Seven Summers - Life in the Nuns' House and then wrote a lovely review. 

I love living locally and making the most of what is available in my environment, whether that’s in my own back yard or in friends’.  Hilbarn has grown through a passion for sharing what is bountiful and in fresh abundance and this is really the extent of my food philosophy: to cherish what the seasons offer us and make the most of what you have.  Grow more, shop less!  Grow what you know grows best with your hands in your soil.  And source what you can't grow from local farmers and markets, or swap with friends.
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There are very few days when the kitchen table isn’t covered with produce harvested or swapped, or just surplus to hilbarn requirements.  Right now, it’s late autumn, although so far an unseasonally warm one – temperatures in the twenties when more normally they would be early to mid teens. 

There's the last of the apples from my apple trees; quince from my sister in law’s garden; cumquats from my back yard tree I planted three years ago and now flourishing; mushrooms that popped up overnight on the front lawn (which we've identified as common portobello mushroom i.e. white on top and ranging from pink-ish to brown gills on the inside); as well as passionfruit from a hilbarn customer who left some for us in her recycle box when we home-delivered last week.  

Plus, one of the strangest fruit I’ve ever seen: medlars from Rhonnie and Bob’s historic garden at The Pear Walk.  They asked if we'd pick them as they were going away for a few weeks.  Medlars look like a cross between a large rosehip and a small apple and apparently aren’t edible until they’re half rotten.

I am making my way through the passionfruit (mostly raw on muesli with yoghurt and Kate Smith's Caramel Butter she made for hilbarn boxes last week).  We'll bake the quince (two cups of fruit to one cup of sugar, cover the fruit with water, add one vanilla bean, and bake in a covered casserole in a low oven for 4 hours).  I'll share the apples between Barn (he loves a simple apple tart made with readymade puff pastry) and Jack and Kerouac, my two alpacas who think sliced apple is the best treat in the world.  The cumquats will make it into a marmalade (see my favourite recipe below), if I don't give them to Kate first to make chutney.  

And I'll wait for the medlars to age before trying out a recipe for roasted medlars I found in one of my recipe books.  I'd love to hear from anyone who has any other ideas for what to do with them.  Meantime, I’ll let Liz know how they turn out and send her a photo if they do! 

In the meantime, enjoy this marmalade recipe and thank you Lizzy for the opportunity to share news from our Tasmanian harvest with your readers.

CUMQUAT MARMALADE
Despite their tropical colour, cumquats, like limes and most lemons, ripen in winter.  This recipe is from Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery Course Book - an old, much-splashed favourite which lives alongside Nigel Slater's Appetite, right next to the stove.

900g cumquats
1.5 litres water
1.3 kg sugar

Slice the cumquats thinly crossways.  Collect the seeds and put them in a small bowl with 225 mls of the water, allow to stand overnight.  Put the cumquats in a larger bowl with the remaining water, cover and allow to stand overnight.

Next day, strain the seeds, saving the liquid (this now contains the pectin from the seeds).  Discard the seeds.  Put the cumquat mixture into a large saucepan with the reserved liquid from the seeds.  Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until the cumquats are very tender. 

Warm the sugar for 10 minutes in a low oven.  Add the warm sugar to the cumquats and stir until fully dissolved.  Bring to the boil and cook rapidly with the lid off for about 15 minutes.  Stir at intervals to prevent sticking.  Test for a set.  Pour into hot sterilised jars.

Making cumquat marmalade with Hilary...

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The sliced cumquats and their seeds are soaked, separately, in water overnight. The seeds contribute pectin - essential for the jam to set.
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See how the colour of the marmalade deepens beautifully after the sugar is added.
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What I use to make jam: the silver funnel is my favourite kitchen ‘gadget’, it fits perfectly into the top of a jar so that jam can be poured in with minimal mess or spillage.  I do a test for set by splashing a little onto a cold saucer and pushing it with a teaspoon.  If the splash stays where it is after it’s been pushed and doesn’t move back into place... it’s set.
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I use this vintage jam ladel to remove any froth from the top of the boiling jam.  Do this towards the end of the boiling time while it’s still on the stove.
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Here, I'm pouring the jam into clean sterile jars that have been heated in a low oven just before the bottling process.
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The jars are snapped shut to cool overnight, with the marmalade ready for breakfast.  Yum!'

Lizzy says...
Hilary, thank you so much for giving us a peek into your Autumn kitchen.  Peter and I thoroughly enjoyed A Story of Seven Summers and would love to come visit you and Barn at The Nuns' House next time we are in Tassie.

Louise Sanders from 936 ABC Hobart interviewed Hilary for the Drive program.  You can listen to the audio here.

NB: All of the above images appear with the kind courtesy of Hilary Burden and are copyright to Hilary Burden and hilbarn.

So dear readers, have you cooked with medlars, or grown them yourself?  Please feel free to share your recipe/s here.
Karen (Back Road Journal) link
18/5/2013 10:37:22 am

I'm sorry that you are not well but it was lovely to meet Hilary. Take care and feel better soon.

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:46:04 pm

Karen, thank you very kindly... glad you enjoyed this peek into Hilary's kitchen.

Laura (Tutti Dolci) link
18/5/2013 01:39:48 pm

I hope you feel better soon! This marmalade looks wonderful, the color is so lovely!

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:46:25 pm

Laura, thank you. Isn't it just....

Eha
18/5/2013 04:28:50 pm

My thoughts have oft dwelled on you since the date you told us things were not so good . . . hope you can see the end of the rainbow in the not too far distance. And was so glad to read of another mainlander [methinks we all know about whom I am also thinking] has 'made good' doing things natural on the 'Apple Isle' as it was called when I arrived Down Under :) !

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:47:02 pm

Eha, thank you kindly... I am slowly starting to improve. Glad you enjoyed meeting Hilary.

Maureen link
19/5/2013 01:05:36 am

What an idyllic life but I bet it's a lot of work. Lovely to meet you Hilary and I look forward to the medlars.

I made kumquat preserves when I lived in Florida but not since. I love it and now I must find kumquats. :)

Hilary link
20/5/2013 01:28:12 pm

Hello Maureen, thank you for your feedback and lovely to meet you here at Liz's. Yes, hard work but loving it. Medlars tucked up in a cardboard box - just about rotten enough to handle. Wish me luck!

hilary link
20/5/2013 01:34:53 pm

Hello Dig in Hobart! Lovely to meet you here at Liz's. Yes, the frost hit yesterday here too. Look forward to exploring your blog more and doing some baking - that passionfruit and coconut cake looks ravishing! Enjoy dipping into summer with Seven Summers

hilary link
20/5/2013 01:37:56 pm

Lovely to meet you here at Liz's. Yes, the frost hit yesterday here too. Look forward to exploring your blog more and doing some baking - that passionfruit and coconut cake looks ravishing! Enjoy dipping into summer with Seven Summers

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:47:42 pm

Maureen, thank you for stopping by. Fortunately cumquats/kumquats are now in season down under, so plenty to work with ; )

John link
19/5/2013 09:31:46 am

Sorry you've been feeling poorly, Lizzy! I hope you'll be feeling better soon. But in the meantime, you've provided us with a wonderful guest blogger. Good to meet you, Hilary! Terrific post. Sounds like you live a wonderful life, and certainly eat well if that wonderful cumquat marmalade is any indication. Really nice recipe and post - thank you.

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:48:08 pm

John, you are so very sweet. Thank you. I am delighted that you have enjoyed meeting Hilary. ; )

e / dig in hobart link
19/5/2013 11:24:35 am

thank you for a snea kpeak at this book - i'm waiting for it to arrive at my local library.
i love hilary's comment about how unseasonally warm it's been lately - and i would agree with her until today, when there is a beautiful twinkly white frost everywhere this morning! winter has arrived (my fingers are still number and i am correcting many typos!).
thank you too for the marmalade memories - when we lived in NSW, mum had a cumquat tree and every year she would make beautiful cumquat marmalade. i have very vivid orange-coloured memories of helping her chop the fruit up.
get well soon lizzy.

hilary link
20/5/2013 01:37:22 pm

Thank you Jane - we all enjoy working hard, making things, and sharing what we do and that's really what it's all about. Thanks to Bizzy Lizzy - Queen of Sharing

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:49:00 pm

Aw, so sweet, thanks Hil xo

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:48:47 pm

I know you are going to love the book! What lovely memories you have... ; )

Azlin bloor link
19/5/2013 08:55:48 pm

Hope you're better already! Loving this post and now I can't wait for summer so we can get to it to!

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:49:21 pm

Thank you so much, I am slowly recovering. Sounds delicious, doesn't it!

InTolerant Chef link
20/5/2013 01:14:16 am

I've always wanted to try medlars and sloes as well, but I've never seen them for sale. The marmalade does look delicious indeed!
I hope you feel better soon Lizzie, and Peter did such a great job :)

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:50:45 pm

Hi Bec... I am conscious that we haven't gotten around to having lunch. Every time I've thought about it, my office is moving (true) or I have fallen ill... which is the case again. As soon as I am better, we must get together. Thank you for your kind words. Pialligo Apples might have medlars, but his season is finished now.

A Canadian Foodie link
20/5/2013 06:41:47 am

Love Cumquats - spell them Kamquats here, oddly enough, and we don't grow them... the zest is so sweet that this would be a lovely recipe. I will have to buy a small portion and make a batch. I used to detest marmalades, but am noticing my palate mature a great deal as the rest of me does!
:)
Valerie

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:51:14 pm

I think I need to make a batch of this myself, Valerie. LOL to your comment.

Jane @ Shady Baker link
20/5/2013 10:25:29 am

Hello Lizzy and Hilary. So good to see you both! This is a beautiful post full of goodness and such a lovely surprise because I am in the middle of A Story of Seven Summers right now, honestly!

It is an inspiring book and I love the recipes too. My excitement started to build as I read about your business going from strength to strength. Amazing things can happen when we put our passion into something! Really, your story just warms my heart.

Hilary
20/5/2013 01:51:52 pm

Thank you Jane - we all enjoy working hard, making things, and sharing what we do and that's really what it's all about. Thanks to Bizzy Lizzy - Queen of Sharing

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:52:32 pm

Jane, that is awesome! I loved Hilary's book too, and the recipes are so inspiring. Thank you for your very very kind words.

hilary link
20/5/2013 01:42:09 pm

Dear Liz, thank you for your generous heart, even when you're bundled up in bed. Look after yourself and lovely to know you are being looked after too. Peter is right to let you blog - look at the good things you make happen! Take care, Hil

Lizzy
20/5/2013 01:53:22 pm

Thank you Hilary... I am truly chuffed and honoured to have a guest post from you on Good Things. Have a wonderful day xo

Barbara | Creative Culinary link
20/5/2013 02:11:02 pm

Beautiful post Lizzy...thanks for introducing us to Hilary and I hope you are feeling better soon... Barb

Lizzy
20/5/2013 02:13:26 pm

Barb, thank you very much ; )

Lisa the Gourmet Wog link
21/5/2013 02:02:29 am

Hope you're feeling better now Lizzy! Hilary, your post arrives most timely as I have a box of cumquats crying for some loving! Thank you :)

Lizzy
21/5/2013 01:59:19 pm

Dear Lisa, thank you... up and down... good days and bad. Timely indeed... sounds like you will be doing some preserving ; )

alicia link
26/5/2013 04:25:36 pm

I don't grow them, I would the space to. Mum gets given all sorts, and she gave them to me. I am loving my marmalade on toast and in my black tea! My recipe - http://onemotherhen.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/cumquat-and-kaffir-lime-marmalade.html

Lizzy
26/5/2013 04:32:56 pm

How delicious! I am growing Kaffir limes in a pot.


Comments are closed.

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    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

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