How to make Marrow and Ginger jam

Making marrow and ginger jam is a great way to use marrows. I've often been asked what to do with the autumn glut of over-grown courgettes (or Zucchini)? In other words, marrows. Well, why not make this wonderfully tasty and unusual jam?

Time to get out my Granny's cookery book full of fabulous, quaint old fashioned recipes for chutney and jam. Today at Les Trois Chenes, our farm house bed and breakfast in deepest rural France, I'm going to make marrow and ginger jam from the superb marrow my kind neighbours left on my doorstep yesterday.

Very large marrows, like this one, will have toughened skin and can be quite hard work, but you can use younger marrows. In this case they will break down rather than stay in little cubes like mine. This is an unusual jam and one of our favourite recipes; our B&B guests love it.

First, utensils for making jam. Remember, you don't need anything fancy, just a large saucepan, wooden spoon, old, but clean jars with tops. I use a special jam funnel but you can use a heat-proof jug, or ladle or spoon and if you make a bit of a mess you just clean it up.

This is what I use:

• Lovely French copper jam pan - it is also decorative when not in use
• Wooden spoon with long handle
• Ladle
• Old jam jars. You can use any other sort of jar but beware lingering odours, or treat yourself to pretty new ones
• Jam funnel or heatproof jug
• Muslin, or old net curtain
• Jam covers, if you like, but I don't bother with these
• Labels, but I only use labels for jam I am going to give away. All my jam is nice so I just reach for the next pot - 'take pot luck'.

• 2kg Marrow
• 2kg sugar
• 4oz ginger
• a little cayenne pepper
• 3 lemons

• Use good quality fruit and vegetables, or cut away damaged parts
• Wash any fruit and veg which may have been sprayed with insecticide but drain after
• Store in a dry cupboard and keep away from light

Marrows are better in the autumn when their skins are nice and hard. Peel the marrow, scrape out the seeds and soft inner flesh and chop the firm harder flesh into small pieces. My recipe said walnut sized pieces, but my husband, who has made this jam in the past, thinks smaller pieces are better. Take your choice. Peel the lemons and the ginger and put into the muslin, tied with string. (I admit, I use net curtaining 'cause I couldn't find my muslin - On Dear, but it works).

Photo bit fuzzy, possibly due to fizzy white wine - wine is for the cook and not the jam.

Put the sugar and marrow into a large pan or jam pan with the chopped ginger and lemon peel tied up in the musin bag. Add the juice of the lemons.

Don't add any water or cover the pan. The jam is ready when the marrow is translucent and looks like crystalized ginger.

Next day, simmer gently for one and a half hours

I save my jars and wash them and the tops in hot soapy water. Jars with nice wide tops are easiest to fill. It is nice to soak off the labels before hand - but, as you can see I haven't soaked mine.

Put the jar tops, ladle and the funnel into a pan, cover the tops with water and bring to the boil with the pan covered. This will sterilize them. It is important that your jars, lids and any other equipment are sterile, otherwise moulds and bacteria will spoil the jam. Having said that, a little mould on the top of the jam is normal, and my great aunt just scraped it off. I do the same.

I sterilise the jars in the microwave by pouring a little water into the bottom of each and microwaving on full for 3-4 minutes. If you don't have a microwave you can put them into a traditional oven.

Fill the jars right to the top. This helps to preserve the jam. Cover with jam papers if you wish. The screw on the tops loosely. Let them cool a little and tighten the tops. I leave mine at this point - as you can see, but if you wish - and traditionally this is always done, label the jams with type and date. Once you have mastered the art of jam making, there are many delicious and unusual jams to make that will help you preserve the summer and autumn gluts of fruit and vegetables.

For another unusual, spicy conserve try this Medlar Cheese Recipe

We use new jars and our own labels for all our products that we offer for sale. There are certain laws you have to comply with when selling produce. The weight should always be marked on the jar. You will easily be able to find label suppliers on line.

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