If you have not already jumped on the bandwagon that is the June Taylor conserving class train, may I suggest that you sign up for one of her end of summer classes today? She has recently added three more days: Sunday August 27, Saturday September 23 and Sunday September 24. Get the details by clicking on this link.
Four hours in total, June's classes offer a wealth of information long learned by the intuitive jam maker herself. She asks her students to come with a chef's knife, an apron and a notebook. After a few minutes of introduction to The Still-Room, her immaculate sky lit kitchen, she sets the students to work creating the conserve they will take home at the end of the class.
The Still-Room is home to quiet still lifes of rocks and leaves.
There's nothing like taking a class from a person who is an expert in their field. Suffice to say not every expert is a good teacher, but June is both a patient instructor and a magnificent example of her craft in the modern world. Still "cooking off" in small batches, June relies on the fruit to tell her what the sugar content should be. The "recipe" she gives is about as exact as a suggestion. Because the concept of a recipe being no more than a guide is often lost in the age of cookbooks, cooking shows and the myriad of appliances people are filling their kitchens with, the conserve class gives you the unforgettable opportunity of standing in the commercial kitchen of the business woman herself.