‘I think that part of the wrong turns that humanity takes is paying too much attention to the stories of power and not enough attention to the stories of jam.‘ Liz Slade
The last week has seen catastrophic, and historic, upheaval in our society. We have witnessed a Tory government pledge to nationalise the economy (or large parts of it), schools across the nation have closed for the first time in history, the theatres, museums, libraries, stadiums and places of worship that represent so much of our shared culture have closed their doors, and last night the country officially went into ‘lockdown’.
Thousands of people, particularly artists, have lost their income and have no idea when – or if – their jobs will start again.
So – what does jam have to do with all of this?
It’s a pretty bleak picture, isn’t it? But amidst all the madness, moments of light and togetherness are emerging. Choirs springing up over Zoom, musicians offering live-streamed concerts, the other people on my MA sharing photos of (and advice on) the new skills they are learning during social-distancing. Live-stream yoga classes. Live-stream cooking classes. All of a sudden, it is possible to quite literally have the world in your kitchen in a way that’s never been done before.
In the last blog post, Liz Slade spoke about how she feels that due to our over-worked, constant-outputs way of life, the ‘art’ of homemaking has been squeezed in around the edges, and that reclaiming this time is crucial to re-balancing our priorities as a society.
Well… There has never been a better, more appropriate time, to start making jam. The featured image for this post is of all my empty jars waiting to be filled, and that’s how the project feels at this point – just so full of possibility. I could fill those jars with pretty much anything, but let’s not leave them full of air.
We are going to make some store-cupboard jams.
Just about everything is going online right now, and I found by the end of last week I needed a digital detox, so jam-making is something to do in that sacred ‘you’ time. But you won’t be entirely alone – I will be recording myself making several preserves from store-cupboard or foraged ingredients (dried apricot jam, spiced apple chutney, dandelion jelly, winter spice jelly, ginger preserve) and putting them here and on YouTube as inspiration/tutorials.
The blog will serve as a depository of recipes, photos, encouragement, tips and inspiration, so if you are a seasoned jammer who has some suggestions, please do send them my way! If you’ve never tried making jam before, don’t fear, you won’t need to look further than this blog – I’ve got you.
When you do get jammy, please send in photos/videos of your jamming to cmurr004@gold.ac.uk, and we will share them at our Jamboree event, which we hope to still hold in late May. Furthermore, if you are in London, please do come along to our Jamboree and DONATE YOUR JAM – it’s important to hold hope for a time when we will be able to meet in person once more, and making the jam for our big weekend Jamboree will help us to do that. As part of the event, we will be holding a Jam Auction of all of our collective jams in order to raise funds for those who have been financially affected by the pandemic, so yours will be especially appreciated.
Thus will the humble (gentle, radical…) jam play its part in preserving arts in the time of coronavirus.
Watch this space – my first recording will go out next week, and in the meantime I am working on a list of recipes.
Thank you. Stay safe x
One for the Cupboard 