homemade goodies swapping

to thank the neighbours for their grapefruits, we decided to give them a jar of our homemade marmalade. 

we've never met these neighbours but we know they are an old couple and they've lived in the same house way before we moved into the street. 

i was a little bit worried to ring their door bell. what if they are old and nasty? what if they don't like to be disturbed? we brought boo with us for good measures. also to make us look friendlier. 

a man answered the door and when we offered him the marmalade, he invited us into the house to meet his wife. we chatted and got to know each other and they even offered us a cup of tea! i think the man's name Tom but both Jim and I can't remember his wife's name. they are both lovely. 

turns out his wife made orange marmalade the same afternoon. made from their homegrown orange of course and before we left, she offered me a jar. 

i thought marmalade making was fun but food swapping in suburbia? that's more fun. i can't believe we swapped our homemade goodies just like the old days. i wonder if food swapping would make a come back one day? 

the forgotten cumquat tree - harvested

we harvested our cumquat from our forgotten cumquat tree today so that we can make cumquat marmalade tomorrow. most of the recipes I found online suggest that i soak the sliced fruits in water overnight. 

i wasn't sure if we have enough cumquat for our marmalade. i don't need much but 100 grams of cumquat is just not worth my time and effort despite them being organic and pesticide free. 

so after combing through the tree, we got ourselves just under 250 grams of cumquat. merely the bumper crop Jim thought we would get but considering we have never really pay much attention to the plant, it's a good win i have to say. 

the fruits have now been sliced and are soaked in one cup of water waiting to be turned into cumquat marmalade tomorrow.