10.5.08 Loquats Picking on Bat Shlomo hillsides

The landscape view was taken by Omer, on our bushy way to the white cave. Omer noticed this praying mantis which does excellent Camouflage next to this strange flower. It looks like an Artichoke and leaves orange juice on the hands, but I have no idea what it really is.
Anyway, I don't remember myself eating so many loquats of so many types on the same day (Falucce - the best, Aco1, golden, Yehuda etc...etc..). We harvested about 5 kgs of Loquats! I think we are going to make a great marmalade...
It reminds me that a friend of my father told me recently that in Algeria there used to be a common expression "I will pay you Loquats" meaning I am ready to pay a lot for that (while "eating loquats" means to avoid oneself from eating or afford something from lack of money):
"Manger (bouffer) des nèfles" . Se restreindre de manger par manque d’argent. "Tu va manger des nèfles avant de pouvoir te payer une moto pareille"

If you want to try the Jam, the recipe goes like this:

Carola's Loquat Jam

Leftover loquats - peeled, split to halves and cleaned

Weight the loquat and put within a cooking pot (1/2 glass of water for 2 Kg)

Before adding the sugar, heat 1/2 hr till the fruit gets soft

When soft, cut the loquat roughly with a knife (for pieces of about 3x3 cm^2)

For ripen fruit use 1.5 Kg sugar: 2Kg fruit (add 3 bags of vanilla sugar to 1kg sugar)

For unripe fruit use 1.75 kg sugar: 2Kg fruit

Add the sugar while stirring on a small flame

Keep cooking till it gets darker and almost doesn't drip, while stirring constantly, every 10mn for about 1 1/2 hr or a bit less (till you start feeling a mucigelic cover on a wooden spoon)

Let cool

22.6.10
Neora's Loquat Jam

Leftover loquats - peeled, split to halves and cleaned

Weight the loquat and put within a cooking pot with the sugar according to this ratio:

For ripen fruit use 1.5 Kg sugar: 2Kg fruit (add 3 bags of vanilla sugar to 1kg sugar)

For unripe fruit use 1.75 kg sugar: 2Kg fruit

Let it stand for several hrs till the fruits pour their liquids.

For 1/2 kg of fruit, Neora took 1 lemon fruit cut to half slices, lemon zest and one apple roughly scratched out.

Heat altogether till the fruit gets soft and keep stirring from time to time on a small flame, for several hrs.

Keep cooking till it gets darker and almost doesn't drip, while stirring constantly, every 10mn for about 1 1/2 hr or a bit less (till you start feeling a mucigelic cover on a wooden spoon).

Let cool.

Honestly I haven't tried yet this one, it will remain for the next year, but when I'll try, I'll post about it here to tell you how it goes.