There is a cricket right outside of my window. He has seemingly taken residence. This I only conclude as it’s been several days and his chirping is persistent and sincere. I’ve admittedly tried to knock on the window and the wall to rouse him, but to no avail. The most curious fact is that his chirps are slowing. Slowing their tempo and separating from the chorus. It is officially fall now and he knows it. If you have a resident cricket and you like experimenting with simple science check out my about me page – I have a way to (generally) tell the temperature by vehicle of cricket song.
Other souls have been anticipating the cooling of temperature – the tomatillos in the garden. Each year we seem to plant too many – but I always ask myself when they finally fruit, what constitutes as too many? They grow tall and bushy and proud. They stretch out and flower and drop their husky lanterns. This year we planted both green and purple varieties – which if you practice patience with your fruits to purple you will not regret the taste. They spend the summer growing tall and deep – but it’s only when the coolness begins that the husks begin to fill in and occasionally drop to the ground below. The tomatillos have arrived in mass.
What’s a cricket-listening soul to do with such an acquiring? So many things come to mind that I may not possibly silence in the oncoming weeks – this is definitely not a finality. However, my initial intrigue is in the time and space of jam. Tomatillos naturally have high pectin levels that allow them to gel easily. And not only do we aim to root the sun, we aim to root spicy things to our taste buds constantly. A tomatillo pear and habanero jam, respectively.
The flavors are cohesive, they work lovingly alongside one another. The method is simple and the results are pure. Your yield is a tangy, spicy, sweet mixture that is best spread on toast or swirled into yogurt. I recommend the presence of the habanero, but even just the tomatillo and pear sing brightly. If you wanted to exclude the heat you could easily do so.
Happy fresh autumn friends! The leaves are starting to expose their souls.
- 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed and halved
- 1 lb of pear (about 2 large) roughly chopped
- 1 habanero, finely minced
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup water
- Gather tomatillo, pear, and habanero into a medium heavy bottomed sauce pan.
- Add sugar and water and stir ingredients to lightly combine.
- Heat over medium high, bring to a boil, then lower to a warm simmer for 40 minutes to 1 hour. In this period the fruit should break down and gel. If needed, help fruit mash.
- Enjoy with toast, yogurt, ice cream, or any way you can dream.
Danielle, I’m dying — this is so simple and beautiful <3 As is your lovely writing. I actually love listening to crickets, especially as I go to sleep. It's rhythmic chirping is strangely soothing. I also love tomatillos and love that you paired them with sweet and spicy <3 Homemade jams are one of the best end of summer things.
I love jam as a method of preservation Audrey – it is truly enjoyable. I feel as though I may need counseling for my fondness for spicy sometimes, but it just seems so natural and delicious to me. I, too, enjoy a good symphony of crickets – especially on the whims of evening dreams. Thank you for your lovely thoughts and words, happy weekend. ♥
I love your idea to turn these beautiful tomatillos into jam! The pairing of tomatillos and pears is inspired. I laughed at your questioning what constitutes too many tomatillos? In my world there is no such thing
I am working on canning what I have left in my kitchen. Your photos are so great!
P.S. for some strange reason I thought you lived in Australia. Your Instagram feed just showed me how wrong I was haha! I loved learning a bit more about you. My grandmother was a bird watcher and it travelled down to my mom…I have yet to take up the tradition.
xo
Thank you so much lovely Kathryn! The idea for tomatillo and pear was definitely one of my fever dreams – but unobtrusively they communicate well with one another. We’ve also been canning like crazy: corn salsa, zucchini relish, tomato salsas for days and marinara for millenniums. Canning is such a relaxing and celebratory activity for me! And Australia!? I admittedly giggled a little – it just goes to show how vast and mysterious the internet can truly be! We never really know until we really know. I really love that you have bird-watching in your family – birds are some of the strangest creatures I have ever observed – but it’s rewarding nonetheless! I may have to send you a pair if binoculars from across my sea 😉 Have a good weekend!