A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[Amanda Smith]

Living in Spain I have come across some interesting fruit on our Finca (farm). It is important not to let this stuff fall on the floor for the chickens as it makes them ill.  I had a go at Nispero Jam. English name Japanese medlar. I had no recipe for it in in any of my English recipe books and no internet connection so I made it up! The fruit has between 1 and 5 stones in and is fleshy like a peach but not as fibrous. I cut the fruit up and followed the usual jam making procedure  boiling it up until it softened et.c I pulled all of the stones out as it was boiling as per Damson or plum jam.  Finished the job and it was delicious.  I then looked up some info and discovered that there is cyanide in the stones.  Hmm said I next batch I will take the stones out first! I did this and it did not set! So next batch I decided that I would leave the stones in.  The  tree was duly stripped of the ripe fruit and i made my third and final batch. This too did not set... Hmmm More research informed me that you need under ripe fruit for the acid content and pectin I assume from the stones in order for the gelling process to work.  Oh and if you put the sugar in too early, before the skins have softened it stops the skin from softening!  I have used the "not quite right" jams to make sponge puddings replacing a third of the sugar content with about 200g of jam. Delicious. 

                    

[Dom O]

I've never heard of Nispero - here a picture of it.

Fruit and cyanide jam - sounds like something from Agatha Christie. :)