SOME do it for the economic benefits, while others do it out of tradition, but for Loxton man Jim West, growing and preserving his own produce is all about the flavour.
Growing up in the Riverland, Mr West said he developed a love of fresh produce early, but only began preserving his own about seven years ago.
“Mum used to do it when I was a kid,” he said.
“When I was growing up, everyone preserved.
“Out on the fruit blocks, they all had preserving outfits.”
Aside from the flavour benefits of growing his own fresh fruit, Mr West said he was also conscious of food miles.
“Back years ago, once the fresh apricots finished, that was the end of them,” he said.
“Whereas now, if you want to pay the money, you can get them in from America and places like that in the northern hemisphere in the off season.
“Those block houses all had a pantry and most of them would be choc-o-block full of preserved fruit.”
Mr West’s backyard orchard has all the old favourites like peaches, but also has some peculiar fruits too, including blackberries and kiwi fruit.
“I knew nothing about blackberries,” he said.
“If I have too much of something, I just think of what I can do with it.”
Now picking ice cream containers of blackberries every few days, Mr West said he was compelled to put them to good use.
“I call it ice cream topping, but it’s called coulis,” he said.
“I boil it and get the whisk stick in and bottle it up.
“I am probably going to have to make some blackberry and apple jam, too.”
Mr West said the fruit and vegetables grown in his backyard orchard were incomparable to those bought in supermarkets.
“You can’t buy ripe fruit,” he said.
“People don’t even know what ripe fruit tastes like.
“They’ve grown up their whole live buying them in a supermarket.
“With things like peaches and tomatoes, you never get the flavour in the bought ones.”
Mr West said each year, he tries to preserve apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums and sometimes cherries.
Years ago, Mr West picked up a second-hand Fowlers Vacola kit, which he uses to preserve all his fruit.
While common at local garage sales, brand new stainless steel electric Fowlers Vacola preserving kits can be bought online for about $700.
