Have you ever tasted bakeapple jam and real cream? If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing. Yes, it will probably clog up your arteries and yes, you will pay a pretty price for it, but you can’t die without trying it just once! I swear that there is no taste on earth as heavenly as the tangy sweet taste of the bakeapple jam and the smooth slightly sweet cream, swirling around in your mouth and passing over your palate.
I’ve seen a large bottle of the jam at Bidgoods in the Goulds and it was close to $28! If you can’t find the real cream as we used to get many years ago when people reared cows, get a can of Nestle cream which will run you close to $2. So for $30, invite a few of your closest friends over for a cuppa tea and a snack of your homemade bread and jam and cream.
One time myself and Peter were in the city when Rita Paul and her husband and family arrived in St.Shotts. Being the sweet person she was Mrs. Mary Catherine, my mother-in-law, invited them over to her house for a mug up. Back then if you were from town and came all this distance, no one would let you go back to the city hungry. So in went Rita and her family to the saltbox house, not knowing what they were going in for. It was the custom back then that you trusted people, especially outport people, and you went in and sat down.
It was a loaf of homemade bread that was sliced up, a bowl of bakeapple jam poured out of the bottle and a can of Nestle cream. Tea was poured and away to go! They stuffed themselves and couldn’t stop until the whole works was gone. And boy was Mary Catherine proud that they enjoyed themselves so much! They were not at all hungry on their way back. Not only did she feed them, four complete strangers, but she gave them a bottle of jam to take home with them! Now I’d call that Newfoundland hospitality, wouldn’t you?
So if you’re having any company any time soon, even if you don’t like the bakeapple jam yourself, pick some berries and make several bottles of jam, and invite family and friends in to enjoy the treat. You can find the berries and sometimes jam along the Trans Canada Highway when the berries are ripe and in season. But if you go down the Salmonier Line, find some marshy areas down closer to St.Shotts you can pick away! That’s if the locals like Chris and Mary Molloy or Walter and Maureen Finlay don’t have them all picked!
Oh my dear God there is nothing more heavenly than this delightful combination ! When growing up in St.Mary’s our lovely neighbour Mrs.Liz Dillon would invite me in along with her huge family whenever she had made the bakeapple jam and fresh cream. I can still see the cream curdling in the pans on top of the stove.and my mouth simply watered at the thought of the taste!
As you said Nestle cream will suffice but could never replace that sumptous taste of fresh cream swirled around the top of fresh bread and bakeapple jam !!
Oh the memories of childhood and it’s simple delights! Thankyou so much Mrs.Dillon.
You’re making my mouth water,too. I’ve had fresh cream and you’re right, there’s nothing as good as it with jam and homemade bread. I don’t remember having it until I came to St.Shotts.
Have to agree, Pauline; there’s nothing better than bakeapple jam and cream. But it has to be on homemade bread. Bakeapple jam is also a great topping for vanilla ice-cream.
I bought some of that syrup that is made here in Newfoundland and it’s made from bakeapples. Thought it would be a nice treat for the three little ones! Homemade bread is wonderful. I’d love to be able to make a great multigrain bread. Any recipes out there?