Hear me speak - twitter for food biz

Over the next few weeks I'll be speaking at events in Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Toowoomba on how businesses in the food industry can use twitter to grow, engage with clients, and increase sales.

Social Networking Connect is coordinated by Food Q and the Food and Wine Unit of the Queensland Government Department of Employment, Economic Development and Industry (DEEDI).

Details for the Brisbane event, Social Networking Connect II, are:

When:   Wednesday 23 February 2011
Time:     8.45am - 1pm (includes networking lunch)
Where:  Summit Events Centre, Iceworks Building, L1, 157 Given Terrace, Paddington
Cost:      $59 per person {an absolute bargain!}
RSVP:   by Friday 18 Feb

Payment is by EFT to The Summit Events Centre

BSB 084-424

Account 16 613 1289

Reference SNC2302

Please email David Jordan at david.jordan@deedi.qld.gov.au to confirm your registration and payment. 

The program will be:

8.45am - register and connect laptop/iPad to wifi (optional)

9am - Introduction (speaker TBC)

9.45am - Simon Dell, Making the most of facebook to grow your business

10.30am - morning tea

11am - Mel Kettle {moi!}, Using twitter for business - can you afford not to

11.45am - Simon Dell, Next generation technology: what businesses can expect in the future

12 noon - Business case study and Q&A

12.30pm - networking lunch 

Details are being confirmed for the Gold Coast (on Wed 2 March) and Toowoomba (Wed 9 March). 

I hope to see you there! 

For information on other events I'm speaking at, or for information on how to book me as a speaker, check out my marketing site, www.melkettle.com.au {my day job}.  

If you are a food or wine business owner, what do you want to learn about using social media for running your business? 

Food challenge - my first foray into jam...

I decided that this year I would challenge myself a bit more with food. Make a few things that had previously scared me. High on that list is {was} jam.

Seriously folks, this is so easy. I don't know WHAT I was scared of!

I decided to give it a go when I received a HEAP of plums and nectarines in my CSA box. There is no way I was going to eat them all {who was I kidding - I wasn't going to eat even 1 plum! Not my favourite fruit...}, so, a perfect excuse for jam.

I also called on twitter for help! My friend Johanna (@johannaBD) who recently moved to Tassie {and who has seriously discovered her inner jam and preserve making self! Just check our HER blog!} and my BlogHer Food bus buddy, Marisa from the US, who writes the very inspiring Food In Jars blog, answered my call!

I used:

1.5kg mixture of plums, nectarines and a couple of squishy peaches {washed, stones removed and chopped}
1kg  sugar
2 lemons, juiced but throw the squeezed lemon bit in the pot too!

On advice from twitter friends, I didn't bother peeling any of the fruit. However if I had more than 2-3 peaches I may have peeled those.

Everything in the pot! SO EASY! What WAS I scared of??

Throw it all in a heavy bottomed pot {I used a Le Crueset given to me a few years ago as a combined Christmas and Birthday gift for about 2 years! BEST GIFT EVER} and bring it slowly to the boil, stirring so the sugar all melts. Once it's boiling {after about 20 minutes}, turn down the heat and simmer for an hour, with the lid off, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Bubble, bubble, bubble...

After an hour give it the saucer in the freezer test. Place a spoonful of jam on a saucer, place in the freezer for 5 minutes. If it's wrinkly when you run your finger through it, it's good to go. If it's runny, let it keep simmering. Give it the saucer in the freezer test every 20-30 minutes until it's done.

OK so technically this didn't really pass the wrinkle test, but I was ready for bed! As a result my jam is a bit runny. But just as tasty!

CAREFULLY pour the jam into sterilised jars, seal and leave overnight {take out the lemon pieces}. There are a few ways to sterelise jars - the easiest is to pop them in the dishwasher for a cycle, then fill them with jam while they are still hot.

Serve the jam on crusty sourdough with butter and a cup of tea.

A perfect Sunday afternoon snack while catching up on the papers

The only challenge I now face is what to do with my 8 jars of jam? I really don't have a sweet tooth... as the 2005 use by date on the strawberry jam in the fridge will attest to... if you're in Brisbane let me know if you want a jar.

Is there a dish that used to scare you until you made it and discovered how easy it is?