Yamba and Strawberry Jam - a match made in heaven!

On a whim we ventured down to Yamba, NSW for a bit of R and R and a spot of fishing on the long weekend. Found a fantastic place to stay, with the Clarence River on your doorstep, The Blue Dolphin Holiday Resort www.bluedolphin.com.au/.  We now know why  people love going there.  It is a caravan and camping ground, with playground, two pools, one heated and lots of activities  and facilities for families.    There is even the option of  pancakes cooked in the camp kitchen on Sunday!  The pelicans are a sight not be missed and certainly don't go hungry, pacing around and sqawking at each other eagerly waiting for the fishermen to throw their left overs. Heaven help if you get in their way, pelicans share their food with no-one! 

We had a fantastic  day exploring and fishing the river,  but as usual, no fish to be caught! My 11 year old was amazed as we went for a walk along the river and wondered why a pelican can drop his head and swoop up a foot long fish just like that and we can't catch a jolly one and would struggle to survive if our life depended on catching fish.  But we did get a tip from one of the master fishermen who catches many - "buy green prawns from the deli at Coles or Woolies, not frozen ones from the bait shop". And I love this one - "what you don't  use can be thrown on the barbie later"! We will give this a go next weekend. At this stage our youngest is winning our fishing comp at 1 to zero!  

In town  we found  some  explored some great little shops and came across a cafe that makes fabulous coffee and the best passionfruit and coconut slice around. The  Caper Berry Cafe is definitely worth a visit www.caperberriescafe.com. 

All in all we  had a fantastic time in Yamba, it was nice to chill out and relax and there are so many places to explore around Yamba.

On our many stops on the way  home we  found a stall on the side of the road selling beautiful strawberries. Scones, cream and strawberry jam - a match made in heaven!

Strawberry Jam 

500 g of strawberries
100 g of sugar
Juice of half a lemon
(makes approx 1 x 200ml jar)

Husk strawberries and put the strawberries in a large shallow mixing bowl. Sprinkle the sugar on top.
Mix in the strawberries and the sugar until well coated.
With your hand scrunch up the sugared strawberries until it turns into rough mush and pulpy, and the sugar  is dissolved.
Pour the mixture to a sauce pan and bring to boil, Simmer for 30 minutes.
Skim off any foam during the cooking process.
Let cool and put it in a sterilised jar.  Enjoy