MYSTERY SUGAR JAR

 

I sat watching the television, having just had a curry, when my husband handed me my dessert: peaches in evaporated milk, a favourite of mine. 

Partaking of my first mouthful, I registered a difference in texture. Looking down, I saw some brown bits floating around in the milk. 

My tongue and taste buds were trying to detect what the floating bits might be; they required a bit of chewing. The conclusion was crushed nuts of some kind, and I carried on eating. 

Once completed, I asked my husband if he would like a cup of tea; he replied in the affirmative. Taking my tray into the kitchen and clearing it, and waiting for the kettle to boil, I saw a packet of brown sugar lying on the countertop, so I decided to fill the almost empty Kilner sugar jar. 

While pouring it in, I noted it was a different consistency to our normal golden brown sugar, and assumed my husband had been sent Demerara instead in our food delivery from the shop. 

I remembered we had some white granulated sugar left in the cupboard, so I added that to the jar to make it easier to use for tea. Once the kettle had boiled, I made the tea, adding one spoonful of sugar to mine. 

I carried them to my husband and relaxed to watch TV and drink my tea. As I took my first mouthful, realisation dawned. I had had this experience already, with my peaches and evaporated milk. What on earth is it? 

I turned to my husband and asked, “Did you open a packet of brown sugar earlier?” 

“Yes. Why?” 

“It is not sugar!” 

“Better look at the name on the packet,” he said.

Together we went to investigate. I grovelled in the kitchen bin, retrieving the offending packet which declared itself to be crushed goji berries, almonds and pine nuts. 

Mystery solved, but what to use this mixture for with its addition of golden and white sugar? We now had a jar full of it. 

The decision was taken and the topping from the jar could be scattered on ice cream and other fruit concoctions. We were lucky; it works quite well, just not in tea. 

We have had some other mishaps by helpful friends with the Kilner jars: salt is definitely not a good substitute for sugar. 

However, it was a very good causative element for great merriment and application of contents labels. 

2023 © Penny Wobbly of WobblingPen

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