The Preserver's Year

Sunnyday

kittie wrote: »

I am going to start water bath preserving this year but none of my pans are tall enough. What type of pan do you use?

Kittie i`ve used my big slowcooker for this a while ago, handy if you already have one and saves buying another pan.

Valli - the last lot of marmalade i made that didn`t set we just used as it was, i was determined not to waste it, it was runny without being TOO runny IYKWIM, it spread on toast easier The jam that didn`t set last year became ice cream sauce. I had one batch of each like this but the rest was fine and i used exactly the same recipe.

I`ve not made any preserves since my big chutney making session before Christmas but am getting itchy feet to make some more I think i`ll browse around and see what recipes catch my eye.

SD

Valli

I have a bit chilling in the fridge and it *might* be thickening up. I'm using the Dairy Books (for the 90s) recipe but I used it before with frozen fruit and it worked fine.
If this fails it will be my first EVER jam/marmalade failure and I have been making jam for about 15 years now...

Sunnyday

Lol i have an old dairy book and strangely enough have just made a recipe from it tonight

Can`t remember seeing any marmalade ones in mine so maybe i`ll have to have a look through it. My alltime favourite is plum jam, i`ve never tasted anything quite like it. Not sure where i originally got the recipe from but i keep on making it.

I seem to have at least one per year that doesn`t turn out quite right but i have been making lots

Hope it turns out nice, i`m betting that it will x

SD

Owl

Hello again

After all your lovely advice on here I borrowed the River Cottage book from the library (very MSE!) and made the onion marmalade and real ale chutney. It has been maturing a week and looks absolutley delicious!!! Thinking about what to try next, although DH has requested more piccallil...... friends want HM ketchup for BBQs.... my venture into chutneys has turned into a micro industry!!!! Stand by please, there will be requests for help!!!!!

PS - My ale chutney was very runny and needed loads of "reduction" time- far more than Pam the Jam suggested

Owl x

valentina

My ale chutney was the same last year - I ended up putting the runniest stuff into a separate jar and using it in stews and the like.

The gingered rhubarb chutney from that book is very good - I'm willing the tiny rhubarb shoots in the garden on, ready to make a batch...

ampersand

Given the season and some posts above referring to Seville oranges, I thought I'd post this linky:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jan/29/seville-orange-recipes-fearnley-whittingstall

HFW's section from yesterday's Grauniad is about using them and the fact that, as Valli mentions, oranges can be frozen whole. Have just had some reduced from Mr T, so this is what I'll do. They are currently 1/2 price @ £1.50 per kilo[don't know how that rates atm]and mine were £1.

BUXTONRABBIT

floyd wrote: »

Hi all,

Just after a bit of advice really, I've made marmalade for the last 3 years and never had any problems with it setting but this year its been a right pain in the proverbial!

Same recipe and methods, jarred it up yesterday and after cooling it was the consistency of golden syrup even though I checked it with a thermometer and did a palte test on it.

So I empty it out, re-sterilize the jars and re boil for 3 mins, test for set, not convinced, boil for 3 more, still not convinced so give it 2 more. Its now dark orange like Oxford marmalade but I still don't think its set, any ideas?

I thought if you overcooked it and it went brown that it just became toffee-ish? This is still liquid, I don't understand why it won't set or what to do with it

i Have just had exactly the same experience. Sains reduced sevilles. I had not made marmalade before and followed the recipe on the bag. The only explanation I have come up with was that there didn't seem to be enough sugar for the amount of liquid. It tastes lovely though.

milosmum59

I am going to buy my jam sugar early this year, like now.
The last couple of years it has been really difficult to get hold of come jam making season. So I thought I might give everyone a reminder to stock up early. I know some people don't feel they need to use it to get a set, but I often use a 1/4 or 1/2 of the sugar in jam sugar to ensure success :beer:and avoid 'wasting' or getting a runny set.

Valli

*sniggers*

problem solved

(batch two)

using the dairy book recipe and boiling the orange whole and following the recipe exactly was not so succesful so...

yesterday boiled them (whole) allowed to cool overnight. This morning scooped and shredded and put the pips in muslin and suspended the bag in the liquid but brought the mixture back up to the boil, let it simmer then carefully squeezed out all the juice from my muslin - figuring that's that what happened last time - I ddi not give the pectin chance to come out from the pith/pips etc. THEN added sugar and continued.

I aslo used lots less of the shred in the marmalade due to complaints from my main consumers
parents - it's nice but there's a lot of shred/shred's too thick/I don't know why you make it when you don't eat it (actually I do - just don't eat as much as them;))

it's fine!

(ordinary granulated sugar used)

fedupandskint

Same here Valli - thick shredded this year as couldn't be bothered to do the thin shredding and used the whole orange method for the first time - worked out well though

And next is rhubarb jam - sitting overnight is rhubarb and sugar ready to go tomorrow - first time I've done this so lets see how it goes!