The Preserver's Year

Patchwork_Quilt

dogstarheaven wrote: »

hey sunnyday!

many thanks for your reply. i was hoping i'd get a reply saying "yes" to reheating the damsons again. oh well, at least i can still use it as for freezing. it just seems a bit of a waste for all the effort of my cleaning and squishing them in the first place. i think they must of had at least 2.5 hours of simmering as well...

I'm not sure I would. You may forget, once they are frozen, that you will have to use them at once and leave them to defrost too long.

We have a story in our family called 'Uncle David and the Green Sausage'. My brother decided to fry a mouldy sausage that he found in the fridge, thinking that he would kill off the mould with the high temperature of the fat. He ate it and was extremely ill, mainly because the bacteria can be killed but apparently, while they are alive they produce poisons which are still there after reheating.

Of course, this was a sausage and not fruit but we've been a bit careful ever since.

Sorry to be a wet blanket

butterfly72

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Forgot to say that someone gave me two bags of windfall cooking apples today so am making puree to bottle.

Peel and core apples.
Put in a large bowl in microwave with a tiny bit of water.
Nuke until fluffy.
Add sugar to taste.
Spoon into sterilised jars.
Sterilise by the quick water bath method. Not sure of the timing as I have left my book somewhere (eek!) but am simmering for 20 minutes and hoping it will be ok.

Would this freeze ok?

thanks

floyd

Another frantic day of preserving.

Today I made 3 batches of bramble jelly using the juice extracted from the combined 16 lb weight of brambles and apples that I was very kindly given. I was going to do it all in one go but I had a disaster with marmalade once where I doubled up a recipe and it wouldnt set so I played it safe. Now I have 15 jars of beautiful purple jelly setting in the kitchen.

I also made another 2 litres of gin using what someone told me were damsons but I have my doubts. They are black and round and about the size of a small brussels sprout but are not oval nor do they taste like damsons so I'm a bit baffled. I used some last year and they were lovely in gin so hey ho, mystery gin it is!

I also picked up some little pickling onions for 50p a bag (600g) and they are on their first brine and I'm roping in my friend to help peel them tomorrow.

Magpie27

Today I stewed a large red cabbage for the freezer and made 8 small jars of apple sauce today from the apples from my friends tree, might be getting some more so thinking chutney for the next lot anyone got any good apple chutney recipes?

dogstarheaven

re. the Uncle David and the Green Sausage Story - i think i shall pass on the salvage then.

today, foraged 5kg of green and red eaters from 3 trees near a football pitch (not v sweet) but i'll think of something to make with them. We've got a juicer so maybe some juice and some more cordial to make with the last of my damsons. tomorrow first thing, we'll be off to another foraging site to a car park where there's a big pear tree to pick (this will also go into the cordial as well.)

it feels great finding free food. if only i knew about foraging yrs ago, as it's such a fun and relaxing activity to do...

Sambucus_Nigra

Today we foraged a few pounds of greengages [still tons on the 5 trees we found behind our lottie] and wandered off down the canal and got a hooge bag of sloes. Greengage wine, and sloe gin will be made tomorrow. I also have a bag of perry pears to make into perry, and a bag of quinces for quince wine; we have no more demigods or buckets left so I ordered some online and I do hope they turn up soon as I'm getting desperate; luckily the quines and pears can sit there for a while yet.

adelight

I think I have quince in my new garden? There seem to be quite a few of these bushes outside houses and on the drives close to my house too. I assumed they were some scabby crab apples but they are growing on the right kind of bushes, look the texture of a soft apple but are shaped like small yellow peppers about 2" wide.
How can I tell without cutting them open?

I'll try to get a picture tomorrow when it's light, I'd appreciate any help identifying them!

Sambucus_Nigra

The smell gives them away - they smell really fragrant. And are shaped like doughnuts but are bright yellow when ripe.

adelight

Okay here are the offending fruits:




Some branches on the left are other random bushes jumbled in the garden, I think the rest of the bush is in the neighbour's garden.

Sambucus_Nigra

They look just like quinces - go have a sniff of the ripest one. If it smells perfumed then it's a quince.