The Preserver's Year

PipneyJane

ampersand wrote: »

Thanks Pipney Jane. I can imagine your surprise that sth as sure-setting as crab apple didnt!
Because of many comments generally on this year's atypical slug/garden/crop happenings of bizarre nature and timing, I'm wondering if this has anything to do with the state of our harvests, foraged and grown.

Anything to find a reason other than self....:-)

Oh, definitely. :beer:

I thought last summer was bad but this one is far worse. Apart from my ever-reliable rose-hips, harvests around here have been dreadful. Can't find any sloes. I've only spotted one crab apple and that's on the slip road where one motorway meets another, so it's not safe to stop. (Even if I wasn't worried about pollutants.)

A couple of summers ago, when I first started foraging, fruit was in such abundance that I could spot damsons and crab apples from the car, while driving down the country lanes near work at 40 mph. Not this year.

Justamum

PipneyJane wrote: »

I thought last summer was bad but this one is far worse. Apart from my ever-reliable rose-hips, harvests around here have been dreadful..

I don't forage - I wouldn't know what to look for and don't want to poison anyone :eek:

However we do have a blackcurrant bush in the garden and the past few years I have filled a container which made about 5 jars of jam. This year was very sparse - barely half-filled it. I was just wondering - does that mean a good winter or a bad one?

D&DD

Its definitely been a weird year again cropwise I was saying earlier today a lot of our stuff homegrown and shop bought has 'gone over' really fast this year not storing anywhere near as good as it usually does and gutted I can't find an apple or pear to forage anywhere here.
I bottled loads last year and am down to my last jar of apples but fortunately still have 4 jars of pears.I've a few homegrown apples from our miniarette trees but will still have to buy some :eek:

floss2

PipneyJane wrote: »

.... Can't find any sloes. I've only spotted one crab apple and that's on the slip road where one motorway meets another, so it's not safe to stop. (Even if I wasn't worried about pollutants.)

A couple of summers ago, when I first started foraging, fruit was in such abundance that I could spot damsons and crab apples from the car, while driving down the country lanes near work at 40 mph. Not this year.

I heard on the radio a little while ago and again on Countryfile at the weekend that the poor sloe / damson / plum / apple / pear harvest is down to the poor weather, the cold snap in late spring, the excess rain and the impact that all that had on bees & insects, also early flowering plants got caught by the late frosts and later ones got drowned by all the rain.

sopranolmu

Hi everyone! I'm a very new person to the forum, and to preserving - made my first jar mere weeks ago! Kiwi and pineapple preserve! Yum.

Several people have mentioned making elderflower cordial, elderflower and gooseberry jam and elderberry jam. Does anyone have the recipes for these? Or can recommend how to go about deciding WHICH elderflowers to use?! lol! Thank you

Justamum

sopranolmu wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm a very new person to the forum, and to preserving - made my first jar mere weeks ago! Kiwi and pineapple preserve! Yum.

That sounds intriguing and a good thing to do while both are quite reasonably priced. Do you have a recipe? I always thought that pineapple stopped jams from setting.

Seakay

raw pineapple will prevent a set in jelly (but cooked is fine) because raw pineapple contains an enzyme which breaks down protein (such as gelatin) which is why it can be used to tenderize meat. It should be fine in preserves.

Seakay

sopranolmu wrote: »

Hi everyone! I'm a very new person to the forum, and to preserving - made my first jar mere weeks ago! Kiwi and pineapple preserve! Yum.

Several people have mentioned making elderflower cordial, elderflower and gooseberry jam and elderberry jam. Does anyone have the recipes for these? Or can recommend how to go about deciding WHICH elderflowers to use?! lol! Thank you

use elderflowers which are open and creamy white. Shake off the pollen.

Tregemred wrote: »

Made Elderflower cordial for the first time this week, yum! Used Sophie Grigsons recipe.

http://uktv.co.uk/food/recipe/aid/516164

If you go to the top of the page and click on search this thread and then put in elderflowers you'll get all the references and can pick out recipes - the one above is an example I just found.

Seakay

Justamum wrote: »

That sounds intriguing and a good thing to do while both are quite reasonably priced. Do you have a recipe? I always thought that pineapple stopped jams from setting.

the enzyme bromelin found in raw pineapple, kiwi, papaya, stops jelly from setting because it breaks down proteins so the gelatin won't work. Cooking destroys the enzyme so you can put cooked pineapple etc in jelly. This property doesn't affect preserve making. It is the reason that these fruits can be used to tenderize meat.

sopranolmu

Oh thank you for that advice! Just found lots of comments about them ^__^ can I use any elderflower heads? Just walk around my local area and pluck them off? How big/open should they be?