The Preserver's Year

sKiTz-0

Some useful tips, thanks. I've had to put it on the back burner for tonight - in a rush to find the cheapest jars available instantly, at the small size I wanted, I bought loads of tesco value mint sauce at 25p a jar. Have decanted the mint sauce and given the jars and lids a good wash, taken the labels off; jars are fine, but the lids still smell of mint. Will have to find somewhere to buy lids tomorrow or I may end up having to freeze theeze plums before they turn!

M.E.

If you have no jars for your jam, use mugs. Seriously... just sterilize the mugs (I do my jars/mugs etc in the dishwasher) as you would jars. Fill with jam, nearly to the top. Use the old fashioned cellophane circles or even more MSE... cut out circles of cereal packet inners, pop over the top of the mug and secure with a rubber band that the postie left on your junk mail. Even flashier, finish with a circle of pretty wrapping paper and ribbon!
Jam is very forgiving and usually will not go off if covered.

You can put a circle of cereal packer inner between the jam and the mint sauce lid, even making it bigger than the lid, so you get a "frill".
Good luck.

I sometimes cook the plums till soft and leave them to cool and fish out skins and stones by hand using plastic gloves and squishing. Very therapeutic

[Deleted User]

I love blackberry ice cream I pick and soak in salt some blackberries(gets any livestock out :)) then throughly rince with cold clear water until clean ,pat dry on paper towels or a very clean tea towel then open freeze.I buy plain vanilla ice cream and when I want a nice treat I get a few b/berries out to defrost slightly ,then beat them into a bowl of ice cream until you get a streaky blackberry effect.Return the softened ice cream to the freezer to harden up and just use as and when you want I do this with softened strawberries as well or any soft fruit really.Who needs to spend a fortune on Cote 'Dor ice cream when you can virtually do it your self for a fraction of the price. Iceland basic vanilla is fine and relatively cheap as well for a two litre box.I can use several of those plastic chinese containers for different flavours and they stack well in the freezer as well.

moments_of_sanity

Do any of you make Rosehip jam/jelly at all? If so, when do you pick the rosehips?

Many thanks

homesteadchick

moments_of_sanity wrote: »

Do any of you make Rosehip jam/jelly at all? If so, when do you pick the rosehips?

Many thanks

I make rosehip syrup. And the time is now. ;-)
You want them red but still firm. Once they feel squishy they're yuck.



Very very high in Vit.C

moments_of_sanity

homesteadchick wrote: »

I make rosehip syrup. And the time is now. ;-)
You want them red but still firm. Once they feel squishy they're yuck.



Very very high in Vit.C

Thank you, I did read that picking them after the first frost was best but wasn't sure that was true. Might have to persuade DD to come out with me

homesteadchick

moments_of_sanity wrote: »

Thank you, I did read that picking them after the first frost was best but wasn't sure that was true. Might have to persuade DD to come out with me

I've never seen them around after the frost to be honest.. lol!

I'm in Holland though, and I'm not sure where you are located.
our rosehips are slightly different than the UK ones. But as far as I know, they can be picked as soon as they are ripe. (dark red)

Justamum

My DH works with someone who is always giving us loads of rhubarb (not complaining ) I've got loads chopped and frozen now, but last week he bought another few pounds of it. I made a rhubarb crumble with some of it, and today I've just made some rhubarb jam. My DH is a recent convert to the joys of rhubarb - he always hated it, but now he can't get enough of it :rotfl:

ampersand

Rhubarb and strawberry jam, rhubarb and ginger jam, rhubarb and raspberry jam - all delicious.
Rhubarb is a wonderful partner for so much other fruit. A few pots of jam, made with whatever's around or rtc punnets of plums/ peaches/nectarines will reward you every time.
Next thing for DH - grow some:-)

ziggy2004

Explored some new woods today and they are full to the brim with brambles :j

It is a popular dog walking area but it does not appear to be used by anyone not chasing a dog and none had been picked :eek:

Got 1.5 kg which became 6 jars of jam and we will be going back at the weekend :j