The Preserver's Year

Kevie192

Shame you're so far away, I'd have come to take some off your hands in exchange for a few jars of jam if you were closer

poorly_scammo

I've got jam and chutneys coming out of my ears given last year's bumper crop so I made ice-cream with my left over berries last week. Mmmmm...:D

torbrex

Gigervamp wrote: »

My freezer is full of fruit waiting to be jammed. I've got blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, tayberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and sloes.

Unfortunately, I've been too ill to do anything with them. Could really do with freeing up the space they're taking up!

I had a holiday then was ill at the tail end of the summer into autumn so my freezer got filled as well

I am now in the process of clearing the freezer and making the jam

Debt_Free_Chick

Seville oranges now in the shops :j

jackyann

Have just made some gorgeous marmalade, tastes lovely (made with unrefined sugar) BUT the peel still floats to the top! Not a huge problem, but I wouldn't give any as gifts - any tips to get it better distributed?

Gigervamp

I've read that the way to get fruit and peel evenly distributed in jams and marmalades, is to let it cool slightly before potting it.

charlies-aunt

Bottled our blackcurrant liqueur this week end - its taken six months to do it but well worth the wait


Pulled the last remaining bags of blackcurrants out of the freezer but had to put three bags of them in the bin as when defrosted the berries looked milky - not sure what went wrong.


Still have quantities of rhubarb, goose-gogs, black cherries and raspberries to work through I usually make rhubarb and ginger crumble and my recipe says to use ground ginger - could I use crystallised ginger instead?

Justamum

charlies-aunt wrote: »

I usually make rhubarb and ginger crumble and my recipe says to use ground ginger - could I use crystallised ginger instead?

I bet it would be nice with crystallised ginger. I've used fresh before. I've got a few bags of crystallised ginger though as I bought them when Holland and Barrett had them going really cheap - now you've given me a good idea to use them. We've still got quite a bit of rhubarb in the freezer to use up. I'm going to have to wait until I get my new kitchen though as I don't have an oven at the moment and I'm none too impressed with my halogen.

charlies-aunt

Still trying to get through the last of our onions and shallots - despite being strung up individually on washing lines in the cold, dry garage - some are starting to go soft...4 batches of caramelised onion chutney made but still have about 20lb of onions/shallots to sort through but having to wait for shopping day as I have run out of dark brown sugar.


Bottled our raspberry liqueur at the weekend - really happy with it - fragrant and delicious. I'm afraid that it won't be getting given away at Christmas!


Does anyone have experience of preserving ginger root in syrup - and a recipe too please? Seen quite a few recipes I'd like to try but they seem to be mainly on USA pages - never 100% confident in translating US cups into imperial or metric!

Nocturnes

Question and reminder for others! Just made a batch of apple and mixed dried fruit (prunes, figs, raisins etc) chutney - usually delicious. I ladled it into the hot jars and had a little leftover. Just tasted the leftover and I got a strong tang of metallic. I realised I'd used an old ladle with some of the metal plate worn away. Do you think this has reacted with the acid? If so, will the taste wear off? I will let it cool and taste again. Just wondered if anyone has had this happen before. The pan I used was non-reactive and it had minimal contact with the ladle.