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The Preserver's Year

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  • charlies-aunt
    charlies-aunt Posts: 1,605 Forumite
    Its a beautiful day and very warm here - perfect for line-drying washing :) and its lovely to see the buds breaking on shrubs in the garden.


    Looking ahead to May - I want to harvest some elderflowers to make elderflower cordial. I used to buy this from the 'approved-foods-type' farm shop at 4 bottles for £1 but they have sold out .... so I priced it up in the supermarket :eek: what a shocker!!


    Living amidst lanes lined with elderberry bushes, I can pick the main ingredient for free :) so I would like to make some for summer and if possible to keep for later in the year. From what I have read, it can be given a long shelf life by sterilising the bottles in a water bath so I'm hunting round for short-ish bottles that will fit in my stock pot. I am also going to try freezing it in the chest freezer in small plastic bottles.


    Love to hear if anyone has a favourite recipe for this or experience in making elderflower champagne :):)
    :heartpuls The best things in life aren't things :heartpuls

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  • Hi CHARLIES AUNT I make elderflower cordial and champagne every year, it's so easy. My preferred method for long term storage of the cordial is plastic bottles in the freezer, it keeps indefinately but you have to use it up within about 6 weeks when it's defrosted. I think we were nattering about it further back in this thread last year so the recipes will be there . If you cant find them for any reason I'll happily post recipes and methods again if that would help, Lyn xxx.
  • ampersand
    ampersand Posts: 9,672 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 10 March 2014 at 7:29PM
    Charlies Aunt re your post 1580
    - I've just used crystallised ginger in marmalade - excellent.

    It's easy to preserve chopped up ginger root in sherry, then/or prepare as you would for choc. orange peel prep i.e.boiling in water ,then in a hefty sugar/water syrup.

    http://www.food.com/recipe/jeans-preserved-root-ginger-128838

    http://www.ehow.com/how_4548431_make-preserved-ginger.html

    re: elderflower everything, Mrs L. is right. Green screwtop plastic bottles[everyone else's discards]are what you're after.

    In past years we've reinforced following HFW's recette at discussion time, BUT with the vital correction in the recipe, for which Hugh has apologised many a zillion times over.
    All correct here:
    http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall/elderflower-champagne-recipe

    You'd better have mine: I'll be out of the country all May this year.
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  • charlies-aunt
    charlies-aunt Posts: 1,605 Forumite
    Thank you so much for your replies -really looking forward to giving it a go. :)
    :heartpuls The best things in life aren't things :heartpuls

    2017 Grocery challenge £110.00 per week/ £5720 a year






  • torbrex
    torbrex Posts: 71,340 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Rampant Recycler Hung up my suit!
    Blackcurrant & Rhubarb jam, has anyone tried this?

    I have found a recipe for this jam in one of my old kitchen books (1866) and I'll give it a try sometime this year but I just wondered if anyone had made it and might have some tips :)
  • candlelight_2013
    candlelight_2013 Posts: 2,681 Forumite
    Torbrex, No I haven't tried that.

    A couple of weeks ago I made Mrs LW rhubarb jam with lemon, lime and orange juice and it was beautiful. I also made rhubarb and strawberry jam with a few strawberries past their best and that was delicious as well.

    Candlelightx
  • torbrex
    torbrex Posts: 71,340 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker Rampant Recycler Hung up my suit!
    I make Rhubarb with pineapple every year and I love it (probably too much :o) but I just spotted this recipe with blackcurrant and as I grow both in my garden it will be easy for me to give it a try :)
  • Si_Clist
    Si_Clist Posts: 1,547 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Just wondering - who else uses an All-American canner? I know somebody on MSE's got one the same as ours but I can't remember who it is :o

    Last year was our first year with it, and we're still eating the toms, runner beans and French beans. Wondering what else to bottle from this year's veg crop ...
    We're all doomed
  • I make alcoholic elderflower cordial - put about 15 elderflower heads in a 1L jar, add the peel of a lemon, a spoon of juice from the lemon, 5 tablespoons of sugar, and a 1L bottle of vodka. Shake well, leave for 4 weeks, strain, and enjoy with some tonic water or lemonade! Keeps forever too.
  • Baileys_Babe
    Baileys_Babe Posts: 6,267 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Si_Clist wrote: »
    Just wondering - who else uses an All-American canner? I know somebody on MSE's got one the same as ours but I can't remember who it is :o

    Last year was our first year with it, and we're still eating the toms, runner beans and French beans. Wondering what else to bottle from this year's veg crop ...

    I believe Memory Girl has one of those hth.
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