The Preserver's Year

nopot2pin

I need a bit of advice about pickling beetroot ....
I bought some of the vacum packed, and some white vinegar.

Is it just a case of slice the beetroot, putting in jars and covering with the vinegar ?
Or is it better to have proper pickling vinegar ?

I quite fancy trying a beetroot relish/chutney too...
Does anyone have a decent recipe please ??:o:D

ceridwen

Pitlanepiglet wrote: »

Can I add my apple bottling experience from last year because I struggled to find much info on how to do it and we had a huge crop of apples.

I washed the jam jars and then stood them in a baking tray in the oven on low, I stewed the apples slightly with a bit of water and some sugar and then put them in the hot jars and stuffed the lids on quickly.

For reasons that aren't relevant we forgot about my beautifully bottled apples until about four weeks ago when I remarked on how many apples there were on the tree this year :eek: We then dug the jars out of the loft and they are absolutely fine, they haven't discoloured and there is a satisfying "pop" when they are opened. They even make a very nice Aunt Sally's Apple cake!

We had a bad experience with an exploding jar of plums some years ago so I was really worried that the applies were going to go bang over the year but they were absolutely fine.

I've had to buy new jars again for this year and we are clearly going to be eating a lot of apple this year!

Looking at that - ie the idea of storing stewed apple in (suitably sterilised) jars. Does anyone know whether I could just as well use honey as sugar to do this myself? I'm also wondering just how much honey to use per lb of apples?

thriftmonster

Re the beetroot - yes cook it, slice it, pack it into bottles and covered with spiced vinegar. If you don't want to make your own, Sarsons sell a ready spiced one which is good - and you get a nice pickled onion jar afterwards as well.

Thriftlady - yes, I thought it was funny that it came out exactly to a gross - ds2 had guessed 100 but the jars covered the kitchen table and the units!!!!

Bottling - I use an old WI book which has a big section on this. You can use a slow water bath, a fast water bath or dry or wet pack in the oven (depending on whether you add syrup to the fruit). I tend to use the oven as even my preserving pan won't hold big Kilner jars with enough water to cover. The book gives times for different fruit eg pears 60-70 mins in a wet pack but damsons 40-50 mins. Pears work really well. So if you need fruit timings I could post the basic ones for people.

I use Kilner jars with metal clips - the ones sold in MrT for storage - although they work better if you replace the white seal with an orange Kilner one (from Lakeland).

Confuzzled

NualaBuala wrote: »

I'm going to try including some ginger too - for some reason it appeals to me. I love cloves and spices so I'll lash in whatever I've got.

BTW, congrats on moving into your new home - I read your post over on the preparing for winter thread. I hope you'll be really happy (and warm) there.

i think the ginger would go well with the cloves, very christmasy!

thanks on the well wishes on the new flat, i'm really looking forward to it!

as for preserving, we gathered some rosehips, elderberries and rowan berries the other day and today i plan to make rosehip cordial, elderberry cordial (both for the flu season ahead!) and a hedgerow jam using all three and possibly some brambles we will collect today if i can prise any away from the wee one

i think someone pipped me at hte post for the elderberries there didn't seem to be nearly as many as i'd seen before, however there are still some ripening so i'll check back in another week. i think i may just collect as many as i can before i move and freeze them to be made into jam or more cordial after the move.

i bought these little bottles of drink mixer from approved foods, didn't like the mojito stuff but i do love pomegranate so i bought 10 of those and i plan to mix those in with orange juice to drink then use the wee bottles to store the cordial in (hopefully it will seal properly if not i have jam jars) as each wee bottle is a good size to keep in the fridge without it going off before we can use it all. my plan is a tablespoon for each of us every day of either rosehip or elderberry cordial to keep the cold and flu beasties away...here's hoping!

nopot2pin

Confuzzled wrote: »

i think someone pipped me at hte post for the elderberries there didn't seem to be nearly as many as i'd seen before, however there are still some ripening so i'll check back in another week. i think i may just collect as many as i can before i move and freeze them to be made into jam or more cordial after the move.

The birds round here always beat me to the elderberries:rolleyes:
I am checking them every other day now, to try and beat them to the ripening ones

Confuzzled

well i can raise my sore scratched and itchy hands up in a shout of victory after collecting 2.75kg of brambles today

my wee girl (just shy of 8) did half a kilo herself so i was very pleased, she's not quite as scratched up as i am but she didn't complain and kept on picking even after her hair got so badly tangled in one bush that i had to come rescue her!

we've been taking a wee break (my poor back ) but we're just about to start working with the brambles, rosehips, elderberries and rowan berries we have so it should be a busy but tasty night!

i think since i did so well with brambles we will be making some hedgerow jam and i'll save the next lot of bramble picking (plenty more still ripening) for bramble jelly. i want to use up some of these rosehips and rowans and i don't really have all that many elderberries so this hedgerow jam seems the best way to use up what i have

we will also be having a lovely bramble crumble tonight after dinner...and i've promised my daughter the biggest piece since she was such a wee star today :T

Confuzzled

nopot2pin wrote: »

The birds round here always beat me to the elderberries:rolleyes:
I am checking them every other day now, to try and beat them to the ripening ones

aye no doubt i'll have to fight them off too however i have walked past these trees at least a dozen times in the last few months and i'm sure they had more of the sprays of berries on them, it wasn't berries missing off sprays it was actual sprays gone!

maybe people spotted me in there foraging and got their own ideas

i'll def go back for more though as i really want to stock up on the elderberry cordial for winter

nopot2pin

Confuzzled wrote: »

aye no doubt i'll have to fight them off too however i have walked past these trees at least a dozen times in the last few months and i'm sure they had more of the sprays of berries on them, it wasn't berries missing off sprays it was actual sprays gone!

maybe people spotted me in there foraging and got their own ideas

i'll def go back for more though as i really want to stock up on the elderberry cordial for winter

Ah... It does sound like you have been beaten then.
I think I am going out now to check on the ones near me

Patchwork_Quilt

nopot2pin wrote: »

I need a bit of advice about pickling beetroot ....
I bought some of the vacum packed, and some white vinegar.

Is it just a case of slice the beetroot, putting in jars and covering with the vinegar ?
Or is it better to have proper pickling vinegar ?

I quite fancy trying a beetroot relish/chutney too...
Does anyone have a decent recipe please ??:o:D

Apparently, it keeps longer if you heat the vinegar to boiling and pour it on to the beetroot hot.

Although we are still eating our cold pickled beetroot and we're all ok

Patchwork_Quilt

Just made some runner bean chutney by adapting another recipe that worked well for beetroot. It did come out a rather unappetising khaki colour but it might darken as it ages.

Warning - eating too much hot chutney out of the pan gives you stomach ache!