Edible Xmas gifts that can be made well in advance.....

ladyfalco

im chutney isntr working....help! the apples are going mushy but its not thickening

kippers

Chutney can take ages to thicken...just simmer for longer. The apples do turn to mush so dont worry

ladyfalco

So its thickened after about 2 hours, and now it has a massive overpowering vinegar taste to it, Its not nice at all...can i fix it or is it for the bin?

SeaBee

Hi Ladyfalco,

DON'T PANIC!!! Depending on the recipe you used, it will taste strongly of vinegar. Pot it up, leave it for a couple of months and it will be gorgeous! I made mine back in August and it is only just edible now (had some today in a sausage sandwich)

ladyfalco

I will do! It was ment to be a christmas present but not to worry!

tinksy

well me (with help from the hubby!) made plum sauce and I am quite proud! its a bit darker than normal plum sauce as we used dark soy sauce not light! but it tastes lovely!!! made 7 jars which is great so lots of presents there. I'm also planning on making pickled onions, and a few other chutneys. I'm also going to cheat and make some marmalade from marmade as I missed marmalade season. I am hoping to put cranberries in etc to make it a bit unusual! two months today til the big day

hob

hi guy i was thinking about making some jam up as little gifts but i dont know what kind of jars i need, or where i can get them.

tinksy

i use old food jars and just give them a good scrub! my mum donates me all her old jars and in return i give her jam and chutney. i also exchanged a bag load of jars and bottles for a sewing machine that was going to the tip with a friend

hob

thanks i keep my jars any way after there sterilized and had filled with jam is there anything else i need to do ? do i need to do something to seal it? i doubt thta thats why they put fabric on top ...tho it looks megga cute .

tinksy

if you seal whilst hot the little vacumn things often reform. I don't do anything else other than put a lid on mine and so far had no problems. those little fabric tops are lovely i'm going to do that to mine with some spare fabric i have kicking around.