Jams,chutneys and the other preserves-anybody still doing it?

Camomile · 10 July 2019 at 9:34AM

In the process of making apricot jam.
I was looking (albeit very briefly) for some preserving threads and couldn’t see any.
If anybody fancies a chat or could point me in the right direction would be grateful &#55357;&#56898;

[purplesignup][/purplesignup]

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Mummy2cheekymonkeys · 10 July 2019 at 10:40AM

Me!!!!
Ive only made a couple of jars of cherry jam so far this year but the garden is going into overdrive at the moment so the preserving will start to kick off. Will have to see if I can beat last year's total of 56 jars of jam, jellies and chutneys!
There are some very knowledgeable people on here so if you need advice just ask.

Miró · 10 July 2019 at 12:20PM

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=5858092&highlight=preserving

Not been updated for a while but still loads of useful info here.....:)

Camomile - do you put almonds in your apricot jam? I tried making it once but had a dreadful problem getting it to setting point

Have made pots and pots of strawberry and raspberry jam already this year....the soft fruit seems to be going berserk in the garden. Will be making damson jam shortly and then a bit later loads of spiced apple chutney.

trailingspouse · 10 July 2019 at 12:25PM

Nothings so far this year, but I have high hopes for rhubarb and ginger jam soon, and the local blackberries will be along shortly so I'll be making jelly.

pws52 · 10 July 2019 at 3:51PM

Already getting hints from son about making piccalilli.....he complained that I didn’t make any last year and that I need to make plenty this year!

I will also be making Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s Gluttony Chutney and plum jam.

I have also been known to use supermarket’s frozen mixed fruit to make jam.

Camomile · 10 July 2019 at 8:49PM

Hello everybody

Miro, thanks for the useful links, will have a look once my never tired children go to bed.

I didn’t add almonds but the experimenting devil tweaking every recipe got the better of me so I put aside some apricot jam and added some amaretto. Gosh. I wish I had done it before I poured the jam into jars.

The recipe said jam might be setting after 10 minutes of boiling- it didn’t specify if it was going to be fast boil or slow one. Afterwards my MIL widely known as Raspberry Jam Queen said that it’s rapid boil.

Jam eventually set after an hour- there was enough sugar and pectin for it.

thriftwizard · 10 July 2019 at 9:39PM

Yup, I'm still preserving! So far this year I've made raspberry jam, strawberry jam, strawberry & elderflower jam, & cherry jam; not vast quantities (except of the plain strawberry, one batch of that was 11 jars) but enough to see us through a year.

That said, the girls (my two twenty-something daughters who still live at home, as opposed to The Girls, who are our chickens!) have made lemon curd. And the jam, jelly & chutney season has only just begun... I've eaten most of the redcurrants, so they won't be featuring, but there are going to be large quantities of cherry plums, crab apples, quinces (both Cydonia & Japonica) sloes, elderberries & blackberries to do something creative with soon!

Oh, and Apple Butter... I do love a spoonful of apple butter in my winter porridge! I give a fair amount of my preserves away, some to the people who have given me fruit, some to friends & relatives as festive offerings, and some to neighbours who aren't able to make their own for one reason or another. Keeps the jam-jars coming back to me!

Camomile · 10 July 2019 at 10:47PM

Thriftwizard, can I be your friend? Will exchange some of my famous gingerbread for some of your preserves. I have boys at home and 8 girls in the henhouse.
I envy you quince, used to make some syrup long time ago, here-nothing as such.
Was thinking about elderflower as I haven’t made anything with it yet.

Sod’s law picking and foraging season starts and so are school holidays. Need to empty the freezer from last year’s berries for this year’s lot although I don’t plan to freeze so many,I’d rather convert them into preserves. Occasional handful for muffins comes handy sometimes.

Mummy2cheekymonkeys · 11 July 2019 at 8:58AM

Thrift wizard do you have a recipe for the Apple butter I could pinch please?

thriftwizard · 11 July 2019 at 7:29PM

Certainly!

Apple Butter

4lbs/1.8 Kg apples – tart, or a mixture of tart & sweeter
1 cup (250 ml) cider vinegar
2 cups (500 ml) water
Sugar (usually around 5 cups)
Pinch of salt
2 tsps cinnamon
¾ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp allspice
Grated juice & rind of 1 lemon

Cut the apples into quarters, without peeling or coring, but discard any damaged parts. Place in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add the cider vinegar & water, cover, & bring to the boil. Reduce heat & simmer until apples are soft. Remove from heat.
Ladle mixture into a sieve or mouli over a large bowl and process until smooth - you can cheat & use a processor but it probably won’t all fit in in one go, and it’s much fiddlier to wash up. Use your measuring cup to ladle the puree back into your large pan, counting cups as you go. Add half as many cups of sugar & stir, then add a dash of salt, the spices, lemon rind & juice, adjusting to your own tastes.
Place back on heat and bring back to a gentle simmer. Stir often & let it cook until it has reduced to a smooth, thick paste when spooned onto a plate; this may take anything up to a couple of hours. Meanwhile, wash out your jars & lids in hot water, rinse, then pop upside-down into a warm (120℃ plus) oven to dry & sterilize. Remove from oven & place upright onto a flat heat-proof surface near your cooker when the apple butter is ready, then pour it into the jars & screw the lids on firmly.

You can substitute other fruit for some or all of the apples – apricots, crab apples, grapes, peaches, pears, plums and quinces – experiment with anything you have a glut of.

Gem-gem · 11 July 2019 at 10:17PM

Have made just over forty jars of strawberry jam this year.
Still have strawberry J , raspberry J , blackcurrant J , blackberry J, sweet fruit chutney and piccalilli from last year. Mainly make the for hubby.
Swap jam with mum for her gooseberry and orange jam.
Swap jam with sIL for pickled onions.
Also give some away as little presents at Christmas.

Have tried making blackcurrant curd - delicious!

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Jams,chutneys and the other preserves-anybody still doing it?

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