Seasonal preserves

[Joanbunting Profile]

After the winter marmalade and the summer soft fruits I always seem to hit another preserrving peak at this time of year.
This morning I got a load of damsons. I rarely see them here. They are now cooked and dripping through the jelly bag ready to finish tomorrow.

I had already picked a couple of kgs of figs and there are plenty more, to turn into jam and Clives wonderful fig chutney.

Do you have any plans for Autumn preserves?

[Sakkarin Profile]

I'm still waiting for those crabapples to ripen round the corner!

Not sure when they are officially ripe, at the moment they're slightly rosy, but still very tart.

[Linnet Profile]

Try picking a few - if they come off easily they will be ok, if resistant, leave a bit longer.

[DEB Profile]

So far this autumn
Damson Jam
Damson Jelly
Strawberry Jam
and bottled Damsons, Apples
and dried apples.

Hot tomato chuntey to make and and apple juice to bottle.
Then see what other fruit I get, blackberries?

[scullion Profile]

tuesday - ian's strawberry jam
yesterday/today - sweet cucumber pickle
this afternoon - half a pot of (sieved) blackberry and apple jam (my partner picked more blackberries than necessary for crumble and there were a couple of small windfalls over).
possibly some spicy apple chutney when the bramleys ripen - if we've finished enough of the chutney stash.
does kimchi count?

[Joanbunting Profile]

Our strawberry seaon is well and truly over. I made mine in May.

The damson jelly now sitting in the cellar labelled. The fig jam is yet to be lablelled, when I get the printer to work.

I made passionfruit curd earlier in the week and M tried it this morning . It got a big . I promised my chef friend that I would take him some when we go for lunch tomorrow. You could hardly call curd seasonal though could you?

I've been promised a basket of cepes by a friend as soon as there is a little more rain. I'll have to get the dehydrator out and checked. Once the wildmushrooms start coming they arrive thick and fast.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

I'm having another visit at the weekend for those blackberries that weren't out yet.
Coupled with damsons that grow next to the same hedgerows.

To make my hoisin sauce.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Ooh recipe please Gill.

[Gillthepainter Profile Website]

(I remember it took me a while to get the sugar:soy balance, Joan.
And I prefer Shaosing wine.)

pseudo hoisin/ damson plum, fragrant oriental sauce

1 kilo whole damson, washed
100g rice wine vinegar
200g cider vinegar
200mil water

220mil dark soy sauce
150g muscovado sugar
100mil sherry/ mirin or Chinese Shaosing wine

1 large orange, quartered, skin on
3 - 5 plump garlic cloves (I used 5)
1 thick teasp tamarind paste
2 star anise
fresh ginger root, sliced but not peeled
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick, snapped

method

mix the damson with the vinegars and water, and simmer for 20 mins
add the remaining ingredients one at a time
bubble down gently, stirring regularly, for about one hour till you have a thick dark sauce and the damson are dissolved completely

when you are happy with your soy to sugar balance, strain through a metal sieve and bottle.

[Joanbunting Profile]

Thanks Gill. I don't think there is a cat in hells chance of my finding tamarind paste or rice wine vinegar, M's sister is coming in October but by that time the damsons will be over. i wonder if I could freeze the damssons?

[Pampy Profile]

Yes, they can be frozen. They might have a slightly higher water content when defrosted and will be softer which means they won't need to be cooked for as long as fresh ones.

[Suffs Profile]

This is the first year in very very many that I’ve not done any preserving (other than freezing). I made so many jams. Jellies, chutneys and sauces last year that we’re still eating them and giving them as presents. We’re still eating marmalade I made two/3 years ago ... perhaps we’re not eating enough

[Sakkarin Profile]

Well that's my crab apples foraged!

[Sakkarin Profile]

Oh well, that went the same way as my last batch of marmalade. BIN.

The recipe I had had both fruits going in the pan together, then simmered until the crab apples were soft, pulped along the way with the aid of a potato masher.

I did toy with the idea of doing them separately, but as always made the wrong choice. Unfortunately 40 minutes in, the apples were still solid, but the blackberries had already turned to jam. I loosened it with a bit of water, then attacked it with a blitzer, and ended up with a puree which looked promising, but it was too thick to force through the sieve for my ageing arm muscles.

I've still got the pulp, if anyone has any bright ideas, but I think it will end up in the bin

[Otterspocket Profile]

Cleared our greenhouse today so the house now smells of vinegar and we have two different batches of tomato chutney cooking

We have a lot of large spring onions to use up but they will have to wait for another day and enough baby plum tomatoes to last a few days for lunches

Always feels quite sad , the end of summer

[Otterspocket Profile]

Oh well, that went the same way as my last batch of marmalade. BIN.

The recipe I had had both fruits going in the pan together, then simmered until the crab apples were soft, pulped along the way with the aid of a potato masher.

I did toy with the idea of doing them separately, but as always made the wrong choice. Unfortunately 40 minutes in, the apples were still solid, but the blackberries had already turned to jam. I loosened it with a bit of water, then attacked it with a blitzer, and ended up with a puree which looked promising, but it was too thick to force through the sieve for my ageing arm muscles.

I've still got the pulp, if anyone has any bright ideas, but I think it will end up in the bin

Can you pass through a Muslim and make jelly ?

[Sakkarin Profile]

It's too thick to get through a sieve, so getting it through muslin is out of the question!

[Pampy Profile]

Can you pass through a Muslim and make jelly ?

You didn't mean that...did you?

[Linnet Profile]

Just a suggestion, could you add some more water, mix well, and then hang it to drip through a jelly bag if you have one, or use a clean teatowel suspended from the corners? Leave it at least overnight, then boil up the 'drippings' with sugar as usual to make jelly. (Don't squeeze the bag or the jelly will be cloudy).

[Sakkarin Profile]

I've plonked it in the fridge for now, may have a go tomorrow at thinning it down.

"Passed through a Muslim" - I thought it might be something like those civet poo coffee beans...
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable ... kopi-luwak