Brambles wrote:I have just opened a three year old jar of home made chutney, had in a cheese buttie for lunch and it was yum. With jams and chutneys I go with the look and smell. If it doesn't smell alcoholic, 'off' have a fur coat, doesn't have bubbles or has changed colour condierably then it's good enough for me. Pickles are a different matter. I never keep them longer than a few months.
Oh and my bible is the MAFF Home Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables. It's out of print now, but still a great book.
Good 'ole MAFF, I used to work for them in my junior/dogsbody days of the civil service!!
I was going to wait and forage free fruit later in year rather than buy stuff now. Half mile away from me are several little, but well established and hidden, plum trees, and for the past few years they've given great fruit. Just so happen to be surrounded by blackberries too.
I'd like to try some rosehip stuff and really make use of all the footpath hedges around here. Thats why I needed advice on books to get for recipes etc.
Brambles wrote:Just to keep your incentive.
Here's some I made earlier!
Seville Oranges are in season at the mo.
Lovely stuff!
Try this by the way - I make a marmalade with mandarin oranges/clementines.
I just cut em into 8 wedges, remove the pithy centre and chop em up (as fine or course as you like)
Boil em up with some water to cover and cook til the peel is tender then add sugar (equal to the weight of the mandarins) and a sachet of pectin.
It's a cloudy marmalade but fab!
