[Hermit]

 I love preserving, heres a list so far of what I have done.
Onion and Caraway seed Marmalade,
Beetroot in spiced red wine vinegar.
Bengal Sauce ( Like HP Brown Sauce)
Mint Sauce
Bread and Butter Pickle
Marrow Jam
Apple and Marrow Chutney
Mint Pickle
Green tomato Chuney
Rhubarb and sweet cicely jam
and finally a spiced apple chutney.
The rosehips are ripening now so jellies and jams from those to come. But we dont get the fruit trees up here so no fresh fruit jams
My larder needs a good sort out as well , I just have a shelved small larder but would love a walk in one.

[benkt]

My go at the pears in cinnamon syrup was a bit of an experiment so here's what I think I did:

1kg pears: peeled and quartered
2 pints water
250g sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Whilst you're peeling and quartering the pears sterilise some (6ish) jam jars (or kilner jars if you're posh   )
Once that's done, put water, sugar and spice in saucepan and bring to boil and boil for 2-3 mins.
Pack the pears into the jars, pour over the hot syrup and wiggle the jars about a bit to get rid of air bubbles - keep topping up with syrup and wiggling till the jars are full. Seal the jars and apparently they should last 12 months according to my book, but we'll have eaten them all inside the month I reckon. It is dead quick and easy so I'll certainly be doing more.

[melodrama]

I spent all day cleaning out the pantry so I can now move about again and finally have some space for more chutneys, jams and jellies etc.  I love this time of year.  Gonna try the cinnamon pears and would also love the recipe for bengal Sauce Hermit.
melanie

[Greenerlife]

Make that two requests for Bengal chutney!   

[Hermit]

Bengal Sauce.  ( makes about 1 1/2 to 2 pints depending on how thick you want it)

3lb cooking apples,peeled cored and sliced
8oz onions peeled and sliced
2oz garlic peeled and chopped
1 1/2 pints of malt vinegar
1lb demerera sugar
8ox seedless raisins
2oz ground ginger
1oz mustard seeds
6 dried  red chillies
 


Add all the ingredients to a heavy pan and bring to the boil until the sugar disolves then simmer for about 5o mins or until the mixture becomes thick. Rub the mixture through a sieve (or blend ) Clean the pan of residue and then put the blended mixture back in and continue cooking and stirring from time to time until it is as thick as whipping cream then bottle. Leave for 6 to 8 wks before use. Simple

I use it as a dip with bhajis etc or as a glaze for ribs , sausages etc. It does pour so I bottle it in actual sauce/ dressing bottles.
Enjoy.
From Readers Digest Farmhouse Cookery, a book my OH gave me 30 odd years ago and is still my favourite cookbook.

[Hermit]

Ps  I have just been reading the introduction to the recipe and it says the original Begal sauce used mangoes but the British Raj preferred apples which did not feature in Indian cuisine at all.

[ellied]

I finally got the first batch of plum chutney made today - just starting here as they were slow to ripen this year, loads more to do and the cooking apples too..

Over-run with green beans again and wondering about making piccalilli for the first time - recipe suggestions?

I'm going to have a go at lemon curd too, just discovered my lemons are looking a bit past it so will have to go find some more

[Blueeyes]

Hi all, sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm so new to all this  we've got an orchard full of plums, apples pears etc and me and my daughter have just thought about making jam for some friends and relatives for Christmas stocking fillers 

We are not quite ready to make the jam as we need jars etc but the fruit esp the plums are ready now, could we take off the plum skins, de-stone them then freeze them and then de-frost them when we are ready to make the jam? Or will this detract from the flavour?

Sorry if this is a silly question 

Blueeyes and daughter  xx

[suziequeue]

So this Bengal sauce malarkey - what does it taste like?

[SallyintNorth]

Hi all, sorry if this is a stupid question but I'm so new to all this  we've got an orchard full of plums, apples pears etc and me and my daughter have just thought about making jam for some friends and relatives for Christmas stocking fillers 

We are not quite ready to make the jam as we need jars etc but the fruit esp the plums are ready now, could we take off the plum skins, de-stone them then freeze them and then de-frost them when we are ready to make the jam? Or will this detract from the flavour?

Sorry if this is a silly question 

Blueeyes and daughter  xx

Hi Blueeyes.

1.  You never need to apologise for asking a question.  They're not stupid, they're just things you don't know yet - and we all have such questions from time to time.

2.  I am not by any stretch of the imagination a qualified jam-maker - but I used to live in a house with someone who made spectacular jams and marmalades, and she frequently froze fruit and made jam later.  In fact, her best ever batch of marmalade was made with long-frozen oranges.

3.  I think she didn't skin or stone the plums before freezing - in fact with one of her jams (very small plums) she left the stones in through all the cooking, fishing them out before adding the sugar.

Others with better, and first hand, advice will be along soon, I'm sure.

Cheers
Sally

[Blueeyes]

Fabulous Sally - down the orchard we go!!!

Seems like the lots we don't know but want to find out  hence why I spend hours a day reading old posts on here!!!

Thanks for the reply

Blueeyes xx

[Bionic]

Hi Blueeyes
I'm certainly no jam expert either but I made plum jam last weekend using frozen fruit. I did take the stones out before I froze them but left the skins on.
My preserving book said that frozen fruit needs more sugar to make it set. I didn't add an extra sugar and mine has set well.

The book also said to leave the stones in (pity I didn't read it before I destoned them all) and the stones will float to the surface when making the jam.  Having said that I am glad I took the stones out first. Don't want to risk anyone breaking a tooth on my jam.
Sally

[Rosemary]

Stop, stop! You're all making me feel bad  All I've done so far is three jars of beetroot. We haven't got fruit here this year (my excuse).

Right, I'm going to get pickling this week - just see if I don't.

Actually, I cleaned out the larder of the empty beer bottles and two dozen empty milk cartons that Dan kept for elderflower cordial that we never got round to making and I "found" three jars of last year's marmalade (made with frozen oranges that looked gross, blueeyes  ), three jars of beetroot, a jar of shallots and about 12 jars of an unlabelled pickle (Delia's Christmas Chutney, I think).

Definitely going to do the pears and the Bengal sauce though. Right, I'm off to make a list :-)

[Greenerlife]

I think the plum stones actually have high pectin levels whichis why they say to leave them in whilst cooking, to help it set. 

[Blueeyes]

Well I've just done a small amount of plums, made it up a bit as I went along, but my jam worked 

Though it's a little more set than maybe should be, but at least it's set  long way off producing pots as stocking fillers yet tho! 

Blueeyes xx