Bumping for Roseann48 and juice recipes to preserve. :-)
juliewn,
May 7, 9:10am
Hi Vanessa. I have a feeling you and I have a lot in common. :-) Isn't the NZ Gardener Homegrown book awesome!. I'll check out the onion jam recipe in there, as I was wondering if there is a way to safely preservecaramelised type onions. Thanks for typing about it being in the book. :-) Did you know that the NZ Gardener magazine has a free weekly email that you can register for - it has suggestions and info about growing fruits and vegetables, plus has recipes included, and they also answer questions that anyone sends in. It's interesting and informative - and a Friday night must-read here! If you haven't signed up for it, this is the link: http://www.nzgardener.co.nz/ The past emails are on the right side of that page in their site.
juliewn,
May 7, 9:25am
I bought a packet of crystallised ginger recently to make pear and ginger jam - except we ate the pears before making it as they were so nice! More pears are needed - there seems to be a bigger variety of them around at the moment. I've used the Edmonds book recipe in the past - though probably haven't made the recipe in around 15 or more years. My Daughter Jenni loves apricot and ginger jam, so I'm guessing she'll like the pear and ginger jam too. You'll probably know this. for preserving peaches, they are fine to preserve by the overflow method, so you wouldn't need tohave the jars in water to process them. I think I've added the overflow method on the first page of this thread - and it's also included in Edmonds cookbooks too. Due to the acidity of them, anyfruits can be preserved in this way, and tomatoes can too. For anything else the water-bath method is best.
juliewn,
May 7, 9:25am
My winter preserving, etc. usually depends on availability of fruit - a local orchard just outside town here has Granny Smith apples currently, so I'll be picking a couple of 10kg bags up in the next few days to preserve, for sharing and for here. I'll probably get some extra apples to make apple chutney - my Son loves my homemade apple chutney (the Edmonds book recipe) - and it's his birthday next month. He's in Canada, preparing to ride a motorbike across Canada from Vancouver to the East coast. I'll send him a jar of chutney with his birthday parcel of goodies - it'll probably be gone within a day or so! I usually aim to make sweet orange marmalade in July. I use the recipe in the Edmonds book too - though I use all oranges rather than adding other citrus to it. It's delicious.
juliewn,
May 7, 9:26am
It's quite a big recipe - giving around 16 jars. I've found over the years that I soak the fruit in water overnight, then bring it to the boil as per the recipe and boil it until tender. I then preserve some of this into the quart size Agee jars - usually preserving about 3 jars full, then using the rest of the mix to carry on and make marmalade. I add sugar a cup or so at a time, tasting as I go, so I add enough to achieve the right level of sweet/tart that we like. and continue with the recipe instructions. For the jars of pulp, I store those away - it's then easy to pop a jar of it in a pot and bring the pulp to a boil. I then add sugar as above, and continue. and we can then enjoy freshly made marmalade throughout the year, and give some away too. Delicious for toast and marmalade on cold winter mornings. Take care. Julie
juliewn,
May 7, 9:28am
ps. tamarillo's are also nice preserved, or made into chutney. and they're beginning to be available. I bought some from here on Trademe last year - $34.00 for 10kg's which included courier to here, was a good price - and they were truly delicious. yum!
leon20,
May 7, 11:37pm
For the people who havn't the nz gardener book Red Onion and capsicum jam:
3 large red onions 1tbsp salt 2 red capsicums 1 cup cider vinegar 1 cup dark cane sugar (chelsea) 3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
Peel and finely slice the onions into a large bowl.Sprinkle with salt and let stand for one hour, then rinse in cold water and drain well.Cut the capsicums in half, remove the seeds and stalks, and cut into thin slices (similar in size to the onions). Heat the cider vinegar and sugar in a large saucepan, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved.Then add the onion and capsicum and bring to the boil.Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes until mostof the lquid has reduced.finally, add the chilli sauce and stir until the mixture is thick and syrupy.Spoon into hot, clean jars and seal.
enjoy!
leon20,
May 7, 11:44pm
Julie you are very inspiring : ) fabulous ideas and tips thank you.I was given this week a box of preserving bottles that have 'Fowler's no27' etched on the bottom - they are so gorgeous I am picturing tomato sauce or tree tomato chutney! Orange marmalade sounds devine also.thank you!
juliewn,
May 8, 4:40am
and for apple recipes. :-)
juliewn,
May 8, 8:19am
Hi Vanessa. thanks :-) the jars sound lovely. our tamarillo tree has flowers on - so hopefully some fruit before too long. I put some frost protectioncloth over it tonight just before dark - don't want a frost wiping out a wonderful tamarillo tree! Enjoy making your goodies.
shadoe,
May 8, 11:34pm
Hi Juliewn I was wondering if you could please give me your Apple Chutney Recipe as I have just harvested all my Ballarat apples and was wanting to make chutney!Thanks in advance.Vicki
juliewn,
May 9, 4:51am
Hi Shadoe. ohhhhh. Ballarat apples. you have a very special type of apple there that are sadly not often found now. I know of one orchard near Te Awamutu that sells Ballarat apples still - it's worth a trip from Whakatane to there around now just to be able to buy some!In our extended family, this apple chutney recipe has been used for over 50 years. For the recipe, here 'tis: Apple Chutney: 2 kg apples, 500gms onions, 400 gms raisins, 1 kg brown sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon mixed spice, Malt vinegar. Chop the apples, onions and raisins - whizzing them in a food processor is fine. Place all the ingredients in a large pot or preserving pan. Cover with vinegar. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring often, so the mix doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Boil slowly about 2 hours or till thick - it will thicken a little more as it cools in the jars. Bottle into sterilised jars and place lids on top.Pop-top type jars are excellent, as the seal will pop down again ensuring long keeping. And. enjoy your chutney.
shadoe,
May 9, 6:41am
Thanks Juliewn Yes we have a property that was one of the first in the district where some Scandanavians settled so have a very old orchard with some very old and rare fruits.The apples are very sort after from friends that know we have them.Thanks for the recipe will be making it at the weekend hopefully.
juliewn,
May 9, 7:17am
Hi. the history of your property is interesting. . you'll probably know that many people came fromScandinavian countries in the 1860's to help build the Napier to Wellington railway. and included were my great great grandfather and his brother, who both eventually married and remained in the district around Carterton. They came from Denmark. and my extended family are still living in the Masterton and Carterton areas and surrounding districts.I just had a look at your profile and see that you're from Masterton - the Wairarapa area through to Hawkes Bay is full of Scandinavian names - Dannevirke, Norsewood, to name a couple -and there's a Scandinavian Club in the Wairarapa - at least there was until a few years ago when my Aunty showed me the newsletter from the club when we visited her.
juliewn,
May 9, 7:23am
Regarding old varieties of edible plants and trees.I've seen mentioned in the gardening message board here on Trademe that there's a place called Koanga Gardens in Northland, who for the past 20 years have been collecting seeds from old varieties of fruits and vegetables to ensure they won't be lost forever.You may have varieties that could be saved there also!. if you were interested in contacting them, the link to their site is:http://www.koanga.co.nz/pages/about.html .if not, their site is interesting to browse through anyway. :-) Have a great Friday. and let us know how you like the chutney. We have a tradition here. cold meat and that apple chutney sandwiches are usually what's for dinner on days whenpreserving is happening! Makes for a quick and easy meal. mmmm maybe panini's made with the meat and chutney and some salad would be good too! Cheers. Julie
shadoe,
May 9, 5:09pm
Hi Julie Yes this is a very interesting area of the Wairarapa,we actually live at Mauriceville West 27kms inland north of Masterton,the property we have has very interesting history a lot of which we found in papers in the roof. Thanks for that site,just had a quick look at the moment as we have a plum tree which somebody told us was a Prune plum and they have it there so that has been tremendous help and I will keep you informed about the chutney.Vicki
juliewn,
May 11, 8:05am
Hi Vicki. isn't it great when people leave things in their houses for someone else to one day find. I'm glad the site was a help with the prune plum. I saved some stones from a prune plum a couple of months ago - and have found out through the gardening messageboard how to plant the stones so we end up with a tree here. The tree the stones came from had grown from a stone too. so hopefully it will work. Cheers. Julie
natcat2104,
May 11, 4:47pm
Vinegar question! Hi, I'm going to make some pickle in the next few days but my Great Aunty's recipe only says 'vinegar', any ideas whether it means white or malt vinegar! It has tumeric, curry pwd, dry mustard, sugar, flour, salt, cauliflower and onion in it. Also I'm making a cabbage pickle too but same question again. Any help muchly appreciated. Thanks :-)
shadoe,
May 11, 7:41pm
Good Luck juliewn With growing the prune plum,when we brought this propety there was a great big hedge all the way along the back to the Plum tree and the people we brought from said that the tree had done nothing in the four years they were here so the day after purchase down came the ugly hedge and we have huge crops of the plums every year since,so maybe they like to be totally alone.
juliewn,
May 13, 7:53am
Hi. hope all your harvests went well and there are goodies in your pantry's.
juliewn,
May 13, 8:29am
Hi Natcat. you could use either malt or white vinegar. I use white when using the ingredients you've listed, as the resulting pickle is a clearer mustardy/yellow colour without malt vinegar making it a bit browner in colour. Tastewise, either gives a good result. enjoy your pickle. :-)
juliewn,
May 13, 8:31am
Hi Vicki. thank goodness they hadn't removed them and they're there for you to enjoy. :-)
juliewn,
May 15, 7:27am
Well. it's a crazy time of night to be making apple chutney! - it will be ready to bottle shortly. then off to bed I go. An orchard just outside town here has 10kg bags of very large Granny Smith apples for $6.00 - they're so large there's only 22 apples per bag! I've preserved 20 jars of apple pulp this afternoon - and the chutney is almost ready. my kitchen bench looks great tonight. My Daughter Jenni was helping to peel the apples, then when we finished that, she was sitting in a chair on the other side of the bench as I worked. She said "Mum - watching you preserve is one of my favourite memories from all through the years of my childhood, and until now (she just turned 18) and I will always remember the smells and tastes, and watching you make all the preserves."Awww. a lovely warm fuzzy moment.
juliewn,
May 16, 6:25am
Bumpety bump. :-) Tamarillo's, kiwifruit, etc ready to harvest - and citrus just starting too. yum.
juliewn,
May 17, 6:12am
Hi Jen.. I apologise for not replying to your question earlier.. the amount of vinegar needed is just to almost cover the ingredients in the pan, once you're ready to start cooking.. I hope you see this..
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