Pickled Garlic: This is great for gifts. Peel 250gms garlic and cut any large cloves in half. In a saucepan, bring to the boil 1 cup white vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds and 1/4 tsp celery seeds. Boil 5 minutes. Add garlic and boil a further five minutes. Place garlic into small jars. Bring the syrup back to the boil and pour over to cover the garlic. Cover with a non-metallic lid. Leave for 6 weeks before using. Pickled Garlic can be used in the same way as you would pickled onions or gherkins. in sandwiches, antipasto platters, with cold meats, cheeses etc. sliced and added to rice or pasta salads, or other kinds of salads. etc.etc. It doesn't give garlic-breath as it's pickled. I prefer it chilled when using.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 4:59am
Pickled Onions: Peel onions and place in jars - I do this outside on our BBQ table - on a breezy day, and sit so the wind is going past you from one side of you to the other. and on. - and it takes all the eye watering stuff away! In each jar, place 2-4 tsps brown sugar (or honey if you prefer), and a tsp of whole black peppercorns. Fill with vinegar, place lids on and you're done. Leave two weeks before using. I use malt vinegar - you can also use white or spiced vinegar. You can also add some whole cloves or whole chillies for a hotter, spicier result.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:01am
Strawberry Jam - the season starts next month! Place strawberry's in a pan. any quantity youhave. Mash a bit with a potato masher or similar - or your hands, to get some juice out. Heat very slowly, stirring often so it doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan, until boiling. Simmer about 10-15 minutes till the fruit is softened. Add some sugar, a little at a time, stirring constantly, and tasting until you have it the sweetness you want. Most recipes have equal quantities of fruit and sugar - we prefer more of a fruit flavour than sugar flavour though, so I use about 1/2 the quantity of sugar - ie 4kg fruit, 2 kg sugar. Once the sweetness is as you want, increase the heat, stirring constantly, until the mix is boiling.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:02am
Keep at a rolling boiling until a little tested on a saucer has the degree of setting you want. I place a tablespoon full of the juices on a saucer. Place it in the freezer for a moment to cool quickly, then run my finger through the middle of the jam. If the sides stay apart, it's ready to bottle - if the sides run back together - cook longer. Bottle into sterilised jars - and enjoy! You can use this method for any jams. Have fun.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:07am
Grape Juice - & for passionfruit, red currants,etc Place some preserving jars in the oven at 50°C - I use the pop-top jars from jam, pasta sauce etc.- if you don't have many, these are inexpensive at Opp shops - check that the undersides of the lids are not rusty when buying. Place the pop-top lids in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer to sterilise them.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:08am
Wash the grapes and leave in a colander to dry a little.Remove the grapes from the stems, and place them in a bowl. Bring to the boil some syrup - 1 cup sugar to 3 cups water. times the quantity you want. Stir often to dissolve the sugar. When that is boiling and the sugar is dissolved, remove the jars, a few at a time, from the oven and place on a wooden or similar surface (thick newspaper works fine too) so they won't break going straight onto a cold surface. Quickly fill each jar to 1/4 full with grapes. Carefully pour over the syrup, a little in each jar at a time, to completely fill the jars right to the top. Place the pop-top lids on and screw tight. Wipe the outside of the jar and set aside to cool. As they cool, the pop-top lids will pop down to seal the jar. Wash the jars when cold.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:09am
Over the next couple of weeks, the colour and flavour of the grapes will seep into the syrup, making lovely grape juice. This is delicious chilled - pour some into a glass and top up with lemonade. You can also use this for passionfruit, berries, red or black currants, etc.etc.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:11am
Make Healthy Christmas Mincemeat now to use later: Mince - or process - 2 cups each of currants, sultanas and raisins (I prefer the sticky raisins for better flavour - they're sold in a packet in supermarkets), and 2 large apples, cored - I use Granny Smith and use the skins too for extra fibre. I then add a packet of ground almonds, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg. Mix well and use straight away or place into jars or containers and freeze till needed. Just delicious with a lovely fruit flavour - and lot's of 5 plus a day fruit! Healthy Christmas Mince Pie mincemeat.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:14am
Banana and Date Chutney: This is a mild, sweet chutney which tastes very good. 12 ripe banana's, peeled and sliced. 500gms dates chopped. 1 kg onions peeled and sliced finely. 600mls malt vinegar. 500gms golden syrup (this is used instead of sugar). 125gms crystallised ginger, chopped finely - OR4 level teaspoons ground ginger. 2 level teaspoons curry powder. Place banana's, dates, onions and vinegar in a large pot. Bring slowly to the boil stirring often. Simmer till everything is tender. Add the golden syrup and spices and cook gently, stirring often, until thick. Pot into sterilised jars and cover. Ready to use in 3 weeks.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 5:17am
Pickles Red Cabbage - also a nice gift. Cut a firm red cabbage into fine slices - or thick slices if you prefer. Sprinkle with plain (not iodised) salt and leave 24 hours. Drain well through a colander or similar. Heat spiced vinegar (use the DYC spiced vinegar or make your own). Place the well drained cabbage slices into hot sterilised jars - pop top jars are good as they'll pop down as they cool, and reseal.Fill the jars to the top with the hot spiced vinegar and place the lids on. Leave till cold - the lids will pop down to seal the jars. Once cold, wash the outside of the jars to remove any vinegar, and keep for at least a week before using. Tastes best chilled. This is great with cold meats, on an antipasto platter, on sandwiches, etc.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 10:43am
Hi Claren. thanks for your congratulations. people have been sharing recipes for a couple of years now. it's a rather tempting wander through the posts to see what else to make.
juliewn,
Sep 14, 10:43am
Hi Janny. thanks for the link to your awesome site. day by day I'm getting closer to planting all my garden area. have it all pictured in my mind, and may possibly have been known to turn the outside light on and look out to the new garden at times in the early hours of the morning! lol.
juliewn,
Sep 15, 3:14pm
Hi Tracey. :-) Have a lovely week. :-)
tina76,
Sep 16, 8:37am
wow what an amazing thread. bumping up.am about to have a hunt for what to do with peaches soon.
juliewn,
Sep 16, 11:13am
Hi Tina.thanks. This is an easy way to look through the thread for anything to do with peaches: Have a page of the thread open (or any internet page), then either click the F3 button at the top of your keyboard, or on the lower left of your keyboard, hold down the control (Ctrl) key, and at the same time press the letter "F". A box will pop up. Type a word you're looking for - ie "peach" or "chutney" and click next. and again. until you find what you're looking for. or you've found all the threads or posts with that word in. Not on that page! Go to the next one and repeat. This makes it easy to find any thread or posts in a thread that you're looking for. Hope this helps. Enjoy the thread. :-)
juliewn,
Sep 17, 2:56pm
Hi Janny. I sure am looking forward to growing lots of goodies. I haven't made jam with a pumpkin base. what kind have you made. sounds interesting. thanks. :-)
cabbagefan,
Sep 17, 7:30pm
stupid questions about reusing jars just gonna make tomato relish for the first time. once its made and the jars are sterilised. is it ok to just put the lid on! even though the seal has been broken before! thanks
janny3,
Sep 18, 9:19am
mum made pumpkin fruit jams used up green tomatoes, pumpkins to augment/bulk out fruit jams.A bit like those Craigs jams in jars, (think it's them) that have pumpkin based fruit jams.Think she got them from the old Women's Weekly hey-days.
juliewn,
Sep 18, 10:02am
Hi Cabbagefan. You can use the pop-top type jars with lids many times - they'll seal well for you - just make sure there's no scratching or rust under the lids and discard lids like that so your goodies don't go off. I wouldn't use the perfit seals - the ones used with screw bands - as the lid can be slightly twisted as it's opened, I wouldn't rely on a good seal because of that. As the pop-top jars are opened in a different way, without twisting the lid upwards, this doesn't occur. I hope this helps. enjoy your lovely relish. :-)
juliewn,
Sep 18, 10:04am
ps. fill the jar to almost level with the top before you put the lid on - so there's no airspace in the jar once it's sealed, so your goodies will keep really well.
juliewn,
Sep 18, 10:06am
Hi Janny I have an older NZWW recipe book. and after seeing your post, think I've seen a pumpkin based recipe in there. I'd rather have all-fruit jam. and enjoy the pumpkin baked, roasted, in soup, mashed, etc.etc. :-) Have a great weekend.
janny3,
Sep 18, 11:25am
Poor Mum had to make things stretch! LEMON PICKLE:
3 lemons, washed & thinly sliced, 1 small onion finely sliced, 2 tspns vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tspn chilli flakes, 3/4 c castor sugar & 1 c white wine vinegar. Blanch lemons 3 x in pot of boiling water. In a heavy based pot on low heat, sweat the onions until transparent. Add chilli & cook3 minutes being careful not to let it brown. Add lemon, sugar & vinegar, bring to the boil and gently cook for 1/2 hour until syrupy. Pour into sterilised jars. Makes around 400-500 mls. Need 3 lemons sliced thinly. Cut them in 1/2 1st & remove seeds, then slice. Blanch them in a pot of cold water brought to the boil, drain and cover w/ cold water again, bring back to the boil then drain & cover w/ cold water & bring back to the boil i.e. 3 x then drain quickly.Used M/foods chopped chili instead of chili flakes. 1tsp for mild, 2 tsp hottish,3 for very hot.(YES!)
BTW: put in the 1 tsp of salt w/ the lemon sugar & vinegar.It's sweet, salt, acid, hot, essentials for good pickle
juliewn,
Sep 18, 1:35pm
Bumping for Beetroot relish recipes. :-)
juliewn,
Sep 20, 12:34pm
Oops. that was meant to be Pickled Red Cabbage.
jenna68,
Sep 21, 7:04am
and again :o)
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