I love summer and stocking the pantry with homemade goodies, making blackcurrant juice today smells fanastic, whats every one else making?
harrislucinda,
Jan 5, 4:27pm
nottodaybutdidredcurrantsyrupjustaddwaterorsoda
bellyatobhs,
Jan 5, 4:36pm
would it be the same recipe as the blackcurrant? have a heap of red currant bushes so would be nice to use them rather than giving them to the chooks.
fester7,
Jan 5, 7:03pm
strawberry jam - third batch...picking 1/2 bucket a day.Waiting for the elderberries :)
floralsun,
Jan 5, 7:10pm
Ohhh your garden's must be fabulous! I have berries growing - a few berries this year - looking forward to the future crops.
Would you post your black currant and red currant recipes please?? Thanks.
cookessentials,
Jan 5, 7:42pm
I will be doing my yearly apricot jam, but it might have to wait until we get home.
buzzy110,
Jan 5, 8:07pm
Really envious that you have black currants growing in your garden. I've tried raspberries but I still only have the one plant thus far and no berries. I thought they were rampant. Even my blackberry vine is being very coy and has been that way for the last 4 years.
Still my fig tree, which has taken 5 years to even look like it is producing more than 2 figs a year, is loaded so there is hope for me yet. And I can wax lyrical about my avocado tree. It is loaded with masses of new fruit. Yum. Can't wait for September to roll around. And this year my grape vines are redolent with lush, healthy looking bunches of grapes after 4 years of doing nothing in particular.
davidt4,
Jan 5, 8:39pm
Buzzy, as far as I know most berries, including raspberries and blackcurrants, fruit on one year old wood.It's important to prune them accordingly.We planted raspberries and blackcurrants for the first time this year and while there is lots of growth we've had only about 10 raspberries and no blackcurrants at all.The Auckland climate isn't ideal I know, but we're hoping for a crop next year.
fester7,
Jan 5, 8:49pm
I'm cheating on the berries ,I provide friends with fresh goats milk. They have been away for a fortnight and I'm loose in their strawberry patch ( about the size of a triple garage !! )
bellyatobhs,
Jan 5, 9:08pm
Naw buzzy I wont tell you about my hundreds of rassy plants then not to mention our huge boysenberries! we love berries and it's the one thing that grows really well down here, they need a good frosting so raspberrys wont grow as well up your way. But lucky you I love avacadoes what a treat to grow your own!
bellyatobhs,
Jan 5, 9:12pm
Black Currant Syrup
1.5 kilos blackcurrants 4.5 litres water 3kg sugar 1 cup white vinegar
boil currants and water till all the juice has come out. Strain through a collander. then through a jelly bag ( i just use a cotton tea towel) pour juice back into pot and add sugar ( i tend to use around 2.5k sugar) and vinegar bring to boil for three minutes stirring until sugar is dissolved, bottle and seal keeps indefinatly, dilute to drink with water or likewise.
buzzy110,
Jan 5, 9:13pm
No. definitely do not tell me about all your wonderful berries. I'm going greener and greener. Raspberries are my favourite fruit of all time. This year I gave strawberries a miss at Xmas in favour of raspberries and blueberries and they were just wonderful.
Did you know there is now a special variety of raspberries that don't need frost? That is what I think I bought.
Lol david, the bush hasn't actually grown since I planted it last year but it hasn't passed away either so my fingers are crossed. I think I'll have to be prepared for the 4-5 year plan.
bedazzledjewels,
Jan 5, 9:14pm
Oh, my favourite jam from my sugar days! How lovely.
bellyatobhs,
Jan 5, 9:18pm
haven't heard of that variety buzzy, what type of soil have you got it planted in, they like an acidic soil. And they need to grow a whole year before you get berries, be patient they will get better year after year they do take a we while to get going. We grow boysenberries in our glasshouse they grow huge and the good thing is the birds don't get any!
darlingmole,
Jan 5, 9:21pm
well I *was* going to make some plum jam today but no-one answered my questions on the recent "plum jam" thread.I made sweet tomato relish last week though and hoping to make some more next week
bellyatobhs,
Jan 5, 9:22pm
Why not try plum sauce? now thats yummy mum always use to make it and we would have it instead of tomato sauce.
245sam,
Jan 5, 9:27pm
darlingmole, all or some of your questions have been answered on the "plum jam" thread - here's the answer(s) and some useful advice too.....
"no dont take skin off, nor stones out but you can de stone the plums if you prefer and skin just takes time. Quote cgvl (21 )1:00 pm, Thu 6 Jan #11 It is a good idea to count the number of plums. Then you can count the stones later to be certain that you have removed them all. Quote davidt4 (176 )1:16 pm, Thu 6 Jan #12"
:-))
floralsun,
Jan 7, 11:57am
Thanks for posting the recipe :-)
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