if your rhubarb is backwards....

Apple and herb jelly

2011-10-05T10:26:00.001+11:00

http://fromme-toyou.tumblr.com/post/207610459/apple-orchard

I am in the process of making some! I will be adding step by step photos to this recipe :)

Grapefruit Marmalade

2011-09-29T17:01:00.008+10:00

For those who love the bittersweet tang of marmalade on their buttery toast, do i have a recipe for you! Grapefruit is a bitter fruit by mature, and makes a delicious honey/amber coloured marmalade. I picked mine from a tree overhanging a friends garden, they were very ripe and juicy with a thick pith.

8 grapefuit

1.5 kg sugar

water

juice of one lemon

1. After thorough washing, peel the skin leaving the pith and shred finely, place peel in a large non reactive bowl

2. remove pith and seeds from grapefruits and keep in a jelly bag (or a very old, clean, pillow slip kept for this purpose)

3. slice fruit as finely as you can muster after all of that chopping

4. Add the fruit to the bowl with the shredded peel and cover with water. Place the jelly bag containing seeds and pith in the water also (you will

remover this later - it just helps it to set)

5. leave overnight to soak

6. the following day, remove the jelly bag and pour your mixture into a large pot to cook. Allow to boil until the peel is so soft that you can easily squash it with the back of a spoon.

7. Take off the heat and add sugar. Stir to dissolve and taste... is it too bitter? if so, add more!

8. Add lemon juice, and boil the mixture very hard (be careful, it will bubble and froth quite high!) until it gels

9. bottle and seal in sterilised jars.

Lemon Butter!

2011-09-29T16:50:00.005+10:00

Lemon Butter has to be one of the easiest, cheapest and most delicious spreads to make at home. Don't believe what they say about double boilers!!

Recipe (adapted

from Stephanie Alexander - the Cooks Companion)

60 g butter

2/3 cup sugar (castor if you have it)

juice of 2 lemons

4 egg yolks (i used small eggs from the farmers market)

zest of 1/2 a lemon

1. Whisk the eggs yolks and sugar together. They should make a pale creamy emulsion.

2. add a little lemon juice and whisk again to dissolve any pesky sugar crystals

3. pour into a heavy based saucepan, add the rest of the juice (always taste as you go!*), zest and butter and cook, stirring over a medium heat.

4. remove from the heat once the lemon butter coats the spoon, but keep stirring until you pour into a sterilised jar

this whole process took me about 10 minutes, and make one glorious jar of primrose coloured lemony goodness.

* my lemons were super juicy and large, so i used about 1.5 lemons worth of juice. Taste it - if it is not lemony enough add a bit more, but remember you cant take the lemon back!

Mustardy Roasted Beetroot Relish

2011-07-25T14:59:00.007+10:00

There are a great many delicious things to do with beetroot. I had been thinking for a long time that making a relish would be delicious, so i had a go at making a roasted beetroot relish with mustard seeds and horseradish cream added. It turned out very well, especially on a hamburger or with barbequed meats. Here is the recipe!

2 bunches (about 1 kg) beetroot
700 ml apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dry roasted mustard seeds
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/2 kilo sugar

To start I roasted the beetroot, unpeeled in the oven for about half an hour. Once it had started to smell roasty, i removed it and peeled the skin. I would recommend gloves for all those who do not want violently fuchsia hands. The beetroot were then grated and placed in in a large heavy based saucepan with the vinegar, spices and sugar and cooked until the beetroot was soft and the liquid had become syrupy. Horseradish was added and into sterilised jars and voila!

apple and rhubarb jelly!

2010-04-09T14:54:00.001+10:00

curerently cooking up a batch of apple and rhubarb jelly! should be quite pink this time, as the rhubarb was a very deep pink
Using fresh Braeburn apples from my local orchard!

Plum and White Nectarine Jam

2010-04-07T16:06:00.004+10:00

made some today :) will be selling it at balmain markets at some time this year!
and probably starting an etsy shop

tastes delicious! and i made it in the same way as the plum and white nectarine jam i made recently

An Etsy Shop or Markets?

2010-03-10T13:50:00.002+11:00

I have been wondering lately whether to set up an etsy shop. Itsa great website where we can buy handmade items from the people who made them -

http://www.etsy.com/

or maybe i should just try selling at markets?

like Balmain markets perhaps

http://www.balmainmarket.com.au/

either way i definitely need to be making more jam, and packaging it in these lovely jars

http://tinyurl.com/yh5zg64

Plum and White Nectarine Jam

2010-01-13T11:14:00.005+11:00

So this jam is very full flavoured and delicious! and a great way to use slightly too ripe plums!
plums are great because they set so well. i did have some emergency 'Jamsetta' but i didnt need it!

Ingredients
2kg plums (i used red fleshed)
4 slightly unripe but fragrant white nectarines
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp lemon zest
3 lemons (juice)
sugar

the method is much the same as all other jams i have made - i started by chopping the fruit into smallish pieces, and placing in a large heavy saucepan with the zest, one lemons juice and 2 cups of water, this was boiled until the fruit was very soft.
the next important step is adding the sugar - i added about 1.5 kilos and some extra lemon juice as i found this very sweet
this mixture should be stirred off heat until all of the sugar has dissolved, and is looks nice and glossy and smooth. put is back on the heat and bring to a rolling boil - pectin sets at 104 degrees celcius, so a strong boil is really necessary.

once the setting test is reached (ie on a cold plate, the jam wrinkles when you pull you finger through it) bottle and seal! ta daaa! delcious and easy jam

been to the orchard...

2010-01-08T21:29:00.001+11:00

hello :)
i have been to the orchard recently and bought myslef 2 kg of apples and 2 kg of delicious plums!
i think i will be making some more apple and herb jelly to go with roast meats, and some more plum and vanilla jam. YUM!

Rhubarb and Apple Jelly...

2009-07-04T23:39:00.008+10:00

... Is Delicious
even if i do say so myself. Which is very lucky as i gave it as one of the bonbonierre gifts at our wedding that was in april :) (i also made two other preserves, but more about that later when i locate the sweet photos i took - possibly with my mums camera)

we went to the orchard down in darkes forest. An undertaking i highly recommend if you are ever in need of 10kg of fresh apples and 3 kg of lovely plums for a very reasonable sum.(Find them here Glenbernie Orchards
the recipe included

3kg apples (per batch)
1 big bunch of rhubarb
about 2.5 kg sugar
3 lemons

first step - to cut the apples and rhubarb into large pieces. this is going to be strained later, so no need to worry about the look of the fruit, its all about the juice. then put all of the fruit into an enormous saucepan with enough water to just cover.

Once the fruit is in, boil it until it becomes mushy. Make sure that you give it plenty of room in case it froths, but it should be fine at this stage. lemon juice can also be added and if you wish drop a cinnamon stick in for a short time

Looks ugly now, but wait it gets better :)
Strain you mixture through a jelly bag, or a muslin cloth (or other clean fabric which is a loose weave) you want to only collect the juice, otherwise you could end up with a cloudy jelly. Leave to hang for as long as you have patience - overnight if possible. You should end up with a big bowl of delicious pink juice.

(note my hanging technique - an upended stool can be a very useful tool in jelly making)
Once you have strained this glorious pink essence, you just put it back on the stove with an enormous amount of sugar. i used a bit more than 3/4 cup sugar per cup of fruit, otherwise i find it too sugary. stir to dissolve and then boil it hard until it reaches setting point.
fresh apples will set very well - heaps of pectin :) the lemon juice also helps to draw the pectin out. It is during this stage that the jelly will -
a) froth up very high, so make sure you use the enormous pot again
b) become clear, but impurities will come to the surface, you need to skim these
c) smell delicious
while warm pour carefully into jars (in my case tiny cute jars), tighten lids, and upturn to form a seal. ta daaa! apple and rhubarb jelly!

Italian festa

2008-11-06T19:50:00.006+11:00

last weekend me and my fiance went for a lovely afternoon in leichhardt, to the italian festa on norton street. it was great. there were lots of street stalls, food and people everywhere. i ended up coming home with a large tub of green olives with garlic and oregano, italian honey biscuits, nougat, and some fair trade olive oil soap from persia... and some second hand books from the big bookshop on norton

Mulberry conserve with vanilla and orange zest

2008-11-03T19:05:00.001+11:00

and here it is - the recipe
i had about 1 1/4 kg of mulberries that i had collected off our tree out the lounge room window and i had been freezing them. Don't attempt this recipe if you don't like mess!
i modified the recipe from 'windfalls' for mulberry jam

ingredients

1kg mulberries (stalks removed)
800g sugar
100 ml water
juice of 2-3 lemons
teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
or
1 vanilla bean
1 teaspoon of orange zest

add the mulberries, lemon juice (and pips, you can scoop them out later and they have pectin) and water to a large pot and simmer until all the fruit is soft and mushy.
Once it is soft, turn the heat down and add sugar. When the sugar has all dissolved, turn the heat up high and bring to a rolling boil.
After a little while the mixture will bubble up really high, at this stage it is getting close to being ready, start testing for set. The bubbling will subside and when it does test for set often. it will happen quickly. When it reaches set point, take off the heat immediately and bottle. While the jars are still hot invert them to create a good seal and sterilise. and voila! delicious mulberry vanilla and orange zest conserve!

mulberry jam...

2008-11-02T21:35:00.005+11:00

i have finally made the jam! and its good :)
but first, here's the trees they came from, and a bowl of the glorious purple staining fruit that tastes like childhood

not jam... but delicious

2008-10-30T21:47:00.004+11:00

i have been looking at these gorgeous shoes!
pity they cost... i like the rasberry colour but they come in many many colours and can be custom made! perhaps i have found some wedding shoe contenders?
from here

wedding patchwork

2008-10-26T20:50:00.006+11:00

now, it may appear to you that i have had a lot of time on my hands... in reality i am a master of procrastination except when it comes to making pretty things
and so i present to you the largest inspiration board that ever existed - lol
i think its almost captures the many and varied ideas i have been having lately. our bridesmaids dresses, church, and the vineyard we will be having our reception at are all in there
photo credits to - peonies and polaroids
- martha stewart weddings
-moss and spy

and at least a million others who i cant remember!

gorgeous photo and tasty idea

2008-10-18T17:51:00.003+11:00

mmmm rhubarb and rosemary jelly...
from here

wedding jam favours

2008-10-17T17:30:00.002+11:00

so, i am engaged :) and will be married in april
i have been seriously thinking about making little pots of jam for our guests
just like this -

i found this post on lovely morning... how lovely!

botanical drawings...

2008-10-05T17:39:00.005+11:00

on a side note, i love botanical illustrations. i am a biologist after all...
i found this one of mulberries which i really like

a mulberry tree!!

2008-10-05T17:25:00.007+11:00

exciting news!
recently i discovered two old mulberry trees growing outside my lounge room window! (by just discovered i mean only just connected the large green leaved trees that i knew were there were mulberry trees because they are fruiting)
and this is very exciting!
so far i have made mulberry and white chocolate muffins using stephanie alexanders recipe for muffins from her bible - 'a cooks companion' - and will be making mulberry jam as soon as i collect about 1 kg of berries
yay!

recipe - mulberry and white chocolate muffins
220g self-raising flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk (i used soy)
1 egg
3/4 cup vegetable oil
a big handful of white chocolate bits
1 cup mulberries

with an over preheat to 180 combine all you wet ingredients (except berries) and whisk lightly to combine . Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl (sifting if you feel energetic) and make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and berries and stir lightly until just combined. put muffin mix into muffin cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden on top
YUM
image via giniann.wordpress.com

mandarin marmalade

2008-08-14T21:42:00.005+10:00

Its delicious! and the rinds turn out very soft and unctuous. the recipe i have used comes from Sue Ruchels book - 'windfalls' with a few differences of my own. It seems like a long process, but if you soak your mandarins and shred the rind overnight it is all finished and bottled the next day, with a definite sense of achievement

Delicious Mandarin Shred Marmalade

1kg mandarins
2 lemons
water
sugar

The day before peel the mandarins and slice the peel very finely. Place the shredded peel ina muslin bag and reserve. Wash and roughly chop the lemons and segment the mandarins and place in a large non reactive bowl and cover with water. Put the peel in with the fruit and leave overnight.

The next day boil all of the fruit and water and peel until the fruit is soft and the liquid reduced by about half. remover the peel after the first 20 minutes. Pour all the fruit through a jelly bag and leave to drip for as
long as you have patience for - you can squeeze the bag if you dont mind a cloudy marmalade - i squeezed mine :) and discard the pulp.

In a large non reactive pot add the sugar to the juice in the ratio of one cup of
sugar to one cup of juice - a little less if you like it a little less sweet- and stir to dissolve over low heat. Boil the mixture hard until setting test is reached. Take off the heat, allow to stand and add the peel. stir and bottle while hot. Invert the bottles to create a seal and voila!

delicious marmalade to share with family and friends

Mandarin marmalade here i come :)

2008-06-25T12:47:00.002+10:00

hi,
after i long hiatus from blogging...
i have moved and discovered a mandarin tree in full fruit in my new backyard!
how exciting
so mandarin marmalade is definitely on my agenda
yay!
will let you know how it goes - im going to try a shred style marmalade this time

Cherry Jam

2008-01-08T17:27:00.001+11:00

hello all

exciting news as yesterday i made my first batch of cherry jam! it is very tasy -sweet and a little tart - all i need now is a nice warm croissant. i used fresh cherries, that were quite ripe. a bit risky as cherries have low pectin levels, but there were a few bright red ones and with the lemons it set perfectly!

here is the recipe

Cherry Citrus Jam

1 kg cherries

around 750 g white sugar

juice of three medium lemons

zest of two medium lemons

small amount of water

1. wear some dark clothing and cover up... pitting cherries is a messy business! i used my fingers to remove the pip, but you can use a special cherry pip remover

2. place pitted cherries in a large pot, and cook, with a small amount of water until the fruit is completely soft. add lemon juice and zest during this time. smells delicious!

3. measure the cooked fruit, including liquid. for every cup of cooked fruit at 3/4 cups sugar (hence my estimated 750g sugar for 1 kg fruit). this sounds like a lot of sugar, but it is needed to make the jam keep for a long time

4. place the cooked fruit and the sugar together in the pot and bring to a rolling boil. the fruit will froth and bubble. stir attentively - it cooks fast!

5. once the bubbling subsides, the jam is ready to test for set. to do this - place a white saucer in the freezer, once cold bring out and drop some jam mixture on it. if after a minute or so the jam wrinkles when you push it with your finger the jam is ready. take the jam off the heat when testing, because you dont want to burn the jam!

6. once the jam is ready bottle and seal in sterilised jars

and ta da! tasty summery jam ready for eating

its fruit season!

2007-12-04T10:29:00.000+11:00

hello jammers!
its fruit season again and im excited about the possibilities!
im thinking of making a cherry jam (YUM) and maybe nectarine too :)
also, am definitely going to investigate this mustard fruits further, i might use maggie beers recipe
look forward to my tales of jam production coming soon!

what next?

2007-09-21T20:07:00.000+10:00

the question is, what to preserve next?
im thinking of making apricot jam using dried apricots
tis the season after all for using dried fruit
i am also interested in making mustard fruits...
but i cant find a recipe anywhere! if anyone knows of one let me know :)
happy jamming

Tasty Sage Jelly

2007-09-04T22:44:00.000+10:00

i did the taste test and its good!
im so glad :) we had some roast pork and the sage jelly went with it really well.
it didn't quite set firm, but it is still quite a good texture. the sage flavour wasnt too strong, it complimented the sweet and sharp jelly better than i expected
yay!

Mint, Sage and Rosemary - Herb Jelly

2007-08-29T18:00:00.000+10:00

i finally made my jelly! it turned out so pretty! i havent tasted it yet properly, but i will soon. i am thinking of using it mainly with roast meat, like duck would go really well with sage, and am also thinking of using it like a glaze, especially the rosemary, on a roast lamb. oh, and some of the mint jelly is destined as gift to my boyfriends family :)

it was really fun. and a bit intimidating - but thats how first times usually are

i adapted a recipe from Sue Ruchels book - Windfalls

for this recipe you can pretty much substitute any herbs you like!

Basic Herb Jelly Recipe

2kg apples, halved

water to cover

1-1 and 1/2 cups of white vinegar

3/4 cup of sugar per cup of fruit extract
2 cups of herbs (of your choice

1. place apples in a large pot and cover with water.
2. boil until the apples are soft, but try not to let them get mushy
3. add between 1 and 1 and a half cups of vinegar depending on the sweetness of your apples
4. strain the cooked apples through a jelly bag (you can use muslin strung up between the legs of an upturned stool - this step may take hours - up to overnight depending on your patience) into a very large bowl
5. measure the resulting liquid and add the appropriate
amount of sugar and stir on low heat until dissolved
6. bring to a hard boil until it reaches set - it will go a golden colour and bubble up quite high, so be prepeared with a large pot
7. add the herbs about 5 minutes before bottling so the heat helps to extract the flavour

i was a bit worried during the cooking that my apple extract was cloudy, but it cooked really clear. i was so excited when it became clearer and clearer and more golden as i cooked

herb jelly!

2007-08-25T22:20:00.000+10:00

tomorrow is the big day!
im making sage jelly and mint jelly (maybe thyme, maybe rosemary)
how exciting!
i found some really cute jars today at the shops (the reject shop actually lol)
i am also procrastinating and not doing uni work... but at least i will be being productive :)
hope it goes well!

more cupcakes

2007-08-16T18:58:00.000+10:00

i also made some really good orange cupcakes for my boyfriend's nephew's 2nd birthday party!

i thought i'd put a photo up because they were so pretty and yum...

jammy cupcake adventures!

2007-08-16T13:05:00.001+10:00

last weekend i was having a baking kind of day, so me and my sister decided to make some experimental jam drop cupcakes!
we used a normal butter cake recipe and nice rasberry jam (sadly, i didnt make it, but im sure when rasberry season comes around i will!). we also made some chocolate jammy cupcakes in the same way but with a tablespoon or so of cocoa in the batter...
they turned out very tasty

Jam Drop Cupcakes

250g Butter
250g castor sugar
4 eggs
250g self raising flour
vanilla
rasberry jam (or whatever jam takes your fancy!)

cream the butter, sugar and vanilla
add the eggs and beat in one at a time
add flour and mix until combined
drop a tablespoon full into cupcake cases
make an indent and spoon about one teaspoon of jam into the top of the cakes

cook in a moderate oven for 15 minutes
mmmmmm tasty

tough rinds?

2007-08-06T18:56:00.000+10:00

has anyone else made lime marmalade and had the rinds turn out a little tough? mine were, but as the marmalade gets older they are softening. i have a theory that its something to do with the sugar - maybe the lime mix was a bit hot when i dissolved the sugar and it partially candied the peels? any ideas?
happy preserving!
here is the recipe i followed for Awesome Lime Marmalade

lime marmalade

2007-08-05T22:50:00.001+10:00

and some photos of my lime marmalade!

tastes so good i ate it with a spoon after. im so proud of my efforts!

Piccalilly...

2007-08-05T22:39:00.000+10:00

a photo of my piccalilly! looks tasty huh
just needs some nice ham...
Piccalilly recipe

Foodie Blogroll

2007-08-05T17:06:00.000+10:00

Hi everyone!
i just joined the foodie blogroll. its easy to join and the more members the merrier! so if you have a foodie blog why not?
http://www.leftoverqueen.com/the-foodie-blogroll
happy pickling!

ridiculously expensive marmalade

2007-08-02T22:51:00.000+10:00

just randomly i found this article! would anyone really want to spend five thousand pounds on marmalade? apparently they do
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/22/nmarmalade22.xml

mint jelly

2007-08-01T21:31:00.000+10:00

my next adventure into preserves is going to be herb jellies! i think mint and sage. i love herbs! i use fresh herbs in my cooking almost always. i especially love going out to the garden and collecting little bunches of different herbs - rosemary, sage, thyme (i especially love thyme), lemongrass, mint - whats not to like? herbs are fragrant and punchy and add so much to food!

Shame theres not much fruit in season at the moment. i'd really like to get into making fruity sweet jams. i am doing my best to use fruits in season; i feel like this is one of the main reasons to make preserve in the first place - being able to use fruits and veggies that were kept at their best for use when there is not as much fruit or veg around.

anyway, all i have to do before making my next batch is to find some jars! anyone know of a good place to find/buy jars for jams? if you do drop me a line :)

Piccalilly

2007-07-31T20:45:00.000+10:00

this is a great recipe for piccalilly, makes about 12 x 450g jars (thanks Rick Stein)

INGREDIENTS
450g Salt
4½ Litres Boiling Water
2 medium Cauliflowers Broken Into Small Florets
450g Pickling Onions Peeled And Halved - or quartered if they are a bit bigger
450g Topped And Tailed Runner Beans (Sides Peeled Away And Cut Diagonally Into 2cm Pieces)
½ large Halved Lengthways Cucumber (Seeds Removed And Then Into 1cm Chunks)
225g Topped And Tailed Zucchini (Cut Into 1cm Chunks)
275g Caster Sugar
1½ Litres Distilled Malt Vinegar (Plus Extra 5 Tbsp)
2 Crushed Garlic Cloves
½ Grated Nutmeg
½ teaspoon Ground Allspice
50g Plain Flour
25g Powder Mustard
25g Tumeric Powder
15g Ground Ginger
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Method
1. Mix the salt with the boiling water.
2. Leave to cool, divide between two large bowls and add the cauliflower and onions to one bowl and the runner beans, cucumber and courgettes to the other.
3. Cover with a plate to keep the vegetables submerged and leave for 12-24 hours.
4. Drain the vegetables and rinse them well, still keeping them separate.
5. Put the sugar, garlic and 1.5 litres (2 pints 13fl oz) of vinegar into a large pan.
6. Bring to the boil, add the cauliflower, onions, allspice and nutmeg and cook for just three minutes.
7. Add the beans and the cucumber and cook for a further 4-5 minutes - you want the vegetables to be just cooked, still a bit crunchy
8. Lift out of the vinegar with a large spider or sieve into a large bowl and set aside.
9. Mix the flour, mustard, turmeric and ginger powder with the rest of the vinegar and enough water to make a smooth paste.
10. Add a little of the hot vinegar mixture, stir into the rest left in the pan and bring to the boil, stirring.
11. Simmer for 10 minutes.
12. Stir the sauce into the vegetables, spoon into warm sterilised jars and seal with vinegar proof lids

Awesome Lime Marmalade

2007-07-30T21:49:00.000+10:00

1 kg limes
1.5 litres water
1.75 kg sugar

Wash the limes, fresh firm limes are best, and slice as thinly as you can. Soak the limes in a non reactive bowl with the water overnight.
Transfer the limes and water to a large saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer gently, covered, until the lime skins are very soft (for about 1 hour). When the lime skins become soft take off the heat and add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.
Once the sugar has dissolved (you may need to put back on the heat, but dont boil before it dissolves!) bring the mixture to the boil, and boil rapidly for about 20 minutes. the marmalade will froth a lot. once the mixture stops frothing start testing for set! The best way to test whether the marmalade is set is the crinkle test - drop some marmalade onto a cold plate and allow to cool (you can put it in the freezer for a minute or so). push the edge of the cooled marmalade and if it crinkles the marmalade is ready to bottle! scoop into sterilised jars and seal
Ta Da! lime marmalade!

note: pectin (which makes the jam set and is naturally found in fruit) can break down if the marmalade is boiled too much after the setting point is reached.

welcome.. to my jammy world

2007-07-30T20:32:00.000+10:00

i like making jam. its my new hobby. one day i will have a jammy empire... or a market stall... or something. and i say jam, but what i really mean is anything preserved and kept in a jar. so far i have had two jammy adventures- lime marmalade, and piccalilly! my lime marmalade came out beautifully; tangy and sweet and a pale gold colour. perfect for toast. and piccalilly is like mustard pickles and very very tasty, a bit pungent, and a deep turmeric yellow - perfect with ham. Apparently it's also good on cheese sandwiches (i'm not good at dairy so i havent tried it!) .
Actually i really enjoy cooking, especially baking. i think i like creating things in general, and the added bonus about baking and making preserves is that i find the process very satisfying, and relaxing. i make cupcakes when im feeling stressed (it doesnt hurt that i get to eat them too!)
i hope you enjoy reading and trying my recipes, i aim to put photos and recipes up, as well as reviews on recipe books. happy marmalade!