organic vegetable gardening courses, growing tips and homegrown recipes.
Blackberry jam is an all-time favourite with its strong flavour and vibrant colour. Although the best blackberries are always just out of reach, the energy expended to scramble, stretch and slither round the bramble thorns is worth it for a good punnet of berries. That's if you don't drop them in the grass on the way back. A kilo of blackberries is … [Read more...]
The reason to cook mincemeat is to stop the juice from the fruit fermenting so it will keep longer. The slow cooker is ideal as it doesn't allow the mixture to burn. You do need a large one for this quantity though (5 or 6 litre). I used mine on low and checked how hot it was getting using a candy thermometer - it reached about 150 degrees C at its … [Read more...]
I was sceptical about getting rhubarb jam to set as it's not naturally high in pectin. I experimented with using a packet of jam setting mix (about $2) which contains pectin, added to ordinary white sugar. It made a quick and reasonably well set jam. The resulting jam was quite sweet but a beautiful pink and not too mushy. It doesn't have to boil … [Read more...]
This is based on Delia Smith's recipe for apricot preserve from her classic book Delia Smith's Summer Collection: 140 Recipes for Summer. Peaches contain less pectin than apricots so it takes more boiling to get this to set. It's delicious when you do though - a sweet, sticky summer jam. 1kg peaches 1kg white sugar juice of a large … [Read more...]
