Preserving the best

When I was a child my dad had plum trees, rhubarb crowns and blackcurrants in the back garden. We always ate what was in season. Mum could have blackcurrants picked and preserved as jams or chutneys within half an hour of them being picked.  To this day my favourites are Plum jam and Blackcurrant jam.

Taking this one step further, I also make cordials and use my home-grown raspberries or wild fruit we have foraged and also loaves with herbs or vegetables.

By my front door I have mint plants. A sprig of mint in a mug of warm water and add half a lime for  a mint and lime infusion. This will help you start the day really well if taken in the morning.

The first cordials I make of the summer are always Elderflower cordials. My daughter in law picks the elderflowers and we each make the cordial. There are several recipes online for cordials. I always add some citric acid to help it stay fresh longer. Sometimes I use the bottles I bought years ago. Sometimes I save bottles and reuse them as in the one on the right.

I spent this morning making jams and hopefully these will last us and our sons' families through the winter.

I used the rhubarb from my garden. Yes there is some left after giving some away, eating some in crumbles and also making cordial.

I started off by sterilising the jars. This is done by putting them in the hot oven about 110C to kill off any bacteria. Any preserves should always go in washed, oven sterilised jars.

I always use a proper jam thermometer. It takes all the guess work out if you boil the jam to the line it states on the thermometer.  Easy.

Some fruits don't have a lot of natural setting agent, pectin,  in them so it is a good idea to help setting by adding some orange or lemon to the mixture. I sometimes add the zest too.

I added chopped rhubarb, chopped ginger. zest and juice of 2 oranges and warmed sugar to the pan, boiled it up and filled jars that had been in the oven.

It is important to put a waxed disc on the jam immediately to make a sterile seal. Then use pretty lids and labels. The date is important to add to it.

As with the cordials, sometimes I use saved jars but if I give them as gifts I use pretty jars and labels and lids.

I have the preserves ready for when my adorable, loud, happy family of eaters visit on Christmas Eve .

Pictured above are Red Onion marmalade,  Marrow and apple chutney, pickled onions and pickled beetroots.

Lovely.

This is perfect for Christmas and is a delicious preserve that goes with gammons, hams, pates, cold meats.

It is a great way to preserve onions when you have too many too.

Red Onion marmalade

4 lbs red onions

4 oz butter

2 ozs caster sugar

75 cl red wine

25 cl port

50cl blackcurrant vinegar

Soften the onions very slowly in butter, on the lowest possible heat, so they don't go brown.

Add the sugar and stir in.

Pour the liquid over and simmer slowly on the very lowest possible heat until the onions have absorbed almost all the liquid

Heat the jars in a 110 C oven to sterilise .

put the onion mixture in , place a transparent lid on and seal.

This should last about 3 weeks .