This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
These are, alas, shop-bought damsons but they must do in the absence of a suitable tree.
I was in Booths in Knutsford on Saturday and noticed that they had damsons on sale.£3.99/kilo seemed a bit steep, so I only bought 12 ounces and when I got them home made them into a very tasty coulis which has now been frozen in portion-sized amounts in an ice-cube tray.
However, when in Warrington market earlier today they were on sale for a much more reasonable £2.13/kilo. Ok, it's not as good as plucking them from a tree for nothing but it still seemed good to me. There is damson jam in my future, and quite a lot of it.
Anyone else making things with seasonal fruits?
T.
I was in Booths in Knutsford on Saturday and noticed that they had damsons on sale.£3.99/kilo seemed a bit steep, so I only bought 12 ounces and when I got them home made them into a very tasty coulis which has now been frozen in portion-sized amounts in an ice-cube tray.
However, when in Warrington market earlier today they were on sale for a much more reasonable £2.13/kilo. Ok, it's not as good as plucking them from a tree for nothing but it still seemed good to me. There is damson jam in my future, and quite a lot of it.
Anyone else making things with seasonal fruits?
T.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: I've been shit-scared of eating damsons since I had an unripe one as a kid, which sucked every ounce of moisture from my body and turned my face inside-out.
It's a shame cos there's millions around here.
It's a shame cos there's millions around here.
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
we have three damson trees ready to drop so Jam, crumble and a pie is on the cards.
we have three damson trees ready to drop so Jam, crumble and a pie is on the cards.
In reply to Removed User: Our is nearly over.
Would definitely recommend Mrs Beatons damson jam recipe. Though I would use a destoner rather than fish out the stones at the end.
Oh and to the person that said about unripe ones, the ocasional less ripe one doesn't make a difference in jam making.
Would definitely recommend Mrs Beatons damson jam recipe. Though I would use a destoner rather than fish out the stones at the end.
Oh and to the person that said about unripe ones, the ocasional less ripe one doesn't make a difference in jam making.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: I'll be making cider again this year. Worked a treat last year, I've only recently finished the last demi-john.
We've got a quince tree that's groaning with fruit, so I might try jam.
Everything is fruiting really heavily this year.
We've got a quince tree that's groaning with fruit, so I might try jam.
Everything is fruiting really heavily this year.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: 75cl of gin, 3/4lb of muscovado sugar, zest of 2 lemons and 2 limes, one vanilla pod and a load of damsons. Mix it and stash in a dark cupboard for Crimbo. Give it a turn each day until all the sugar has disolved and strain it into a decanter come Christmas Eve. Yummy......
Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a use for about 250lb of apples.( There's an old orchard at work)
Tomorrow I'm going to try and find a use for about 250lb of apples.( There's an old orchard at work)
In reply to fijibaby: Cider thats a new one on me will have to have a go, the trees are laiden here this year and the sloes are looking good as well, a couple of demi-johns of wine wating to be bottled from last years damsons to many to make wine and jam in one go so had to freeze them.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: I spent a couple of hours in Sandford Quarry yesterday and after the climbing was over I picked a bucket full of Blackberrys.I had a load of Bramley Apples(fallers)and so made a very large Crumble which I have been stuffing myself with but I think I had better put the rest in the freezer now.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: Yep damson gin...3 litres of the stuff currently waiting til xmas too in my dark cupboard....!!!
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
I need more ideas for my cooking apples. If I have an apple dumpling a day I will still be eating them at Christmas. The cool frost free storage is full of potatos & onions and I'm a little stuck. I have a very small amount only of freezer space. Is there anything I can do involving jars, some kind of long lasting sauce / apple jam etc? Failing that I shall be bagging them up in threes and leaving them in the kitchen at work for all comers!
I need more ideas for my cooking apples. If I have an apple dumpling a day I will still be eating them at Christmas. The cool frost free storage is full of potatos & onions and I'm a little stuck. I have a very small amount only of freezer space. Is there anything I can do involving jars, some kind of long lasting sauce / apple jam etc? Failing that I shall be bagging them up in threes and leaving them in the kitchen at work for all comers!
In reply to AlisonSmiles:
Apple jelly is good (like jam, but without the bits, as my mum used to make it...) - or apple chutney? Or we made a good apple wine one year - I suspect that was with eaters rather than cookers though, but might be worth a go...
> (In reply to Pursued by a bear)
>
> I need more ideas for my cooking apples.
>
> I need more ideas for my cooking apples.
Apple jelly is good (like jam, but without the bits, as my mum used to make it...) - or apple chutney? Or we made a good apple wine one year - I suspect that was with eaters rather than cookers though, but might be worth a go...
In reply to AlisonSmiles:
We've inherited hundreds of crab apples with our new house so going to try crab apple chutney
We've inherited hundreds of crab apples with our new house so going to try crab apple chutney
What are non-seasonal fruit?
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
Damson jam is already made, from a wild tree, with a splash of port.
Plum and cardomon jelly, great colour.
2lb of blackberries picked today, that will be made into bramble jelly tomorrow.
There are quinces in the garden, nearly ready to be made into jelly.
Apples a plenty, but not quite ready yet.
Waiting on the hazelnuts, sloes, meddlers and rosehips. There seems to be a huge abundance of hawthorn berries this year, but I really don't know how best to use them.
Damson jam is already made, from a wild tree, with a splash of port.
Plum and cardomon jelly, great colour.
2lb of blackberries picked today, that will be made into bramble jelly tomorrow.
There are quinces in the garden, nearly ready to be made into jelly.
Apples a plenty, but not quite ready yet.
Waiting on the hazelnuts, sloes, meddlers and rosehips. There seems to be a huge abundance of hawthorn berries this year, but I really don't know how best to use them.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: I was quite taken at Calke Abbey the other day by their Medlars, might see if I can get a tree!
In reply to Pursued by a bear:We picked 3.5 kilos of elder berries from trees in the park yesterday.It took about 2 hours to get them all off the stems, but they are now soaking ready to go into the demis for 2 gallons of wine. Raspberries, blackberries, and rhubarb all on the go.Damsons we are going to pick on friday.Hick!
In reply to everyone: Good to hear what other people have been up to with the seasonal bounty! The blackberries near here (Warrington) seem to be coming in two waves; there was quite a lot of jam made with the first wave but now another seems to be on its way. Can the cupboards take more?
Course they can. The jam made from yesterday's damsons went on the toast this morning, and damn good stuff it was too. The quinces (or is quince like sheep, the word being both singular and plural?) from the tree in the garden were harvested last month; not too many, but it's a small tree and not that old. They went into what a marketing type might brand as 'fusion marmalade'; which is another way of saying that we made it up as we went along, again. Last year's quince and lemon marmalade was unusual but tasty; this year's quince and sweet orange marmalade didn't set very well, so it's a French-style conserve, but very tasty even so.
Damson gin (and, I suppose vodka) sounds interesting. Two thoughts spring to mind; what sort and size of container do you use, and surely the fruit once removed is full of tasty goodness and shouldn't be wasted. Do you eat it as is once removed with a bit of fromage frais or yoghurt, or is the alcohol content sufficient to let you set light to it and toast it in its own juices till it's slightly caramelized?
Mmm, jam. Shall I have toast for lunch as well...?
T.
Course they can. The jam made from yesterday's damsons went on the toast this morning, and damn good stuff it was too. The quinces (or is quince like sheep, the word being both singular and plural?) from the tree in the garden were harvested last month; not too many, but it's a small tree and not that old. They went into what a marketing type might brand as 'fusion marmalade'; which is another way of saying that we made it up as we went along, again. Last year's quince and lemon marmalade was unusual but tasty; this year's quince and sweet orange marmalade didn't set very well, so it's a French-style conserve, but very tasty even so.
Damson gin (and, I suppose vodka) sounds interesting. Two thoughts spring to mind; what sort and size of container do you use, and surely the fruit once removed is full of tasty goodness and shouldn't be wasted. Do you eat it as is once removed with a bit of fromage frais or yoghurt, or is the alcohol content sufficient to let you set light to it and toast it in its own juices till it's slightly caramelized?
Mmm, jam. Shall I have toast for lunch as well...?
T.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: With my gin-soaked sloes I make chocolates. Take the stones out and grind up the skins. Add to a pan with some sloe gin, butter, chocolate and nuts, melt together then put in the fridge. When solid roll them into balls. Tasty!
I haven't picked much this year, but there are mirabelles and mulberries near where I live that I might harvest. I did have a tasting session of my latest home brew though. The oak leaf wine has turned into quite a success.
I haven't picked much this year, but there are mirabelles and mulberries near where I live that I might harvest. I did have a tasting session of my latest home brew though. The oak leaf wine has turned into quite a success.
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
I gathered more than 4 kilos from the aforementioned double wave of warrington brambles. LOADS of bramble jam. Then a colleague brought in damsons, so we have LOADS of damson jam now too. Then on a walk up the hill I picked a kilo of bilberries (fancy jam in small pots), and a couple of kilos of bullace. More jam.
The gales overnight have brought down a lot of yellow bullace from a bush up the road(same as mirabelle?) which I greedily scooped up this morning, but Ive run out of jars and honestly dont think we need anymore jam, unless I start selling the stuff. Assuming the little yellow and greeny-yellow lovelies are mirabelles, is there anything other than jam I can make?
I gathered more than 4 kilos from the aforementioned double wave of warrington brambles. LOADS of bramble jam. Then a colleague brought in damsons, so we have LOADS of damson jam now too. Then on a walk up the hill I picked a kilo of bilberries (fancy jam in small pots), and a couple of kilos of bullace. More jam.
The gales overnight have brought down a lot of yellow bullace from a bush up the road(same as mirabelle?) which I greedily scooped up this morning, but Ive run out of jars and honestly dont think we need anymore jam, unless I start selling the stuff. Assuming the little yellow and greeny-yellow lovelies are mirabelles, is there anything other than jam I can make?
In reply to whoever was asking about what to do with apples:
My mum made something she called "Apple butter" from a load of windfall apples last year. In what way it differs from jam I am not sure, but I would expect that google would find you a recipie...
My mum made something she called "Apple butter" from a load of windfall apples last year. In what way it differs from jam I am not sure, but I would expect that google would find you a recipie...
In reply to fijibaby:
Can you make cider or apple wine from cooking apples or do they have to be eating apples? Anyone got any good recipes?
Can you make cider or apple wine from cooking apples or do they have to be eating apples? Anyone got any good recipes?
In reply to Pursued by a bear:
Recently got back from Norway where the wild raspberries were nice and ripe.
Back at home, we picked a shed load of blackberries in the local wood and have made apple and blackberry crumble with some and have frozen a load for future crumble making. The autumn fruit seems to be ripening early. Autumn in general seems to have come early actually.
Recently got back from Norway where the wild raspberries were nice and ripe.
Back at home, we picked a shed load of blackberries in the local wood and have made apple and blackberry crumble with some and have frozen a load for future crumble making. The autumn fruit seems to be ripening early. Autumn in general seems to have come early actually.
In reply to AlisonSmiles:
Apple sauce! It's great to have with pork or something - much better when it's homemade than shop bought. May I recommend the river cottage preserves handbook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserves-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-2/dp/0747595321... (though it sees there is a new edition, too).
Tim
Apple sauce! It's great to have with pork or something - much better when it's homemade than shop bought. May I recommend the river cottage preserves handbook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Preserves-River-Cottage-Handbook-No-2/dp/0747595321... (though it sees there is a new edition, too).
Tim
In reply to Mike Peacock:
Hmm, may have to try that !
Will have a look at my secret sloe bushes this weekend, although have always been a traditionalist and left it until first frost before picking but may make a before and after frost batch of sloe gin this year
Rhubarb was only planted this year but probably enough to make a rhubarb crumble this weekend
> (In reply to Pursued by a bear) With my gin-soaked sloes I make chocolates. Take the stones out and grind up the skins. Add to a pan with some sloe gin, butter, chocolate and nuts, melt together then put in the fridge. When solid roll them into balls. Tasty!
Hmm, may have to try that !
Will have a look at my secret sloe bushes this weekend, although have always been a traditionalist and left it until first frost before picking but may make a before and after frost batch of sloe gin this year
Rhubarb was only planted this year but probably enough to make a rhubarb crumble this weekend
In reply to Pids:
So far made Plum Preserve and Plum Chutney with our plums and then Pear and Apple chutney after swapping some plum preserve with our neighbour in exchange for some of his apples and pears in his garden. Our tomatoes in the greenhouse are slowly turning red so they are next on the hit list...
So far made Plum Preserve and Plum Chutney with our plums and then Pear and Apple chutney after swapping some plum preserve with our neighbour in exchange for some of his apples and pears in his garden. Our tomatoes in the greenhouse are slowly turning red so they are next on the hit list...
In reply to Pids: we've inherited rhubarb too, anyone got any good recipe suggestions other than crumble?
In reply to ebygomm: we have made this before and it was great.
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5885/rhubarb-and-date-chutney
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5885/rhubarb-and-date-chutney
In reply to Pekkie: The cider I made came from a mix of eating apples. Not tried it with cooking apples. Have a look for your local Slow Food, or Transition Town organisation. They might help with recipies. I know that some groups pick apples on trees on public land and then give away the juice.
I took my apples along to a pressing day the Slow Food people were organising. I bought a fermentation barrel from a local brew shop that came with a stop cock in the lid. Then I got the apples juiced and filled the barrel. The barrel went into the cellar for a few months, and the cider was ready in the spring. It got better as it aged. I decanted it into demijohns for the aging.
The guy at the pressing day said that apple juice just wants to be cider. The yeast is on the skin, the sugar is in the apple. You need a lot of apples though. We had two medium cardboard boxes and a big blue Ikea bag full of apples.
I took my apples along to a pressing day the Slow Food people were organising. I bought a fermentation barrel from a local brew shop that came with a stop cock in the lid. Then I got the apples juiced and filled the barrel. The barrel went into the cellar for a few months, and the cider was ready in the spring. It got better as it aged. I decanted it into demijohns for the aging.
The guy at the pressing day said that apple juice just wants to be cider. The yeast is on the skin, the sugar is in the apple. You need a lot of apples though. We had two medium cardboard boxes and a big blue Ikea bag full of apples.
In reply to ebygomm: Rhubarb and ginger jam. Wonderful stuff! Here's one recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1091639/rhubarb-and-ginger-jam though there are a number of others. The key point is not to be too stingy with the ginger.
T.
T.
In reply to ebygomm:
Wine mate, it is so easy and very nice.I know the name is funny, but google C.J.J.Berry,Wine making.
> (In reply to Pids) we've inherited rhubarb too, anyone got any good recipe suggestions other than crumble?
Wine mate, it is so easy and very nice.I know the name is funny, but google C.J.J.Berry,Wine making.
In reply to AlisonSmiles: Rather than giving them away do 'hedge veg' - put 'em on your front hedge/fence with a money tin and sell them.
http://blog.visitguernsey.com/blog/guernsey-and-the-hedge-veg/
Or make them into something and sell that, maybe at work or the local school atumn or xmas fayre? Or barter them? or give them to a charity to do the same if you don't fancy processing 250lb of apples!
In reply to the person that mentioned apple butter - google for 'Jersey Black butter' - it's a kind of apple jam made from the remains of pressing apples for cider.
http://blog.visitguernsey.com/blog/guernsey-and-the-hedge-veg/
Or make them into something and sell that, maybe at work or the local school atumn or xmas fayre? Or barter them? or give them to a charity to do the same if you don't fancy processing 250lb of apples!
In reply to the person that mentioned apple butter - google for 'Jersey Black butter' - it's a kind of apple jam made from the remains of pressing apples for cider.
In reply to Pursued by a bear: I have to make some more sloe gin this year - I think I've virtually finished the 17 litres I made the other year!
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...