Just made.......

[Snadger]

One small pot of raspberry jam with the handful of raspberries I'd picked at the lottie a while ago and put in the freezer. (Mine all mine!!!!!!!)

Also made four small jars of Jalapeno relish. I've never boiled cider vinegar before..............pooh in don't arf pong!
Had a taste of it before adding to jars and it was really tasty when hot...........can't wait to taste it when it's cooled down.

Got 1/2 Kilo of wild plums steeping in 1/2 Kilo of sugar overnight so will make the plum jam after work tomorrow. It should hopefully smell a bit better than boiling vinegar!

I can understand why Pigletwillie enjoys making his relishes and suchlike........I really get a kick out of using stuff I got for free from the wild or stuff I've grown in allotment!

[Two_Sheds]

I never really bothered before, but this year we bought some posh jars, so I'm making a batch a day, it's brill.
So easy.
I want to make a kind of Reggae Reggae sauce next, because that's what we use most of.

[Mrs Twigg]

Jalapeno Relish

Hi Snadger,
know what you mean about making/preserving/freezing free/homegrown produce....its a wonderful feeling!........especially in the cold winter months when you crack open a jar of something and remember the harvesting and making.......will always remember boiling cider vingar!!!!...eewwhh!
can you tell us your Jalapeno relish recipe?..........I have an excess of Hungarian hot wax at the moment and need to do something with them!
thanks
Mrs T

[Flummery]

I love preserving too. You feel you are tasting summer again when you eat it in the winter. It appeals to the Stingy Beggar in me too, that all I've bought is vinegar or sugar.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Snadge, that little pot of raspberry jam will taste like heaven! Enjoy!!

[rustylady]

So far this year I've made raspberry & redcurrant jelly, blackberry & apple jelly, plum jam. Hoping to make plum chutney and plum sauce, possibly green tomato chutney too.

[Snadger]

Two probles to report.................my Jalapeno relish tastes gorgeou but hasn't thickened? Do I need to re-boil it for longer? Or is it cos of the vinegar?

My plum jam tastes of prunes and is brown.................or is that the way it's supposed to taste and look? No problem with thickening there though, just the opposite in fact.

Two teeny but not insurmountable problems methinks!

[Two_Sheds]

Two probles to report.................my Jalapeno relish tastes gorgeou but hasn't thickened? Mine are taking ages to thicken, at least double the time quoted in the recipes

My plum jam tastes of prunes and is brown.................or is that the way it's supposed to taste and look?

Plums do go a bit brown & yucky ... I just started a vat of plum wine last night, and have got a bucket of brown sludge so far

[Bren In Pots]

I've made a few jars of apple and blackberry jelly, had some this morning on toast yum. Next I'm some doing India apple chutney I don't need any more green tom chutney so I hope all my tomatoes ripen.

[Two_Sheds]

my Jalapeno relish tastes gorgeou but hasn't thickened?

Oh no, you cursed me!
I had a pan of Onion Marmalade on the simmer and it refused to thicken. After 7 hours simmering, and just getting thinner, I ended up sieving it.

I now have 10 jars of marmalade and 2 tubs of onion stock

[Pumpkin Becki]

Oh no, you cursed me!
After 7 hours simmering, and just getting thinner,

Why do you think it did that TS? I presume you add sugar to the onions, do you think there wasn't enough?

[Two_Sheds]

No idea Becki, I don't understand the chemistry/wizardry of preserves. I followed the River Cottage recipes (2 different ones) and both times there has been too much liquid.

[Pumpkin Becki]

No idea Becki, I don't understand the chemistry/wizardry of preserves. I followed the River Cottage recipes (2 different ones) and both times there has been too much liquid.

Hmmm, maybe it has something to do with the water content of the actual thing you are cooking (ie onions or chillis), maybe if its too high it causes an imbalance. Having said that, you would have thought 7 hours of cooking would have evaporated that off rather than making it worse