Xmas present ideas - foodie?

[Winged one]

OK please don't all shoot me together, but I am trying to get ahead on Xmas and had thought about giving some foodie presents this year.

I have some jars I will make vanilla sugar in over the weeekend (fill with castor sugar and stick a vanilla pod in the middle, shake every once in a while), I am going to dry some bay leaves and I am going to make some red onion marmalade (thanks to the yummy looking recipes here on the vine).

My problem is that I don't have a lot of my own produce this year - may get some tomatoes later, but all are green yet, but nothing else to convert really. And I won't get a lot of onion marmalade either (most of the onions are well storable and we'll use them all ourselves over the winter).

Do you grapes have any good ideas for foodie presents that I could start now and leave to ferment/mature/whatever? I will also hope to make some nice cookies and truffles (time allowing) but these are Xmas weekend jobs. The various threads from last Xmas sound excellent (I really love the sound of the peppermint creams!!)

Actually, just on those, is there any way I can use a glut of mint, mainly spearmint rather than ordinary, but some ordinary too? Particularly with mint creams in mind would be great, but anything really.

I also have a lot of parsley on the plot - can't freeze (freezer too full), but can I dry this? Or is it worth making an oil or somesuch with?

Or nice produce I can go out and buy in season now to preserve for later? Or other nice things to make and keep.

Anyway, any ideas that you have would be great. Thanks again,
Wings

[Waffler]

Don't know if you've grown any chillis, but you could always buy them (often reduced in the dreaded 'super' market) and make some chilli oil. Last year I made chilli oils and herb oils for Xmas gifts, which went down well. Thanks for the dried bay leaf idea - hadn't thought of somethings so simple!
You could raid the hedgrows for hazelnuts to use later in cookies and truffles and cakes and the such like.
Likewise, raid the hedgrow for blackberries. If you've got, or can get, apples you could make A&B jam - yum! You can probably bottle these aswell, but don't ask me how! You could also bottle or dry pears or apples if you have them.
I'm sure you could make something alcoholic from blackberries, sloes, elderberries or all of the above. Certainly you can make decent vodka simply by leaving blackCURRANTS to ferment in the liquor - don't see why it would be so different to do the same with any of those fruit??

As far as buying stuff now for preserving later is concerned, I'm always on the lookout for bargain buys of fruits or toms (yes, yes, I know it's a fruit!) which sometimes happens when there's a glut. Depending on what you buy, you can usually make a jam or chutney from it with a bit of imagination!

[yoanbob]

I was going to suggest oils but waffler beat me too it.
how about spiced cider, any apple trees near you to scrump? just add cinamon sticks nutmeg you know the usual xmas spices and serve it warm. yummy

[shirlthegirl43]

I can post a recipe for apple and mint jelly if you like - it might help with the mint surplus? Or of course, you could make mint sauce. Have also read somewhere that you can make parsley wine.

[borage]

I would be interested in the recipe for apple and mint jelly, have lots of mint at the moment

[shirlthegirl43]

Apple and Mint Jelly - from the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book

2.3 kg (5lb) cooking apples, washed and chopped
1.1 litres (2 pints) water
few fresh mint sprigs
1.1 litres (2 pints) distilled vinegar
sugar
90 - 120 ml (6-8 tbsp) chopped fresh mint
few drops of green food colouring

1. Place the apples in a large saucepan with the water and mint sprigs. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for about 45 minutes, until soft and pulpy. Stir from time to time to prevent sticking. Add the vinegar and boil for a further 5 minutes.
2. Spoon the apple pulp into a jelly bag or cloth attached to the legs of an upturned stool, and leave to strain into a large bowl for at least 12 hours.
3. Discard the pulp remaining in the jelly bag. Measure the juice extract and put it in a preserving pan with 450g (1lb) sugar for each 600ml (1 pint) extract. Heat gently, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved, then bring to the boil and boil rapidly for about 10 minutes.
4. Test for a set and, when setting point is reached, take the pan off the heat and remove any scum with a slotted spoon.
5. Stir in the mint and add a few drops of green food colouring. Allow to cool slightly, then stir well to distribute the mint.
6. Pot and cover.

Variation - Herb jellies

Other fresh herbs, such as rosemary, parsley, sage, tarragon and thyme, can be used in place of the mint sprigs.

[shirlthegirl43]

Mint Sauce - also from Good Housekeeping Cookery Book

small bunch of fresh mint, washed and stalks removed
10 ml (2 level tsp) caster sugar
15 ml (1 tbsp) boiling water
15-30 ml (1 - 2 tbsp) wine vinegar

1. Chop the mint leaves finely and place in a sauceboat with the sugar.
2. Stir in the boiling water and leave for about 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar.
3. Add the vinegar and leave for about 1 hour before serving.

I suspect this could be made in larger quantities and stored in small jars in the fridge.

[Sue]

Hi
Yes, you can dry parsley, it keeps very well. And your mint will dry as well.
Try Delia Smith's chocolate truffle recipe, a very luxurious Christmas present.
Haven't tried it yet, but would love to have a go at making up a Christmas cake mixture and baking it in mini tins and ice with person's name.

One thing I love doing is to dry lavender flowers, grind them up to powder and mix in with cornflour and a few drops of lavender oil to make your own dusting powder. Goes down well as a gift especially if you can find a pretty container in a charity shop.

If you've got the right herbs you could make bouquet garni. Muslin very cheap to buy and you can thread coloured cord around the top and loop it to hang over the saucepan handle.

Dry and grind chillis to powder for your own chilli powder.

Dry and grind citrus peel (pith scraped off) to make a very lovely citrus cake flavouring.

Another thing I keep meaning to have a go at is to replicate something I found at Lakeland, this is a mat for hot pans, it's like a small beanbag, filled with herbs and spices so the hot pans make the kitchen smell lovely.
Old fashioned but I've been drying lavender to make lavender bags, depends on how much time I've got as to how fancy they get.

have fun
Sue

[TPeers]

Relishs and chutneys - from corn, beans, apples, pears - you name it.

Bottled pears - very christmassy, just tie a pretty ribbon around the bottle.

Sloe gin.

Piccalilli! All the odds and ends usefully used!

Recipies on request!

[borage]

Thanks for the recipe Shirley, something else to add to my to do list.

[TPeers]

If you have grown angelica now is the time to preserve it!

I'd have to hunt for a formal recipe but basically cut and wash some fairly tende stems and cook in sugar syrup. You cook for a while then allow the pieces to cool and absorb the syrup, and repeat - always using the same syrup, which becomes more and more concentrated so you end up with crystallised angelica.

I suspect there should be some green food colouring in there somewhere....

Lovely for decorating cakes

[Winged one]

The apple and mint jelly sounds great, and so does the mint sauce (if I made it now, would it keep I wonder?). i never thought of muslin for the bouquet garni - I have bay, thyme and parsley - is that the right mix? I already have some muslin, cos i was going to make lavendar bags (with bought lavendar admittedly) for a couple of ladies.

Silly question - what is "dusting powder" - is it like talc for the face or something for cooking with?

The bottled pears sound yum, if you have the recipe T Peers.

I never thought of the chillis - there are lots in the shops now. And we use lots and lots of citrus fruit, so dried and ground would work well (even for my own baking). Does anyone happen to have a recipe for candied peel, like you get in the shops (I know home made is much nicer, but have never gotten a recipe).

Thanks all. Will be having fun the next few weeks.

Might even get around to making a cake, pudding or at least some mince meat this year (my mum always makes us a pudding and MIL a cake, so have never bothered due to time scarcity...hoping for a less frantic autumn/winter this year)....

[Sue]

Winged one,
The dusting powder is a substitute for talc which I have heard is contaminated with something like aluminium so never use it now. I've found silver topped sugar shakers in junk and charity shops to put it in, so it makes a very good gift.
Will have to hunt out candied peel recipes, I have made it the "proper way", and while it was miles better than the bought stuff, it was a real pain, leaving me with a very sticky kitchen. Have seen ways to do it in a microwave and a dehydrator, do you have these to hand?
best wishes
Sue

PS, If you are going to make it get saving the citrus peel, I used all sorts, oranges, lemons and grapefruit and limes. Great fun (!) and sore fingers getting the pith off with a sharp knife. I did think of freezing it to see if that makes it easier, but haven't tried that yet.

[Rowan]

If you can find a nice crab apple tree (not near a road, it'll be polluted), crab apple jelly is easy. Wash and roughly chop apples. Put in saucepan with just enough water to cover and simmer till mushy. Tip into muslin bag and hang this over a measuring jug or bowl overnight. Try not to squeeze it, it makes the jelly cloudy. When it's stopped dripping, add 1lb sugar to every pint of juice, and boil till it reaches setting point. Pour into sterilised jars. Compost the crab apple mush, or put it for small animals to eat! Makes a good little present, and goes well with meat, especially strong-flavoured meats.

[Winged one]

Have a microwave but no dehydrator (apart from the fan oven). The dusting powder actually sounds perfect for both my grans. Will need to start scouring the charity shops too at lunchtimes.

I think I feel a trip to the rellies down the country coming on, for foraging in ditches. MIL has a load of damson trees near her, my mum has a crab apple hidden in the fields across the road, and both have loads of blackberries as well. I wonder if I could borrow one of their kitchens for a day as well before I come back......

Will start saving the citrus now so - we usually use loads of them all.

And it looks as though I will be making green tomato chutney of some sort too - don't think the ones in the garden will ripen before the builders arrive in 3 weeks and dig up the beds for the extension.