What do you pickle, freeze, preserve....

[muddled]

Muddled, can you post a salted runners recipe please? It sounds great - if the slugs let me have any this year that is!

Swap ya for cordial recipes?

You need 'proper' salt, kosher or similar without anti caking agents added. I used ice cream tubs to put them in but they were red and blue so kept the light out....I don't know if this is crucial but it seemed sensible to me.

Slice the beans how you want them.
Put a centimetre of salt in the bottom then a layer of beans (up to about an inch thick) then another layer of salt and repeat.
You don't have to fill the whole container at once.. so long as you always end with a salt
layer you can just keep topping up as you like.
You will find, anyway, that as some of the salt dissolves there is more space at the top.

As this was an experiment, I used older, tougher, end of season beans. I found that this method actually made them more tender.

To serve just take out a portion, you don't have to use them all at once. Rinse well and cook as normal. I have read that some people leave them to soak first but I didn't feel they needed it. Personal taste I suppose. I stored my tubs of beans on top of the kitchen cupboards....no special treatment at all.

[Llevrah]

I truly never expected to get such replies thought there would be 3 or 4 at most. Thank you all so much. So many new things to look up and try X

[SarrissUK]

Oh I just realised as I was picking raspberries that I make raspberry jam too - you just can't get jam like it in the shops Bog standard - sugar, raspberries and maybe a bit of pectin to help it along... seeds and all - best ever

[Llevrah]

Oh I just realised as I was picking raspberries that I make raspberry jam too - you just can't get jam like it in the shops Bog standard - sugar, raspberries and maybe a bit of pectin to help it along... seeds and all - best ever

Exactly as I do mine except no pectin

[sparrow100]

Swap ya for cordial recipes?

Mine are pinched. Redcurrant one is here: Redcurrant cordial - Nordic Diner though I use a bit less sugar and freeze it in plastic bottles till I need it. The elderberry one I'll write down when I make it (if you want it!) cos I do it mostly by eye. I also make a Norwegian husholdningssaft, which is essentially a summer fruit cordial of anything you have to hand, usually berries and may or may not include apple if you feel like it - similar ratios to the redcurrant one but watch the sugar if you're using very sweet fruit.

Another to try is hibiscus cordial. I bought the seeds and none have so far germinated. But you can buy dried calyxs on t'internet if you aren't growing the right one or don't want to faff with flowers. The original recipe is Thomasina Mier's and here Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops: Hibiscus Cordial {& Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup} but I like it better with 45-50g flowers, 250-275g sugar and 3 limes. Perhaps my tastebuds are fried!

If you make any of them, let me know what you think!

[lmayhow]

All fresh fruit frozen and some made into fruit chilli chutney
Chilli and peepers frozen or made into Sambal Olek, and some fruit chutney.
Cucumbers and beetroot are pickled .
Large onions are cut up and frozen , shallots either dried and stored, or some pickled
Beans 50 % frozen 50% grown for the seeds and dried and stored in jars.
Potatoes roasted and frozen just like aunt bessys
Squash if large cut up and frozen, smaller ones used as required.
Parsnips and carrots usually dug as required, and at end of season are cut up and frozen
Herbs are either frozen or dried in microwave and stored.

Was wondering what beans and peas you grow to dry? The husband and I use dried beans for all our cooking and I have been trying to investigate what our weather climate allows to grow next year...

Although I am only growing this year I have been foraging, jam, chutney and cordial for a couple of years....

Piccadilli, Spiced Apple Chutney, Blackberry Jam, Blackberry and apple cheese, Elderberry Jam, Pear and Lemon Marmalade last year too from our pear tree was a favourite in my house.

Elderflower cordial like most and I currenntly have some Elderflower Fizz sat in buckets doing its thing.

I love reading the different ways people freeze Items, veg obviously but this year I am trying to freeze herbs differently see how it goes....

[sparrow100]

I'm having a mournful bean year - how have slugs all decided that beans are what they want???

Beans I like to grow for drying are Cherokee trail of tears, Mrs Fortune's, Cara la virgen de la baneza leon. and from the non-climbers, Black Coco. I was supposed to be experimenting with Inca Pea Bean, Veitch's, Monachello di trevio and Snowcap, but the s*dding slugs have pretty much had them all.

[sparrow100]

PS Also really enjoying this thread!

[fishpond]

All your posts make my attempts at freezing, bottling, pickling, jam making, look a bit dated with nothing I can add to this thread.
I have have just finished drying 2lb of mild green peppers (homegrown and overwintered) and flaked them, also vacuum froze about 10lb of the same peppers, also froze 3lb of gooseberries with more to pick, haven't got any room for Rhubarb at the moment.
Not sure about Jam this year as we are cutting back on sugar consumption---apparently its bad for the teef.
Brilliant thread though, well done for posting it.

[Alison]

I've made some raspberry vinegar this morning

[lmayhow]

I've made some raspberry vinegar this morning

Will you be using that for salad? What recipe have you used? We have Tayberries in the garden wonder if they would work too....

[Noosner]

I do what most others have said, making lots of chutneys (but only fruit chutneys as I don't really like veg chutneys except onion and tomato). Gooseberry chutney, red onion and redcurrant chutney, plum chutney are examples. And jams of all sorts (made rasp today) and also soups, which I find a brilliant way to see off tons of veg - and very welcome over the winter if someone is coming for lunch. Courgettes being difficult to preserve, there is a great courgette, potato and cheese soup that freezes well and gives a good way of seeing off lots of them. Also of course, strings of garlic and onions hung up in the garage and spuds in a sack. I find broad beans freeze ok as long as you don't cook them for too long when you finally get them out.

Another thing is caaake. I find recipes that call for a lot of fruit and freeze them e.g blackberry and apple cake, rhubarb cake. I also make crumbles and freeze them in their dishes. Another absolute godsend when folks come for tea.

Ooh, and infused gin and vodka. Did some redcurrant gin and some raspberry vodka last year and they were both gorgeous.

Ooh, and dried chillies on a string which are very pretty and make lovely C*****mas decorations. Sorry for saying that word in July!!

[Small pumpkin]

Noosner any chance you could share a couple of your fruit chutney recipes
I've been looking for exactly that, not a big fan of jams but chutney disappears very quickly.
I am really enjoying this thread.

I forgot there's something else I do. I finely chop herbs pack them into ice cube trays with a bit of water covering them and freeze. When frozen knock them out of the trays and bag them. I did my coriander yesterday. Think I will do basil today.

[vixylix]

ooh Noosner I'd be interested in your redcurrant gin and raspberry vodka recipes - I want to make some of these for C*****mas presents this year (apologies from me too - its catching)

[Noosner]

Hi chums, recipes are these and all tried and tested and deemed yummy!

Small pumpkin, my fave ever fruit chutney recipe is Nigel Slater's plum chutney: Nigel Slater's Hot, Sweet Plum Chutney | Serious Eats

Then this is a nice redcurrant and red onion relish recipe from BBC Good Food. It has a lovely taste.
Redcurrant & red onion relish | BBC Good Food

My favourite apple chutney is a really simple one, also from BBC Good Food: Classic apple chutney | BBC Good Food

I've searched for my goosegog chutney recipe but can't remember which one it was and tinternet seems to be awash with them! But I think you can work out which you will like by looking at the ingredients and seeing if you like those. For example I love chutneys with garlic and chilli in but can't stand cinnamon. If you do go for a goosegog recipe, it will smell absolutely foul when you're cooking it. But the end taste is completely different.

Vixylix, the main principle is just fruit and sugar, shaken regularly in the alcohol of your choice. But here is an actual recipe for redcurrant gin:

Redcurrant gin recipe - goodtoknow

For raspberry vodka it is the same except using rasps and vodka! In both cases, you can adjust the amount of sugar to taste.

Enjoy!! Both drinks are absolutely gorgeous with tonic and ice.