bitter grapefruit and whisky* marmalade

my girl kat brought me a whole lot of home grown fruit recently that she got from work..several of her colleagues had taken apples, lemons and grapefruit to work for anyone to help themselves but because there were so few takers i became the lucky recipient..i've made a few different things as well as this marmalade but i still have many kilos of fruit left..none of it will be wasted

bitter grapefruit and whisky marmalade

tea with hazel

makes 5 jars

ingredients

1 kilo grapefruit

1 kilo sugar**

1 litre filtered water

1/3 cup whisky (i used chivas regal that was gifted to me by a friend for cooking)

method

~ cut the grapefruit in quarters, remove and retain any seeds, and then slice the fruit finely

~ place the seeds in a muslin square and tie up into a sachet with string

~ place the grapefruit and sachet in a large saucepan, add water, and leave overnight or for about 12 hours

~ boil the fruit for 30 minutes

~ add warmed sugar but do not allow to boil until the sugar has completely dissolved

~ once the sugar has dissolved boil rapidly, stirring every now and again, until set has been reached

~ add whisky and boil for a minute to cook out the alcohol

~ squeeze the seed sachet to extract as much pectin possible and discard the sachet

~ ladle the marmalade into warm sterilised jars and cap immediately

notes:
*   'whisky' denotes scottish whisky whereas the spelling 'whiskey' denotes irish or american whiskey
** i tasted the jam as it was reaching set and it was not sweet enough so, after removing the jam from the heat, i added an extra 250 gms of sugar..after the sugar had dissolved i brought it back to the boil and set was reached quickly

i really like the bitter flavour of marmalade..do you?

this post submitted to punk domestics

fresh pomegranate juice and raspberry jam

a ripe homegrown pomegranate is a beautiful thing..i just love peeling off enough of the pink leathery skin to get a purchase with my fingers so that i can tear the fruit open..but it's not just a tactile thing because the tearing open makes a lovely sound..and then inside is the visual delight of the glistening ruby jewels nestling in white papery folds..i know some advocate banging the back of the opened fruit with a wooden spoon to extract the arils but for me that's a bit brutal..i like to extract the fruit with my fingers..gently..gently..

some fruit just doesn't lend itself to public consumption..i'm thinking mangoes and maybe bananas..and for me it's also pomegranates because i don't like the seeds..i haven't come up with a way of extracting the chewed seeds elegantly from my mouth so i eat and seed spit in private..although i don't mind downing a few in a salad..

one way around the seed thing is to juice the pomegranate but that's easier said than done..well for me anyway because i haven't discovered a nifty non spattering crime scene way of doing it yet..it took me ages yesterday to press the arils with a spoon against a sieve to extract the juice for my jam but not as long as the bloody cleaning up took..but it was worth the effort!

fresh pomegranate juice and raspberry jam

tea with hazel
makes 2 jars of 250 mls and a bit

ingredients

500 gms raspberries*
500 gms sugar**
150 mls fresh organic pomegranate juice***
juice of half of an organic lemon

method

~ place ingredients in a large saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar has dissolved
~ bring to the boil and boil until set has been reached
~ pour into sterilized jars and cap immediately

notes:
*     i used very reasonably priced fresh tasmanian raspberries..frozen berries could be used but i prefer not to use those available at the supermarket because they're imported
**   i like a tangy jam but for those who like their jam sweeter increase sugar quantity to 550-600
*** i needed 2 medium sized homegrown pomegranates to attain this amount of juice

now i want to make scones to have with my jam..with a whisker of cream too of course!

this post submitted to punk domestics

it's worth it

they drove north west into the open landscape and were surprised by how dry it was

it didn't rain in january they said 

the blackberry bushes growing close to where she used to live were parched

leaves berries and canes all withering helplessly 

she remembered somewhere else

close to the railway bridge over riddell's creek

a huge oak lovingly arching its massive branches

offering solace from that heartless celestial orb

nestled into the shoulder of the railway embankment

there're only a few small blackberries they said

they picked fingers stained scratched and bleeding

it's worth it they said

from wikipedia

blackberry and elderberry jelly

tea with hazel

ingredients

blackberries and elderberries* (a fork easily removes elderberries from their stalks)

filtered water

sugar

lemons

method

~ wash berries well, pick off any remaining stalks, and drain well

~ place berries in a large saucepan and just cover with water

~ bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the berries are soft

~ once they are soft mash the berries with a potato masher

~ pour the berries and juice into a jelly bag or muslin lined colander placed over a large bowl

~ place in the fridge once cooled and leave to drain for 24 hours (for a clear jelly don't squeeze the bag) 

~ measure the juice and for every 600 mls use 450 gms sugar and the juice, pips and pulp of one lemon

~ wrap the lemon pips and pulp in muslin and tie securely

~ put the berry juice, sugar, lemon juice and muslin sachet in a large saucepan and put on to heat

~ heat gently stirring until the sugar granules dissolve

~ increase heat and boil vigorously until the jelly reaches a good set**

~ pour into sterilised jars***

notes: *   this year, for the first time since i planted my elderberry, i have managed to pick a few umbrels but alone they were not enough to make a jelly so i added them to the blackberry jelly

           **/*** go here for information on jam/jelly set, sterilisation and other useful jam making tips

a lot of effort for only one 750 ml jar of jelly
but it's worth it!

this week..

i picked my crabapples which was a bit late in the
season and many had rotted on the tree and
so i only had enough for one jar of jelly

i bought these tulips for $5 from a roadside stall
in the dandenongs on the way home from a very
muddy bushwalk 

i picked these violets which are growing profusely
along my drive..they smell divine 

i picked lavender

i decided to pick all of my chillies and i will now dry them

i made a new soap with oats and lemon myrtle

i bought  a t2 teacup at the op shop for $1

i hope your week was a happy and productive one too..x

i love making jam..

i think it's embedded in my dna..let's face it it's not that long since human survival depended on preserving food in seasons of plenty in readiness for leaner times..now, at least in australia, we can buy most food stuffs all year round and so there is no intrinsic need for us to stock our larders for survival purposes..but there is something deep within my psyche that gets great joy and comfort from the process of preserving and also from the knowledge that i have been involved in a minor way in my food supply chain..i feel pretty darned good when i open up my preserves cupboard and see the jars of jam glistening orange or ruby, the lycopene capsules in the guise of tomato puree and the naked slices of bottled pears and apples..

i said i love making jam but i only really love eating it when it's quite fresh..so once it's a few months old i tend to only use it in cooking in foods such as steamed puddings, tarts and biscuits..part of the problem for me is the way the colour and flavour deteriorates over time when the jam is cooked to a good set..to avoid this i tend to boil my jam to a light set but then it is prone to mould..

today i decided to experiment with my strawberry jam making by pureeing the fruit rather than cutting it into pieces..and because i find most strawberry jam too sweet i added a lot more lemon than most recipes recommend and i also added citric acid..then i cooked the jam to a light set so that it can be used as a sauce on ice cream or yoghurt, as a jam for filling cakes, crepes or on toast or bread or swirled through home made ice cream after churning..i was going to add grand marnier to the jam before bottling it but i decided that it would be more versatile to add it to the jam at the time of use..and for the first time i processed my jars of jam in my fowler's preserver rather using the usual method of bottling the jam in sterilized jars and capping with lids or cellophane..if i find that, in the long term, the keeping quality and the flavour of the jam is superior to it being bottled in the traditional way i will continue using this method..

strawberry jam or preserves

ingredients (i made two 1 kilo lots)

1000 gms strawberries washed and hulled
900 gms granulated sugar
juice 1.5 lemons
1 tsp citric acid

fowlers vacola method

put a plate in the freezer to use to test the jam set
wash 8 (for 2 batches of jam as above) each of: size 14 (300 mls) vacola jars, 3 "lids, size 3 rubber rings and clips
put rubber rings on jars and place them on a heat proof non metalic surface
have a funnel and ladle ready
set up vacola unit

puree berries in a food processor or blender and place in a large heavy saucepan

bring to the boil, lower heat, and simmer for 15 minutes

remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, lemon juice and citric acid

place the saucepan back on a low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved
brush down the sides of the saucepan with boiling water to remove any sugar granules

once sugar is dissolved turn up heat to high and bring to the boil 

once boiling place a heat mat under the saucepan to prevent scorching

stir often removing scum as it develops

test jam set at regular intervals by placing a teaspoon of jam on the plate from the freezer and, after allowing it to cool, pushing a finger into the jam..if it wrinkles it is ready..take the jam off the heat to prevent overcooking the jam while testing set especially as the jam gets closer to being ready
once the desired set has been reached turn off the heat and stir in an almond size piece of butter to dissipate bubbles and any remaining foam*
ladle jam into jars and leave to cool before sealing with lids and clips
place jars in unit and fill with cold water, turn on the heat, and process the bottles for one hour (it should not boil in this time)
once processed empty unit and remove the bottles to a heat proof non metallic surface to cool
after 24 hours the clips remove clips and check the seal by observing for concavity of the lid and the security of the lid's placement
label when cool
store in a cool dark place

traditonal method

8 jars with 250 mls capacity

new lids or cellophane covers and rubber bands and labels

vinegar

place clean jars in the oven, together with a metal ladle and a funnel, on 100 deg c to sterilize while 

preparing the jam

put a plate in the freezer to use to test the jam set

follow method above to *

take jars from the oven and place on a heat proof non metallic surface

ladle jam using funnel into hot jars and seal with lids or cellophane covers that have been wiped with vinegar and secured with a rubber band

label when cool

store in a cool dark place

afternoon tea anyone?

molly's marmalade

i love the bitter sour perfumed flavour of cumquat so i planted one in my new garden two years ago and last autumn i made my first cumquat jelly..i decided to make jelly because, even though i love the flavour of cumquat, i've never really liked the consistency of the cumquat marmalade i've made..unlike the more dense rind of other citrus the skin on cumquat is soft and so it's difficult to cut it into lovely thin batons..so i've tended to end up with an inconsistently lumpy marmalade that i haven't enjoyed very much..

i am a bit of an op shopper in case you hadn't realised and at the same time as i made my cumquat jelly i noticed jars of delicious looking cumquat marmalade in my local op shop..it turned out that it had been made by molly, a volunteer, whom i know and really like..she is 82 years old and walks to and from the op shop daily with the assistance of a walking frame because she has chronic leg pain..despite the pain, however, molly is always smiling and friendly..

molly

anyway i bought one of molly's jars of marmalade, even though i had my own jelly, and because it was so delicious i had to go back for another jar a few days later..she was chuffed when i told her how much i had enjoyed her marmalade because she hadn't considered herself much of a jam maker..it was then that is asked her how she made it and she offered to write the recipe out for me..i made a batch that afternoon and i can happily tell you that i considered it a success..the secret to it's success, i think, is that the fruit is minced..although i have to say i've never liked using this method with other citrus fruit..

      molly's cumquat marmalade

• 1 kg cumquats (weight after de-seeding)
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 kgs sugar
• juice 2 lemons

• first de-seed cumquats (this is rather slow and laborious) and tie the seeds in muslin (molly didn't do this)
• mince the cumquats (i used a food processor)
• put minced cumquats and muslin bag in a large pan, pour over water, and leave to soak overnight
• the next day boil until the fruit is soft (approximately 1/2 hour)
• remove muslin bag and add the sugar and lemon juice
• once the sugar is dissolved boil rapidly for approximately 1/2 hour or until set

my 'molly' marmalade  

it's a lovely vibrant orange colour

my thanks go to molly who kindly gave me permission to take her photograph and write her cumquat marmalade recipe in this post..

a culinary day in honour of my mother..

when i was planning my garden after i moved into my new house 3 years ago i decided to plant productive trees only..but i decided on those trees where the fruit is not readily available in the shops..among the trees i planted were a pomegranate, a cumquat, a feijoa, an elderberry and a crabapple..

in those 3 years my dear little crabapple, 'malus gorgeous', has battled through 2 years of drought..with the temperature reaching 48 deg centigrade on the 7th feb 2008..

it was on this day that i had organised my mother's 80th birthday celebration at one of her favourite restaurants with family and friends in the dandenongs (a range of low mountains about an hour from the centre of melbourne)..while we were celebrating we were aware of bushfires because we could see smoke in the distance but we were unaware just how serious the fires were..we only learned when we arrived home and heard the devastating news that whole townships had been completely razed by bushfire and that many people had tragically lost their lives..

this winter has been kinder to victoria because we have had quite a lot of rain..and for the first time i have had a crop, albeit very small, of crabapples..i left them to sit on the tree for months to enjoy the little ruby jewels but today i picked them in order to make a small jar of crab apple jelly..i did so because i wanted to have a culinary day that reflected some of foodie things that i associate with my mother who died 2 years ago today (five months after her birthday)..

crabapple recipe

i washed the crabapples, removed the stalks, and placed them in a saucepan with water and the juice of half of a lemon just to cover and cooked them until they were quite soft..the pulp was strained, without squeezing, through 4 layers of muslin..the resulting juice was measured and placed back in a saucepan with an equal amount of sugar and heated until the sugar dissolved..it was then boiled until it set which occurred within 5 minutes of it boiling..then it was poured into a sterilized jar and sealed.. 

ruby jewels from 'gorgeous'

'gorgeous'  pink crabapple juice

crabapple juice and sugar

'gorgeous' ruby jelly

the violets i now have growing with exhuberant fecundity in my garden come from my mother's garden..and today i made candied violets as another culinary journey in honour of my mother..

candied violet recipe

i picked the violets early and tied them into a bunch to facilitate washing them (much easier than trying to wash them untied) and then i cut the heads from the stalks..i then put them into my dehydrator on 35 deg c for 2 hours..once they were dry, using tweezers, i dipped each violet into beaten egg white and then into castor sugar..i then put them on a fresh plate of castor sugar to dry..

fuzzy violets

a lovely bunch of violets

washed and drying violets

violets in dehydrator

and they actually are purple still!

sourdough loaf number 2

and while i was making the jelly and the violets i made sourdough loaf number 2 from my sourdough starter..it's an improvement on the first loaf..and it goes really well with the crabapple jelly..yum..

sourdough loaf no 2 from sourdough starter

and by the way those violets are going to adorn some cupcakes i plan to make in a few weeks time for a going away party i am hosting for a family member..jane