Wednesday 27 January 2016

Satisfied but exhausted

Hooray! I have finally used up all of the produce from the broken down deep freeze in the shed. Hopefully at the weekend, we can take the deepfreeze and equally old fridge to the tip.

Along with the nine bottles of ketchup, 2 large kilner jars of blackberry vodka and 5 jars of raspberry and cassis jam from the other day; I now have 6 jars of apple and blackberry jam, 9 jars of gooseberry and elderflower jam (I added 8 tbsp elderflower cordial at the end of the cooking time), 9 jars of red fruits jam (plums, loganberries and raspberries), 5 jars of appleberry jam (apple, raspberry and loganberry) and 9 jars of spiced apple and tomato chutney.



I'm not sure where I'm going to store it all, but no home produce has been wasted! 

The chutney recipe:- 

500g chopped apple
500g chopped tomatoes
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 pint of white wine vinegar
400g brown sugar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt

Cook all the ingredients together in a large pot over a lowish heat until the vegetables are thick, pulpy and soft and almost all of the vinegar has evaporated. Mine bubbled away happily on the stove for about 30 mins, stirred occasionally. 
Decant into sterilised jars.

I have no jars left
I have no labels left
My feet and legs ache still, but I'm feeling rather pleased with myself :) 




18 comments:

  1. Wow that should keep you going for a while, it's a lovely feeling when you see it like that and think I made that and its always nicer than shop bought x

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    1. I don't imagine making any jam next year! I'm hoping to try jelly or different curds perhaps or maybe cordials..... We'll have to see what I'm able to grow/scavenge :)

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  2. Goodness me, well done! I must make some jam as we are on our last jar.

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    1. Shame you're not closer - I would happily palm some off on you :)

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  3. Well done, you have been very busy. I couldn't have wasted that food either. My husband once left the freezer door open overnight and everything defrosted. I spent the day cooking what I could salvage and refreezing cooked items.

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    1. Funnily enough I would have felt less guilty if I'd had to waste bought food! I didn't have any space in my mother freezer either, so I had no choice but to bottle everything in some form!

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  4. Love that picture, I do like to have lots of homemade preserves in, I use them in lots of unconventional ways. Plum jams are very good for making stir fries sticky, or ribs and chicken for that matter. Chutney livens up many a stew and casserole and a toasted cheese sarnie. Berry jam is great swirled through vanilla ice cream and a dollop in a fruit cake mix gives it a lift.

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    1. The thought of ribs coated in my plum jam.....my mouth is drooling :)
      I sometimes use a slightly too runny jam in the base of my trifles.

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  5. Wow well done! I make jam but never on this scale you deserve a cuppa and a sit down, amazing and thank-you for chutney recipe will definitely be using that one - Tam

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    1. Good luck with the chutney - it's a very mellow one. Perfect for cheese.
      I don't normally make quite that much jam - I'd already made 80+ jars before Christmas! I am now awash with jars, but they make great presents :)

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  6. I should think you are pleased with yourself. That is fantastic-x-

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    1. Thanks. It's pleasing to think I've saved it all - twice now in fact, once from Mums deepfreeze and then from near disaster! It better bloody tast good now!

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  7. Well done, that is a brilliant!

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  8. Wow - they look amazing. I am now trying to remember not to throw bottles away like I usually do to the recycling. I need to amass a stash then I can begin....

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    1. Yes, I was pleased I had been stashing jars on shelves in the shed or I would have been stuffed. I have used every single one I had, plus having to scrape out the remnants of two others into small ramekins, so I could use them too!

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  9. I was going to say haven't you got a lot of jars ... but now you've run out!! Oh well at least you've managed to preserve everything you needed to ... tiring but satisfying :-)

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    1. Thanks - no jars left now, just four bottles waiting for the blackberry vodka :) :)

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