Preserves

Runner bean pickle 

I love this little pickle, its sweet, flavourful and with a good tang. Perfect as a side dish to curries or paired with a strong cheese or cold meats. I originally made this with the idea of preserving my little garden in a jar and experimenting with different combinations of herbs and spices. So in this one its packed with dried mint, oregano, chilli flakes and fennel seeds, a different variation of the original recipe. Check out Pam 'the jam' Corbin from River Cottage cucumber pickle recipe for the original measurements. She is such an inspiration to my preserve making and if you are thinking of starting your own, check her out. 

  

Ingredients  
1kg runner beans 
1 large onion
12 calendula flower heads 
8 nasturtium leaves 
200g granulated sugar 
750ml cider vinegar (5% acidity) 

Pickle solution 
2 tbsp of the following 
dried mint 
oregano 
fennel seeds 
chilli flakes 
x6 finely sliced garlic  

Method 

1. Get the pickle solution ready in a pan, slowly dissolve the sugar and the dried herbs together. 
2. Chop diagonally the runner beans and roughly dice the onion. Add to the pickle solution and bring to the boil for 5 minutes. 
3. Once at a rolling boil, turn the heat down to a simmer for a further 2-4 minutes. As you are doing so add the nasturtium leaves and calendula heads. You can just add the petals in if you prefer (brings a citrus note to the pickle). 
4.  At this point you can carefully take out your sterilised jars ( I sterilise mine at 50 degrees in the oven or use your hottest dishwasher cycle).
5. Pack tightly making sure all the mixture is filled to the brim of the glass. I reused any old jam or pickle jars I had left for this; because they are already food grade safe its easier to store in the long run. Add the extra liquid to the top and seal off as soon as possible. 
6. Tap lightly the bottom of the jar to remove any potential air bubbles forming and store in a dark cupboard for up to a year. Once opened keep refrigerated and eat within a month. 

If you would like the pickle to have a slightly thicker solution just reduce the pickling liquid. To brighten up the colour you can also add turmeric with the other spices. 

This recipe is very versatile and can be used for any vegetables if you had a summer glut. If you do make this or any other recipe featured in my blog, please comment or ping me a message. Excited to see what you all create and build a little community. 

Hope you enjoyed this post and another one will come shortly. 

XO  

Fireside jam 

Now this is a fun little jam to make, full of Christmas spices and has a lovely bright amber colour almost like watching the burning embers of a flickering fire on a winters night. Sound lovely right? (I love to write poetry so couldn't help myself there). I was lucky enough to have been given a bag of windfall apples from a friend of mine and this year I wanted to swap things up a bit and try this recipe out.  

If you skim off the froth as you go more diligently than me then you would get a lovely crystal clear jelly- much better than mine. 

Ingredients 

1 kg of windall or cooking apples 

6 whole orange peels finely sliced 

850g granulated sugar 
spice mix  

x2 cinnamon sticks 

x6 star anise 

x3 cloves 

Method 

1. Roughly chop the apples into 4 removing the pips and core. Finely slice the orange peel into strips, this is so the pectin is released easier when cooking. 

2. Add the apples, orange peel and cloves in the pan and cover with water. Boil for around 30 mins or until the apples are tender. 

3. Transfer the mixture in a jelly bag or in my case undyed muslin cloth and hang from a cupboard handle. Leave to sit overnight for the juice to run clear, squeezing it will make the jelly become cloudy in appearance. 

4. Remove the mixture from the jelly bag and discard. Measure the juice in a measuring jug and add roughly 250g per every 300ml of juice. Add the juice into a wide brimmed sauce pan or stockpot. 

5. Add the sugar and leave to simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cinnamon sticks and star anise to the pan and bring the jam up to a rolling boil for around 15-20 minutes. 

6. You can check if the jam is set by doing the saucer test. I find placing the saucer in the freezer more effective. If you put a spoonful of the jam on the saucer and push the edge with your finger, if it wrinkles at the top you know its ready. 

7. Spoon into sterilised jars (see previous post) to the brim and quickly screw on the lid. Tap the bottom of the jar to remove the air bubbles and you are good to go. 

8. For added decoration you could add in a cinnamon stick or star anise into each jar, I think its a cute little extra. Especially if you are giving away as Christmas presents.   

Hope you enjoyed this post! As always let me know what you made and any creative variations you've tried out at home. I find that this spice mix also works well with a bramble jam (blackberries, hawthorns and rosehips). 

XO 

Nasturtium hot sauce 

I was hunting around for a good recipe to preserve my nasturtium leaves. They have been pampered the last few months in well fed compost, meaning they didn't grow any flowers. (Nasturtiums are very hardy plants and prefer to just be planted in the ground.) I did want however to preserve the peppery taste. I would say its a cross between a radish and watercress. This hot sauce was perfect to store for a few months so I thought I'd give it a try. To add depth to my sauce, I roasted the peppers, chillies and garlic for 20 minutes to bruise their skins and highlight their sweetness. 

Just a side note: let's talk about sterilising 

Sterilising properly is so important to make sure that no bad bacteria form inside the jars and make the food go rancid. I use jars or bottles that are food grade, in other words produced for supermarkets. What is great about reusing these not just about re purposing them and saving a bit of money; that they are more likely already have the lot of the quality checks done for you. 

Tips 

• Keep the jars/ bottles etc in warm water before sterilising them in the oven or dish cycle. Doing this warms the glass and prevents any cracks. 
• Keep the temperature of the oven LOW, I tend to use between 50-100 degrees and only leave them in a oven dish for 10-15 minutes. 
• It's important to keep the sterilised jars hot before you pour in your preserve. Once its cool the bad bacteria can start to form because its been left out and oxygen came in contact with the jar. 

Ingredients 
1 cup of nasturtium leaves or flowers 
x3 chillies 
x8 cloves of garlic 
350ml cider vinegar (5% acidity) 
x2 peppers (red, yellow or orange) 
80g granulated sugar 
1 tsp chilli flakes (optional- I just like my heat a little deadly) 

Method  

1. Place the peppers, chillies and garlic in an oven proof dish. I stored my garlic cloves inside one of the peppers to prevent them from burning. (Just chop off one of the heads of the pepper to create a lid for the garlic). 
2. Preheat the oven for 200 degrees and place on the top shelf for 15-20 minutes or until the skins are bruised/blackened.  
3. Take out the peppers, chillies and garlic from the oven. Remove the garlic skins and put the ingredients into a blender. Add some of the vinegar and whizz. It turns a beautiful orange shade. 
4. Add the liquid mixture to a saucepan. Then repeat the same process with the nasturtium leaves. I have a small blender so if you have a larger one, by all means just throw it in together. 
5. Pour in the nasturtium liquid into the sauce pan. Keep stiring for 10 minutes on a simmer and skim off any foam that forms. 
6. Pour into sterilised bottles. Try and fill to the brim as once it cools it reduces. I found it difficult to add the cap back on so if you have that problem can either persist or just screw on the lid. I used old soy sauce bottles and these were perfect with this. 
7. Tap gently on the side of the counter to release any potential bubbles.  
   

It reminded me of Tabasco sauce, its fuller flavour thanks to roasting the ingredients. The nasturtiums gave the sauce a really fresh zing taste to the finished product. I think this could last up to 3 months and once opened 2 weeks in the fridge. 

Enjoy! 

XO 

Make it green! 

If you fancied the hot sauce without the nasturtiums you can use my original recipe and omit the leaves. However, this time round I fancied using up the whole lot. It's getting towards the end of October soon, wind is picking up and my little veg box is in need of a bit of TLC. I made the same recipe as above but with 25-30 leaves packed inside the bottles. The peppery notes really packed a punch in this batch and would be amazing used as a vinaigrette (olive oil, hot sauce, salt and shake) or in pesto or over greens of your choice. 

  I blended the leaves in batches with the vinegar to loosen up the sauce and this helped the blender do it's thang.  

I keep the garlic in it's skin during cooking and once roasted becomes a beautifully sweet mush, so easy to peel... A lovely way to try garlic.  

Another tip is if using garlic any other time and don't want to peel- put the garlic in a bowl, pour hot water. Leave for 10 minutes and peel. 

This sauce is great also if you have any green tomatoes or peppers and want something different to do with them. Personally, I find green peppers to have a fresher less sweet taste than red or orange. 

This and the other hot sauce should last between 3-6 months. Once opened it will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. If the mixture separates just shake before serving. 

Enjoy! 

XO 

Butternut squash chutney 

I was kindly donated a little winter butternut squash plant in the summer. Unfortunately due to some very unwanted pests in my veg box, I needed to rescue my three little green ones before they were nibbled on. A few sadly came to an untimely end and had to be thrown away, I know, sad face. I was trawling through the internet for some ideas, I found that yes I could cook with these. I love anything where I don't have to waste food. 

This chutney is full flavoured and with a good kick. If anyone knows me well i'm a bit obsessed with chilli- I promise though it is only a medium at best. But if you do fancy making it a bit hotter just add 1 tbsp chilli flakes extra (for the brave kind!). 

Ingredients 

1-1.5 kg of squash 

1/2 scotch bonnet 

1 onion diced 

300ml white wine vinegar 

700g granulated sugar

200g sultanas  

x4 tbsp coriander leaf 

x4 tbsp cumin 

x4 tbsp turmeric 

1tsp cinnamon 

1 tbsp chilli flakes (optional) 

200ml water 

Method 

1. Chop onions, and squash into small chunks and set to one side. 

2. Add onions, chilli and squash into the pan and cover with water. Leave to simmer for 1 hour or until the squash have softened. For my batch it took a little longer and I encouraged it by mashing it down with a wooden spoon. 

3. Once reduced and thick, add the sugar, spices and vinegar and leave for a further 20 or so minutes. 

4. If the mixture sticks to the bottom of the pan that is fine, its the burnt sugar that actually gives it a depth of flavour. If you wanted a similar toffee note just swap it for brown or muscovado sugar. 

5. If you are unsure if its done, Divide the mixture in the bottom of the pan with your spoon. If it comes out as clean at the bottom of the pan then it's ready. 

6. Pour the mixture into sterilised jars. This recipe made 7-8 medium sized jars. 

I'm really pleased at how this one turned out, great pairing with a cheese board (its a staple in my house at Christmas and New Year) or alongside a curry. 

Enjoy!

XO

Sour blackberry jam  

There are a few easy things to forage in the autumn months and blackberries are a staple. This year I paired it up with lemon and oranges for a critusy background note. Super simple to make at home and makes lovely presents. You can switch this recipe up with the spice mix found in the fireside recipe, I think cinnamon sticks, star anise and cloves lends themsleves well to blackberries and apples. 

 

Ingredients 

1kg blackberries 
950g granulated sugar 
1 lemon (juice and peel) 
2 oranges (peel) 
water to cover 


Method  

1. Wash the blackberries and remove any leaves. Add into a crockpot or a wide brimmed pan (easier for the bubbles to disperse that way). 
2. Weigh 950g of sugar and add to the blackberries, cover with water. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. 
3. Turn the heat up to a rolling or 'hard' boil for around 15-25 minutes. 
4. Use a traditional saucer method to check if the jam is ready. When you push your finger on the sauce, it should wrinkle at the top. If this does not happen, give the jam another few minutes. 
5. Pour into sterilised jars. (Always tap the bottom of the jar to remove any air bubbles from forming inside the jar). 
6. Should keep between 6 months to a year. 

 

This recipe is a whole fruit jam, if you would like to make a seedless version just follow the steps in my fireside jelly. Strain the juice first then pour into a saucepan and add the sugar. 

Enjoy! 

XO