Yesterday I decided to use all the little bags of fruit scraps from the freezer, a punnet of raspberries that had been in the freezer for over two years, some dried up mandarin oranges that I had frozen and a few of the apples from our tree to make some Compost Heap Jelly.
My first stage was to get everything into a pan pour over a kettle full of recently boiled water so that it would be possible to cut everything up a bit, and then bring it to the boil.
I left it simmering away for about an hour with the lid on and then mashed it all up a bit with my masher. After another 20 minutes of simmering I turned off the heat and left it to cool in the pan for an hour still with the lid on. I wanted every bit of flavour and goodness out of all the mush.
Then after a mad look around the kitchen to find my straining bag, before remembering that my old one had broken and I had bought a new one and put it in a completely different place, I finally found it and got my fruity mush straining.
There was so much juice that i had to go old school and lift the straining bag higher over the jug. Tying it with string to my kitchen cupboard. I let it drip, drip, drip slowly at first and then I decided i didn't need crystal clear jelly I needed volume so I gave it a good squeeze.
I ended up with over 2 pints of lovely fruity juice.
And a little pile of mush that I put outside for the wasps for a while, before tipping it into the compost bin.
As well as this and as soon as I had a clear worktop I was making good use of my roll of puff pastry, that I took as part of this weeks rations. Four meals worth of pastry products.
https://youtu.be/-jwQnlKSxQI?si=dYbieaSvYUxarB23
Today it's time to boil up my juice with my sugar ration and make myself lots of lovely Compost Heap Jelly. The beauty of jelly over jam is that the tasks can be split over two days. Here's Pam who can describe how to do it all so much better than I can.
Sue xx
Delicious, Sue. I make Pam’s recipe, and rosehip and apple jelly to use apple peel and windfall apples. I make a batch with foraged elderberries, blackberries, rosehips and crab apples as a tasty remedy for colds. We grew quince and medlars on the allotment which made beautiful jellies.
ReplyDeleteHer recipes just always work don't they, seeing her in person actually doing it was brilliant, she's so relaxed and knowledgeable. My neighbour in Wales used to grow quince and medlars ... alongside tons of other fruits ... and made all her own preserves for her B&B.
DeleteWe use an upturned stool with an old nappy liner threaded onto the four legs!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many clever ways to strain things aren't there. I might actually just stick with the 'hanging from the cupboard door handle' in future, it dripped so much better.
DeleteI use a stool and an old cotton pillowcase
DeleteI'll need to save an old pillowcase for when this straining bag wears out, although they do last for years.
DeleteSomething so comforting about making preserves - and practical of course when you're using up what would otherwise have been discarded.
ReplyDeleteAlison in Wales x
Definintely, apart from the cost of the sugar which was bought a long time ago it was all free, and it was satisfying to make some space in the freezer too, there were so many little bags of apple cores and peelings. :-)
DeleteClear or cloudy, it is a beautiful colour and looks very yummy.
ReplyDeleteShame we are not neighbours swapping rations - you could have all my sugar!
It does make it a lovely colour just adding a few dark berries to the mix doesn't it. I need to make a paler one next time ... when I've saved up some more sugar. I bet so much swapping of foods and skills went on during the war years, I would happily give you half my jam in exchange for your sugar. :-)
DeleteI much prefer jelly to jam and yours already looks such a lovely colour. Catriona
ReplyDeleteIt is easy to spread and to use for other things isn't it. But occasionally it's nice to have some chunks of fruit in a jam, just for a change.
DeleteI tend to make more jam than jelly, but, I can see why you'd want jelly from those ingredients. I make what I call "no waste" peach jam with all the peels and bruised parts that I remove when I can them. You had a very productive day in the kitchen, yesterday!
ReplyDeleteYes, you do have to make a jelly from these ingredients, you wouldn't want pips and skins in your jam. Jessica over at Three Rivers Homestead on YouTube makes Peach Pit Jelly using all the scraps from her peach preserving. Sometimes it's nice to have a productive day in the kitchen isn't it, knowing you have food to last a while or at least the makings of meals for later in the week.
DeleteYour jelly looks very interesting and while I don't make much jelly any longer I may have to give this a try.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It's simple to do and you can get away with not having any jam making equipment, as long as you have a nice big pan.
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