Preserving is a way of making sure that fresh foods can be kept for longer, ensuring they do not go to waste. This was very important in years past, when the vegetable plot outside the back door provided the food that you ate each day. Preserving was a way to keep food on the table in the winter months.
Today, when food is grown in huge quantities and imported year-round, and commercial preserves are easy to buy, there is less reason to make preserves, yet many of us still love to do it. There is something very special about cooking a batch of raspberry jam from fruit picked from the garden, or making something delicious from foraged blackberries and apples. I was brought up in a family where we used to come home to pots of green tomato chutney gracing the table, and it was very comforting to see a larder full of homemade marmalades and other delicacies.
Today, knowing where all your food has come from is a rarity. It has made me appreciate simply cooked vegetables and how to make the most of what you have. The freshness and flavour that goes with homemade is not something you can buy. I have always found it therapeutic and enjoyable to find ways to use up fruit or vegetables through pickling and preserving. I now have my own children and they are always keen to get involved in chopping onions and making jams – it is quite a family affair when we are all in the kitchen! Chutney has not quite got the thumbs up yet, but they love homemade raspberry jam, particularly in a jam tart. If you tend an allotment or have a vegetable patch, it does focus your mind on making an effort to use up your precious produce; a glut of tomatoes or courgettes can very quickly go to waste. We are fairly obsessed in my family with waste, so we preserve, where we can, any food that we grow and we have chickens who eat our leftovers.
Once you have tried a few recipes, you will get to understand what sets well and what doesn’t. You can start to be inventive with your ingredients and work with what you have to hand. The pot is your oyster and anything goes.
Strawberry Conserve
This soft-set, whole strawberry conserve is best served spooned, rather than spread. It is delicious served on top of meringues, or on warm scones with a large spoonful of thick clotted cream or crème fraîche.
Makes about: 1kg
Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 48 hours macerating and 15 minutes cooling
Cooking time: 20 minutes
You will need:
1kg small strawberries
1kg granulated sugar
juice of 2 lemons
In a large bowl, put the strawberries and sugar in layers. Cover and leave to macerate at room temperature for 24 hours.
The next day, put the mixture in a saucepan, slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then boil for 5 minutes until the strawberries have softened but not broken up.
Return the mixture to the bowl, cover and leave at room temperature for a further 24 hours.
Sterilise enough jars in the oven so that they are ready to use.
Return the mixture to the pan and add the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and then boil for 5–10 minutes until setting point is reached. Test for a set either with a sugar thermometer (it should read 105°C) or put a teaspoon of the conserve onto a cold saucer and leave until completely cool for a few minutes. If it wrinkles when you push it with your finger, then it is ready to use.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool for 15 minutes (this will help to prevent the strawberries from rising in the jars).
Ladle the conserve into the warmed, sterilised jars. Cover immediately with a waxed disc and a dampened cellophane round or a lid. Label and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Eat within 3 months and refrigerate after opening.
Emma’s tip: Leaving the strawberries in sugar helps to draw out their juices and keep them whole during cooking. It is important to use small, juicy whole strawberries, when they are in season.
Fresh Figs in Manuka Honey
Manuka honey from New Zealand is reputed to have anti-bacterial properties. Whether it does or not, its rich, strong flavour complements figs perfectly. Serve this preserve as a dessert with cream or Greek yogurt, or, as they do in Greece, with slices of feta cheese.
Makes about: 1L
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
You will need:
375g Manuka honey
juice of 2 oranges
10 fresh figs
Sterilise a 1l preserving jar so that it is ready to use.
Put the honey and 375ml water in a heavy-based saucepan and heat gently until combined. Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
Add the orange juice and figs to the pan. Return the pan to the heat, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the figs are just tender.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the figs from the pan and pack into the warmed, sterilised jar.
Pour the remaining liquid over the figs, covering them completely. Leave a 1cm gap between the top of the liquid and the lid. Tap the jar lightly on the work surface to remove any air bubbles. Fit the rubber band or metal lid and seal the jar. If using a screw-band jar, loosen by a quarter-turn. Label and leave to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator. Eat within 1 month.
Emma’s tip: Manuka honey can be expensive but you can use other honeys if you prefer. There are hundreds of varieties to choose from but one from a floral nectar source, such as orange blossom honey, would be a delicious and more affordable alternative.
Carrot & Date Chutney
The texture of this chutney is slightly crunchy and, apart from serving it with cheese it would make a good addition to a stuffing mix.
Makes about: 1.5kg
Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus 1 month maturing
Cooking time: 1 hour
You will need:
10g pickling spice
400ml apple cider vinegar
300g onions, finely chopped
500g carrots, grated
425 pitted dried dates, chopped
250g granulated sugar
Tie the pickling spice in a piece of muslin/cheesecloth.
Pour the vinegar and 1l of water into a preserving pan. Add the muslin bag, onions, carrots, dates and sugar, stir together and slowly bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until no excess liquid remains. Do not allow the mixture to get too thick. Stir regularly to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile, sterilise enough jars with non-metallic, vinegar-proof lids, or preserving jars, so that they are ready to use.
Spoon the chutney into the warmed, sterilised jars. Seal immediately, label and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Leave to mature for at least 1 month before using. Refrigerate after opening.
Sweet & Sour Cucumber Relish
It was in 1994 that an encounter over a jar of homemade cucumber relish, served with cheese, led to the founding of The Bay Tree. We still sell a version of the original, and it is very good served with cheese, smoked fish and cold meats due to its refreshing flavour and crisp texture.
Makes about: 1kg
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 48 hours salting and 1 month maturing
Cooking time: 15 minutes
You will need:
1kg (about 3 large) cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 tbsp coarse salt
500ml white wine vinegar
375g granulated sugar
1 tbsp mustard seeds
4 whole cloves
½ tsp ground turmeric
Put the cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl and sprinkle over the salt. Cover the bowl and leave in a cool place for 48 hours, stirring occasionally.
Drain the cucumbers and onions, rinse well under cold running water and drain.
Sterilise enough jars with non-metallic, vinegar-proof lids, or two x 500ml preserving jars, so that they are ready to use.
Pour the vinegar into a preserving pan. Add the sugar, mustard seeds, cloves and turmeric and slowly bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Add the drained cucumbers and onions to the pan, return to the boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat.
Using a slotted spoon, pack the cucumber and onions into the warmed, sterilised jars. Return the pan to the heat, bring the liquid to the boil and simmer for 5–10 minutes until reduced slightly. Be careful that the syrup does not caramelize.
Pour the syrup over the cucumbers and onions to cover. Seal immediately, label and store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Leave to mature for at least 1 month before using. Refrigerate after opening.
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Edited extract from The Art of Preserving: Ancient Techniques and Modern Inventions to Capture Every Season in a Jar by Emma Macdonald with Susanna Tee, photography by Toby Scott, published by Nourish.
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First published in Issue 74 of JUNO. Accurate at the time this issue went to print.
