Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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cab
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Apple and Herb Jellies Questions...Got a batch of apples processed for jellies; boiled to a pulp and strained, I'll strain again for a nice clear jelly.
They were wild, but kind of sweet, so the juice is really sweet; I can therefore, I presume, add a bit less sugar to make the jelly?
The plan is to make herb jellies; smaller batches of maybe three. Rosemaryy jelly is divine, mint is useful... Does sage work? Sage and thyme?
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twoscoops
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Sage does work as a flavouring. There is a tip in jellymaking about when to add the herbs. Too hot, I think, and the herbs float to the top rather than remain suspended. P'raps someone can confirm this?
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judith
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Re: Apple and Herb Jellies Questions... | cab wrote: | | Rosemaryy jelly is divine |
Agree 100% with that - rosemary jelly is my secret ingredient in lots of dishes.
| Quote: | | Does sage work? Sage and thyme? |
Sage works, but the jelly is very drab-looking. A drop of green food colouring helps to perk it up appearance-wise. I also found it didn't keep too well, and tasted "musty" fairly quickly.
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dougal
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| Twoscoops wrote: | | ...There is a tip in jellymaking about when to add the herbs. Too hot, I think, and the herbs float to the top rather than remain suspended. P'raps someone can confirm this? |
You want to infuse the herbs. And even sterlilise them.
But, you want them to be well distributed throughout the jar. And not float to the top before the jelly has set.
Hence, let the jelly cool and get really quite 'gloopy' before pouring into 'not-hot' jars.
And yes, that does seem to go against best sterilisation practice...
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Blue Peter
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There is also the "turn it upside down" theory, in which at the appropriate moment, when the viscosity is just right, you turn it upside down and the herbs start to float from the top (now on the bottom), but don't make it because things are becoming too viscous. I can't say that I've had any success with it, but perhaps if you kept turning and turning?
Rosemary jelly is good, and so is coriander and lime, and chilli jelly. Apple and sloe makes a nice jam jelly (i.e. I use the previous ones for savouries and the apple and sloe as a jam for my sandwiches),
Peter.
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Guest
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so can anyone post a good basic apple jelly recipe to put all these herbs in please?
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cab
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Get lots of apples. Crab apples are good. Cut them up a little, put them in a big pan, and almost cover them with water. Cook down gently till you have a pulp, don't be afraid to mash them a bit later on.
Strain the whole lot through a jelly bag or sheets of muslin; tie the pulp up in the bag and let it strain through without any squeezing till the juice has stopped running through. Be patient, leave it overnight.
Take the juice you now have, and add 1 pound of sugar per pint of juice, and boil it hard until it reaches setting point; crab apples set sooner and harder than eating apples. Jar it as for any jam or jelly.
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cab
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By the way, I made rosemary jelly and mint jelly in the end. Rosemary jelly is, as ever, divine. I've got a softer set than normal, but I'm fine with that, it's great stuff.
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boff
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Cab,
We have a surplus of pears, can we make jelly with them ?
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cab
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| boff wrote: | Cab,
We have a surplus of pears, can we make jelly with them ? |
Pears are odd. You'd have thought that there would be masses of pectin in them, but there isn't, and there's also very little acid in them. So yes, you can, but you need to use jam sugar or add some pectin because on their own they don't set (Jam sugar is best). So a little more faffy, but it's an awesome sweet jelly. That said, you could probably mix them two parts to one with crab apples, and I rekon you'd get a soft set out of that (little squeeze of lemon too maybe).
They also make a grand chutney.
But in my opinion the best three things to do with your pear surplus (you lucky bugger!) are:
1. Pear syrup. Make as for apple jelly, and bottle it like for any fruit syrup. Really cook it down hard for a good thick syrup, and you may well decide that it's the best fruit syrup you ever made. Best eaten with a spoon 
2. Perry. Almost any pears will work for a perry, if they're good and ripe.
3. Pear wine. Be generous with the pears, say, 7lb or ripe pears per gallon, and make it sweetish. How did an ex-girlfriend of mine describe it... Liquid panty remover, I believe This is the wine that got me into wine making in my teens.
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tahir
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I was thinking of a pear syrup, just pears and sugar?
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cab
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| tahir wrote: | | I was thinking of a pear syrup, just pears and sugar? |
Yeah, just pears and sugar, and some water. Like for apple jelly, half fill or even nearly cover the fruit. Cut the fruit in two first to speed things up.
Stew them down to a good wet pulp (it gets wetter than apples) and strain through a jelly bag. A pound of sugar to a pint of water, when made with really ripe pears, makes a really sweet and intense syrup.
Pear syrup is truly divine.
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tahir
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Would a bit of citrus peel work with em?
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cab
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| tahir wrote: | | Would a bit of citrus peel work with em? |
If the pears are good you won't need it, but give it a bash and let me know how you get on.
We used to make pear syrup most years, there were a lot of pear trees growing wild where I grew up in Gateshead.
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Bugs
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| cab wrote: | | How did an ex-girlfriend of mine describe it... Liquid panty remover, I believe This is the wine that got me into wine making in my teens. |
 Why on earth is she an ex though?
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boff
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| Bugs wrote: | | cab wrote: | | How did an ex-girlfriend of mine describe it... Liquid panty remover, I believe This is the wine that got me into wine making in my teens. |
Why on earth is she an ex though? |
Ran out of pears ???? 
** Thanks for the tips team, gotta go, rgds Boff **
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cab
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| Bugs wrote: | | cab wrote: | | How did an ex-girlfriend of mine describe it... Liquid panty remover, I believe This is the wine that got me into wine making in my teens. |
Why on earth is she an ex though? |
Ahh, now that would be a long and tedious story. Not to say a messy and slightly sordid one. And one I'm not going to share 
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