Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption
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woodyandluna
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GreengagesWhat can I make using greengages? I have a greengage tree in my garden which I have ignored in previous years and would like to make use of it from now on.
Any ideas?
Carl
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cab
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Anything that you can do with plums, you can do with gages. They make a fine jam, they make an excellent white wine, a nice crumble, they can be dried, preserved in alcohol for a liquer, eaten ripe off the tree, put in a rumtoft, etc.
What do you want to do with them? I'm sure recipes and specific advice on how will be forthcoming...
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Bugs
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Delicious jam, and if you can find a good technique (we haven't, yet  ) preserve them in alcohol/sugar syrup for weird but lovely accompaniment to after dinner coffee.
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cab
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| Bugs wrote: | | preserve them in alcohol/sugar syrup for weird but lovely accompaniment to after dinner coffee. |
You mean, to eat as sort of alcoholic sweets after dinner? I must have a recipe for that... Remind me to look.
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judith
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Definitely jam - one of the house specialities here. Put a snippet of vanilla pod in the jam as it sets - really adds something.
You can make a fairly anaemic-looking plum sauce for Chinese dishes. Looks a bit odd, but tastes OK.
Stewed greengages make lovely pies and crumbles. If you have the freezer space, just stew them down and package into portion sizes and freeze. I suppose you could bottle them to the same effect.
That's about all I do with them since we only have the one tree 
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woodyandluna
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| cab wrote: | Anything that you can do with plums, you can do with gages. They make a fine jam, they make an excellent white wine, a nice crumble, they can be dried, preserved in alcohol for a liquer, eaten ripe off the tree, put in a rumtoft, etc.
What do you want to do with them? I'm sure recipes and specific advice on how will be forthcoming... |
Great!! I suspected that I could just treat them like plums. Can't wait for them to ripen now! Jam and crumble will be top of my list I think. I'd be interested in drying and preserving them if you have any advice Cab?
Thanks guys & gals,
Carl
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woodyandluna
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| Judith wrote: | Definitely jam - one of the house specialities here. Put a snippet of vanilla pod in the jam as it sets - really adds something.
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Thanks Judith, I'll give that a whirl 
Carl
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cab
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| brica wrote: |
Great!! I suspected that I could just treat them like plums. Can't wait for them to ripen now! Jam and crumble will be top of my list I think. I'd be interested in drying and preserving them if you have any advice Cab?
Thanks guys & gals,
Carl |
Do as for plums. Prick them with a fork, put them in a low oven, or if the oven doesn't get really low (you want it less than boiling point) an oven with the door slightly ajar.
Failing that, do them in a food dryer if you have one, or have a go at doint it in a really hot airing cupboard.
I've done it in an airing cupboard, that works fine if it's got a really good heater in there. I've also done it in an oven, took about 24 hours.
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cab
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Oh, and in alcohol, a nice one is plums in brandy. Fill a jar with plums or gages, put in a little sugar, fill with brandy and seal. Taste it a week later, see if it needs more sugar. Keep sampling and sweetening till it's ready.
They can also be boiled in a sugar syrup, before mixing the syrup with brandy and bottling in that. I think that's more what Bugs was getting at.
Then, of course, you can stew and freeze them, and they can be bottled. Any bottling afficionados reading this want to give some views?
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