Harvesting Our Hedgerows.

                                                                        Harvest Time.

It will soon be time to start harvesting the various fruits and nuts from our hedgerows around the fields and our woods. One of the first to harvest is the fruit of the Crab Apple but because the spring was a long time coming you may still be able to find some Elder Flowers that are still usable to make Elderflower Cordial, here is a recipe.

Ingredients;
2 1/4 lb of sugar.
2 1/2 pints of boiling water.
4 medium size washed Lemons.
30 good sized Elderflower Heads. ( shake off any insects. )
2 oz of citric acid.

Method;
Put sugar in a large saucepan/stockpot or a large Pyrex bowl. Pour in the boiling water over the sugar stirring till all the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool.
Using a fine grater, grate the rind of the lemons and add to the sugared water.
Slice the lemons into thick slices and add to the water. Add the citric acid and stir in, then finally add the flower heads to the water and stir again.
Cover with a clean cloth and leave to steep for 48 hours.
Strain through a clean fine muslin cloth into a clean bowl.
Using a funnel, fill your pre sterilised bottles, seal and store in a cool dark place for a few weeks before drinking or freeze some of them in plastic bottles until wanted. Once opened store in refrigerator.

                                                                      Crab-apple Jelly.

Ingredients;
6 lbs of crab-apples.
4 pints of water.
Sugar.

Method;
Wash and cut apples in to quarters, without peeling or coring. Put in a large saucepan and add the water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 and a half hours, or until the fruit is well mashed, add a little more water if required. At this point you may add a few cloves or some bruised root ginger to add flavour to the apples while they are cooking but this is optional, personally I don't bother.
When finished strain the contents through a jelly cloth.

Now measure the extracted liquid and for each pint add 1 lb of sugar on returning it back to the pan. Now here is the tricky bit. Bring the pan to the boil, stirring until all the sugar is dissolved, then bring to a rapid boil until the setting point temperature is reached, you may use a jam making thermometer for this or you can test by putting a drop on to a cold spoon, if it starts to set then you are ready to go. Skim, pot and cover your jars in the usual way. I often have problems with the last part getting it to set but I normally get there in the end.
This makes a smashing Jelly and served with Pork you can't beet it.

                                                                           Cherry's.

 I see the Cherry's on the trees along Shobnall Road are ready for picking and I have spotted the post man and a news paper boy already taking them. There is a group of trees opposite Marstons Club but I would ask before picking them. The cherry's when used with some Granny Smith's Apples do make a nice pie but you can also make a nice sauce to serve with roast duck. Here is the recipe for the sauce.

Ingredients;
100 ml of Chicken stock.
100 ml of Port.
A good handful of cherry's stoned and halved.
A desert spoon of red current jelly.
One roast duck.

Method;
Put the chicken stock and the port in a pan and bring to the boil and reduce by a third. Add the cherries and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the red current jelly until dissolved. Serve hot or cold with your roast duck.

These tips and the use of various fruits etc will be ongoing as the seasons change and the fruits ripen, so keep checking for updates as I add to the list.

                                                                            Jam Making.

Jam making in days of old was a hectic time when the seasonal fruits were being harvested to make the jams and preserves that were going to feed you through the winter months. All this has changed, now that the fruits can be picked when at their best and frozen, there is now no such urgency to race around to make your preserves and jams. Jams made from frozen fruit will taste infinitely fresher and more delicious than fruit jams made three or four months earlier.

A selection of jams.

To make your jams you will need a large saucepan ( Not Aluminium. ) sugar  and fruit of your choice. When buying your Sugar do not buy Jam Making Sugar, it is not necessary unless you are making a jam from a fruit that has a low pectin content. Slightly under-ripe fruit can make a better jam, because of the higher acidity level. Here is a list of fruits that are high in pectin and do not require any additive to help make your jam and a list of other fruits that are high and may require some help and a list of fruits that are low in pectin and will require help.

High in Pectin. ( No help. )
Crab apples, blackcurrants, gooseberries, plums, redcurrants, cooking apples, damsons, quince, lemons and most plums.

High Pectin level. ( But may need help. )
Raspberries, loganberries, boysenberries, tayberries and apricots.

Low in Pectin. ( Use jam making sugar. )
Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, rhubarb, elderberries, peaches, sweet cherries, desert apples and pears.

Tip:
Adding Lemon juice ( about a quarter of a cup per batch ) helps to activate the pectin to set. Lemon juice or citric acid is often needed with some fruits even those that are high in natural pectin to get your set. It's also handy to put a couple of small plates in your fridge to use when testing if your fruit is ready. When you think it has reached the setting point put a spoonful of your jam on the middle of a cold plate and if it starts to go wrinkly then the set point has been reached.

Now I am no expert when it comes to making jams but I have had some success and some disasters. So from here on may I suggest that you follow a well tried and proven recipe, there are plenty to follow in books or you can find them on the internet, if you get stuck buy readymade or try again it's worth doing.

On the boil. It looks good
even at this stage.