MEDLAR JELLY

Medlar Jelly

For more information about Medlars check out my blog from November 2018, Medlars

We received a supply of medlars from our usual source and for the second year made some medlar jelly adapting a recipe from Nigel Slater.  Medlars, as explained in my earlier blog do not ripen on the tree and need to be bletted.

Having received our medlars we placed them on a tray and put them in a fairly dark place in the garden shed

unripe medlars

Afte two to three weeks, most had bletted successfully.  A couple had shown signs of mould and these were discarded.  There were also a few which had not completed the process but to make the jelly a few unripe medlars are helpful as they are rich in pectin which aids setting of the jelly. 

successfully bletted

bletted medlars

We also had a surfeit of apples this year and decided to add a few of the sound windfalls to the mix for added pectin.

windfall apples on the allotment

We used the rest of the sound apples and some still on the tree to make apple jelly using my recipe from 2018

Some recipes suggest chopping the medlars but as ours were so ripe I just pulled them in half, squeezed them and placed them in a pan and covered with water, adding the juice of two lemons and the squeezed lemons (peel and pips). I also added a few of the apples (stalks removed), roughly chopped including cores and pips.

bletted medlars being squished for the pan

With the squished medlars, chopped apples and squeezed lemon covered with water I brought the pan gently to the boil.

medlars being brought to the boil

medlar mixture simmering

I left the pan simmering gently for about 40 minutes. As you can see from the pictures, it does not look particularly appetising - and don't be tempted to taste it, otherwise you might just give up on the whole process.  Indeed I had my doubts that this mixture would ever produce a clear and tasty jelly.  During the simmering process, the fruit mixture can be pressed with a potato masher to ensure all the juice is extracted.

The entire contents are then poured into a jelly bag, suspended over a bowl and left overnight (or for 12-24 hours) for the juice to drip through.

See video

At this point you will be relieved to see a clear amber to pinkish liquid dripping through.

Jelly bags and stands are readily available in cookshops and on-line, but if you don't have one a couple of squares of muslin will do either draped over a colander or large sieve or pinned/tied to the legs of an upside down stool or chair (which is what I used to do when I made jellies with my mother in my youth) with a bowl underneath.  Just make sure the muslin is clean and has been sterilised with boiling water.

Do not prod or squeeze the bag!  Its very tempting as you can always extract more juice and it is thick and sticky and will aid the setting BUT it will make the jelly cloudy. Squeezing won't spoil the taste; it will increase the quantity, but you won't have that beautiful clear jelly.

Measure the juice and put in a stainless steel pan and add sugar in the quantity 750g of sugar for every litre of juice, or a pound to a pint in "old money". Using less sugar will produce a sharper tasting jelly, which I prefer, but reducing too much might make it difficult to get a good set.

Heat gently, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved then bring to a rapid boil. Keep a watchful eye as it may suddenly foam up. Take care that it doesn't boil over by lowering the heat..

Boil rapidly until the setting point is reached, probably after 20 minutes - but could be shorter or longer.  The best way to test for setting point is with a thermometer, which should read 220C, but I don't have one (must put it on the Xmas Wish List!), so I rely on the cold plate method.  Drop a little of the jelly on a cold, dry plate and leave in a cool place for a couple of minutes. If it forms a skin which wrinkles when you draw your finger across it then setting point has been reached.  If it doesn't set, boil a little longer and then repeat the test.

When setting point has been reached, remove from heat and skim off any scum that appears on the surface with a metal spoon.

The jelly can now be poured into warm, sterilised jars and the lids screwed on tightly.

You should have a beautifully clear jelly.  

ready for pouring into sterilised jars

The jars should be stored in a cool dark place as the jelly will darken and lose some clarity with age.

the finished product

To prevent this, the best suggestion is eat it as soon as possible and, if you have too much, give it to your friends and neighbours.  You will be very popular!  It is delicious on toast or can be eaten with hard cheeses or meat, especially game (Nigel Slater recommends it with pheasant) but it goes very well with fatty lamb or pork.  You can also add a spoonful to your gravy (or jus!).

Enjoy!

John Austin

Hove, December 2019

ORANGES, LEMONS AND LIMES (3)

Lemon marmalade - 

Recipe 3 Lemon & Ginger Marmalade

This recipe basically follows the same method as the two previous ones 

Ingredients

1kg Lemons (or Limes or oranges or a mixture of all three)
6 pints/3.5 litres water
Granulated or Jam Sugar
4oz/100g root ginger
4 -8oz/100-200g crystallised ginger*

Method

Prepare the fruit as in either of the previous recipes - Thick cut marmalade or Thin cut, Lemon shred marmalade but then peel and bruise/crush the root ginger or chop or slice it and tie in a muslin cloth and add to and boil with the fruit pulp.

After boiling, remove the ginger and strain the pulp and proceed as previous recipes.

Chop the crystallised ginger 

and add to the fruit juice once the sugar has dissolved, and keep stirring for a few minutes to ensure that sugar adhering to the ginger has dissolved, then bring to the boil until setting point has been reached.

Leave to cool for a few minutes and then stir to ensure an even distribution of peel and ginger. Pour into jars and seal.  If the mixture is too hot when you pour into jars there is a risk that the ginger will sink to the bottom.  If this does occur, stir the contents in the jar before sealing.

* If you want only a hint of ginger use the lower quantity.  If you want it fiery increase the quantity to your own taste. You don't have to limit it to 8oz/200g.

John Austin

Hove, February 2018

ORANGES, LEMONS AND LIMES (2)

Lemon marmalade - Recipe 2 Thin cut (Lemon Shred)

Basically this is the same recipe as the previous one but with very thin pared peel and none of the flesh in the final product.

Ingredients

1kg lemons (or limes or a mixture)

6 pints (3.5 litres) water

White granulated sugar (or jam sugar or preserving sugar)

Method

Thinly pare the peel with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. I used a vegetable peeler.

Finely slice the peel

Put the peel in a pan with 1 pint (600mls) water, bring gently to the boil and simmer for 20 -  30 minutes. Meanwhile roughly chop the peeled fruit and place in a large preserving pan with 5 pints (3 litres) of water.  Ensure you include all the pips, pith and juice of the peeled fruit.  Drain the peel and set aside, reserving the liquid which should be added to the fruit in the preserving pan. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 - 2 hours.

The method now follows the process in the previous recipe - allow the fruit pulp to cool a little then put into a jelly bag and leave to strain for 6 hours or overnight

Measure the drained liquid....

Pour the liquid into a preserving pan, warm gently adding sugar (1lb/450g for each pint/600mls of liquid) and stir until all sugar has dissolved. Add the drained peel and bring rapidly to the boil and keep boiling until the setting point is reached (see previous recipe).

Allow the pan and contents to cool a little, stir to ensure that the peel is evenly distributed then pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Enjoy!

John Austin

Hove February 2018

ORANGES, LEMONS AND LIMES (1)

Lemon marmalade - Recipe 1 Thick cut marmalade

Early February and the markets in Spain are full of oranges and lemons

Oranges 3 kilos for 1 €uro

Lemons were slightly more expensive at 2 kilos for 1€ but at that price we had to bring some home. (Just a thought but will we be able to bring fruit from Spain into the UK after Brexit?)

Lemons were slightly more expensive at 2 kilos for 1€ but at that price we had to bring some home.  But what should we do with them?  We could slice them and freeze for use with Gin and Tonic - but that's a lot of G'n'T....and we have enough Preserved Lemons to last us well into 2018 and almost everyone on our Christmas gift list has already had a jar - so we decided to make lemon marmalade.

It's a long time since I made marmalade so I consulted a few recipes to get the proportions right but in the end the important rule to remember is 1lb of sugar to 1 pint of juice for us pre-metric generation (that's 450 grams of sugar to 600 mls of fruit juice). In the end I decided to make clear marmalade with peel, adapting a Lemon jelly recipe.

We had almost 3 kg lemons and as I also had a couple of spare limes, added these to bring the total to 3 kg.   I made 3 batches - the first thick cut marmalade and then one with shredded peel and the last with added ginger.

Ingredients

1 kg lemons
3.5 litres (6 pints) water
Granulated or Jam sugar

Method

Cut the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Remove any stalk and trim the ends. 

Remove any stalk and trim the ends. Remove the central core (I find this easy with a sharp pair of kitchen scissors).  Remove all the pips.  Keep all of the trimmings and central core that you have removed and put in a large preserving pan with 3 litres (5 pints) of water. Boil gently for about 1 - 2 hours then leave to cool.

Take the lemon quarters and cut the peel with any fruit attached into slices - as chunky or as fine as you want.

Place this peel in another saucepan with 600 mls (1 pint) of water and boil for about half an hour until the peel is soft.  Strain the peel, preserving the liquid which should be added to the preserving pan containing the pips and core.

When the large pan has been boiling for 1-2 hours,  pour contents into a jelly bag and strain  for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Discard the contents of the jelly bag and measure the quantity of strained liquid.

You can squeeze the jelly bag into the strained liquid - this will aid the setting but will result in a less clear marmalade. The juice will be cloudy at this time but it will gradually clear as it is boiled with the sugar

Put the strained peel into a large pan and pour in the measured liquid

Heat the pan gently and stir in the sugar - 1 lb / 450g to every 1 pint / 600mls juice - continue stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.  Heat to boiling and then fast boil until a set is obtained (probably about 15-20 minutes). Watch the pan all the time and adjust the heat as necessary - the marmalade could froth up and spill over if you are not careful.  Test for a set by putting a few drops on a cold,dry plate and see if a skin forms - if not boil a little longer and test again. 

When the setting point is reached, leave to cool a little for a few minutes and stir to ensure the peel is evenly distributed.  Pour into clean sterilised jars and then screw on the lids.

Leave to cool and set overnight.  Enjoy on toast with afternoon tea!

John Austin

Hove February 2018

APPLE JELLY

APPLE JELLY

With our new allotment on The Weald in Hove we have acquired an old apple tree which was laden with fruit and we have used a lot of it for making Apple Jelly.

I make apple jelly most years but have just realised that I haven't posted any recipe.  Well here it is, just plain and simple basic apple jelly.

There are two basic things you need to know - 

1  for every 1kg of apples you will need app. 1 litre of water - or just enough to ensure the fruit in the pan is covered;

2  for every 600mls of juice you obtain you will need 450g of sugar - that;s 750g of sugar for every litre of juice  - or as my mother and grandmother would have said "a pound of sugar to a pint of juice"

You can use ordinary granulated white sugar but I would always recommend buying preserving sugar as this will produce a clearer jelly. You could use jam sugar, which has added pectin, but you really don't need this with apples as the pips and core are rich in pectin and you will always get a good set.

Ingredients

Apples

White Sugar

Water

Lemons (2 for each 2kg of apples)

Method

Put some of the water in a pan and add the juice of the lemons - I usually add the squeezed lemons as well. Wash the fruit and chop in half or quarters depending on the size of the apples and place in the pan as you do so. Make sure the apples remain just covered with the water as this will prevent discolouration.

Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 30-45 minutes until the fruit is very soft. You can mash with a potato masher at this stage.

Sterilise a clean jelly bag with boiling water. Put all the fruit into the jelly bag and allow to drain over a clean bowl overnight - or for at least 12 hours (but no more than 24).  

Jelly bags and stands are readily available in cookshops and on-line, but if you don't have one a couple of squares of muslin will do either draped over a colander or large sieve or pinned/tied to the legs of an upside down stool or chair (which is what I used to do when I made jellies with my mother in my youth) with a bowl underneath.  Just make sure the muslin is clean and has been sterilised with boiling water.

Do not prod or squeeze the bag!  Its very tempting as you can always extract more juice and it is thick and sticky and will aid the setting BUT it will make the jelly cloudy. Squeezing won't spoil the taste; it will increase the quantity, but you won't have that beautiful clear jelly.

I have seen some recipes where the strained juice is left covered overnight whilst the remaining pulp is boiled up with half as much water as the first time round, then left to strain overnight and the resulting juice added to the first batch. But in my case the pulp went straight back to the allotment and into the compost.

Measure the juice and put in a stainless steel pan and add sugar in the quantity (pound to a pint) as in 2 above. Heat gently, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved then bring to a rapid boil. Keep a watchful eye as it may suddenly foam up. Take care that it doesn't boil over by lowering the heat.

Boil rapidly until the setting point is reached, probably after 20 minutes - but could be shorter or longer.  The best way to test for setting point is with a thermometer, which should read 220C, but I don't have one (must put it on the Xmas Wish List!), so I rely on the cold plate method.  Drop a little of the jelly on a cold, dry plate and leave in a cool place for a couple of minutes. If it forms a skin which wrinkles when you draw your finger across it then setting poin has been reached.  If it doesn't, boil a little longer and then repeat the test.

When setting point has been reached, remove from heat and skim off any scum that appears on the surface with a metal spoon. 

The jelly can now be poured into warm, sterilised jars and the lids screwed on tightly.

You should have a beautifully clear jelly.  The jars should be stored in a cool dark place as the jelly will darken and lose some clarity with age.

To prevent this, the best suggestion is eat it as soon as possible and if you have too much, give it to your friends and neighbours.  You will be very popular!  It is delicious on toast or can be eaten with hard cheeses or meat, especially fatty lamb or pork, or you can add a spoonful to your gravy (or jus).  If you have a glut of apples - or can find some crab apples, which make superb jelly - you can experiment with herb jellies by adding rosemary or thyme or sage. You will find countless ideas and recipes on the internet. And if you have quinces available (Japanese quinces are frequently found in October in suburban gardens - from the Chaenomeles bush) you can add these to the apples to make a beautifully perfumed jelly.
I posted a recipe for Quince Jelly a couple of years ago.

Enjoy!

John Austin

Hove October 2017

Recipes: QUINCES & QUINCE JELLY - 2

QUINCE JELLY

For this recipe, I used Japanese quinces - not the true quince, from local bushes of Chaenomeles, which grow in gardens throughout the UK

Ingredients

1 kg Quinces (Japonica fruit) or as many as you have. 

Water

1 large lemon

Sugar (450g/1lb to every 600mls/1pint liquid)

Method

Wash the quince fruit, chop roughly, place in pan including core and pips (preferably not an aluminium pan), just cover with water; add the juice of 1 large lemon, bring to the boil and simmer  for 1 hour or until the fruit is soft. 

If you don’t have enough quinces, use what you have and you can add chopped apples (do not remove peel) and this will still provide a quince perfumed jelly.

When the fruit is soft, mash against sides of pan with a wooden spoon or mash with a potato masher to get a thick pulp. Allow to cool slightly.

Put pulp in jelly bag and leave to strain for at least 12 hours.  Resist the temptation to squeeze the bag unless you want a cloudy jelly. After straining, the contents of the bowl will appear cloudy but this will miraculously clear when you boil with sugar.

After straining, measure the quantity of juice and pour into pan. Add sugar (450g/1lb to every 600mls/1pint liquid), heat gently, stirring slowly until all the sugar has dissolved.  Bring to a rapid boil and boil for about 10 minutes or until setting point has been reached.

Test for setting by placing a teaspoon of the liquid on a very cold dry saucer and allow to cool, if a skin forms and it wrinkles when you draw your finger across, it has reached setting point.  If it does not, boil for a few minutes and test again.

When setting point is reached, skim off any foam which has formed on top of the boiling liquid. Have ready some screw top jars which have been sterilised, pour in the hot jelly and screw on lids whilst still hot.

If you didn’t squeeze the jelly bag you will have a beautiful, clear jelly – if you did squeeze, your jelly will be opaque (but taste just as good).  The jelly is excellent on toast for breakfast or tea or served with roast meats or strong hard cheese.

John Austin

October 2015, Hove

Recipes: QUINCES and QUINCE JELLY - 1

Quinces 

I make my quince jelly with the fruits from the garden shrub, Chaenomeles (commonly known as Japanese quince). My elder son is a bit sniffy about these things and tells me they're not real quinces but I don't care because the taste is just as good.

The true quince, Cydonia, is a small deciduous tree in the Rosaceae family (which includes apples and pears) and is a native of Asia. Although it does grow in the northern hemisphere and survives as far north as Scotland, it s not widely cultivated and its fruits are not readily available. There is another similar variety, Pseudocydonia or Chinese quince, also a native of Asia and which does survive in Southern Europe but the fruits are not readily available in the UK.

  

Fortunately the related plant, Chaenomeles or Japanese quince, which has edible quince like fruits is common in gardens throughout England.  It is a shrub with sharp thorns and attractive flowers, usually bright orange red, but the flowers  can be red, pink or white.  The bush flowers in early spring or sometimes late winter.  It is grown mainly as a decorative garden shrub, often as a flowering hedge but the fruits can be harvested from October.

Regrettably I don't have a Japanese quince bush in my garden but there is often food for free from neighbours. This year I found a supply on Streetlife. I was too late for David's, but he has put me on his list for next year, and I did get a reasonable picking from Jane's hedge a few blocks away.

To make quince jelly you use the whole fruit, pips and all, which are rich in pectin so you should always get a firm set.  If you don't want to make jelly, or if you have a few to spare, try a few added to stewed apple or an apple pie or crumble - just peel them, remove the seeds and core and chop and add them to the apples. They add a wonderful perfume and a tart taste.

 I have posted my recipe for Quince Jelly on my blog.

John Austin

November 2015, Hove

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GINGER - Rhubarb & Ginger Jam

Rhubarb and ginger jam

Ingredients

1 kg rhubarb (prepared weight)

Juice of 2 lemons

2 inch piece of fresh root ginger peeled and bruised)

1 kg sugar

100 g crystallised ginger

Remove and discard the leaves and pink base from rhubarb and cut sticks into 2 cms pieces and weigh. Place rhubarb in a large bowl with the juice and grated zest of 2 lemons.

Peel and bruise the ginger and tie in muslin cloth with any lemon pips and add to bowl. Add sugar, stir and leave for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

Put rhubarb mixture in a large preserving pan - but do not use aluminium - and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the muslin bag containing the bruised ginger and lemon pips and discard.  Stir in the chopped crystallised ginger and bring to a rapid boil without stirring and then continue to boil for app 15 minutes.

Remove any scum as it rises to the surface. Test the jam for setting by putting a teaspoonful of jam on a coild dry plate. If it forms a skin or wrinkles when a finger is drawn across, it has reached setting point. If it does not set, boil for a further 5 minutes and test again.  When a set is obtained leave to cool for a few minutes then pour into sterilised jars and seal whilst still hot.

The following day,if it appears not to have set sufficiently, you could try boiling it up again and then put back in the jars (having washed and sterilised them again).  If it doesn't set,don't worry - just call it rhubarb preserve - it will taste just as good - and serve it on toast for breakfast or afternoon tea.

John Austin

Hove, September 2015