God I love growing our own

[Michael Palmer]

Salsa Time!

 

[JamezF]

Now why did I KNOW you would?
Is it something you might recommend?
Is it something you use frequently ?

We use it a lot when we're harvesting fruit, so from now-ish for the next couple of months, I guess. Then it depends on how much fruit we have and how we want to store it really. Through Spring and Summer it probably sees very little use at all and none during that period this year.

We have a couple of dozen apple trees, several pears, several plums, cherries, summer and autumn raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and from next year hopefully some redcurrants and blackcurrants. Some of those we slice and dry (even dehydrated bramley apples seem to taste perfectly fine without needing any balancing out of the acidity) and pretty much all of them we'll cook down and turn into fruit leathers. They usually get eaten through the winter though I did an enormous amount of dried apple last year and we've only recently finished that. It was useful to have the fruit for healthy snacks when our children were swimming competitively, too.

For us it's worth having because we have the space for storage and we often have gluts of fruit, and in that situation I think I'd probably recommend one. Particularly in my case as I'd rather eat, say, dried apple from our own trees out of season than ones that have been in cold storage for months or shipped halfway around the world. I imagine for others it might be more of a fun thing to have. A bit more like my (food) smoker which I use occasionally for cheese and salmon and so on, but mostly it's just for a bit of fun and experimentation with flavours when the mood takes me. (Though the home-smoked salmon is way better than anything I've ever bought.)

James

 

[Gilberdyke John]

We use it a lot when we're harvesting fruit, so from now-ish for the next couple of months, I guess. Then it depends on how much fruit we have and how we want to store it really. Through Spring and Summer it probably sees very little use at all and none during that period this year.

We have a couple of dozen apple trees, several pears, several plums, cherries, summer and autumn raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and from next year hopefully some redcurrants and blackcurrants. Some of those we slice and dry (even dehydrated bramley apples seem to taste perfectly fine without needing any balancing out of the acidity) and pretty much all of them we'll cook down and turn into fruit leathers. They usually get eaten through the winter though I did an enormous amount of dried apple last year and we've only recently finished that. It was useful to have the fruit for healthy snacks when our children were swimming competitively, too.

For us it's worth having because we have the space for storage and we often have gluts of fruit, and in that situation I think I'd probably recommend one. Particularly in my case as I'd rather eat, say, dried apple from our own trees out of season than ones that have been in cold storage for months or shipped halfway around the world. I imagine for others it might be more of a fun thing to have. A bit more like my (food) smoker which I use occasionally for cheese and salmon and so on, but mostly it's just for a bit of fun and experimentation with flavours when the mood takes me. (Though the home-smoked salmon is way better than anything I've ever bought.)

James

As a child I remember Bramley apples keeping through until late spring simply stored in an unheated but frost free building. Other pie-making fruits were parcooked and stored in kilner jars (remember the rubber seal rings?). There were shelves full in the old larder. I don't know what happened to the jars as we don't have any nowadays.

 

[pargyle]

As a child I remember Bramley apples keeping through until late spring simply stored in an unheated but frost free building. Other pie-making fruits were parcooked and stored in kilner jars (remember the rubber seal rings?). There were shelves full in the old larder. I don't know what happened to the jars as we don't have any nowadays.

I still use Kilner jars ... new jars and seals still readily available. Before my mum died I had access to a very productive pear tree in her garden and the annual crop of pears always gave me a good number of pears preserved in light syrup ... some with a little added brandy or port. Wonderful winter treat with a dollop of thick cream ! I use my Kilner jars mostly for pickled onions at present ... but I have a lot and I keep my eye open for any surplus fruit that can be preserved - last year I bought a tray of apricots on sale at the end of the Sunday market - just finished the last jar of them.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Before my mum died I had access to a very productive pear tree in her garden and the annual crop of pears always gave me a good number of pears preserved in light syrup

during the second world war my grandfather had a contact in Hereford who would send him a case of pears by rail (pears never do well in our valley, being so high up) my grandmother would then bottle them to eat, sell, or barter using the bees' ration sugar to make the syrup That's how I know that (at least around here) the dyed bee sugar is a myth. The bees were left the heather honey as winter stores

 

[JamezF]

As a child I remember Bramley apples keeping through until late spring simply stored in an unheated but frost free building.

I'd like to do that with some fruit and veg and I have a building that would work, but first I need to make it rodent-proof.

James

 

[JamezF]

I still use Kilner jars ... new jars and seals still readily available. Before my mum died I had access to a very productive pear tree in her garden and the annual crop of pears always gave me a good number of pears preserved in light syrup

We do that with some too. In fact I believe there's the remains of the last jar of last year's pears in the fridge at the moment.

James

 

[Goran]

I'd like to do that with some fruit and veg and I have a building that would work, but first I need to make it rodent-proof.

James

The most apples preserve relative good at: 1 celsius, humidity 98%, must have ventilation so the CO2 and ethylene are kept low. Also fruits should be picked when they are " technologically" ripe not " physiologically" and gently without throwing. If they are ripe and tasty - short shelf life. 1st sign is when the apple fruit is greasy that means fruit is " surrendering".
Pears can be stored successfully for shorter time ( 3-6 months): temperature at 0 to 0.5 Celsius, humidity 98%.. also CO2 and ethylene low..
I worked in ULO storage so had some experience..
I think your bramley apples are what we call " caker apple". We have some bramley apple trees, some old russet apple tree and some others..
Our caker apple has characteristic that where is pressed there it forms some " spongy"protection that it less form rotten part there.
Soon will pick some pears which we cook and eat as that. They are very firm and can lose teeth on them while are fresh, when cooked so sweet and tasty..
Just to mention, double distilled wild pear schnapps.. smell and taste of wild pears remain, nice..

 

[enrico]

Blimey! I am picking strawberries again! Quite a good second crop!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Blimey! I am picking strawberries again! Quite a good second crop!

I’ve been picking off the flowers
I took most of the old leaves off a while back but they have grown new ones.
The plants I took as runners are now sending off their own.

 

[Skinfaxi]

Make some strawberry wine. You need a shopping bag worth at least..
Really good stuff

 

[enrico]

Make some strawberry wine. You need a shopping bag worth at least..
Really good stuff

I have given up on making wine. It takes too long and I never make enough!

 

[Skinfaxi]

Make more and soon you will never be without..

 

[JamezF]

I've been clearing out the greenhouse to make space for winter salads today, harvesting the last small melons and aubergines both small and large.

I've also harvested the last of the squashes.

Butternut squashes on the right, Crown Prince in the middle and spaghetti squashes on the left. They all seem to do so much better in the polytunnel than outdoors, even this year. I'm wondering if next year it might be possible to grow them in some sort of "protected" environment that isn't the polytunnel because they do run a bit rampant in there. I thought about rigging up a small tunnel, perhaps 4' wide by a similar height, but that would be awkward to water, so now I'm pondering on a fleece tunnel. More research required.

I still have lots of tomatoes to harvest in the polytunnel too (plus some chiles and sweet peppers).

James

 

[Amari]

Surprisingly heavy crop of quinces, bearing in mind the severe drought here. Fifteen-year old tree.

 

[E&MBees]

Surprisingly heavy crop of quinces, bearing in mind the severe drought here. Fifteen-year old tree.

Will you make quince jelly?

 

[Erichalfbee]

I used to have a quince tree. We had some good crops from it. I used to preserve them like pears in syrup

 

[JamezF]

Oh, yes, I must pick our quinces. We used to get a decent crop, but damp summers mean our tree has suffered from leaf blight almost every year. Obviously this year it hasn't been a problem...

James

 

[enrico]

We make a quince and apple sauce which is the bees knees with roast pork! We have three trees so will be giving loads away this year!

 

[Amari]

Will you make quince jelly?

SWMBO makes quince jelly and occasionally membrillo (sp?). We give some to a neighbour who has a deli market stall and put the rest in a box on the grass verge "Please help yourself"