PICKLES
There are three types of pickle. One in which the amount of vinegar used is proportionately lower than the quantity of fruit and sugar, therefore a spicy ‘set’ pickle is achieved. The second type is where fruit and vegetables are partly cooked in a spicy vinegar. The last variety of pickle is made by preparing vegetables in a salt or brine mixture and then packing them into jars of well seasoned vinegar or sauce, for example Pickled Onions or Hot and Spicy Pickled Red Cabbage. Homemade pickles are so much better than commercially produced pickles – no additives, no artificial preservatives – just a wholesome fresh flavour and you can have lots of fun experimenting and even more enjoyment out of the eating!
A pickle like Spiced Gooseberry Pickle can be made throughout the year and adds a welcome boost to a cold supper.
SPICED FRUITS AND FRUITS IN ALCOHOL
Spiced fruits are dried or fresh fruit that have been carefully brought to the boil in a well-spiced vinegar, simmered and then transferred to a jar. The vinegar is then boiled to reduce it, strained and poured, while it is still hot, over the fruit. My favourite fruits to use are Hunza dried apricots Spiced Apricots, prunes and mixed dried fruit. After having been left for a month to mature, they make a very welcome appearance at a festive table.
Alcoholic lovelies are fresh fruit, for example, peaches or greengages, which are gently poached and placed into a jar, covered with syrup and topped up quite extravagantly with alcohol. See Peaches in Brandy Wine, Vivien’s grapes in Muscat, Your own pear liqueur, Sloe Gin and Blackcurrant Shrub.
SAUCES AND KETCHUPS
A preserved sauce is the thick, runny reduction of fruit and/or vegetables cooked with vinegar, sugar and spices; it is then sieved before being bottled. These sauces are most often used as flavourings in soups, sauces and stews. Tomato and Brown Spicy are the most familiar shop-bought sauces. There are some marvellous mixtures, which are very economical to make and last ages. Traditional ketchup (not at all like the popular tomato variety) was at one time a pungent mixture of spices, onions, garlic, occasionally mushrooms and berries, which were allowed to macerate in vinegar for a good length of time before being sieved and bottled. Worcestershire Sauce is the most similar commercial product to a traditional ketchup. Homemade sauces bear no relation to commercial varieties – Spicy Fruit Sauce is a welcome addition to the table, whilst Mushroom Ketchup perks up stews and casseroles.
THE KEY INGREDIENTS USED IN PRESERVING
FRUIT & VEGETABLES
FRESH FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Thanks to the miracles of modern science and improvements in transport, most fruit and vegetables are available throughout the year. However, in the cause of economy and being environmentally friendly, it is far better to buy your fruit and veg from local markets or shops that you know source produce grown within an acceptable distance or, if you can, grow your own. Also, make the most of farm shops and pick-your-own farms. Another good local source to keep your eyes open for are glut fruits and vegetables, which are offered by gardeners rather than see them go to waste. These are often excellent buys or they may even give them away – try a bit of bartering!
If you’ve chosen a recipe that includes exotic fruits that aren’t grown in this country, then do buy them in their natural season and from as close by as possible. Always wash them well to ensure that any wax or preservative coating is removed.
For detailed information on specific types of fruit and veg, refer to the recipe section.
STORECUPBOARD FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Apart from being able to treat your family to pure, unadulterated and imaginative preserves, the reason for making these good things is to take advantage of fruit and vegetables when they are fresh, in season and when they should be correspondingly cheaper. During the winter months this is not always an option, therefore a little cheating may be necessary…
TINNED FRUIT AND VEG
These make exceptionally good preserves. Measure off the juice and use it with, or substituted for, the liquid in the recipe. If it is sweetened, reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoonful per tin. Gooseberries, apricots, plums, pineapple and tomatoes are the most successful. Tinned sweetcorn can be used in relish to cheer up the ubiquitous hamburger.
FROZEN FRUIT
Look for bargains at your local pick-your-own farm shop (many have freezers full of fruit) or check out your local supermarket for offers – frozen fruit, particularly berries, can sometimes be cheaper than fresh.
DRIED FRUIT AND VEG
Dried fruits are essential for chutneys and pickles, but there are a host of jam and conserve recipes that make good use of dried fruit during the winter months. Dried tomatoes and mushrooms can be used in pickles and chutneys.
FRUIT JUICES
Good-quality, preservative-free, pure fruit juice can be a useful standby for jellies and to add to other fruit.
SUGAR
White sugar is produced either from sugar cane grown in the tropical regions of the world or from sugar beet, which is produced in more temperate climates. Although there is no difference between the two, my preference has always been for cane sugar.
Sugar, like honey, wine and spices, was used in early kitchens in order to disguise, or improve upon, mediocre and stale food and was considered to be a costly and exotic spice. Only the well-to-do and wealthy in Britain could afford to use sugar as a preservative and it took hundreds of years for it to become the everyday commodity that it is now. Sugar acts as a preservative only when it is used in conjunction with a pectin and/or acid.
Jams and jellies with an inadequate amount of sugar will inevitably give poor results. You may have to over-boil the jam to compensate for the lack of sugar and this will not only give a bad colour and taste, but the preserve will not thicken or set properly. The preserve will probably not keep and it may not be entirely fermented (an easily recognisable condition in which the preserve tastes like wine); or it may taste sour or grow an unappetising mould. Jams and jellies with too much sugar will be oversweet and lacking in flavour. They will also crystallise during cooking or whilst the preserve is being stored.
The proportions of sugar to fruit are very important and recipes should be followed in this respect, but for those who would like to go it alone, here are some rough guidelines, but remember that the fruit must always be fresh and unbruised (for the pectin content of different fruits):
1kg high-pectin fruit requires up to 1.25kg sugar
1kg medium-pectin fruit requires 1kg sugar
1kg low-pectin fruit requires approximately 800g sugar
Certain