|
PRESERVING
FRUIT & VEGETABLES
 Each
issue of Weekend Gardener magazine features growing tips, troubleshooting
and tasty recipes to make the most of your vegetable garden and fruit
trees.
How
to Freeze Vegetables - Issue 212
Below
are a selection of recipes for preserving your harvest.
Pickled peppers
14 ripe red capsicums
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
2 cups water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pickling spice
Cinnamon sticks
Put the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pickling spice into a saucepan, bring to the boil and boil for five minutes. Add the peppers (sliced into fours, lengthwise, and deseeded) and cook for 30 seconds. Place peppers in hot, sterilised jars with a cinnamon stick in each, cover with the hot syrup and seal. Leave for three weeks before using.
Mustard Pickle
450g cucumber, chopped into small pieces
450g onions, chopped
225g carrots, finely chopped
1 cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
1.7 litres vinegar
50g brown sugar
50g mustard
25g salt
Place vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the mustard, mixed with a little vinegar. Add carrots and cauliflower and boil for 15 minutes. Add cucumber and onions and cook until tender. Pour into hot, sterilised jars and seal when cold.
Rhubarb relish
A great accompaniment for hot or cold meats.
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup malt vinegar
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
1kg rhubarb, cut into 2cm pieces
500g raisins
Put spices in a muslin bag and simmer with vinegar, water and sugar for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove the spice bag and add the rhubarb and raisins and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until thickened. You should still end up with some chunks of rhubarb. Place into hot, sterilised jars and seal when cold. Makes about 3 litres.
No-cook pickled vegetables
This simple preserving technique is ideal for when you’re short of time. A variety of vegetables can be used, including cauliflower, courgettes, beans, carrots and onions.
Prepare vegetables, chopping them into lengths or florets. Soak vegetables for one to two days in salted water (450g salt and 4.5 litres of water).
Drain, rinse then dry.
Pack vegetables into a preserving jar, cover with vinegar, add spices such as cloves, chillies or cinnamon if you wish, add a bit of sugar to taste, then secure lid tightly. Store in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Tomato-Rhubarb Chutney
1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped capsicum
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp lemon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Combine all ingredients in a large pot, except rhubarb. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add rhubarb. Simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.
Green Mango and Tomato Chutney
1 large green (unripe) mango
575g tomatoes, peeled and seeded
200ml boiling water
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
150ml tamarind juice, or white vinegar
225ml (1 scant cup) brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
Peel the mango and remove the pip. Dice the flesh. In a large saucepan, combine the water, mango and tomatoes. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and return to the boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer over a low heat for 1 hour. Remove the bay leaves and immediately put into sterilised jars.
Spicy Tomato and Peach Relish
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp golden syrup
500g ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 to 3 sweet peaches, diced
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The tomatoes and peaches should be tender but not overdone. Taste to correct seasonings (can add more ginger or cayenne pepper if required), then simmer over very low heat for another 5 minutes, uncovered. Allow to cool to room temperature and serve. Makes about 2 cups.
|
THIS
ISSUE
12 - 25 April 2007
MELBOURNE
ON SHOW
At the recent Melbourne Internation Flower & Garden
Show Aussie designers came up with a raft of gardens aiming to enhance the
quality of outdoor living. Editor Jane Wrigglesworth was there to soak up
their creativity.
MOUNTSIDE'S
MAGIC
Artifice and ingenuity characterise this paradise under Mt
Taranaki. Ben May is enthralled by its diverse influences and abundant
plant life.
LATE
SEASON SPLASH
Pamela McGeorge is enjoying a colour explosion in her Wanaka garden.
OFF
THE WALL
Floral designer Adrienne Patterson creates a living picture using an
artist's canvas and a single bunch of flowers.
WHAT'S
IN THE SHOPS?
Our regular garden centre guide. We visit Garden
Lane Plant World and Nursery in Marton.
HAVE
A HOME ORCHARD
The first of expert John Dean's two-part introduction to growing your own
pip and stone fruit.
SPOTLIGHT
ON SPINACH
Tips on growing this cool-season staple.
|
