Asian Plum Sauce

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Ingredients:

• 4 garlic cloves minced fine
• 1/2 ounce fresh ginger minced
• 1 small onion minced
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups water
• 1/8 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried chili
• 3 lbs plums pitted chopped
• 1 lemon juice of fresh
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water

Steps:

• Place first 11 ingredients into pot
• Bring to a boil then simmer 30 minutes
• Mix water and cornstarch
• Blend in a blender the solids from the pot with the cornstarch mixture and put back with the liquid simmering all the while
• Simmer till thickened
• Pour into sterilized jars size you like and put into a water bath for 10 minutes
• Remove jars from water bath cool and store in a cool dark place

Basil Jelly

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Ingredients:

• 3 cups apple juice
• 1 1/2 cups firmly packed crushed fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 drops green food coloring
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 6 ounce packet liquid pectin

Steps:

• Bring 1 cup of the apple juice to a rolling boil and pour over the crushed basil leaves; let rest for 25 minutes
• Strain liquid into large saucepan and add the other 2 cups of apple juice
• vinegar
• and green coloring
• stirring to blend
• Bring to a hard boil
• and stir in sugar and pectin and return to a hard boil
• stirring constantly
• and cooking until jelly point is reached
• Remove from heat and skim off the foam with a slotted spoon; remove leaves from jelly with a slotted spoon
• Pour mixture into sterilized half-pint jars you will need 3-4
• leaving 1/2 of headroom at the top
• Attach lids and bands
• and process for 15 minutes in a water bath canner
• When cool
• check the seals
• Refrigerate promptly any that do not seal properly
• and remove bands from the others and store in a cool
• dry area

Christmas Dried-Fruit Jam

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Ingredients:

• 3 lbs tart apples cored wedges
• 6 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups dried figs chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dried apricots chopped
• 1 1/2 cups dried pears chopped
• 1 cup dried dates pitted chopped
• 1 cup dried prune pitted chopped
• 1/4 cup candied lemon peel
• 1/4 cup candied orange peel
• 1/4 cup candied cherry
• 1 orange juice and zest of finely grated
• 1 lemon juice and zest of finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seed crushed
• 4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Steps:

• Place apples in large pot with water
• simmer until soft
• In a large bowl
• add all the chopped amp; pitted fruit
• Press soft apples with a potato masher
• then spoon into a square of cheesecloth clipped to a footed colander
• suspended over the bowl of fruit
• Let apples drip over fruit WITHOUT squeezing or forcing--overnight
• Next morning add remaining ingredients EXCEPT for nuts to a large sauce-pot
• adding soaked fruit
• Stir
• then simmer gently until sugar dissolves; bring to a boil; boiling for five minutes
• Skim survace
• add nuts
• boil another five minutes until 200F sea level
• Remove pan from heat; spoon jam into hot jars
• add two-part lids; process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes sea level
• Label and store in cool
• dark cupboard
• GIFT GIVING Use pretty jars and add a decorative label -- include in a basket with other home-made kitchen gifts How nice of you
• USES As described above OR as a replacement for traditional with suet mincemeat

Easy Bread and Butter Pickles

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Ingredients:

• 8 small pickling cucumbers unpeeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 medium onion cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Steps:

• Combine cucumbers onion vinegar sugar salt mustard seeds dry mustard turmeric crushed red pepper and celery seeds; heat to boiling over high heat stirring occasionally
• Boil 1 minute stirring frequently
• Pour cucumber mixture into a large bowl; cool to room temperature stirring occasionally
• Cover and chill overnight before serving
• You can spoon cooled cucumbers and their liquid into jars with tight-fitting lids and refrigerate up to 4 weeks

Fermented Giardiniera

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Ingredients:

• 2 cups thinly sliced carrots
• 2 cups thinly sliced red bell peppers
• 1 1/2 cups thinly slice onions
• 2 cups thinly sliced celery
• 4 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups thinly sliced green tomatoes
• 2 thinly sliced red jalapenos keep seed for more heat
• 3 long green chili pepperoncini peppers
• 3 -5 garlic cloves peeled and sliced super thin
• fresh thyme sprig
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons unrefined salt
• 6 cups filtered mineral water using chlorinated tap water will prevent the beneficial bacteria to grow

Steps:

• Prepare brine by dissolving the salt in water
• Mix all the ingredients except the brine in a large bowl
• Add them to the Fermenting Vessel of choice check description above packing them down as you go
• Fill each jar with the brine leaving 1 -2 inches of headroomthe space at the top between the rim of the jar and the top of the vegetables Weight the vegetables so they are completely submerged in the brine
• Cover the top of the vessel with a lid coffee filter paper towel cheese cloth or tea towel to keep bugs out and odors inches
• Be sure to secure towels with a very tight rubber band or the ring from the canning jars
• Place the jar out of direct light
• Ferment at room temperature 4 days before checking the flavor If you prefer the flavor more sour continue fermenting
• If to your taste transfer the jars to the refrigerator
• Burp the jars once daily to release any built-up gasses the giardiniera does continue to ferment while in the refrigerator
• This doesnt need to be done in my home because we help ourselves to it daily

French Lavender and Vanilla Sugar for Elegant Cakes and Bakes

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Ingredients:

• 200 g white caster sugar
• 6 -10 heads dried lavender
• 3 vanilla pod

Steps:

• Place the lavender heads and about 2 tablespoons sugar into a food mixer or coffee/spice blender Pulse together for about 1 minute or until the lavender is ground the same consistency as ground spices
• Place the rest of the sugar into a large mixing bowl amp; add the ground lavender and sugar mix
• Mix well
• In tall jar Kilner jars are good pour half the lavender sugar; place the three vanilla pods in the jar towards the outside so they may be seen
• Carefully add the rest of the sugar so the vanilla pods are standing up in the sugar
• Seal and keep for about 2 weeks before using
• Store in a dark dry and cool place
• This lasts up to 1 year and the vanilla pods can be used numerous times again after the sugar has finished
• Use in cakes biscuits cookies jams cream desserts ice-cream pies and tarts crumbles trifles and junkets etc

Mulling Syrup for Wine

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Ingredients:

• 250 g golden caster sugar
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 12 juniper berries
• 6 -9 whole cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients into a large pan with 900ml or 1 1/2 pints of water
• Heat the mixture very gently to dissolve the sugar slowly then boil for five minutes
• Leave to cool in the pan
• Sterilise a funnel by pouring boiling water over it then use to divide the mulling syrup among three sterilised bottles 300ml or 10 fl oz each
• Divide the cinnamon sticks and juniper berries among the bottles
• Seal and store for up to two months
• When ready to serve pour the syrup into a pan add three slices each of orange and lemon plus a bottle of medium red wine
• Warm through

Old Fashioned Scottish Apple and Ginger Chutney

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Ingredients:

• 1 lb onion weight is for onions when peeled and finely chopped
• 2 lbs cooking apples weight is for apples when peeled cored and roughly chopped
• 4 ounces sultanas
• 1 ounce fresh gingerroot grated
• 1 teaspoon dried ginger powder
• 2 teaspoons mixed spice
• 1 lb soft brown sugar
• 1/2 pint malt vinegar
• 1/2 pint cider apple cider vinegar
• 1/2-1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Steps:

• Place all the prepared onions and apples into a large preserving pan and add the remaining ingredients
• Bring slowly to the boil and then lower the heat so that chutney cooks at a rolling boil
• Stir the chutney regularly and make sure it does not catch and burn on the base of the preserving pan
• Keep on cooking until the chutney is the consistency of a thick jam and all the liquids have dissolved
• A trick to check if it is cooked is to draw your wooden spoon across the chutney
• if the space that is left fills up with liquid
• the chutney is not ready yet
• Spoon the hot chutney into hot and sterile jars and seal immediately
• Makes about 4 lbs chutney
• Store in a dark and cool place and leave to mature for at least 2 weeks
• Will keep in ideal storage conditions for up to 2 years

Pear Butter

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Ingredients:

• 10 large ripe pears quartered and cored 5 pounds
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Steps:

• Combine pears and water in a large dutch oven Cover and cook over medium-low heat 40 minutes or until pears are soft stirring occasionally Drain
• Press pears through a sieve or food mill
• Measure 1 quart of the pear puree and combine with remaining ingredients in a Dutch oven
• Cook over medium heat stirring frequently 15 minutes or until mixture thickens Remove from heat; skim off foam
• Quickly pour hot pear mixture into hot sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace; wipe jar rims Cover at once with lid and metal screw on bands
• Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes

Pumpkin Chip Preserves

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Ingredients:

• 5 -5 1/2 lbs pumpkin preferably a cheese or pie pumpkin
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 large lemons juice and zest of minced
• 1 large lemon sliced thin

Steps:

• DAY BEFORE CANNING Cut the pumpkin into large chunks
• discarding the stems
• seeds
• and stringy innards attached to them Pare the skin from the chunks Slice each chunk into pieces 1/2 to 3/4 square
• as evenly as you can Stir to combine the pumpkin pieces in a large glass or ceramic bowl with the sugar
• lemon juice and zest
• and 1/2 cup water Cover and let the mixture sit overnight
• or a few hours longer
• at room temperature It will give off a good bit of liquid
• DAY OF CANNING Prepare 5 or 6 half-pint canning jars by washing thoroughly Place the jars on a rack in a boiling water canner
• but DO NOT add water yet
• Spoon the pumpkin mixture into a large heavy saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat Reduce the heat to a bare simmer and cook
• covered
• until the pumpkin pieces are quite tender
• but still hold their shape and have become somewhat translucent in a glaze of thick syrup
• about 30 minutes
• As soon as you have reduced the heat for the pumpkin mixture
• fill the canner with water; water should be at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars You may need to add 1 cup of white vinegar if you have hard water in your area Boil the jars for 10 minutes to sterilize It will take about 20--30 minutes for the water to come to a boil Start timing from the time it reaches a good steady boil
• While pumpkin is cooking
• blanch the lemon slices in a small saucepan of boiling water
• just enough to soften them
• and drain Stir the lemon slices into the chips just before removing the preserves from the heat
• Once the jars have sterilized and the pumpkin is ready
• remove jars from canner to a surface covered in heavy towels or layers of newspaper NEVER place hot jars on a bare countertop
• as the difference in temperature could cause jars to shatter Spoon the chips into the hot jars
• leaving at least 1/4-inch head space
• Process the jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes Refrigerate jars after opening

Zucchini, Pineapple, Ginger Jam Kicked up With Habanero's

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Ingredients:

• 2 lbs seeded and cubed zucchini
• 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple
• 6 -8 habaneros
• 1 -3 ounce crystallized ginger use more if you like more kick less if you dontI myself like a lot
• 5 cups sugar
• 3 ounces of ball fruit jell liquid pectin or 3 ounces Certo liquid pectin
• 1 6 ounce box pineapple Jell-O
• food coloring Red and yellow

Steps:

• Place zucchini pineapples habaneros and crystallized ginger in a food processor and puree
• Add to a heavy bottom pot with sugar and boil for 20 minutes Thats a rolling boil
• Stirring all the while
• Add Certo and bring to a full rolling boil for 1 more minute add jello and stir to blend
• Add some red food coloring and more yellow to produce a color to your liking
• Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space Filling 4-1 pint jars or 8 1/2 pint jarsI like to do the 8 jars because there would be more to give as gifts Wipe rim Center lid on jar Apply band until fit is fingertip tight
• Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude Remove jars and cool Check lids for seal after 24 hours Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed Label Decorate And Gift