4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[chickencam]

I have loads of redcurrants this year so I would like to make some jelly, I made some a few years ago but it was a bit grainy. I have used it all and it kept well, but I am looking to make something better this time.

 

Any other recipes for using redcurrants would be great too because we have 2 huge bushes laden with them. I have just used a few in mixed fruit jams over the past couple of years and left the rest for the birds. the fruit is of such high quality this year that it seems a shame not to do more with it.

 

They make a nice jam mixed with gooseberries. Come to think of it I could do with a few interesting recipes for those too before they start to fall off the bushes.

[Aga n Chickens]

Hello chickencam.

 

I used to make quite a bit of jelly at one time when I heard that one of my managers had a lot of bushes in his garden but never used the fruit. I went round to his house to pick as much as I wanted, then gave him a jar of the finished jelly as a Thank You

 

I hardly add any water to the currants, just let them burst and release their juice in the pan. Let the juice drip through a jelly bag over night and measure out 1 lb of sugar to 1 pint of juice. Stir the sugar into the juice until it has all melted in and bring the whole lot to the boil until you reach the setting point.

 

I only used small jars for this jelly as they take up less room in the fridge once they have been opened.

 

I made a hap hazzard gooseberry chutney last week, threw everything in and hoped for the best. It turned out fine, but I have no idea of the exact weights of everything that went into it

 

At best I sliced a red onion, finely chopped a 'lump' of fresh ginger, top and tailed a small punnet of gooseberries, added around a pound of granulated sugar, and added cider vinegar until it 'looked right'

 

Gave the mixture a quick boil and waited for the termometer to reach the jam setting, then poured it into small jars. The s"Ooops, word censored!"ings from the bottom of the pan were quite sweet, so this is a chutney that doesn't need to be kept for months before it is edible.

 

Oh......and redcurrants make a great 'filler in' for summer pudding if you are short of other berries.

 

Cheers,

 

Christine

[chickencam]

Thankyou

[Mrs Frugal]

I've just made 8lbs redcurrant jelly........a redcurrant tart, a redcurrant upside down cake, have frozen a good 1lb and still have 2 big plastic boxes of berries left to make into wine . It's been a really good year for them and the berries are huge and juicy!!

[chickencam]

I must try to do something with mine tomorrow, I just can't keep up at the moment what with raspberries, strawberries, beans peas, courgettes etc not to mention the weeding and the watering and as for the housework

[Mrs Frugal]

I know what you mean! I've not stopped today thanks to redcurrants, gooseberries and ironing! Everything needs dealing with at once and can't wait! I'll be up to my armpits in courgettes, beans, strawberries and blueberries in a day or two. Aaargh !

 

Housework? I've not put that into my rota yet .

[chickencam]

At least you've done some ironing mine is lining up in baskets along the landing

[Mrs Frugal]

I was embarrassed into doing the ironing by Tom having to go off to college this morning in an un-ironed shirt . One day would probably be OK but not two days running if I left the ironing any longer .

[chickencam]

I made my redcurrant jelly on Tuesday morning after leaving the fruit to drip overnight as suggested. It has made a lovely clear jelly that is quite dark in colour I think this must be because the fruit was beautifully ripe.

 

Kate may I ask what you use your redcurrant jelly for? Does it go for Christmas hampers?

You said you made 8lb. The only things I use it for is sauces for meat in the winter or as a cranberry alternative.

 

I have loads more redcurrants so I could make more if I can find a use for it, otherwise they will get mixed with oddments of other fruit for mixed fruit jams.

[Mrs Frugal]

2 jars end up in Christmas hampers and the rest is for our own use. We eat most of our redcurrant jelly as an accompaniment for roast lamb as it's a lovely combination and all the family prefer it to mint sauce. I usually stir a spoonful or two into the gravy when we have rabbit or venison and it's lovely melted and drizzled over the top of fruit tarts as a glaze. It's also really nice on toast . Oooh, nearly forgot, a good part of a jar goes into each batch of the RC Red Onion Marmalade too which I absolutely adore so I make a few batches of that each year for myself and for Christmas hampers.

 

It's been a really bumper crop this year so I've got a lot of redcurrants in the freezer now too ready to make into Grandma's Redcurrant Tart and Redcurrant Upside Down Cake. I wish LSH liked summer pudding as redcurrants go so nicely in that .

[chickencam]

I'll have to have a go at the red onion marmalade, which book is it in?

 

I would love to put some in the freezer but I am only just going to have room for the peas. I don't think pea jam would work somehow

[Mrs Frugal]

It's in the RC Preserves Handbook . It's down as "Onion Marmalade" but is even lovelier with red onions .

[chickencam]

Might have to browse Amazon with my buying finger poised

[Lydia]

How about redcurrant gin? Make now and it's ready about November and lasts up to a year.

 

500g redcurrants

250g caster sugar

600ml gin

 

(we usually double or treble these quantities and give away for Christmas presents).

 

Rinse the redcurrants and strip them from the stalks. Put them in a bowl, layer up with sugar and stir to mix, crushing the fruit. Put in sterilised bottles or jars (wide necked is easier) and let the juices run for several hours before filling up the jar with gin. Put the top on and shake gently to blend everything.

 

Store in a cool dark place for 3-4 months, shaking the jars occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. When ready line a funnel with a double layer of scalded muslin and strain the gin into a clean bottle with a stopper. It's best stored out of direct sunlight to keep the colour.

 

Drink as a liqueur (or whenever takes your fancy). Word of warning though - this really doesn't taste alcoholic but it is rather powerful, so you can end up quaffing an awful lot and paying for it next morning!

 

We've also made redcurrant vodka in exactly the same way and varied the fruit too - blueberries are rather good.