Patricia W Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 I didn't read this, BeckyBoo, till I'd done it, but actually it wasn't too bad. The stones just feel out -not like ordinary plums. Anyway, made a load of chutney which I'm just putting in jars. It was sort of a mix between Lesley's and Barkislands recipes. Now, what can you do with elderberries - I saw loads of them this morning too! ( the poor dog can't understand why we keep stopping) Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkisland Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Elderberry & Apple Jelly 3lbs Elderberries 3lbs Cooking Apples Water Sugar Cook elderberries and apples separately. Wash the berries and put in a pan with enough water just to cover. Simmer until tender. Wash & roughly chop the apples, discarding any bad bits. Likewise, place in a pan with enough water to cover and simmer until they are pulpy. Strain both fruits separately, by suspending in a jelly bag over a basin. DO NOT SQUEEZE, or you will get a cloudy jelly. This stage may take several hours. Then mix the two batches of juice and measure the yield. Calculate the weight of sugar at 12oz per pint of juice. Pour the juice into a clean pan and bring it to the boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved, then boil hard until setting point is reached. (Test on a cool saucer as for jam). Hope your chutney is lovely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 8, 2009 Share Posted August 8, 2009 Just tried the left over bit with pork. Divine! So goodness knows what it'll be like when it's matured! Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 Um, I've been picking again this morning on the way home from my night shift, found a couple of really laden plum trees, I mean REALLY laden. I picked another 1/2lb of elderberries, 4lb of rowan berries (never used them before I thought they were poisonous ) and, um, well, they're not all for me, some are for my friend, some for my Mum, but I appear to have picked, and I honestly didn't realise I'd got quite so carried away (34lb of plums. So that's 44lb in two days or 2 1/2 hours of picking) Still, waste not want not, plum jam, plum brandy, bound to be a plum chutney somewhere, MUST start making wine, and do you know, I hardly made a dent on the two main trees I picked? BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkisland Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 HOW MANY ????? How fabulous! I can't wait for ours to ripen. We are quite high up in the Pennines so we are always at least a month behind I love plum jam, and will be trying my hand at plum brandy too. I have a Cherry Plum, a red culinary plum, a Greengage, and a Damson tree, and all are shaping up nicely. The culinary plum is so heavily laden that some of the branches have broken and my husband spent ages yesterday rigging up supports for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 We lost a whole branch off the plum tree as well , laden with plums....and the wasps are eyeing up the rest I think 4am must be the best time to beat the wasps - I was beginning to wonder if wasps never slept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 My garden plums are not yet ripe, Barkisland, so might be worth looking out for the wild plums where you are. There are so many down here ( near Oxford) I'm forcing myself to walk past as there is only so much wild plum chutney we can deal with! I'm moving on to the elderberries now. Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barkisland Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 My husband went for a stroll today and picked a haul of bilberries. There's now a big fat bilberry pie sitting on my kitchen counter Food for free, you can't whack it can you? I love this time of year too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyBoo Posted August 9, 2009 Author Share Posted August 9, 2009 Bilberries? "Ooops, word censored!"ody said anything about bilberries! Where do you find bilberries * rushes off to google bilberries* And has anyone seen any sloes, I've haven't seen any! BeckyBoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Sloes are still green at the moment - we've just been to have a look at ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffordmum Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 What a great idea Lesley - pity there wasn't enough on the lil' tree by us Still looking for some home brew kit so we can try blackberry wine this year Cheers Pat & Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted August 10, 2009 Share Posted August 10, 2009 I walked past the plum trees round the corner on the way to go and give blood and found the men from the council chopping the plum trees down the plums weren't quite ripe yet. On the upside we were given some raspberry canes and gooseberry bushes from a garden that was being trashed for building work, I have squeezed them in to my tiny garden......the chap who gave them to me laughed when I said I hoped that the bushes liked chicken poo as they would have unlimited supplies in my garden! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffordmum Posted August 11, 2009 Share Posted August 11, 2009 I walked past the plum trees round the corner on the way to go and give blood and found the men from the council chopping the plum trees down Is nothing sacred? Incredible ... Pat & Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Speckled Hen Posted August 13, 2009 Share Posted August 13, 2009 Bilberries? "Ooops, word censored!"ody said anything about bilberries! Where do you find bilberries * rushes off to google bilberries* And has anyone seen any sloes, I've haven't seen any! BeckyBoo Bilberries are moorland plants and you find them where you find heather. They are tiny compared to the cultivated Blueberries but far superior in flavour and colour. I picked a load last weekend and my hands and face were blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
