Welcome to our plot!

I'm Hazel, and in Nov 2006 my friend Jane and I took on a half plot at Hill Allotments, Sutton Coldfield - we want the satisfaction of growing and eating our own fruit and veg, and to improve our diet (and fitness!).

This is the story of what happened next...........

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Using the Harvest...

Still unforgivingly close today – so rather than a trip to the Hill, I made the most of the evening engaged in what we used to call Domestic Science at school.

First up was transferring the gooseberry wine from the bucket into the demijohn – it’s fermenting in rather a fearsome manner! The gooseberry pips sinking to the bottom conflicting with the yeast action releasing gas produce a fascinating 1970’s lava lamp effect in the demijohn.

Then I bottled May’s rhubarb wine – but made a botch of the siphoning, so I have five sealed bottles, a bottle of murk which is re-clearing upstairs & a glassful which tastes rather good actually! A little sweeter than the previous batch & light & fruity too – brill!

Tonight’s challenge was to produce redcurrant jelly at the correct consistency – i.e. set, but not rock hard. I followed the recipe in Marguerite Pattern’s Jams preserves & chutneys, supplemented by the invaluable advice with regard to times taken to reach setting point from the GYO Grapevine.

After a rolling boil for 13 minutes it looked like a set & I whipped the whole lot into hot jars & sealed, & looking at the sample left over in a dish in the fridge, I am rather optimistic…

3 comments:

  1. It will be beautiful Hazel - and a drop dead gorgeous jewel colour too.

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  2. I'm drooling at the thought of Gooseberry wine ... It was a particular favourite of mine ....

    I must have a go myself .... In NZ we can even distill here as long as we don't sell it ... :O)

    D

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  3. The camera doesn't capture the deep ruby colour very well, Flum, but it looks beautiful!

    You are going to have to stop messing about and liberate a small corner away from McD to fit in just a demijohn or two, Dinzie - although I'm not so sure about home distilling! I'm glad you're giving the gooseberry wine the thumbs up - another first for me here.

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