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Fruit Preserving Books
Victoria Sponge
Posts: 3,502
Morning all,
I started preserving fruit last year, pears I had a glut of, and this year I have a lot of Pink Glow crab apples I'd like to do something with.
Can anyone recommend a book (physical book format preferred
) on how to preserve various UK fruit? I know I can freeze most things but preserving, making jams and wines etc would be more fun.
Any ideas appreciated
Wearside, England.
0
Posts
My two 'go to' preserving books are
'Home Preservation of Fruit and Vegetables' ... an old book published by HMSO for the former Ministry of Agriculture but available here https://www.abebooks.co.uk/book-search/title/home-preservation-of-fruit-and-vegetables/
and the River Cottage 'Preserves' handbook.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My 'bible' is another oldie : 'The Complete Book of Food Preservation', by Cyril Grange, F. R. H .S., third edition, published 1949
I inherited it from my mum, who must have had from the early days of her married life. It covers meat, fish, poultry and eggs as well as fruit and veg, but freezers make that section less relevant today. The jam and marmalade chapters are invaluable though and bear the marks of frequent use
I haven't found the need for another book on the basics, though it doesn't cover the range of multi-cultural tastes you would probably want today, not even mango chutney, though it does tell you how to salt runner beans and make sauerkraut!
It is available online from several sellers, including a new, republished version.
River Cottage preserves book for me. It's pages are getting a bit sticky here and there
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
Home-made preserves by Jill Nice (Fontana paperbacks). organised alphabetically by fruit and very good. She's the one who put me on to spiced blackcurrant jelly which is a revelation.
Smashing guys, thank you
I will do some research and report back. I thought I'd get some advice as I don't want to end up with a book of wrong-climate fruit - I'll only be preserving things I can grow myself.
Sorted alphabetically sounds like a good idea too.
Many thanks
Bought these books in the end:
Got them second hand, think the postage was more than the books
They seem to contain slightly different versions of the same recipes apart from the blue one which doesn't seem to have sloe gin
An extraordinary omission.
I need to order some tranklements, jelly bag, jam thermometer, wooden spoon, a pan etc, then just have to watch for the harvest. Unsure whether to pick and freeze the sloes or leave til the frost. A few crabs have come off the tree but maybe just the wind or birds crashing about as they're still hard despite the rosy-red ripeness look about them.
Thanks for your help guys and good luck with any jamming you might be doing
I have a jelly bag and used it twice. It now lives in its box with its contraption. Found it to be too small and very fiddly to set up.
Much easier to buy muslin cloths and drape them over a colander or steamer set over a large bowl or pan and then just leave overnight, covered against flies.
Have fun.
Ah, good idea. I'll do that Obelixx, thanks. I haven't got a colander but it will probably come in useful.
I did think the jelly bag contraption looked a tad rickety but thought that was perhaps how it was done.
We have several colanders so OH can have one for the different fruits as he goes round the garden. The plastic kind don't rust or stain if he forgets them outside.........
Righto, good advice, thank you. Actually they will come in handy since I have an allotment, best way to get the soft fruit home, I reckon