Planning our condiments and preserves.

During the year we make condiments and other useful items for the larder, depending on what we can grow, forage, or purchase for a good price. I don’t make everything each year as I would waste some. It is important, therefore, to check my stock and what I already have in the cupboard. Once done, I write in my diary reminders to make items at the time of year that the ingredients are abundant for the things that we need or want.

These condiments and preserves make our food more interesting, and add nutrition. Some of them we give as Christmas presents, in hampers, or in other ways. One year I repaid a friend who gave me some unwanted meat with some freshly made scones in a little basket, and gave her a small jar of homemade jam, and some homemade butter.  Home made items make inexpensive gifts that are appreciated.

Today I went through my cupboard to see which preserves and condiments we had left left from the last couple of years. We only had the 5 jars of rhubarb and ginger jam that I made recently, 2 bottles of sweet chilli sauce, 1 jar of strawberry jam, 4 apple chutneys, 1 apple sauce, 3 bottles of apple cider vinegar, some wild garlic salt, 4 jars of piccalilli, 1 jar of caramelised onion, a bottle of tomato sauce, and half a bottle of blackberry balsamic vinegar (latter in the fridge). Other items in that cupboard were rhubarb cordial, 5 bottles of cider (about 6 years old now), and some blackberry vodka and gin. In the freezer is wild garlic butter, wild garlic hummus, and wild garlic pesto. We also had 7 jars of tomato ragu left from last year. I like to have a lot of my home made produce on the same shelf. This way I can pretend I have reached my dream of being a home steader then. 😊

Here is a list of some of the items that we will make this year and links to the recipes.

Elderflower and Lemon Curd

We make this at this time of year when the elderflowers are in season. It makes a nice change from lemon curd and elderflower has many health benefits. This does not keep long term.

Elderflower Cordial

We make this every year. I don’t normally drink cordials due to the sugar content but is nice to have if a friend or family is visiting. We also make rhubarb cordial at this time of year.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

This is our favourite condiment out of all of the ones that we make. It is frequently requested by family for Christmas. We tend to continuously make it all year from frozen chillies.

Rhubarb and ginger jam

This is the first jam of the year to be made and I make it around April and May time.

Bramble balsamic glaze

I made this for the first time last year and love it on my salads. We use foraged blackberries picked in late summer. I will definitely make more this year.

Apple Cider Vinegar

We make this in August and September when harvesting our own apples, or foraging for apples. It is good to know that these apples are organic and have no preservatives on them. I take a spoonful of ACV most days as it helps with insulin resistance. We also use it as a condiment.

Caramelised red onion Chutney

I find that my red onions don’t keep as well as my white onions and so make this a month or so after harvesting our onions. Mr S loves it in burgers.

Apple Chutney

We like this in cheese toasties, or I add it to stews or pasties. It is made in late summer as a way to store some of the foraged, bruised, or imperfect apples.

Piccalilli
Mr S loves piccalilli. Quite a few of our youger friends don’t even know what it is when we offer it. He will eat it in a ham or cheese sandwich. We tend to make this in winter with some of our stored summer harvests, but when cauliflowers are cheaper in the shops.

Apple and Blackberry jam.

This is made in September with our harvest of foraged apples and blackberries. It feels like free food as all we need to pay for is the sugar.  I love this on toast on a winter’s day, or to use it in baking.

Pickled red cabbage

I always make this in the  Christmas week as red cabbage is very cheap at this time. This year they were 8p a cabbage. It is a great addition to winter salads and reminds me of my childhood.

In an age when we can more or less buy any food we want all year from the supermarket, we forget that many of the condiments and preserves were ways to preserve harvests, and add nutrition to winter meals.

We try to eat mainly seasonally due to growing our own food, and because it is cheaper. These preserves are therefore a welcome addition to winter and early spring meals.

What are the main preserves and condiments that you make?