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i've been to a pick your own farm!

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crisgal | 23:50 Sun 08th Jul 2007 | Food & Drink
17 Answers
....and got a bit carried away!
We've eaten the strawberries and raspberries, that bit was easy. But now i'm left with gooseberries, rhubarb and broad beans. I'm not sure what to do with the fruit apart from the obvious - crumble!

Also, is there anything you can put with gooseberries to make them more palatable, apart from a ton of sugar?
thank you x
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Broad beans freeze brilliantly - just blanch for 2 minutes and enjoy them in the depths of winter. Gooseberries and rhubarb? Why bother?!
Question Author
ta figi, would you remove the skin first?
Gooseberry Jam

2 quarts fresh gooseberries
6 cups white sugar
1/2 (6 fluid ounce) container liquid pectin

Remove blossom and stem ends from gooseberries. Force berries through food mill. Measure 4 cups of the berry mash into a large pot. Stir in the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in pectin at once. Skim off any foam with a large metal spoon.

Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Take turns with skimming foam, and stirring the berry mixture for 5 minutes to let it cool slightly. Ladle into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Metric:
1200 g fresh gooseberries
1200 g white sugar
84 g liquid pectin
Meatless Mincemeat

Makes 8 Quarts

2 pounds cranberries
1 quart water
9 apples - peeled, cored and ground
2 pounds raisins
3 (16 ounce) cans gooseberries
3 (16 ounce) cans pitted sour red pie cherries
2 cups brandy
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 cups distilled white vinegar
4 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground allspice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place cranberries in a large saucepan and pour water over them. Simmer on low heat until cranberries begin to split. Remove from heat and pour into a large ovenproof baking dish.
To cranberries add apples, raisins, gooseberries, cherries, brandy, lemon rind, orange rind, vinegar, sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice. Stir this mixture thoroughly and cover dish.
Place dish in preheated oven. Heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sterilize enough canning jars and lids to fit all mincemeat.
Place a wire rack in the bottom of a large stock pot and fill halfway with water. Bring water to a rolling boil.
Pack mincemeat into sterilized jars, ensuring that there are no spaces or air bubbles. Fill jars all the way to the top and screw on lids. Carefully lower jars into boiling water using a holder. Make sure jars have at least 2 inches of space between them. Pour more boiling water over jars if necessary, so that they are covered by 2 inches of water. Cover pot and process for 30 minutes.
Carefully lift jars out of water using a holder, and place on a wooden or cloth-covered surface, at least 2 inches apart. Allow to cool, then check seal by pressing on jar lid. A properly sealed lid will not move up or down at all. Mincemeat should be aged for 2 or 3 months before using.

Continued from previous post.....

Metric:
910 g cranberries
945 ml water
9 apples - peeled, cored and ground
910 g raisins
1344 g gooseberries
1344 g pitted sour red pie cherries
475 ml brandy
10 g lemon zest
10 g orange zest
475 ml distilled white vinegar
800 g white sugar
7 g ground cloves
9 g ground nutmeg
15 g ground cinnamon
10 g ground allspice
Spiced Rhubarb Relish

2 cups finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon pepper

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Cool; store in the refrigerator. Serve with poultry, pork or cold beef.

Metric:
245 g finely chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
335 g finely chopped onion
550 g packed brown sugar
235 ml vinegar
6 g salt
1 g ground cinnamon
1 g ground allspice
0.5 g ground cloves
0.5 g pepper


Freezing Broad Beans:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Food-and-Drink/ Question255994.html

YvonneM
Tue 04/07/06
07:50 I have frozen lots of things from my garden some do well others not

Raspberries and strawberries _ I freeze on tray to keep them seperate and then put then in plastic bags or containers

Broad Beans,.runner beans and peas - taste good when they are frozen. Shell them and dip them into boiling water for a minute then into cold water allowed them to drain. you can bag them in portions or in a large strong bag but while they are freezing shake the bag to keep them separate or they will stick together in one huge mass

Don't like cauliflower when it has been frozen. Never tried brussel sprouts.parsnips or beetroot
Beetroot freezes really well , cook it , peel it ,let it go cold then slice it up and put in layers on greaseproof paper in a plastic box .When it's defrosted it tastes like fresh cooked , much better than in vinegar .
Question Author
wow, thanks for all that BBWCHATT!
i'm going to do the gooseberry jam and rhubarb chutney - definately. I can't believe how easy the jam sounds - i thought you needed lots of equipment to make jam. Do you know how long it will keep?
Thanks again x

theonlyone, does that mean you can freeze those vacuum packs of cooked beetroot, do you think? x
Or you could make wine....
hic!
Gooseberry fool is gorgeous: Melt 1oz of unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan and add 1lb gooseberries and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Cover the saucepan and simmer for about half an hour until the gooseberries are soft.
Remove the gooseberries from the saucepan and puree, then pass the pulp through a sieve, leaving the skins and pips. Taste the gooseberries and if too sharp add more sugar, then set aside and allow to cool. Whip up 12 fl oz double cream and fold into the gooseberry pulp.
Divide equally into small glasses and Chill for about an hour before serving. DELICIOUS!!!
-- answer removed --
Thank you Crisgal - not only for being one of those rare ABer's who let us know that they got what they needed - but for being one of those even MORE rare ABer's who let us know the outcome and that they appreciated our help!!! You are the kind of ABer who keeps us coming back in spite of all the negatives!!!
As the vacuum packed beetroot do not any additives or preservatives would think its worth a try if you have a bit left over . Give it a go.
We have not been able to find any Daddies sauce in either Saiansburys or Somerfields either so maybe it has been taken out of production. I would be interested to know if anyone has an answer to this.

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