... how much to make?

[crowsashes]

ok so im trying to not 'buy stuff' and im currently working my butt of making jams and the like. but how much would you make for say a year? im trying to get a store cupboard up and running with enough preserves etc to last for the year at the most .

so how many would say a family of four need, seems as thats the average family size, for things like jars of jam, chutneys , bottles of juice and cordial and whatever else i might come up with!

[bonniethomas06]

CA I suffer from some kind of disorder whereby I have extreme paranoia that I am going to run out of food. I think its medical name is greediness.

So last year I made FIFTEEN jamjars of chutney, calculated at about one every 3 weeks until the next year. But 1 year on we still have six jars left, most are mouldy (I skimped on the wax disks). And I thought we ate loads of it, we had it with cold pie, cheese, sarnies, roast dinners, stirred into stews, everything.

However, my OH eats jam by the dessert spoon (grr) so the fifteen jars of jam I made (50/50 marmelade and jam) last year had gone by april.

I would try to allow one jar of whatever per month and make a wider range of things so that you don't get bored. (Oh and red cabbage goes off within 3 months btw, whatever way you preserve it).

[Millymollymandy]

Crowsashes it totally depends on how much jam etc you eat - now if you're eating toast and jam for brekkie every day you're gonna need a hell of a lot more jam than we do - tend to only eat jam once in a while when we've bought a lovely baguette cos baguette, unsalted butter thickly spread and jam even thicker spread is my idea of heaven. but as we can't get through all the jam I make I give loads away. Mine never goes off and can last for years, ditto chutney.

Chutney would depend on whether you like us eat sarnies every day and what you put in them - I love cheese and pickle sandwiches but I'm still trying to get thru my apple chutney from 2 years ago (I made 4 x the amount in the recipe as we had such a glut of apples). My chutney never goes off either and OH has just finished my 5 year old damson chutney and is about to start the one I made last year!

[battybird]

I made 12 jars of beetroot chutney for myself in August last year and gave several away as well, and thought that would last till this year...it was all gone by Jan! So it really depends on how much you use! Overcalculate is better as MMM said...it can always be given away as presents. Preserves are sooo useful that I dont think you can do more than preserve anything you cannot eat fresh...when the money is low, theres always something to cook! I am going to resort to allotment chutney this year which is a great mix of whatever you have a glut of!

[pelmetman]

Hi Ruth

Would you be so kind as to let me know how you make your beetroot chutney.

Sue

[crowsashes]

thanks for that!

im aiming for 20 jars of jam - i bake a lot of victoria sponge cakes and jam tarts for lo so we do go through a lot and i have regular visitors who eat there way through my pantry!

im hoping on top of that i can make at least another 6 for xmas pressies but im rapidly running out of jars and ive been saving them all year and harvesting my mothers empty ones from the bin

so tomorrow im off blackberry picking to make some blackberry cordial and jams - trying to find a cordial recipie that will keep well any ideas where i can find one ?

[Thomzo]

I make batches of jam until I get bored. Then I freeze the rest of the fruit. That way I can either make more jam/chutney/whatever when I need it or use it for something else.

Zoe

[battybird]

Cordial recipe
900g(2lb) ripe blackberries in 100ml (3 1/2 floz) water in double boiler or a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
Cook for 1 hour stirring occasionally and mashing fruit with back of a spoon.
Then strain through a sieve into measuring jug and discard the pulp. (or use in an innovative way??)
Add 450g (1lb) sugar to every 600ml (1pt) juice and stir over a low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and remove quickly from the heat.
Pour the cordial into clip top or corked bottles and sterilize (folded newspaper or trivet in pan, put bottles on top then fill with water almost to top of bottles. Boil then simmer for 20 mins) OR pour into freezer containers and freeze!

Same recipe for most fruit cordials.
I am sure there are others, but this is so simple. Nb The book I use recommends trying it with sparkling wine or champagne!!

Incidentally Crowsashes...I have just properly read your avatar and realised I was thinking you were cowcrashes I think my brain is getting very pickled with age

[battybird]

Hi Ruth

Would you be so kind as to let me know how you make your beetroot chutney.

Sue

Hi Sue
Beetroot Chutney (6lb)

2lb raw (peeled and grated) beetroot
1lb onions (peeled and chopped)
1lb 9oz cooking apples (peeled and chopped)
1lb raisins
2pt malt vinegar or spiced pickling vinegar
2lb sugar
2tspn ground ginger

Put everything into pan, stir over low heat to dissolve sugar. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 1 hour until beetrrot and onions are soft and chutney is thick but still juicy. pour into hot sterilised jars

I think I threw some courgettes in last year too(!!! ) and made several batches!!

Sorry about imperial measures...my brain again!
Ruth

[Millymollymandy]

Incidentally Crowsashes...I have just properly read your avatar and realised I was thinking you were cowcrashes I think my brain is getting very pickled with age

I still don't know whether she is crow sashes or crow's ashes, but I call her (in my head obviously!) the latter.

[battybird]

[quote="
: I still don't know whether she is crow sashes or crow's ashes, but I call her (in my head obviously!) the latter. [/quote]

Doh!!! Didn't even think of that!! sounds more likely really..although I quite like cowcrashes!!

[Millymollymandy]

I prefer cow crashes too!

[missy]

i have 3 children under 10 and my estimate would of been a jar a fortnight. but then my kids love jam on toast, in sandwiches etc..

where we live our glass recycling collection is once a month, so if yours is similar, would that give you an indication of what you need?

i would work out what i need then add a couple maybe?

[Silver Ether]

I make as much jam as I can fom what I can get my hands on ... freeze it when I get tired of jamming ... dont do to much chutny dont use a great amount ... Some times I get jam that goes on from one year to the next ... and I find it keeps no problem ... and I dont use wax discs... in fact due to carelessness I found 4 jars of strawberry jam the other week from 2007 !!! so opened one with concern and it was lovely ... no mould, lost a little of it bright colour ... but was eaten without any worries ...

[crowsashes]

Incidentally Crowsashes...I have just properly read your avatar and realised I was thinking you were cowcrashes I think my brain is getting very pickled with age

I still don't know whether she is crow sashes or crow's ashes, but I call her (in my head obviously!) the latter.

you pair had me in fits of giggles! usually people just call me 'crows' but it is actually crow's ashes- no idea why it just popped in my head and voila - a user name .

although i would LOVE to see a cow crash! but it would but utterly noisy and messy


thanks for the cordial recipie going to try that later as i have a few passata bottles i have had no idea what to do with - looking good for cordial now seems as i have 11 jars of blackberry jam already made im off to pillage a plum tree i found yesterday and the few ripe elderberries