Sunday 8 July 2012

Preserved

There was a short break in the weather yesterday.

I rushed outside and picked Tayberries and Raspberries.  I washed them ,sorted them, and packed them into sterilised Weck flasks.  I made a sugar syrup to cover them.  All that picking, and only 3 small flasks. Who knew it took so much fruit?!

Back outside, I picked cherries.  Many cherries were split,  a result of the heavy rain. brief sun, and then more rain. The fruit is swelling to quickly and bursting its skin.  I came in, I got the cherry stoner out.  I cleaned, I stoned, I packed.  Three and a half jars. I went out again, picked some more, got to 4 full jars.

Next, I picked blackcurrants. My book says that you have to deal with blackcurrants very quickly.   I washed, I de-stalked, and started putting them in jars. After three jars (which was a  lot of blackcurrants), I had had enough. I also had to make a sweeter syrup (and. as I'm typing now, I'm thinking I should have used the sweeter syrup on the sour cherries. Bother!).

Everything in the pasteuriser, pasteuriser on.

All done.

I still have a heap of blackcurrants in the fridge.  I might make some sort of puree with it, I already have too much blackcurrant vodka. I am just not in the mood.  There are more blackcurrants outside.  There are lots of tayberries, in various stages of unripeness.  There are a few cherries left.

Cherries! I'd forgotten about the next step in the Cherry vodka.  Better go and do that now.


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