Grow Your Own Magazine

when i do jam that needs lemons for the pectin i slice them up,put them in a clean wash tablet net,and hang it on the side of the preserving pan,it works fine,just give it a gentle press every now and then,at the end of the cooking empty it into a jug and top up with water and ice,it's a lovely drink,waste not,want not.

Wish I'd found GYO mag in time for April's copy, Rhubarb & ginger jam sounds delicious and I know my brother-in-law has heaps of rhubarb (and I've got muslin - I was going to offer you some but you've already made it) - anyone know if & how I can get a back copy?

I used gauze from my medicine cabinet for the ginger when I made rhubarb, pineapple, and ginger jam recently. It's really good on vanilla ice-cream. Before I learned the gauze trick, I used my white linen napkins.

Check out my blog for the recipe:

marigoldmemoirs.blogspot.com

Someone said something about 'muslin, not cotton'. Muslin usually IS cotton. SOME artificial fibres do odd things in boiling water, but other that that, you can use anything thin enough. The 'tea ball' idea (if we mean the same thing) is probably a good one too. The ones I have used are 2 halves, wire-mesh, hinged together, when closed about the size of a table-tennis ball, and hangs by a short chain. I gather that there are other shapes.....

if you are happy with just the recipe I will scan it and email to you if that helps?

we are now two months on from when I first made this jam and it is getting better and better with age - like me

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Suzie

Oooh lovely, thank you, I'll pm you

What a resourceful lot! I used an old tea towel to strain my elderflower cordial, but it still has all the flowers on after washing. How I wish I'd read this thread, first!!!

I did a Pigletwillie and bunged it all in and fished it out - it worked lovely

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Suzie

When you use a cloth to strain out elderflowers, squeeze well, and then most of the flowers will stay together in a lump and fall off the cloth. Sluice most of them off under running water (like you would for a plate, with the water trickling over the surface) so that there are few left to get out 'in the wash'.