Recipe
4 pints hawthorn berries
3 lb / 1,350 grams sugar
1 lb / 450 grams sultanas
Citric acid
Campden tablet
Yeast energizer
Water up to 1 gallon
Wine yeast
Method
Boil the hawthorn berries and place in fermentation bucket. Add the sultanas and sugar and stir vigorously to dissolve the sugar. When cool add the citric acid, yeast energizer and wine yeast. Cover and leave for five days in a warm place, stirring daily. Strain and put into a demijohn and fit an airlock to seal the jar.
Store in a warm place and allow the fermentation to work. When fermentation has ceased, rack the wine into a clean jar and place in a cooler environment and leave. When the wine is clear and stable siphon into bottles.
Notes
Taken from http://www.wine-making-guides.com/hawthorn_berry_wine.html
Update
Not tried this yet but now's the best time (Early January) when the haws are fat and ripest.
Showing posts with label wild. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wild. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Hazelnut Shortbread
Recipe
3 cups of plain flour.
¾ cup of granulated sugar.
?½? cup of hazelnuts?
¼ teaspoon of salt.
1 ¼ cups of unsalted butter, in pieces.
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)
Shell the hazelnuts and place directly on a baking tray. Roast for 5-10 minutes or until the skins begin to crack. Remove and place on a tea towel. Roll the contents inside to dislodge the skins.
Remove from tea towel and dispose of skins then place hazelnuts in plastic freezer bag and bash with rolling pin (or use food whizzy thing) until effectively ground.
Now reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
In a suitably sized bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, hazelnuts and salt.
Cut the butter into flour mixture with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Knead until the mixture holds together; then divide the dough in half.
Position each of the halves on an ungreased baking sheet.
Pat each out into a nine-inch circle, then crimp the edges.
Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges, but do not separate.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Recut to separate wedges.
Allow the shortbread to cool completely
Notes
The main Shortbread recipe was lifted from http://www.hazelnutrecipes.org/hazelnut-shortbread.html but since i'm not keen on destroying the whole flavour with Chocolate, i removed that bit. I also picked the hazelnuts myself so needed to roast them. I lifted that method from the utube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7bb1GsMEok
Update
Last year saw a bumper crop of wild Hazelnuts in late August/early September and i collected and stored a big tub of them. Only now in January have i considered making something out of them and what better sweet than Hazelnut shortbread.
3 cups of plain flour.
¾ cup of granulated sugar.
?½? cup of hazelnuts?
¼ teaspoon of salt.
1 ¼ cups of unsalted butter, in pieces.
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C)
Shell the hazelnuts and place directly on a baking tray. Roast for 5-10 minutes or until the skins begin to crack. Remove and place on a tea towel. Roll the contents inside to dislodge the skins.
Remove from tea towel and dispose of skins then place hazelnuts in plastic freezer bag and bash with rolling pin (or use food whizzy thing) until effectively ground.
Now reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).
In a suitably sized bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, hazelnuts and salt.
Cut the butter into flour mixture with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Knead until the mixture holds together; then divide the dough in half.
Position each of the halves on an ungreased baking sheet.
Pat each out into a nine-inch circle, then crimp the edges.
Cut each circle into 12 equal wedges, but do not separate.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Recut to separate wedges.
Allow the shortbread to cool completely
Notes
The main Shortbread recipe was lifted from http://www.hazelnutrecipes.org/hazelnut-shortbread.html but since i'm not keen on destroying the whole flavour with Chocolate, i removed that bit. I also picked the hazelnuts myself so needed to roast them. I lifted that method from the utube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7bb1GsMEok
Update
Last year saw a bumper crop of wild Hazelnuts in late August/early September and i collected and stored a big tub of them. Only now in January have i considered making something out of them and what better sweet than Hazelnut shortbread.
Saturday, 31 December 2011
Sloe Gin
Recipe50g Dark brown sugar
175 cl Dry Gin
Sloes
300 cl Bottle
Method
Fill Bottle with scoulding hot water from kettle to sterilise then empty.
Place Gin into Bottle then add sugar.
Place sloes into bottle until displaced liquid rises to top then screw/cork bottle.
Leave for 3 months or more.
Notes
I used Richmond London dry Gin 70cl because it provides 4 300cl bottles.
For bottle i used Asda's own White wine or Cider vinegar bottles since these provide exactly 300 cl and the label can be easily removed by soaking in hot water.
I used dark brown sugar as i find it takes the sloe gin to another dimension, but other sugars are fine.
One year i'll try honey, but not yet :p
175 cl Dry Gin
Sloes
300 cl Bottle
Method
Fill Bottle with scoulding hot water from kettle to sterilise then empty.
Place Gin into Bottle then add sugar.
Place sloes into bottle until displaced liquid rises to top then screw/cork bottle.
Leave for 3 months or more.
Notes
I used Richmond London dry Gin 70cl because it provides 4 300cl bottles.
For bottle i used Asda's own White wine or Cider vinegar bottles since these provide exactly 300 cl and the label can be easily removed by soaking in hot water.
I used dark brown sugar as i find it takes the sloe gin to another dimension, but other sugars are fine.
One year i'll try honey, but not yet :p
Friday, 30 September 2011
Hawthorn fruit bars
Recipe
Hawthorn Berries (Haws)
Method
Wash thoroughly and remove stalks then place berries in a large bowl.
Wash hands thoroughly as it all hands in time. Squeeze the berries with hands to turn into a conjealing mush of stone and flesh.
Now take a handful of the mush and squeeze so the stones are left in ones palm. Discard them and continue until all stones removed.
Place mush between two grease proof sheets and roll out until thin.
Place onto a baking tray and put in a warm dry place (i put mine on the overnight storage heater).
Leave for 2 to 3 days then remove baking paper and slice into bars.
Dry in the warm place until bars are hard.
Notes
Taken from a Ray Mears Episode. These are best made from late October to December when the fruit is ripe and fleshy.
Update
Tried to make this last week as fruit is ripening early this year but it seems not so with haw berries. Catching them early means the berries lack the ripeness, fleshy quality that time provides.
The result for me was that the stones where almost impossible to sieve out and it only left a rather sour mush behind that dried well but was less palatable.
Hawthorn Berries (Haws)
Method
Wash thoroughly and remove stalks then place berries in a large bowl.
Wash hands thoroughly as it all hands in time. Squeeze the berries with hands to turn into a conjealing mush of stone and flesh.
Now take a handful of the mush and squeeze so the stones are left in ones palm. Discard them and continue until all stones removed.
Place mush between two grease proof sheets and roll out until thin.
Place onto a baking tray and put in a warm dry place (i put mine on the overnight storage heater).
Leave for 2 to 3 days then remove baking paper and slice into bars.
Dry in the warm place until bars are hard.
Notes
Taken from a Ray Mears Episode. These are best made from late October to December when the fruit is ripe and fleshy.
Update
Tried to make this last week as fruit is ripening early this year but it seems not so with haw berries. Catching them early means the berries lack the ripeness, fleshy quality that time provides.
The result for me was that the stones where almost impossible to sieve out and it only left a rather sour mush behind that dried well but was less palatable.
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
Damson Wine
Recipe
4 lbs ripe wild damsons
2-1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar
1 cup red grape concentrate
1 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
1 crushed Campden tablet
water to one gallon (about 5-6 pints)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 packet Bordeaux or Burgundy wine yeast
Method
(1) Put 1/2 gallon water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash, sort, destem, and destone the fruit.
Transfer fruit and any juice to nylon straining bag in primary graduated (marked) by pints to one gallon, add grape concentrate, boiling water, cover and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Add crushed Campden, recover and wait 12 hours.
(2) Crush fruit by hand by squeezing bag. Mix in half the sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Lift the bag of fruit and allow to drain about two minutes, then add water to bring liquid up to 7 pints. Return bag to liquid, measure and note S.G., and then add acid blend, tannin, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient.
Wait 12 Hours
(3)Add yeast.
(4)Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(5) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(6) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(7) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(8) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(9) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(10) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(11) Drip drain bag of pulp 2-3 hours, squeezing gently at end to coax additional juice from bag. Do not squeeze vigorously. Add drained juice to primary and use hydrometer chart to determine how much additional sugar to add to achieve S.G. of 1.095 (find previously measured S.G. on chart and determine how much sugar to add to that to achieve target S.G. of 1.095). Add sugar and stir well to dissolve.
Allow to settle overnight
(12) Rack into secondary and fit airlock without topping up.
Wait 7 days
(13) Top up.
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(15) When wine clears, wait one additional month
(16) rack, top up, refit airlock, and set aside for bulk aging.
Check water level in airlock monthly.
Wait 6 months
(17) Stabilize, wait 10 days
(18) rack if needed, sweeten to taste and bottle.
Do not drink for one year.
Notes
Lifted from http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/damson.asp
Adapted recipe from W.H.T. Tayleur's The Penguin Book of Home Brewing & Wine-Making
Update
Waiting on stage (2)
4 lbs ripe wild damsons
2-1/2 lbs finely granulated sugar
1 cup red grape concentrate
1 tsp acid blend
1 tsp pectic enzyme
1/4 tsp tannin
1 crushed Campden tablet
water to one gallon (about 5-6 pints)
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 packet Bordeaux or Burgundy wine yeast
Method
(1) Put 1/2 gallon water on to boil. Meanwhile, wash, sort, destem, and destone the fruit.
Transfer fruit and any juice to nylon straining bag in primary graduated (marked) by pints to one gallon, add grape concentrate, boiling water, cover and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Add crushed Campden, recover and wait 12 hours.
(2) Crush fruit by hand by squeezing bag. Mix in half the sugar, stirring well to dissolve. Lift the bag of fruit and allow to drain about two minutes, then add water to bring liquid up to 7 pints. Return bag to liquid, measure and note S.G., and then add acid blend, tannin, pectic enzyme, and yeast nutrient.
Wait 12 Hours
(3)Add yeast.
(4)Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(5) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(6) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(7) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(8) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(9) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(10) Sqeeze bag AM
Squeeze bag PM
(11) Drip drain bag of pulp 2-3 hours, squeezing gently at end to coax additional juice from bag. Do not squeeze vigorously. Add drained juice to primary and use hydrometer chart to determine how much additional sugar to add to achieve S.G. of 1.095 (find previously measured S.G. on chart and determine how much sugar to add to that to achieve target S.G. of 1.095). Add sugar and stir well to dissolve.
Allow to settle overnight
(12) Rack into secondary and fit airlock without topping up.
Wait 7 days
(13) Top up.
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(14) Rack, top up and refit airlock
Wait a month
(15) When wine clears, wait one additional month
(16) rack, top up, refit airlock, and set aside for bulk aging.
Check water level in airlock monthly.
Wait 6 months
(17) Stabilize, wait 10 days
(18) rack if needed, sweeten to taste and bottle.
Do not drink for one year.
Notes
Lifted from http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/damson.asp
Adapted recipe from W.H.T. Tayleur's The Penguin Book of Home Brewing & Wine-Making
Update
Waiting on stage (2)
Wednesday, 31 August 2011
Nettle Soup
Recipe
1 lb potatoes
½ lb young nettles
2 oz butter
1½ pts chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt & black pepper
4 tablespoons sour cream
MethodCook the peeled, chopped potatoes for 10 mins in salted water. Drain.
Wash & chop coarsely the nettles (Only pick the new, young tops,using gloves!)
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nettles and stew gently for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and heated stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
When all is soft, cool slightly & purée in a blender, adding seasoning and the sour cream.
Notes
The recipe was taken from http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities/nettlesoup.asp
Its not the original one i used but can't find that right now and anyway this one looks close enough.
This is best made in late winter or spring time when the new nettle shoots are bursting up. The soup can be frozen too.
1 lb potatoes
½ lb young nettles
2 oz butter
1½ pts chicken or vegetable stock
sea salt & black pepper
4 tablespoons sour cream
MethodCook the peeled, chopped potatoes for 10 mins in salted water. Drain.
Wash & chop coarsely the nettles (Only pick the new, young tops,using gloves!)
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the nettles and stew gently for a few minutes. Add the potatoes and heated stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
When all is soft, cool slightly & purée in a blender, adding seasoning and the sour cream.
Notes
The recipe was taken from http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities/nettlesoup.asp
Its not the original one i used but can't find that right now and anyway this one looks close enough.
This is best made in late winter or spring time when the new nettle shoots are bursting up. The soup can be frozen too.
Tuesday, 9 August 2011
Spiced Wild Fruits Chutney
Recipe
Notes
This is a modified recipe from http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/1049/spiced-plum-chutney-recipe/
One reservation i have is that it does generate a rather sloppy chutney.
It may be better to add the bigger ingredients like the plums or Blackberries almost at the end so they hold their shape better.
To remove (pit) the stones from the wild plums i simply used brute force and pressed the fruit until it burst then fished out the stone.
You soon realise that if the fruit is not ripe the stone will take half the fruit with it but when ripe the stone will be dinstinctly separate.
1.5kg wild plums
500g cooking apples
2 oranges
200g Sultanas
200g Blackberries
1tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
300ml red wine vinegar
500g demerara sugar
Method:
Remove stones from plums
Peal, core and dice the apples
Grate the Peel from the oranges and squeeze their juice into a large pan.
Add the rest of the ingredients
Heat and stir until Sugar dissolved
Simmer until thick and syrupy
Place in sterilised preserving jars
Notes
This is a modified recipe from http://www.allotment.org.uk/recipe/1049/spiced-plum-chutney-recipe/
One reservation i have is that it does generate a rather sloppy chutney.
It may be better to add the bigger ingredients like the plums or Blackberries almost at the end so they hold their shape better.
To remove (pit) the stones from the wild plums i simply used brute force and pressed the fruit until it burst then fished out the stone.
You soon realise that if the fruit is not ripe the stone will take half the fruit with it but when ripe the stone will be dinstinctly separate.
Saturday, 6 August 2011
Hawthorn Chutney
Recipe
2 lbs ( 900gms) ( 8 cups) of haw berries
3/4 lb ( 350 gms) (11/2 cups) brown sugar
1 pint ( 1/2 litres) of cider vinegar
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp of salt.
1/4 tsp spoon cloves
Plenty of fresh black pepper.
1/4 lb ( 115 gms) ( 1 cup) of dried fruit
Method
Remove any stalks and black ended berries
Wash berries and place in large saucepan.
Add vinegar and salt.
Bring to Boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Press pulp through sieve into another saucepan.
Add the remaining ingredients
Bring to the boil again stirring continuously.
Turn down heat slightly until mixture thickens.
Pour into jars and seal.
Notes
This is basically a compaction from http://earthlinksall.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/hawthorn-chutney-recipe/
I made this chutney late last year, giving it to my unsuspecting relatives at Christmas. They just rang me up saying they'd loved every drop of it and only just (August) finished it.
2 lbs ( 900gms) ( 8 cups) of haw berries
3/4 lb ( 350 gms) (11/2 cups) brown sugar
1 pint ( 1/2 litres) of cider vinegar
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp of salt.
1/4 tsp spoon cloves
Plenty of fresh black pepper.
1/4 lb ( 115 gms) ( 1 cup) of dried fruit
Method
Remove any stalks and black ended berries
Wash berries and place in large saucepan.
Add vinegar and salt.
Bring to Boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Press pulp through sieve into another saucepan.
Add the remaining ingredients
Bring to the boil again stirring continuously.
Turn down heat slightly until mixture thickens.
Pour into jars and seal.
Notes
This is basically a compaction from http://earthlinksall.wordpress.com/2008/10/12/hawthorn-chutney-recipe/
I made this chutney late last year, giving it to my unsuspecting relatives at Christmas. They just rang me up saying they'd loved every drop of it and only just (August) finished it.
Plum Wine
Recipe3 1/2 lb Ripe wild plums
3lb Honey
1 Pack Yeast
1 Campden tablet
4.5 Litres boiling water
Method
(1)Wash plums and blend in blender (do in batches)
Place blended plums in bucket and add boiling water
Stir with wooden spoon.
Leave for ten days.
(2)Skim off any surface residue and mould carefully.
Strain using funnel and sieve or Muslin cloth into Demijohn
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add yeast and give final stir.
Cork with Airlock
Leave until fermentation has completed.
(3)Skim off any surface residue
Strain again using mulsin cloth into bucket.
Add crushed Campden tablet
Decant into bottles.
(4)Ready in six months. Better after nine.
Notes
This is a modified recipe from http://grapestomper.com/recplum.html and their "Easy Plum Wine Recipe (one gallon recipe) " recipe.
Update
Now Bottled and (based on 6 months) will be ready by February.
3lb Honey
1 Pack Yeast
1 Campden tablet
4.5 Litres boiling water
Method
(1)Wash plums and blend in blender (do in batches)
Place blended plums in bucket and add boiling water
Stir with wooden spoon.
Leave for ten days.
(2)Skim off any surface residue and mould carefully.
Strain using funnel and sieve or Muslin cloth into Demijohn
Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Add yeast and give final stir.
Cork with Airlock
Leave until fermentation has completed.
(3)Skim off any surface residue
Strain again using mulsin cloth into bucket.
Add crushed Campden tablet
Decant into bottles.
(4)Ready in six months. Better after nine.
Notes
This is a modified recipe from http://grapestomper.com/recplum.html and their "Easy Plum Wine Recipe (one gallon recipe) " recipe.
Update
Now Bottled and (based on 6 months) will be ready by February.
Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Elderflower wine
Ingredients
Juice of one lemon
Grated rind of one lemon
1 Pint of elderflowers
8 pints boiling water
1.3kg sugar
25g (Half an ounce) live yeast
Method
(1)Put lemon rind with the elderflowers and pour boiling water over them.
Allow to stand for 4 days, stirring occasionally.
(2)Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth
Transfer to Demijohn together with sugar, lemon juice and yeast then stir and add airlock.
Keep at room temperature to ferment, try not to let it go down to 18c (65f)
(3)When you are sure all the bubbling has ceased, stir the wine and allow to settle for 3 days
(4)Strain again carefully through Muslin
Clean out/Sterilise Demijohn and put liquid back
(5)After 3 months maturing, transfer to bottles
Notes
I wanted to try my hand at making wine this year and since i wasn't adventurous enough to try nettle wine i turned to Elderflowers.
For the live yeast i got mine from J Sainsbury's. Apparently Tesco's also sell it. But this is uk only.
Update
This is maturing now, ready for bottling in October.
Juice of one lemon
Grated rind of one lemon
1 Pint of elderflowers
8 pints boiling water
1.3kg sugar
25g (Half an ounce) live yeast
Method
(1)Put lemon rind with the elderflowers and pour boiling water over them.
Allow to stand for 4 days, stirring occasionally.
(2)Strain through a fine sieve or muslin cloth
Transfer to Demijohn together with sugar, lemon juice and yeast then stir and add airlock.
Keep at room temperature to ferment, try not to let it go down to 18c (65f)
(3)When you are sure all the bubbling has ceased, stir the wine and allow to settle for 3 days
(4)Strain again carefully through Muslin
Clean out/Sterilise Demijohn and put liquid back
(5)After 3 months maturing, transfer to bottles
Notes
I wanted to try my hand at making wine this year and since i wasn't adventurous enough to try nettle wine i turned to Elderflowers.
For the live yeast i got mine from J Sainsbury's. Apparently Tesco's also sell it. But this is uk only.
Update
This is maturing now, ready for bottling in October.
Crabapple Chutney
Ingredients
2 lbs crab apples
2/3 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar (or Honey)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon ( i had run out , so substituted with Allspice)
juice of an orange
1 cup sultanas.
Method
Chip crab apples, combine all ingredients, just cover with water and simmer for an hour. Pour into hot sterilised jars.
Notes
After completely failing at trying to get jam to set i resigned at using Crab Apples for a spicey sweet chutney last year. I made around 10 kilner jars of the stuff.
This is not my own recipe. It was taken from the Green urban living website.
Its my sort of recipe though. The simplicity of chucking it all in a pot is perfect!
Chipping crabapple is my way of removing the core. I take the crab apple and thoroughly wash it in plain water. I then locate the core and cut off the four sides. You could do something good with the cores but i just chucked them.
Update
I still have loads of the stuff from a year ago so not making anymore just yet.
2 lbs crab apples
2/3 cup white vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar (or Honey)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon ( i had run out , so substituted with Allspice)
juice of an orange
1 cup sultanas.
Method
Chip crab apples, combine all ingredients, just cover with water and simmer for an hour. Pour into hot sterilised jars.
Notes
After completely failing at trying to get jam to set i resigned at using Crab Apples for a spicey sweet chutney last year. I made around 10 kilner jars of the stuff.
This is not my own recipe. It was taken from the Green urban living website.
Its my sort of recipe though. The simplicity of chucking it all in a pot is perfect!
Chipping crabapple is my way of removing the core. I take the crab apple and thoroughly wash it in plain water. I then locate the core and cut off the four sides. You could do something good with the cores but i just chucked them.
Update
I still have loads of the stuff from a year ago so not making anymore just yet.
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