The Cottage Smallholder

Not sure about netting; much to our surprise none of our cherries have been eaten!  Especially the first one is HUGE and there are still cherries we cant reach rotting on the tree.  The second tree is much smaller with juicier cherries but still not eaten; just luck i suppose

So the recipe: GLACE CHERRIES

approx 1kg cherries (stoned)

(try to use LARGE dessert fruit as the cherries shrink a lot in the process)

350g sugar (day one - you will need 800g more for other days)

600ml water

a shallow baking tray (mine is around 30cm x 15cm and 1.5cm deep)

Place cherries in a single layer over the tray (I used about 900g packed across the base)

Put the sugar and water in a pan and dissolve sugar

Pour over the cherries

Leave for 24hrs (try not to notice the wriggly things that evacuate their homes at this point!)

day2    carefully drain the syrup from the cherries using a sieve.  

           Return the cherries to the tray (I cleaned it every day before returning the                  cherries).  Reheat the syrup and ADD 100g more sugar. Once the sugar is

           dissolved pour over the cherries and leave for 24hrs

days 3,4,5  repeat day 2

days 6 and 7      repeat day 2 but use 150g sugar

(I am here in the process and they really look like glacé cherries now, just soft)

day 8     drain off any syrup

             preheat oven to 100°C, 

             place cherries on a wire rack over a tray and place in oven with door slightly

             open for approx 45mins until outside is slightly crisp)

           (I wonder if my dehydrator would work here???)

Store in paper cases? and in an airtight tin: I think a airtight jar might be ok too ?

You would have to experiment with the Morello cherries; with this much sugar I am not sure the tartness would matter!

PS I took this from Marguerite Patten's book which is really excellent!

you can really tell that we are so far south with things like that; ours have been and pretty much gone!

I just went our to pick our small red plums which were pretty ripe at the weekend but I had no time to pick. The birds have had every single one!!!!! will have to seek out other ones now... luckily I know some good spots!