Yes why not, Maura. I think it would work very well.
My steamer has arrived from Germany & I am now waiting for the blackberries to ripen in this sudden sunny weather we are having. I want to prepare a whole lot of cordials/syrups to last me through the winter. I have been saving all the smaller bottles I can to hold it. I shall do elderberry & maybe rose-hips too. This should save me a lot of money as I have been buying Belvoir cordials for the last two winters to have as hot drinks to ward off colds & sore throats.
Good luck with the rhubarb.
"The beautiful is as useful as the useful...perhaps more so."
from Les Miserables
Me too Janet - but we loved the Rhubarb & Vanilla and hubby really liked the rhubarb & orange but I wasn't so keen.
A while back I made shredless satsuma marmalade because Lidl's or Aldi's had special offers on baskets of them and I couldn't resist trying it out. At first I didn't think it was very successful and no way could you describe it as marmalade but now I can't stop eating it. It is like a well set jelly, very clear in colour and tastes like orange honey if that makes sense. Have no idea how I arrived at this - have notes written down somewhere but it has proved very popular with all who have tried it.
I'm hoping the rhubarb & apple jelly will be as good because I want a nice pink colour jelly not the washed out colour you get when you make jam with rhubarb.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
Made a batch of rhubarb & Bramley apple jelly but the jury is still out on it. Hubby likes it but I'm not sold on it yet. It is very tart and what I was after was a nice rounded full on fruity jelly.
So I have a huge batch of rhubarb juice extracted from fruit in my steamer that I am now trying to think of a recipe to achieve this.
I could just add sugar and maybe some vanilla but really I just want a nice rhubarby flavour.
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.
Oh Janet, I don't have that many - just more than I was thinking of. They are from my (last) husband's garden, he is away from home and unable to get back at the moment so my daughter is picking things like mad, unfortunately the runner beans haven't started to grow yet and they are my favourite.
I'll try that again!
Hate runner beans and never grow them, love french beans and similar though, but again they are small still. Have you had a go at making some cordial with your blackcurrants, or maybe a similar thing to the strawbs=erries, zap them in the microwave for a bit with some sugar, bottle them up in sterilsed bottles and they'll keep in the fridge for a good while.
Got more rhubarb to day from Judith, going to have a go at lemon, orange & rhubarb jelly from my new book.
The thing with cordial is that it has to have sugar added and I would rather just have the flavour of the fruit. the only thing I recall making that has sugar added is the Elderberry thing and I don't use as much as is in the recipe.
Good luck with the new jelly from your new book.
I'll try that again!
Will do Maura, as soon as I get a mo, busy busy busy till the weekend, then I can calm down a bit. Never went for this recipe in the end anyway, halfway through a Rhubarb & ginger jelly recipe instead, (it's dripping through the jelly bag as I write this) - will boil up & pot tomorrow (hopefully)
The first glut of rhubarb is upon us and the neighbour who normally takes loads (we joke she sells it via a farm shop) doesn't want any for once so we need to find some other use for it.
Last year rhubarb and orange marmalade was mentioned - as an enthusiastic marmalade eater/maker that appeals to me - but is it worth doing? Any views would be welcome and in the meantime I will watch the shop for discounted oranges or any other compatible fruit.
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