Start the day with this classic marmalade and spread some sunshine and goodness on your favourite toasted breakfast bread. These simple steps show you how to make your own unique marmalade using the complementary citrus flavours of grapefruit, sweet oranges and lemon combined with green cooking apples. The result is unique and reminiscent of the English 17th Century marmalades which were made from a combination of pippins (apples) and citrus fruits. Happy Marmalading!
The ancient art of preserving with vinegar is still important today as it was yestayear. Preserve your favourite chillies using this very simple and effective traditional method. Preserved chillies can be used to add some zing to sandwiches and wraps, salads, and anti pasta and cold meat platters platters. Extra jars can be made for culinary gifts or to transform your kitchen or panty into a culinary paradise.
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The sweet tart ruby fruit of the pomegranate produces a spectacular jelly that will be prized by friends, family or on the show bench. Combined with Australia’s own Granny Smith apple, this jelly is simple to make and can be served as a sweet or a savoury preserve. Spread it on toast, crumpets, pancakes or toasted muffins or serve it as an accompaniment for hot or cold roasted meats or game. Either way, next harvest you will be making an additional batch. An ancient fruit, celebrated in mythology, literature and art, the current resurgence of the noble pomegranate pays homage, once again, to its beauty, culinary versatility and its health properties. Read More . . . 
This luscious and spicy chutney is easy to prepare and captures the summer sunshine and golden colour of sun ripened peaches. Fresh ginger, garlic and chilli add the zing and depth of flavour that makes this chutney different from traditional-style peach chutney. Our early ripening peach tree produces more than can be eaten fresh, so a batch of Peach and Ginger Chutney is made every year and served as an accompaniment to cold roast meats, ham, pork, chicken or turkey and presented at family BBQ’s throughout the year.
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Summer ripened tomatoes with this blend of aromatic spices produces a rich and intoxicating Indian chutney. It’s simple to make and adds colour, the wow factor and crowning touch when served as an accompaniment to an Indian meal or BBQ. Make it while the tomatoes are plentiful and store in the pantry. This recipe was passed down in a past work colleagues family for generations and shared with me some time ago. This recipe is truly a “gift”, special thanks to Donna’s mum. Read More . . .
Sweet chilli sauce captures the colour and vibrancy of summer. Just a splash or a dash, either as an ingredient or as an accompaniment will add a zing to a variety of your favourite dishes.The annual spring planting of several chillies varieties in our kitchen garden always produces an abundant harvest. By autumn, the sweet chilli sauce ritual commences with kilos of fresh bright red chillies, ginger and garlic being chopped and simmered in vinegar to extract their pungent and robust flavours. This multi-award winning recipe will produce almost 2 litres of silken chilli sauce in just 60 minutes.
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Plum jam is a classic family favourite. When plums are plentiful, make your own plum with this simple recipe. The rich flavour of plums and the high acid and pectin content produces a good set, simply and easily every time - even if you are a beginner. Plum jam can be used beyond morning toast or sandwiches. Enrich your next family roast gravy with a teaspoon of jam, or use as the filling is Swiss rolls, fairy cakes, jam button biscuits or serve with ice-cream.
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The fragrant mix of vanilla, cinnamon and cloves with the characteristic sweet but tart flavour of plums produces a truly exotic preserve. Spread it on toast, muffins or croissants for breakfast or for pure indulgence serve with vanilla ice-cream or custard and your favourite mix of fresh summer berries. Read More . . .
The sweet and tart flavours of plums marry perfectly with the heady spice combination of ginger, cloves and allspice to produce this distinctive chutney. Allspice is the dried berry of the Jamaican pepper tree and it’s used extensively in pickling solutions and in its powdered form in preserves and baking. Often referred to as pimento, it is readily available in the herb and spice section of supermarkets.I used our home grown Santa Rosa plums which produced an intense purple coloured chutney. Read More . . .
Use dark plums for this Italian inspired pickled plum recipe. The aromatic spices, sweetened vinegar and plum nectar produce an opulent accompaniment. The cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, whole allspice berries and fresh ginger add to its depth and complexity. Serving pickled fruit is traditional in many European cuisines to offset the richness of game meats, duck, turkey, goose, pork and terrines. Pickle a jar or two while they are abundant for a special treat throughout the year, for the Christmas roast or as a special culinary gift. Read More . . .
