Making Fruity Pickles

New Zealand Listener, Volume 36, Issue 917, 8 March 1957, Page 22

Making Fruity Pickles

ON’T forget that summer fruits supply the lovely sauces and chutneys which cheer up our meat and curries and grills and casserole dishes, as well as making the usual jams and jellies. Thousands of people actually make more sauces than they do jam, because jams can be bought in plenty, while many sauces cannot; and people who don’t eat much jam generally like tasty savouries which include a little good and unusual sauce. Even on plain biscuits, eaten with a favourite cheese, a good sauce or chutney is delicious. Peach and Plum Chutney Slice and stone 2 lb, peaches and 2 Ib. plums. Have ripe but firm fruit. Put in layers in a dish, sprinkle each layer with a little pepper and salt, leave 24 hours. Drain, put fruit in pan with 4 cups vinegar, 42 Ib. brown sugar, 3 oz. preserved ginger, 2 oz. cloves and '%% Ib. onions cut finely. Boil slowly till the peaches are tender. Strain through sieve, fill small jars and make airtight. Fruit Chutney Three pounds apples, 2 Ib. peaches or apricots, 2 lb. each onions and tomatoes, 4 Ib. brown sugar, 1 Ib. sultanas, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, cayenne pepper to taste, 4% oz. ground mace, 42 gallon vinegar. Slice finely and cover with sugar and vinegar. Leave overnight. Next day boil 3 hours, add juice of'2 lemons about 1 hour before ready. Apricot Chutney Six pounds of apricots, 21% lb. onions, 1% lb. sugar, 1 dessertspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon peppercorns, 1 teaspoon ground mace, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 4% teaspoon cayenne, 1 bottle vinegar. Cut up the apricots and onions and put in pan with rest of ingredients. Boil 1 hour. Nice in sandwiches for supper. . Pear, Plum and Apple Chutney © Two pounds pears, 1 lb. apples, 2 Ib. plums, 1 Ib. dates, 1 lb. chopped raisins, 1 Ib. onions or shallots, 142 lb. brown sugar or treacle (treacle is best), %4 Ib. salt, 2 teaspoon cayenne, 1 packet spice, 2 oz. ground ginger. Mince or chop finely all fruit and. onions; add seasonings. Add 114 quarts vinegar and boil slowly for 2 hours. Thim. with more vinegar if necessary. Maharajah’s Chutney (Peaches) Two pounds firm peaches, 1 Ib. seeded raisins, 12 lb. preserved ginger, ™% Ib. peel, 1 Ib. onions, 2 oz. garlic, 1 Ib. brown sugar, 2 teaspoons cayenne, 1 tablespoon curry powder, 2 oz. salt. Chop all ingredients finely, add 1 quart vinegar and boil 1 hour. Very good. Fresh Fig Chutney _ One and a half pounds fresh figs, 3 oz. raisins, 2 oz. preserved ginger, %% Ib. onions, 3 oz. dates, 6 oz. brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1% teaspoon cayenne, 1 pint vinegar. Cut figs into rings, also cut dates and ginger into cubes. Boil vinegar and sugar; pour this on all other ingredients and leave all night. Next day boil till thick and dark, about 3 hours. Cloved Apples Four pounds sound apples, 344 Ib. sugar, 2 cups water, 1 dozen cloves. Peel ‘and core apples, divide into quarters,

Boil sugar, cloves and water to syrup, add apples, bring to boil and simmer gently till each

piece of apple is cooked Dut not broken. Lift out apples carefully ints small hot jars. Boil up syrup for 5 minutes, and cover apples in jars. Seal immediately. If done properly should keep well, and are delicious with cold meat, cheese or salad. Black Currant Sauce Three tumblers black currant juice (made by boiling -black currants with very little water and straining as for jelly), 2 tumblers vinegar, 142 Ib. sugar, 4 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon each cloves, spice, cinnamon, and pepper to taste. Boil together half an hour. Blackberry Pickle One pint blackberries, 1 Ib. white sugar, 42 oz, ground ginger, 1 pint vinegar, 1 oz. allspice. Steep blackberries and sugar for 12 hours. Bring vinegar

to the boil; add blackberries and boil for half an hour. When cold add ginger and spice and mix well. Put in jars and cover. Pickled Fresh Figs Six pounds figs, 3 Ib. sugar, 1 quart vinegar, 1 tablespoon mixed spices (allspice, mace, cinnamon» etc.). Stick 2 or 3 cloves into each fig, but do not peel figs. Boil vinegar, sugar and spices. When boiling, skim, then put in figs, Boil slowly till figs can be pierced with a straw. Put fruit into hot jars. Boil syrup 5 minutes, pour over figs and seal while hot. Mango Chutney (with Quinces) Two. pounds peeled ripe mangoes, 8 chillies, 2 lb. dark sugar, 2 large apples, 4 tomatoes, 1 ib. sultanas, 2 bananas, 1 teaspoon each spices, salt and ginger, 1 quince, 4% Ib. dates. Mince the fruit, put all into pan with 2 quarts of vinegar, and boil till thick. Plum Sauce Six pounds dark plums, 3 pints vinegar, 2 lb. sugar, 1 teaspoon cayenne, 6 teaspoons salt, 2 teaspoons ground cloves, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon black or white pepper, 1 teaspoon

ground mace, 1 oz. garlic. Boil all together till pulpy, then strain through colander. Bottle when cold. Should keep well. Plum Sauce (with Apples) Six pounds red plums, 3 Ib. sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 3 pints good vinegar, 1 dessertspoon cayenne or to taste, 3 large onions, 3 large cooking apples, ¥ oz. allspice, 1% oz. cloves, % oz. bruised ginger. Boil all 14% hours. Strain and bottle. Plum Sauce (No Onion) Six pounds plums, 3 pints vinegar, 3 Ib. brown sugar, handful bruised ginger, 6 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne, or

to taste, 1 oz. cloves. Grease the preserving pan, and boil all for 2 hours. Strain through colander and bring back to the boil. Bottle.

NEXT WEEK: Special Requests