Things to do With Apricot Peels

You've made your yearly batch of apricot jam (You have, haven't you? Don't count on the local crop being any good this year with our crazy weather-grab the California ones when you see them, or you may be apricot jam-less this year. I don't want you to be apricot jam-less because you'll just be asking for some of mine. The apricots I bought were exceptionally nice-so hurry!) and now you are looking at a pile of peels wondering if they can be put to use anywhere besides the compost pile.

Why Yes, you can put those apricot peels to good use. Do you like candy? Of course you do, you wouldn't be reading this blog if you didn't. How about fruit puree? Good, keep reading.

Take your apricot peels and place them in a pot with 1/4 cup water and a tablespoon of lemon juice for each quart of peel. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce to a slow simmer. Cook until quite soft-about 15 minutes. At this point, decide what you wish to make-candy, or puree.

For candy:

Strain the peels through a jelly bag (or a cheese cloth colander over a bowl) several hours. Measure 2 parts sugar to 1 part juice and bring to a boil slowly in a large pot, whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Cook until the mixture sticks to a spoon (well beyond the jelling point. I like to tell people it should almost smell like a cross between gelatine, or something burning off the hob that previously spilled. It should smell really strongly of burning, without actually burning. I know, that's vague. Cook it until it sticks to the spoon rather than sheeting, and you'll be good, or just pull it off the heat at the first whiff of burning.

Pour the mixture into a parchment lined 8x8 pan. Cool completely at room temperature, then chill, uncovered in the fridge overnight. Next day, cut out your candy-I use the centre of a donut cutter, but a thimble works too if you're trying to make gumdrops. Return the candy to the fridge on a parchment lined plate. Chill overnight again. Next day, roll in sugar and return to the fridge on plate again for several hours. Give candy another roll in the sugar, and then pack between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container. Store in fridge.

For the puree:

Run the peels through a food mill. Pack into freezer containers leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use for chiffon pies, jelly moulds, or sorbets.

How to Freeze Turnip Greens

Faced with a bumper crop of turnip greens, I decided to freeze the greater part of the harvest. This method works well for most greens, except for spinach which only needs a few seconds in boiling water.

Wash and trim your greens. Turnip greens must be removed from the stalk. I don't bother with chopping as they tend to tear as I strip them, but if you prefer chopped greens I find it easier to manage after blanching.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. meanwhile, have ready another large bowl filled with ice water. Submerge the turnip greens for 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon (may as well re-use the water if you're preparing a large number of greens) and place in bowl of ice water. When greens are cold, drain well.

The greens should have some water on them, but not enough that you will be packing them in ice. Squeeze any excess out lightly with your hands, then pack in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible, then tape closed in addition to the seal. I like to double bag mine just for the sake of preventing air getting in, but that's me. Label the greens and use them withing six months or so of freezing.

Strawberry Trifle

I couldn't bear to throw away the last of the sour cream pound cake from earlier in the week-so I ...um... repurposed it. Come on, I am not throwing away cake.

Last June, when I was freezing and canning strawberries, Mr. Eat The Blog looked at me like it was a colossal waste of time. After all, you can get strawberries year round now. Right-for six dollars a quart and they don't taste like strawberries. The frozen berries that went into this trifle still smelled, and tasted like strawberries and had nary a trace of freezer burn to show for their time in storage.

A proper trifle should have pudding or custard and a good soaking of booze. I skipped both and went for whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar and a syrup made from the soaking juices of the strawberries and sugar. Worked just fine. This is the sort of thing that will be even better tomorrow. Rather than a precise recipe, here's the template for what I did-but use your imagination and whatever stale cake you have sitting about.

You Will Need:

Some stale cake-sponge, pound, angel food
Fruit soaked in some sugar until the juices begin to run
Vanilla sugar (if you have it) or granulated
Whipped cream (if you have a packet of stabiliser, use it, if not, no big deal) lightly sweetened
Jam for brushing the cake

Brush the stale cake with a fruit jam. Cut into pieces and arrange a layer in the bottom of a trifle dish or clear bowl. If you're using booze, pour some over the cake at this point. If not, drizzle a bit of the fruit juice over. Add the fruit. Add a layer of whipped cream. Repeat with the cake, etc. You should end with a layer of whipped cream. Cover and let chill at least an hour, but a few is better.

Prune Plum And Orange Freezer Jam

This is an experiment, and I probably won't know how well it worked for a week or so. I'll update the post when I try the final result, but if what came out of the pot is any indication, it is going to be good. I made this knowing I'll be preparing two ducks at Thanksgiving and I'll use this with ruby port for a glaze. Even if the set is soft, it won't matter for my purpose. This wasn't a recipe adapted for regular liquid pectin, so I had to guess at how much sugar to add. I based it on the freezer jam recipe in The Ball Blue Book, but I didn't have freezer specific pectin. I'm sure it will be fine, but don't try it (unless you're feeling adventurous) until I have a chance to update with any adjustments.

You Will Need:

50 prune plums, pitted and finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chopped orange pulp
Grated zest of an orange
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
6 cups sugar
1 packet liquid pectin

Chop plums and place in a large pot. Add the water, bring to a simmer and then cover. Cook 5-7 minutes or until slightly soft. Transfer to a large bowl and add the orange, zest, mace and sugar. Stir well and let sit fifteen minutes.

Stir in the pectin and continue stirring for three minutes or until all sugar is dissolved. Pack in freezer jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe threads clean and seal. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours before transferring to freezer. Makes 8 half pints.

Lemon Freezer Curd

I had six leftover egg yolks looking for a use and this one was just perfect. I had no idea lemon curd could be frozen. This makes 1 pint-enough for 1 9 inch tart.

From The Ball Blue Book of Preserving

You Will Need:

6 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
Grated peel of one lemon
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup cold, unsalted butter cut into 8 pieces

Press egg yolks through a sieve set over a heavy saucepan to remove traces of egg white. Add sugar, peel and juice. Heat over medium heat, whisking until combined, then stirring with a wooden spoon constantly. Cook until mixture coats the spoon (about 20 minutes) taking care not to curdle the eggs. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in the butter one piece at a time stirring after to ensure it is smooth. Pour into clean jars or plastic freezer containers (I used glass jars) leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Let cool about 1 hour, then cap, seal and set in freezer. Thaw in fridge when ready to use.

Freezing A Peck Of Beans

The sooner you get them blanched and into the freezer, the better. Wash, and trim the beans. Place in boiling water for three minutes. Remove and run under very cold water until cool. Drain, pat dry with a towel and pack in plastic freezer bags in small amounts removing as much air from bag as possible. Then, I place them in another bag as extra insurance. You don't need to do this, but it helps guard against freezer burn.

Do not add salt to cooking water, or cooked beans.

And yes, the purple beans are lovely, but they turn green just like any other once they hit the water.