Sweet and Easy Jam


Pantry Must haves
500g of mixed fresh berries (washed)
480g cup of sugar (palm, fine graduated or organic caster sugar)
1/2 a lemon (Squeezed)


Directions
Place fruit and sugar in a pot- Squeeze in lemon juice and stir over a med heat until the sugar dissolves.
Add trickles of water if the fruit starts to stick to the pot.

Bring fruit to the boil rapidly for 12 minutes, or until Jam reaches setting point (Refer to Important Facts)
Jar (in sterilized jars), cool, label and date. 
Your Jam should keep for 6 months

IMPORTANT FACTS
To test setting point; spread a teaspoon of Jam onto a cold plate. Let it cool in the fridge for a moment, then push it with your fingers. If the jam wrinkles, it is the right consistency.

Tomato Relish (adapted from and with thanks to Edmonds)

1.5 kg tomatoes (about 3 pounds)
4 red onions
1  1/2 TBspns salt
1  1/12 cups brown sugar
 1  1/2 cups malt  and about  1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 chillies (deseeded and chopped finely)
2 Tbspns  wholegrain mustard
1 Tbspn curry powder 
2 TBspns flour
1/4 cup malt vinegar

Blanch, skin and quarter tomatoes and place in a bowl with onions.  
Sprinkle with salt and leave for 12 hours.
Drain off liquid and put tomatoes, sugar, first lot of vinegar and chillies into a large heavy bottomed pot or preserving pan.  Boil on low heat for 1  1/2 - 2 hours, stirring a lot!  Mix mustard, curry powder, flour and second  lot of vinegar to a smooth paste and add to relish.  Boil a further 5 minutes.
Pack into small well sterilised preserving jars.  
Serve with cheese and crackers, spread on bread, toast, whatever!

Makes about 5 or 6  8 oz jars [4 x 350 ml jars]


(From Nikki)

Bush tucker is the latest craze in the more la-di-da cafes and restaurants in Australia. However, some of us remember the 60's (vaguely) and plants like rosellas, quandongs, wattle seeds and lemon myrtle were all around in the outer suburbs (or the bush) of Sydney and Brisbane. We used to go out and pick this stuff and just eat it straight from the tree. 

I grew rosellas in my garden in Buderim in Queensland and always had too much of the stuff so I turned it into jam and just syrupped some to make ordinary champagne spectacular. Always had plenty of jars for gifts and to donate to the school fete.

With love Bishy,  Rosella Jam xo

Its not sickly sweet slighly tart but sooo good.

1. Shell rosellas (red bits and keep) and put green middle bits in a large saucepan. 
   
2. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 1 hour.
   
3. Strain the all the liquid in with the red bits of the fruit 
   
4. Discard the boiled seed pods
   
5. The red bits and liquid are then cooked until it becomes quite soft. Before this gets too mushy remove some juisce and whole rosellas into sterile jars and seal. 
   
6. At this is the stage it is ideal to keep and then add to champagne when cooled.
   
7. To contiue making jam keep stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
   
8. Then measure 1 cup of sugar (white or raw pref. organic) to 1 cup of pulp
   
9. Add the juice of 1 lemon to each cup of pulp and sugar.
   
10. Boil rapidly stirring often to when jelling point is reached. This can be checked by placing teaspoon -ful onto a saucer and seeing if is becoming sticky/jellied.
    
11. Bottle into clean, stile jars and label when cool. 
12. This will impress your friends and family when used as an ice cream topping.

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