Glut of soft fruit.....tip for keeping fresh

[AJB Temple]

Cycle of thunderstorms, overnight rain and hot days means a glut of strawberries, raspberries, various currants and gooseberries for many of us I suspect. (I know we have lots of gardeners here - I am not a digger but Mrs AJBT is).

Restaurant tip if you want to keep them fresh after picking for circa 7 days, without them going soft or deteriorating: wash them briefly in a bath of cold water and approx 20% vinegar (any). This helps to neutralise surface bacteria. It only needs a minute at most. Drain and put in fridge. Works very well. You can do numerous batches in same liquid if you drain and strain between them. Does not leave a vinegar taste on the fruit.

 

[Dr.Al]

That's a handy tip, thanks

 

[wallace]

Any advice on apples? Last year I kept a few from an eater and cooker tree. Put them in the bottom of the fridge, maybe 40 altogether. They went crinkly quicker than the shop bought ones.

 

[Blackswanwood]

I believe that shop bought apples tend to have been irradiated which is similar to pasteurisation and gives them a substantially longer shelf life.

Storing apples laid out on a shelf in a cool place out of direct light works for us. We have a few different varieties and the ones that naturally taste sharper seem to store better.

 

[AJB Temple]

I don't have a perfect solution for apples. We have orchards so invariably a glut. We do store a few in crates, layered between paper in a dark cool space. They don't keep at all well in fridges - as fridges dehydrate things, which is why we dry off meat and fish in them uncovered. Mostly I shove some through a commercial juicer. This can then be turned into cider, or pasteurised as juice (and frozen). We can also take bulk loads to a local processor and get pasteurised apple juice back a few weeks later. We don't often bother.

As Robert implies, commercially apples (and potatoes) are stored in a nitrogen rich environment (oxygen deprived) at close to freezing. Personally I detest potatoes that have been kept for long in this way and I think apples change texture. Wholesalers are still selling sacks of last years crop of specialist potatoes (ie old season) and they get internal black patches. They don't sprout but waste is too high. To the extent in fact that I've just switched supplier.

 

[NickM]

Thanks for the tip.

Our soft fruit is way down on previous years. Not enough water I think (plus the raspberry beds could probably do with digging out and restarting).

Hardly any apples coming in our little orchard either. I think late frosts might be the culprit.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks for the tip.

Our soft fruit is way down on previous years. Not enough water I think (plus the raspberry beds could probably do with digging out and restarting).

Hardly any apples coming in our little orchard either. I think late frosts might be the culprit.

Late frosts were very bad for many English wine harvests this year. Some producers reckon they may have lost 70-80%. (Obvs harvest not started yet: end August, but the damage was done in May in one rally bad night).

 

[NickM]

Makes sense. We had several hard frosts in May.

 

[Accipiter]

Any advice on apples? Last year I kept a few from an eater and cooker tree. Put them in the bottom of the fridge, maybe 40 altogether. They went crinkly quicker than the shop bought ones.

Which named variety of apple Wallace? Google would give you some guidance either as a 'general' guide for various names or more detailed for a definite named variety.

Example:
"To store apples long-term in the UK - 4 to 6 months, select only unblemished, late-season varieties (e.g., Bramley, Cox, Gala) with their stems intact.
Wrap each apple individually in breathable paper (such as unprinted newspaper or greaseproof paper) and store them, without touching, in a single layer inside slatted wooden crates or cardboard boxes.
Place the boxes in a dark, rodent-proof, and frost-free location like a shed, garage, or cold pantry, ensuring the temperature remains stable between 3° C and 5° C. "...

 

[AndyP]

We freeze most of our excess fruit and use them for jam and crumbles throughout the the year. For the first time I’ll be making plum jam this year.

 

[Accipiter]

Plum jam... sounds delicious

 

[AndyP]

Plum jam... sounds delicious

This is only the second year this young tree had borne fruit. So much fruit I had to prop up one of the low hanging branches. We’ve already had over a kilo of fruit and there is loads more to come

 

[Accipiter]

Excellent Andy . I did try growing some fruit trees but in containers... plum, pear, bramley apple... they didn't do well at all. Pear tree became infected, plum and apple trees didn't give much fruit - I think the squirrels and wood pigeons didn't help...

Seems there's other things to consider for your excess plums along with the jam . I think you may be busy - plum chutney and plum butter also sounds good

"Surplus plums can be preserved as Plum Jam or spicy Plum Chutney. For quick use, bake them into desserts like an Upside-Down Plum Cake or Plum Clafoutis, or roast and purée them for Stewed Plums to serve with yogurt or ice cream. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Here is a breakdown of the best ways to process a surplus of plums:

1. Preserves & Chutneys

• • Jam & Butter: Plum jam or plum butter is an excellent use for overripe or blemished fruit.
  • Chutney: Cook down firm plums with vinegar, sugar, and spices like ginger and cardamom to create a tangy Indian-style plum chutney that pairs perfectly with cheese boards or curries.
  • Pickled: Pickling plums with spices creates a savory-sweet condiment that goes beautifully with meats

 

[spb]

One of my favourite things for plums is a frangipane tart. It can be made with frozen plums, if they're halved before freezing, but works better if you cook the tart(s) first and freeze it entire, then reheat in an oven to just warm.

Of course that won't use up kilos of the things without a lot of effort, but well worth doing with a few of the fruits that are too nice for jam.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I'm losing a lot of stuff at the moment, due to the drought.
It's been weeks since we've had any rain, and the forecast is for more of the same for weeks to come. No rain and temperatures in the high 30s for an extended period of time, reaching up to 42C for a few days, is difficult to combat.

I do have 3 peaches on a tree, a 200% increase on last year, one solitary conference pear and a few scabby Bramley apples. I've lost another fruit tree to the deer, I think it was my Red Williams, which I am very upset about. I've ordered a replacement and shall probably keep it in it pot, near the front door, so I can keep it well watered, until the dormant season.

On the upside, I have 7 figs (first harvest after 3 years) and the potted lemon tree I bought a couple of months ago has doubled in bushiness. It's even had a couple of flowers on it, although they seem to have disappeared without leaving a nascent lemon in their place.

This country living lark is difficult, isn't it?

S

 

[Steve Maskery]

AndyP, you'd enjoy talking to Pete Maddex. Mad Pete makes fantastic Plum, Lime and Ginger jam, amongst other flavours. I'd eat more of it, but I have to watch my sugar levels.
S

 

[AJB Temple]

We grow and use a great many plums of a few varieties. Apart from things mentioned, we make a lot of plum sorbet (though I use special anti crystal agents) and some plum ice cream. Pipped and halved, then frozen properly, plums can be turned into sorbets any time. It helps to have a pacojet or similar, but not essential. We also make a few litres of plum syrup, used as a base for various things. With high sugar content it keeps extremely well.

We are fortunate to have a stream and a spring. Plus we store hundreds of gallons of roof water which we can pump around using the pond filtration pumps.

 

[duke]

Your mentioning colleting roof water has reminded me to do the same. As it will be used for watering the gardens. Saves depleting the well.

 

[AndyP]

Steve I aim for 60% fruit to 40% sugar when I make jam; always use the jam sugar available here with added pectin and have also been known to slip a sheet or two of gelatine if I have setting problems.
I like the sound of Pete’s recipe as I add ginger to our rhubarb jam and like the added kick. i guess lime is high in pectin too.
plums as with cherries we stone them before we freeze wait until I get at least 4-5kgs before making jam normally on a wet autumn day, certainly not in this heat.

 

[Accipiter]

I used to make Sloe gin when I did the Falconry... something to warm you up on a cold morning - or offer a toast at the end of the day. Couple of times I also made Elderberry gin - sometimes mixed the two .

I'd offer... as another "possible use"... Plumb gin... or vodka... or other spirits of choice... to help use the "surplus"

 

[HdV]

Most commercially available apples have been waxed (at least around here, not sure if that goes for other countries as well, but I think it does). That's why they feel so greasy to the tough. Compare that to a freshly picked (plucked?) apple's skin and you'll understand why they keep so much longer.

 

[Steve Maskery]

I used to make Sloe gin when I did the Falconry... something to warm you up on a cold morning - or offer a toast at the end of the day. Couple of times I also made Elderberry gin - sometimes mixed the two .

I'd offer... as another "possible use"... Plumb gin... or vodka... or other spirits of choice... to help use the "surplus"

My neighbour came round with 1.2kg beautiful cherries about a month ago. Half are in the freezer and the other half are steeping in a Kilner jar of brandy (or vodka, I can't remember what I used, TBH).

In the UK it is easy to buy reasonably cheap Napoleon brandy. Easy drinking, nothing fancy, but great for home-made fruit brandies. But apparently it is made only for the export market. Here it doesn't exist. We get Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. Not a lot of choice of brands, either. We don't even get other European brandies, such as Spanish Fundador or Soberano (both superior to your average French stuff), nor anything from Italy or Greece. No Sherry, but a good choice of excellent Port (served here as an aperitif rather than a digestif). It's as if France has a silo mentality in this area.

There is more choice of vodka, as well as whisky brands you've never heard of.

We are thinking of a trip down to Bilbao. If it happens, there won’t be a cubic inch of spare volume in the car, coming back.

S

 

[AJB Temple]

Most commercially available apples have been waxed (at least around here, not sure if that goes for other countries as well, but I think it does). That's why they feel so greasy to the tough. Compare that to a freshly picked (plucked?) apple's skin and you'll understand why they keep so much longer.

Spot on. In the UK the producers wash the harvest, which removes most of the natural waxy substance, then replace it with carnauba which is derived from Palm oil. (environmentally not great - go to Borneo and see forest destruction). Traditional storage is now too expensive commercially. Around here (Kent) apples on the trees are basically free if you make a bit of an effort, and we have lost the plot re harvesting as minimum wage and no seasonal migrants has pretty much killed the industry. We have a bit of orchard (15 acres) but our neighbour has 75 acres and the vast majority of it rots on the trees. Farms nearby will be developed for housing that no one locally wants.

 

[AJB Temple]

My neighbour came round with 1.2kg beautiful cherries about a month ago. Half are in the freezer and the other half are steeping in a Kilner jar of brandy (or vodka, I can't remember what I used, TBH).

In the UK it is easy to buy reasonably cheap Napoleon brandy. Easy drinking, nothing fancy, but great for home-made fruit brandies. But apparently it is made only for the export market. Here it doesn't exist. We get Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. Not a lot of choice of brands, either. We don't even get other European brandies, such as Spanish Fundador or Soberano (both superior to your average French stuff), nor anything from Italy or Greece. No Sherry, but a good choice of excellent Port (served here as an aperitif rather than a digestif). It's as if France has a silo mentality in this area.

There is more choice of vodka, as well as whisky brands you've never heard of.

We are thinking of a trip down to Bilbao. If it happens, there won’t be a cubic inch of spare volume in the car, coming back.

S

This is truly weird Steve. In the SE UK at this time of year, the traveller community have roadside cherry stands all over the place. There are relatively few cherry orchards in Kent now that are actually harvested, and most of the traveller stock, despite being touted as "local", it is only local if you live in Turkey. Wholesale trade prices for Turkish cherries are about half that of Kentish cherries.

We grow a lot of top quality Shallots in Kent and counties around London. But many wholesalers are stocking Dutch, Polish and (tiny) Normandy French. UK needs to get a grip on food security.

 

[Accipiter]

My neighbour came round with 1.2kg beautiful cherries about a month ago. Half are in the freezer and the other half are steeping in a Kilner jar of brandy (or vodka, I can't remember what I used, TBH).

In the UK it is easy to buy reasonably cheap Napoleon brandy. Easy drinking, nothing fancy, but great for home-made fruit brandies. But apparently it is made only for the export market. Here it doesn't exist. We get Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados. Not a lot of choice of brands, either. We don't even get other European brandies, such as Spanish Fundador or Soberano (both superior to your average French stuff), nor anything from Italy or Greece. No Sherry, but a good choice of excellent Port (served here as an aperitif rather than a digestif). It's as if France has a silo mentality in this area.

There is more choice of vodka, as well as whisky brands you've never heard of.

We are thinking of a trip down to Bilbao. If it happens, there won’t be a cubic inch of spare volume in the car, coming back.

S

Sorry you don't have access to any of the 'cheaper' brands Steve but, hopefully, your go at cherry brandy will be excellent. It's the fun of trying I used to find - we had the 'odd' competition for whose sloe gin was the top for that year.

I was treated to a bottle of Blackberry Whiskey about 4 years ago... that was rather lush . Almost tempted to have a try myself but I no longer drink as I used to...

Thought... Wonder if Cherry Whiskey would be worth a try?

 

[Steve Maskery]

I do love a drop of sloe gin, but I've never seen the sloes here since we arrived (though I'm told they do exist locally). I'll have to go and tap my friend Helga, come the autumn. She knows everything.

I've got a batch of Ginger Wine on the go at the moment. I need to get it out of the way before SWMBO returns next week. She disapproves.
S

 

[Pete Maddex]

We freeze most of our excess fruit and use them for jam and crumbles throughout the the year. For the first time I’ll be making plum jam this year.

I make Plum lime and ginger jam.
3kg Victoria plums
3 limes
A good chunk of ginger

Boil the fruit with the finely chopped ginger then add the finely sliced lime zest and sugar, boil until it sets well then add the lime juice.
Adding the juice last gives a really zingy flavour but you need a good set because the extra liquid makes the jam more runny.

Pete

 

[Pete Maddex]

I have just finished off my Cumquat gin fragrant and tart, possibly a bit more sugar next time.

Pete