Crab Apple and Elderberry Ketchup

Published: 25 November 2021 25 November 2021

Ingredients

Apples - enough to make 1lb 3oz puree
Elderberries - enough to make 5oz puree
¾ lb organic white sugar
8fl oz organic cider vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
6 small bay leaves
¼tsp salt
¼tsp fine-crushed black peppercorns
Seeds of 8 small cardamom pods, fine-crushed

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: ½ hour

1lb 3ozs organic ‘John Downie’ crab apple puree: stew the roughly chunked fruit, skin, cores and all, very slowly with barely any water, stirring about occasionally, and sieve when soft (put the leavings on the compost heap).

5ozs organic/foraged elderberry puree: sieve the berries – very slowly stewed using no water – left behind after pouring off the juice for cordial (put the leavings on the compost heap).

Add the sugar and the vinegar to the combined purees in a pan, and stir well. Add the spices, etc. and simmer ½hr, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon, and pour hot into 4 glass ketchup bottles using a funnel, capping immediately. Keep at least a year to mature before using.

Apple Fruit Leather

Published: 24 November 2021 24 November 2021

Ingredients

Apples - enough to make 1¾ pints of puree
2 oz runny honey
½ tsp rosewater
Some grated nutmeg

Preparation time: ½ hour
Cooking time: 8-12 hours

Use any old organic windfalls – they don’t have to be anything special as the drying process intensifies the flavour.

1. Chunk the apples, removing any bad bits but keeping the skins and cores on. Take a large pan, put ¼” of water in the bottom, then fill it with your apples. Cover, and put on a low heat to come slowly to a simmer-steam. Leave to cook for a good while, turning the apple about occasionally, till soft enough to sieve easily – some apples cook faster than others.

2. Sieve, and measure the resulting puree – the leavings can go on the compost heap, or to the hens.To 1¾ pts of puree add approx. 2ozs of organic runny honey, ½tsp rosewater and a good grating of nutmeg, and mix thoroughly.

3. Spread the puree barely ¼” thick on 4 large non-stick baking sheets, leaving a little free space at the edges. Place in the oven at maximum 70C, leaving the door slightly ajar. It will take at least a day to dry out all over. Change the sheets around for evenness of drying if needed.

4. Carefully free one edge of the dried puree, which is now dark and leather-like, and peel off. Roll up and store in an airtight container. It keeps very well in a cool dry place – the leather I entered in the show was made in late September 2011.