How to make Elderflower Cordial

23/06/2012

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When the pretty white flowers adorn the trees, you know that summer is here and the opportunity to make elderflower cordial is not to be missed. The first time I tried elderflower cordial was many years ago at a friend's house. I was completely amazed at how good it was and that she had made it herself. I made my first batch three years ago and my family love it! It is at its absolute best served cold, with ice, and especially scrumptious with sparkling water. Once its made, I don't buy any other soft drinks for the remainder of summer, just plenty of sparkiling water. It really is the taste of summer. It is relatively simple to make and you don't need to go out and buy any special bottles. You can re-use glass bottles with screw top lids as long as you give them a good clean. If you only make a couple of bottles, you will find that it will be gone in no time at all, and as long as you keep it in the fridge, it will keep for 3-4 weeks and so sterilising may not even be necessary.

When is best to pick elderflowers?
Venture out on a sunny day when you have a couple of hours to spare. Elderflowers seem to grow everywhere. When you have spotted a good picking place, take a carrier bag and some scissors with you as pinching off the flowers with your nails can become quite painful and sore the next day. Choose heads that are beautifully creamy white and avoid any that have started to die off. It is fine to pick heads that have some flowers that have not opened as yet. If you want to make a couple of bottles you only need to pick the equivalent of 25 large heads. You will smell the beautiful elderflower scent as you are picking, hear the birds singing and be surrounded by glorious green. What a better way to spend a couple of hours off work and duties. The picture above shows about three times that much in each bowl. I find it easier to make things in large batches rather than 2 or 3 as I have done in the past when I found that the cordial was all gone already. If you want to tailor the recipe to your own liking it is best to start small. I like to give some cordial away to friends and family, and this year I also put one bottle in a hot bath process so that we can enjoy some at Christmas time (more about that later).

Elderflower Cordial Recipe
Makes just under 2 litres
You will need:
25 Large Elderflower Heads
1Large Orange
3 Lemons
750g Sugar
1 tsp citric acid
Muslin Cloth or Jelly Bag
Large Pan

Do not wash or rinse your flowers, put them stright into a large bowl. Zest the orange and lemons and add to the elderflowers and pour over 11/2 litres of boiling water, cover and leave overnight.
I don't know if its necessary to cover with a plate but I wanted to ensure that all the flowers were submersed in the water. I'm sure tht a tea cloth draped over the top wil be fine.
In the morning or afternoon when you have time to prepare the cordial, juice the lemons and orange and put in to a large pan with the sugar. Strain the liquid from the flowers using a muslin cloth draped over a colander or a jelly bag. If you want to keep the cordial for longer than 4 weeks, you should sterilise it with boiling water. .
 If using a cloth, drape it over the colander and pour boiling water all over slowly trying not to knock it off. Use some tongs to rearrange it if necessary. If using a jelly bag just pour boiling water over it.
Strain the liquid and put it the pan. Heat gently dissolving the sugar, then
increase the temperature to bring the liquid to a simmer, simmering fro 2 - 3
minutes Using a jug and funnel pour the hot cordial into your bottles. Pour to the top as it will settle. Seal.

How to sterilise bottles and jam jars
If you make large amounts of cordial you will need to sterilise you bottles to increase their shelf life for up to four months. I find the easiest method is to use a microwave oven (well it has to be good for something other than defrosting!) Put a small amount of cold water in the bottom of the bottle and place in the microwave for approx. 5 mins on full power. *IMPORTANT* remember to remove the metal swing top lid before placing in the microwave. Lids can be cooked in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes.

How to extend the shelf life to 1 year using a hot water bath method

It is quite tricky to extend the shelf life of cordials as regular 1litre bottles are too tall to fit inside a large pan. A 2ltr bottle as pictured above will fit (just). *IMPORTANT*  Ensure that there is at least 2 inches space between the cordial and the top of the bottle as the cordial will rise with the heating and the top will pop off, and you will experience burnt fingers trying to get the darn thing back on! Place the hot bottle of cordial on top of a metal pan trivet or a folded tea cloth to keep it off the bottom of the pan. Fill the pan with water ( I used warm water as I was concerned that using cold from the tap may crack the bottle as the bottle was hot with the cordial) Turn the heat on and bring the water to a simmer, and let it simmer for approx. 20 minutes. Voila, hopefully a fine bottle of cordial to enjoy through the dark, cold winter!
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How to plant fruit trees

17/06/2012

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Plum Tree
When we moved we had six lovely fruit trees that were just about to produce their first harvest. We bought our trees from a local man who raised his own fruit trees and bushes and helped me to plant them in. I gave him a call and told him that we were moving and he came back and helped me to dig them out again. My husband thought that I was crazy, but our property was more than likely going to be flattened to make way for a modern concrete monstrosity and if permission was sought, another property would be proposed to be built on the garden as was the trend on the road on which we lived. I witnessed a beautiful cottage a few doors down, which had the most beautiful rose bushes in the garden, probably tended for 30 years plus, pulled down and replaced with a modern four bedroom, paved monstrosity. The only greenery sat in pots with a small highly landscaped 'garden' out the back. The infuriating thing was that I had asked the new owners for permission to remove the rose bushes as I didn't want them to be bulldozed, and I received a haughty 'No', as she and her friends were taking care of it. They never were and ended up being ripped up with the house.
And so, the mission to remove all the fruit bushes, trees and plants began. It was hard work, it was cold, but now I am glad we did it. We have 3 apples; one early, one mid, one late, 1 pear and 2 plums. First we had to dig around the fruit tress to loosen them and to try and remove them with as little root damage as possible. Once out we planted them back in again in groups of three covering them with soil and lightly pressing them in. This was to prevent the roots from drying out until they were ready to be planted in to their new home. Fruit trees and bushes are best planted in February and March before the beginning of spring.

How to prepare the ground for fruit trees

When you have selected the location for your tree, using a sharp spade, mark out the square/rectangle which you are going to dig out, then shave off the top layer of turf, using your spade in a horizontal manner in a quick cutting action. Put this turf to one side. Put the top soil (the soil you dig out first) to one side also as this is better quality than the sub soil and you want to cover your tree roots with this when you are ready to plant it in.
You need to dig a big hole, large enough to accomodate the roots of the tree comfortably. It needs to be approx. 18 inches deep. When your hole is big enough you need to put in approx. 2 buckets of manure/compost and then place your tree on top. Cover with the top soil first and any large clumps of soil that may be attached to the turf, depending on how well you manage to shave it off. Then gradually add all the other soil, leaving the sub soil to last. Give your tree a gentle pull to keep it straight whilst you use you foot to to press the soil firmly in around the tree. Know you need to prune your tree, removing approx. 10 inches from each growth/branch (about half of what there is). Water. Take care to keep the soil around the tree weed free. Keep it well watered in dry spells as the roots are not established enough to reach the deep, water resources yet. It may be a good idea to put a mulch around the base, to retain moisture and keep weeds at bay.

How to care for young fruit trees

Your fruit tree wants to be pruned in late summer/early autumn, then in the early spring add some manure/compost to the base of the tree. The hardest part of planting fruit trees
is that you have to pick the blossoms off for the first two years, allowing the tree to put its energy into growing, to ensure that you get good crops. 
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The best bread recipe ever...?

05/06/2012

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Am I exaggerating? Maybe not. I  started making my own bed about 13 years ago shortly after I got married. I was keen to cook and bake for my husband, but my endeavours were short lived as I dropped my rising loaf into the boiler and it was a while before I tried again, years in fact. My next attempt was after we moved house, and I joined the local libray and found a wonderful book on bread making. I began my quest again, and made bread regularly, but still found my loaves not quite as good as I would have liked them to be. Then I came across the magnificent book BREAD MATTERS: The State of Modern Bread and a Definitive Guide to Baking Your Own by Andrew Whitley. It is quite a hefty book, especially if you come across the original hardback, but it is so worth reading. I am not much of a reader, but I do enjoy reading cookbooks and gardening books. I like to read books that I can learn from, books that benefit my family. Anyway, the following recipe is the only recipe I use (at the moment) as it works like a dream and has a reduced yeast content. Andrew Whitley's book is a guide through the different methods of bread making starting with the 4 hour process (which I used to use), to the overnight process (which this is) to sourdoughs. I have had one attempt at producing a sourdough and have temporarily given up on it. I am sure that I will return to it at a later date. But for now, the overnight process is the one for me. As Andrew tells us in his book, this process was originally used by bakers, before quick fermentation processes were used and bread became like it is today. If I find myself forgetting to make some bread or feel too lazy, I am always disappointed by the bread I purchase from the instore bakeries as it just isn't as good as my own.  This recipe process is known as the sponge and dough method. Using a smaller amount of yeast added to flour and water, the mix is left overnight to ferment, utilising the natural yeasts within the flour.  Furthermore, the recipe contains no sugar to activate the yeast as it is not necessary. One teaspoon of yeast is enough to make three large loaves, which rise beautifully.
Sponge and Dough Starter

300g Flour
1 tsp dried yeast
260mls water

In a large bowl, large enough to make your bread dough, measure out 300g of bread flour. This can be a mix of white, wholemeal, malted or spelt. The picture opposite shows loaves that are half spelt and half white. Spelt is a wonderful flour alternative. I started using spelt when my husband was attempting a wheat free diet. Spelt can be tolerated by many people who are irritated by wheat flour. It has a wonderful nutty flavour. My children do not notice any difference when I make my loaves with half spelt.
I usually begin my starter with 100g spelt or malted and 200g white. Add a teaspoon of dried yeast and 260g luke warm water. I prefer to use water warmed from the kettle to get my water to temperature rather than from the hot tap. Mix the 3 ingredients together and place plastic bag over the top of the bowl and leave on the side until morning. Do not leave your starter in a warm place. It needs to be left at ambient temperature.The starter should be left for 12 - 18 hours. If you do not have time to make your loaves the next day, you can put it in a fridge and use it the day after.

Final Bread Mix Ingredients

900g Flour
45g Olive Oil/ Butter/Margarine
1 heaped teaspoon salt
540mls Water

When you are ready to make your loaves, add 900g of bread flour to your starter (white/wholemeal/spelt/malted whatever takes your fancy) 45g of olive oil/butter/or margarine, 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and 540ml of luke warm water. Mix together to make a dough, (you may need to add extra flour) turn out and knead for 10 - 15 mins vigorously. Your dough should be fairly wet. Do not dust your work surface with flour, just sprinkle enough on to your hands to enable you to knead it without it sticking too much to you hands. When your dough is well kneaded you should feel some resistance. Put the dough back in the bowl, cover with a plastic bag and leave in a warm place to rise for 1 1/2 - 2hours. I use a 3litre bowl, and the dough is ready when it reaches the top. While waiting grease 3 loaf tins and decide how you would like your crust. If you would like a softer crust, put some flour into a bowl to coat your 'loaves/dough' with or for a seeded finish sprinkle some seeds onto a plate. When the dough is ready, knock it back (pushing it away from the sides with your knuckles) and tip it onto the work surface. Using a bread knife, cut the dough in to three equal pieces. Take one piece and stretch/roll it in to a long sausage twice as long as your tin. Then fold the sausage in on itself. Imagine it in thirds. Fold one third on to the middle third and the last third on top of that. Flatten it with you knuckles creating a rectangle, then roll it up away from you (the opposite direction to the folding), and cover it in flour and put it in the tin with the seam at the bottom, or roll it over the seeds and place it in the tin with the seam at the bottom. Repeat this for the other two pieces of dough. Place all three tins in a large plastic bag (perhaps a swing bin liner) and blow in to it until it is nicely inflated. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help it to rise. Leave for approx. 1 hour until the dough reaches the top of the tin and is nicely domed. The loaves will be fine left on the side in the kitchen to rise. The warmer the day the quicker the rise, colder longer. If you have to go out or need to slow down this process you can put them in the fridge and take them out when you're ready to resume the process. Don't let the loaves rise too much as they won't have any energy left for the final rise in the oven. When the loaves are ready for the oven heat the oven to 230oc (Gas Mark 8), the hottest setting. I now have an electric fan oven and the highest seting is 200oc and this works fine. Bake the loaves on the hottest setting for 10 mins then turn down the temperature by 20oc (2 Gas Marks) and bake for a further 20 - 25 mins. Turn out on to a cooling rack.

In our family we usually use 1 loaf a day in the week, with packed lunches and toast for breakfast. I usually freeze one of the loaves for another day and make bread twice a week.

The best breadcakes and bread roll recipe ever?

The sponge and dough recipe can also be used to make breadcakes or bread rolls depending on which part of the country you live in. These really are fantastic, and once made you won't want to buy them again. The above quantities makes 24 breadcakes. Again, I usually freeze half of them. Here is a step by step guide to making your homemade bread rolls.
To make the best breadcake or bread rolls ever, first separate the dough into 24 balls roughly the same size. Cup your hand over the top and of the dough ball and rotate it on the work surface until you acheive a nice round ball. If you want your roll to be  topped with seeds, you should now roll the top over the seeds whilst the dough is still wet. Repeat for all 24 balls. If you want a flatter 'breadcake' for filled sandwiches or burgers, then leave the dough balls to rest for 5 mins then flatten with the palm of your hand. If you are coating with flour you should now dip each of the balls into the flour.


Place the bread cakes or rolls on to some baking trays lined with greaseproof paper, leaving approx. 1cm between each breadcake.

Place the trays in a large plastic bag (swing bin liner?) and inflate. The warmth and moisture from your breath will help them rise. Leave for approx. 11/2 - 2 hours. The breadcakes or rolls will be ready when they are touching.


Heat the oven as above. Bake for 5 mins, then reduce the temperature (as above) and bake for a further 7 - 10 mins.
Voila, the best bread cakes you have ever tasted!
Making homemade hotdog rolls
Its easy once you know how. Instead of rolling into balls, roll into thin sausages and place them about 1cm apart on a greaseproof lined tray. Bake for the same length of time as the bread rolls.
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