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2 Fruit Marmalade

August 24, 2015 @ 21:43 By Gavin Webber 2 Comments

I remember eating 2 Fruit Marmalade when I was a kid.  I also remember not liking it very much as it was always too tart and bitter. I can’t remember who in the family used to make it, but something was not quite right with either my fledgling palate or the recipe.  It was probably my young taste buds as all the adults seems to love it!

Now Kim raves about this brand of Marmalade she used to eat in the UK (Roses), and wanted to know if we could make our own.  I mentioned to her that we made some a while back and I was the only one that ate it, and asked if she wanted to learn how to make a 2 fruit marmalade with the excess citrus we had on the citrus trees that we grow in pots.

She was very excited at the prospect, so here is the recipe and method I taught her yesterday.  The one vital piece of equipment you’ll need, and may already have, is a bread maker.  Yes friends, we are making 2 Fruit Marmalade in a bread maker!  Just make sure it has a jam setting before you start making this delicious preserve (most of them do these days).

2 Fruit Marmalade

2 Fruit Marmalade

Ingredients

  • 250 gm sliced Navel Oranges
  • 250 gm sliced Tahitian Limes
  • 1 and 2/3 cups of white sugar
  • 1 level Tablespoon Classic Pectin

Method

1.  Pick your fruit from your tree.  Wash fruit in your sink, half full of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar added.  This will help remove any dirt, bacteria, or wax (if commercially bought).  Dry the fruit with a tea towel.

Washing citrus for 2 fruit marmalade

2.  Slice the oranges thinly, then cut in half.  They should be half-moon shaped.  Remove any seeds that may be present as well as large chunks of the centre pith.

Sliced oranges for 2 fruit marmalade

3.  Slice the limes and cut in half.  You will notice that my limes are slightly yellow.  Well it is a little know fact that limes do indeed turn from green to yellow when they are ripe!

Sliced Limes for 2 fruit Marmalade

4.  Add your limes into the bread maker pan then add the sugar.

2 Fruit Marmalade

5.  Then add the pectin.  We used classic pectin that has no added sugar, unlike Jamsetta.  Plus you can reuse the container it comes in when empty!

Add the Pectin to 2 fruit Marmalade

6.  Then place the pan into the bread maker as per your machines instructions.

Breadmaker

7.  Set the bread maker to the jam setting, and press start.

Jam setting for 2 fruit marmalade

8.  In the mean time, whilst the 2 Fruit Marmalade is cooking, wash and rinse some jars and lids.  We found that each batch fit perfectly into two 300 gm Salsa jars (empty of course).  Make sure the lids are in good condition with no sign of rust or stained plastic seal in the inside.  If in doubt, order in some new lids.  If you don’t have all the gear you need, you can find preserving equipment and supplies in our online shop.

9.  Place the still wet jars upside down on a baking tray, and place in a preheated oven at 120°C (250°F) for 20 minutes.  This sterilize the jars.  To sterilize the lids, place them in a Pyrex jug and pour in boiling water and sit for 5 minutes.

Sterilized Jars

10.  Once the 2 Fruit Marmalade is cooked, pour it into hot jars.  Wipe any spills with a clean damp tea towel and seal the lids on tight.  We use the lids that have pop buttons so we can ensure we have a vacuum seal.  As the jars and contents cool, the button pops in.  For any jars that didn’t seal correctly, store in the fridge and eat that jar first.

2 Fruit Marmalade

For the remainder, wipe clean with a clean damp cloth, and store in a cool dark pantry until ready to consume.  Will keep for at least 12 months.

Now there is a variation on this recipe that we also tried.  In the above photo, you will note that two of the bottom jars of marmalade are a slightly different colour (bottom centre and right).  Well they are actually 100% Lime Marmalade.  To make this, just use 500 gm (1.1 lbs) of fresh limes instead of the combination of oranges and limes.  This makes a more tart Marmalade, which is a delicious alternative.

So there you have it.  2 Fruit Marmalade, made with citrus grown here on our suburban food farm!

I am so glad my taste buds matured.  This marmalade is amazing.

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Filed Under: fruit, Preserving, Sustainable Living

9 Ways to Preserve Your Excess Produce

July 8, 2015 @ 20:46 By Gavin Webber 9 Comments

A glut or excess harvest can be a bit of a dilemma.  Often all of your tomatoes ripen at once, or you find you have a whole tree of apricots or apples and not enough bellies to consume them!

So how can we save some away for the leaner months without spoiling?  Well the best way is to preserve your produce, but there are many ways to achieve this and one method may not work on all type of food.  I have used all of these methods with success and preserving day is often long and tiring.  However, it is always rewarding, especially when you pull out a jar of some fruit or vegetable, or cheese, or meat that you have preserved yourself.  Very gratifying.

So without further ado, here are our 9 ways to preserve your excess produce.

Pickling

Pickling is achieved by using vegetables or fruit and using a vinegar and salt solution to preserve them in.  In most cases, the sealed jar is also water bath treated to prevent bacterial contamination.

I have pickled limes, cucumbers, and chutney using this method.

Pickled limes in jars

Pickled limes in jars

Water Bath

Most high acid or high sugar fruit and vegetables can be preserved using the water bath method.  You place your filled jars into a big pot and fill it with water to just under the lids, and bring the temperature up to around 95°C (203°F) for a designated time depending on the contents and the recipe you used.

I use an Australian brand method called Fowlers-Vacola, which has a special pot, jars, and lids.  You can see it in action in these post Cherry Time! or Homemade Passata di pomodoro.

Water Bath Passata

Water Bathing Passata

Jam and Jellies

Turning fruit and some vegetables into jam and jellies is a great way to preserve the essence of these fruits.  The addition of pectin and sugar convert the heated fruit into a viscous liquid that can be poured (or strained for jelly using a jelly bag) into hot sterilised jars with pop-top lids and/or water bathed if you want to be a bit safer.  My favourite jams are Marmalade, Strawberry, Fig, and Chili!

Fig Jam

Fig Jam

Curing

Curing is achieved using salt as the main preservative.  Meat and some vegetables like olives can be preserved using this method.  Curing meat has to be performed in hygienic and cold conditions to make sure that bacterial contamination is avoided.  The right fat to meat and salt ratio is essential for good taste and proper curing.

I have cured salami and olives using salt as the cure.

Homemade Salami four weeks cured

Salami cured for 4 weeks.

Blanching/Freezing

Excess vegetables can be blanched then frozen to preserve them for up to six months.  With that said, I must admit that I often find a bag of broad beans or peas at the back of the freezer after a year and they are perfectly fine for use in stews and casseroles!

By putting your vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes, you are aiming to kill the enzymes that make the beans rot, not to cook them outright.  Then they are cooled down rapidly and frozen straight away.

Here is the method I use to blanch Broad Beans.

Blanching Broad Beans

Blanching Broad Beans

Drying

I use this method for lazy housewife and scarlet runner beans and popcorn.  It’s so simple.  I just leave the bean pods on the vine until they dry out, and then store the dried beans in a jar with one of those oxygen absorbing pouches you find in some foods.  This helps keep them dry if you don’t have a good seal.  With popcorn, allow the ears to dry out completely, then husk the corn kernels into a jar for when you want to make some yummy popcorn.

Your can also make or buy solar dehydrators that so the same thing.  They simply use the sun’s infrared radiation to dry the vegetables or fruit so that you can store it for longer.  Electric dehydrators can also be utilised if you don’t have a sunny climate.  I have even seen people use the parcel shelf in their car to dry fruit!

Dried Lazy Housewife beans

Dried Lazy Housewife beans

Fermenting

fermentation is an easy way to preserve certain vegetables like cabbage, in the form of sauerkraut and kimchi, or to produce the most wonderful drinks like kombucha tea, or my favourite, Beer!  Yeast is the main active ingredient in all fermentation, whether that be wild or cultured yeasts, it doesn’t matter.  They convert sugars into alcohol which helps preserve the food.

Bottling Beer

Bottling Beer

Vacuum Packing

This preserving method can be used to extend the life of meat and dried herbs and vegetables, however most items still need to be refrigerated after vacuum sealing.  It works by sucking the majority of the air out of the container which assists in preventing spoilage and rotting.

It can also be used to mature cheese in lieu of waxing to prevent the cheese from drying out and becoming infected by unwanted bacteria and moulds.

Vacuum Packed Cotswold

Vacuum Packed Cotswold Cheese

Waxing

Great for preserving cheese for maturation and for sealing jars of jam.  I have even used wax to seal swing top lids when making tomato sauce to ensure an airtight seal.  Waxing simply prevents air from getting to the encased food and depending on the food type and if kept in a cool place will keep for an extended period.

Check out how I have waxed cheese to help keep out unwanted moulds and bacteria.

Preserving is Fun

I love preserving my excess produce.  I make sure I have a few hours allocated to the task without any distractions, then I get stuck into preparing the food for preserving or storage.  I find that if I set up all the necessary equipment first, then it seems like less of a chore.

What other methods do you use to preserve your excess harvest?  I am sure that there are some that I have missed.  Chime in with a comment below.

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Filed Under: fruit, Preserving, vegetables

TGoG 114 – Sustainable Living with Gürkan Yeniçeri

June 17, 2015 @ 06:00 By Gavin Webber 1 Comment

Listen to the Episode Below (00:34:59)
Download Listen in a New Window iTunes Stitcher SoundCloud Leave a Review Clammr It Subscribe via RSS Subscribe on Android RSS Patreon

This week we catch up with Gürkan Yeniçeri, a fellow sustainable living practitioner who lives in Canberra, ACT.  For those of you who listen to the Little Green Cheese podcast, you would have heard his cheese making story during episode LGC 04.

Gürkan Yeniçeri

Gürkan Yeniçeri

Gürkan and I talk about so many different sustainable living subjects during the show that I am going to timestamp them incase you want to skip ahead to a particular section;

  • Introduction [0:01]
  • Bee Keeping [2:49]
  • Mead and Cider [4:07]
  • Making Chutney [8:40]
  • Why Gürkan lives sustainably [9:31]
  • Classes at Canberra Environment Centre [11:09]
  • No-knead Bread Making [13:45]
  • Backyard Aquaponics [17:09]
  • Cheesemaking at home [30:43]
  • Outro [32:40]

He has done so much with the space he has at hand.

Please thank Gürkan for joining me on the show and sharing all his amazing achievements.

You can find him at;

  • https://homecheesemaker.wordpress.com/ or
  • https://www.facebook.com/artisancheesemaker

Don’t forget that this show is financially supported by you, the listener, via our Patreon page.  If you believe the show adds value to the sustainable living community and you would like to support the show, please pledge your support at http://www.patreon.com/greeningofgavin.  Any pledge small or large is most welcome, as it keeps the show going and growing week by week.

Become my patreon!

And finally, do you think this podcast episode will help someone you know?  If so, help them out by sharing it using the social media buttons below.  And if you are super excited about what you have heard during this episode, pop on over to iTunes using the button under the player and leave a rating and review.

It helps the podcast get noticed in the charts and makes it more visible for others who may be interested in living a more sustainable lifestyle in the ‘burbs.  Thanks!

LIKE WHAT YOU'VE READ OR HEARD?
If so, please join thousands of others who receive exclusive weekly online recaps & tips, and get a FREE COPY of my eBook, The Greening of Gavin - My First Year of Living Sustainably.

 

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Filed Under: Bee Keeping, Bread, Cheese, Fish, Gardening, Health, Little Green Cheese, Podcast, Preserving, Sustainable Living, TGOG Podcast, vegetables

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

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    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

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    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

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    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

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    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

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    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

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    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

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    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

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    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

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    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

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    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

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    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

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    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

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