Heaven in a Jar

The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  I was still pondering what to do with the little glass fiends when a colleague of mine proudly announced that she'd ordered a can of prepared Seville oranges, fully equipped with instructions for how to make marmalade. What a discovery!  My little ears were so happy that they nearly jumped off my head to do flick-flacks in the air. 

Too good to be true?  Absolutely not, and there's even more good news:  the 850g can of medium cut oranges only cost £1.99.  Being my first attempt (I've never made jam or preserves before), the whole process probably took about an hour.  The biggest stumbling block for me was trying to decide how long, and at what temperature, to heat the jars in the oven for.  (The next biggest was trying to understand how I could be so stupid as to pick up a baking hot jar, straight from the oven, with my bare hand...)  When all was done and dusted, I found myself doting over seven bottles of the most delicious marmalade I have ever tasted. 

I'd like to think the out-of-this-world taste is down to the way I poured the sugar into the pot, or the way I lovingly stirred the concoction... but I know that it's all down to those oranges.  The amazing cans can be purchased from Lakeland, either online or from one of their outlets.

 Marmalade.  Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's giving my jars a purpose and warding off those kitchen cupboard avalanches.  Thank you Lorna - Paddington Bear would be so proud!

(Don't forget to have a look at my Make it so page to see what the next project is.)

Cordial Quencher

There are many recipes for elderflower cordial out there and, as it turns out, it really isn't rocket science.   The basic ingredients are the same - elderflowers, lemons, sugar and water - and the trick is to pick the flowers when they've just opened so as to capture that sweet, fresh flavour of summer.  I was going to go for a no-cook-just-add-boiling water recipe until I read that elderflowers contain alkaloids (naturally occurring chemical compounds) which are slightly toxic but which are destroyed during cooking.  So boiling it was and, with an orange chucked into the mix (as suggested by a friend of mine), the aroma was fantastic.  

I don't mind a bit of instant gratification every now and then, so it almost killed me to have to leave everything standing in the pot for 48 hours before straining the contents and having a proper taste.  But it was worth it.  And then the experimenting began.  In the end I settled for elderflower cordial, lemonade and a dash of Creme de Cassis.  Very refreshing for a hot and sunny day.

(Don't forget to have a look at my Make it so page for the next challenge!)