Preserving the Produce of Spring

Cooking with SBA’s Kitchen

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(All food will be gluten free)

Sample Menu

The Preserves
Beetroot, Ginger & Horseradish Relish
Mango & Kiwi Fruit Chutney
Pickled Asparagus
Pickled Vegetables
Rhubarb & Rose Petal Jam
& a Little Waterbath Preserved Number!

To Finish
Crostini with Feta and Beetroot, Ginger & Horseradish Relish
Mango & Chicken Curry
Rice with Pickled Vegetables
Pickled Asparagus Mimosa
Jam Tarts with Cream

(All food will be gluten free)

Spring, the great awakening, when eagerly awaited, new seasonal produce is ready to go! Fresh berries, tropical mangoes, rhubarb, snow peas, peas, asparagus, carrots, spring cauliflower, broccoli… Often though, if you are a gardener, the entire crop seems to be ready at once! It’s time for preserving! But where to start?

We know that preserving excess produce is a great foundation for a sustainable lifestyle, allowing you to use produce from your own (or family and friends’) gardens, process it, store it, and use it later on – or even to give away as gifts.

Join me in a session where we will explore various methods of preserving the produce of Spring. During the session participants will work together to prepare various preserves from the recipes and produce provided!

To showcase the preserves, a variety of dishes will also be prepared for all to enjoy. These dishes will be placed on the table for all to enjoy as we sit , eat, chat and relax to finish the session.

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A little more detail…

Mandarin Marmalade Jelly

While Gary and my mother both love marmalade, they prefer the type that is more like a jelly with thinly shredded peel suspended throughout. This recipe has come about through trial and error and quite a lot of research!

Category: Preserves

Style: Australian

Quantity: 4 200 ml jars

Author: Julie Malyon @ SBA's Kitchen

Ingredients

1 kg mandarins
½ lemon
2 litres water
1 kg sugar approx

Instructions

Wash the fruit.
Pare the peel from half of the mandarins and shred the peel into very fine strips.
Place the shredded rind into a non-reactive bowl, cover with 375 ml of the water and leave to steep for 24 hours.
Chop the flesh of the peeled mandarins, the unpeeled mandarins and the lemon, and place the fruit into a large non-reactive bowl, cover with 750 ml of water and leave to steep for 24 hours.
The following day, put the fruit and liquid into a large pan and add the remaining 500ml of water. Bring to the boil and simmer gently until the mixture has reduced by one third.
Meanwhile, place the shredded rind and liquid into a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer gently for one hour. Strain the liquid from the peel, adding the liquid to the large pan of simmering fruit, place the peel into a container, cover and refrigerate.
Once the mixture in the large pan has reduced sufficiently, remove the pan from the heat, and carefully ladle the mixture into a jelly bag set over a large bowl. Leave to drain for 24 hours (don't be tempted to press the mixture to force the liquid through).
Measure the strained liquid and pour it back into the clean pan. For every 600 ml (1 pint) of liquid, measure 450g of sugar and add it to the pan, along with the reserved shredded peel.
Place pan over a gentle heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
Increase the heat and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly for 20 minutes and then start testing for setting point (see notes below).
Once setting point is reached, remove from heat, skim any scum from the top and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir gently to distribute the peel evenly.
Pour into jars, seal and label.
Store in a cool, dark place.

Notes

When testing for setting point, reduce the heat or turn the heat off so that you do not overcook the marmalade.

Don't be tempted to squeeze the liquid from the fruit, if you do, the end result will be a cloudy jelly.

Links: How to test for setting point.

Updated: 7 October 2025

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If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.

Save

Oranges 1 – A recap!

February 5, 2017 / sbaskitchen / Leave a comment

The oranges are gone, well, with the exception of the few that have been set aside for our breakfast fruit over the next week or so. Overall things went really well, and we have some lovely goodies stashed in the store for future use. We’ve also enjoyed some orange flavoured meals as well.

That being said, the marmalade proved to be my nemisis. The first batch didn’t set and discoloured! What to do… Add Cointreau to the mix, and lable it as Orange and Cointreau Syrup for use with desserts – I have to say it goes deliciously with date pudding !

So what was the problem? More pectin you say? That’s what I thought, anyway. So I saved all the pips from the oranges and lemons used in all the other recipes – I had a lovely little pile of them by the time it come to revisit the marmalade. Neither Gary, nor I, could understand what happened to the first batch, it’s never happened before…

With everything prepared, I started again – it was looking beautiful, time to test for set, and again… it just wouldn’t set and turned dark. Fearing it would burn, I took it off the heat and bottled it. The next morning when I checked, it was syrup, nothing like the lovely jelly like consistency of marmalade. By this time I thought I knew what the problem was – while the pot I was using was big enough, it was tall and narrow, not wide and squat.

Not wanting to waste the fruit sugar and time and effort, this time we decided to try and cook it a little more. It just got darker, and again wouldn’t set. Finally, I had to bite the bullet and use commercial pectin (I have plans to make my own in future, but didn’t have time at this point). Set was reached, it doesn’t taste too bad, really, just sweeter than usual and it looks like treacle! A new wider, shallower, preserving pan style, pot has now been ordered and is on its way. I am hoping that by using it, we will avoid any more marmalade dramas.

So what was cooked? You will have seen some of the goodies in previous posts, but here is the list in full…

Candied Lemon Peel – a by-product of various recipes
Candied Orange Slices
Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Slices
Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Sticks
Cumberland Sauce Base – bottled
Dried Lemon Peel – a by-product of various recipes
Dried Orange Peel
Duck, Orange and Crispy Duck Prosciutto Salad
Nana Mac’s Potato and Orange Salad
Orange & Cointreau Syrup
Orange and Mint Jelly
Orange Cake – Gluten Free
Orange Cordial
Orange Glazed Salmon with Garden Fresh Greens
Orange Marmalade
Spiced Oranges
Sugar Coated Candied Orange Sticks
Zingy Citrus Mocktail

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There is one more recipe brewing, but it is going to take another couple of weeks – Collette’s Vin D’Orange. I will put up a post about it when its ready, and let you know what it is like.

Finally given that Jan provided all the oranges for this little marathon, I thought it only propper that I share the recipe for this delicious dessert that she has shared with me – Spiced Oranges & Dates with Greek Yoghurt Cream.

Spiced Oranges & Dates with Greek Yoghurt Cream

Servings: Serves 6
Print

This simple little dessert is the perfect way to finish a meal. It can be prepared ahead - adding the Yoghurt Cream and pistachios just before serving.

Ingredients

6 large navel oranges
6 fresh dates, pitted, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
1 tbs pure icing sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
55 g (1/3 cup) pistachio kernels, coarsely chopped

For the Greek Yoghurt Cream

125 ml (1/2 cup) Greek-style yoghurt
125 g light cream cheese
2 tbs honey
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthways
125 ml (1/2 cup) pouring cream
1 tsp pure icing sugar

Directions

To make the yoghurt cream, place the yoghurt, cream cheese and honey in a bowl. Use a small sharp knife to scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until combined. Place the cream and icing sugar in a bowl. Use an electric beater to beat until soft peaks form. Fold into yoghurt mixture. Cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.
Cut top and base from each orange. Use a sharp knife to remove skin and white pith. Holding each orange over a bowl to catch any juice, cut along either side of the white membranes to remove orange segments.
Combine orange, dates and mint in a bowl. Sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon. Toss to combine.
Divide fruit among serving plates and serve with pistachios and yoghurt cream.
Garnish with sprigs of mint.

Notes:

My sister Jan passed this recipe to me, she received it from her friend, Mandy, who found it in Australian Good Taste – September 2011, p.80 .
Allow 2 hours chilling time.

Until next time…

Bon appétit!

Links:

Chocolate Dipped Candied Orange Sticks

Nana Mac’s Potato and Orange Salad

Orange and Mint Jelly

Orange Cordial

Spiced Oranges

Spiced Oranges & Dates with Greek Yoghurt Cream

Sugar Coated Candied Orange Sticks

Zingy Citrus Mocktail

Spiced Oranges

I think these look like sunshine in a jar...

Serve with Feta cheese, ham, poulty and game, also fabulous added to salads.

Category: Condiments, Preserves

Style: English

Keyword: Orange, Orange Preserve, Pickled Oranges

Quantity: 6 jars

Author: sbaskitchen

Ingredients

10 large thin-skinned oranges, washed well and cut into 5mm/1/4 inch slices
water, to cover
600 ml white wine vinegar
1 kg white sugar
1 1/2 cinnamon sticks
8 g whole cloves
6 blades of mace

Instructions

Put the orange slices into a large pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. As soon as the water begins boiling, remove from heat and drain. Cover oranges with cold water again, and repeat this process another two times.
Put all of the other ingredients into a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes.
Place the oranges, together with the syrup, into a bowl and allow to stand overnight.
The next day return the orange slices and the syrup to a clean pan and cook for 30-40 minutes until translucent.
Pack oranges into warm sterilized jars and cover with syrup.
Seal.
When cool, label and Store in a cool dark place for six to eight weeks before eating.

Notes

Adapted from Good Old-fashioned Jams, Preserves and Chutneys (1985) S. Paston-Williams p58.
Mace is an aromatic golden brown spice obtained from the dried net-like sheath that covers the Nutmeg seed, It is yellowish to reddish-tan in color, made up of flat, shiny branched pieces with a fragrant, nutmeg aroma and warm taste. It looks wonderful when left whole in your spiced syrup.
Keep any excess syrup for topping up the jars, as the oranges tend to absorb the syrup.
Last updated 17 August 2024

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If you have a moment, I would love to hear your thoughts on what you see on
this page – just pop a note in the comments box below.
With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.

Apricots

January 19, 2017 / sbaskitchen / Leave a comment

I still remember the joy of fresh bread, lashings of homemade apricot jam, and the cream! Fresh cream, real cream, not the homogenised, pasturised stuff from the supermarket shelf – just fresh, runny cream, no sugar, not whipped, just pure fresh cream dribbling over the edge of the bread.- Oh the memories …

We now have two apricot trees in our garden, a Moorpark – supposedly rich in flavour making it great for fresh fruit, jam, drying, stewing and juice, and a Blenheim, said to be one of the most flavourful of apricots around! However, like all of our fruit trees, they have only been in the ground for six months, which means that we must be patient, and wait until they grow before we see a nice crop.

We did have a tiny surprise though – just after Christmas I spotted one solitary little apricot. It had been hiding and growing out of our sight and, fortunately, out of the sight of the birds. I watched it carefully, trying to make sure that the birds did not beat us to it. Then early last week, when I checked on it, I discovered that a grub had made it’s mark – I hadn’t counted on that, so quickly whisked it off the tree, and took it to the kitchen, where it became a simple little sweet treat to finish our evening meal – A simple apricot pastry.

Given the lack of fruit from the garden at the moment, I am constantly on the watch for a good buy, and was delighted to read a little add in the local newspaper for apricots. I made a call and was able to pick up 10kg, which lead to a couple of heavy days in the kitchen! But from that 10kg, we now have 14 jars of apricot halves in a light syrup, 15 jars of Worcestershire sauce, and 10 jars of apricot jam in the store.

A few apricots!

Apricot Jam

Preserved Apricots (2017)

There were a few left over so whipped up an apricot and pine nut tart – gluten free.

Apricot and Pine Nut Tart – Gluten Free

You know, apricot jam is not only great as a spread, but it can also be used to flavour meat dishes too, and the apricot halves can be used to make delicious sweet treats such as clafoutis, charlottes, tarts etc, but will also used in savoury dishes, including a favourite – Spicy Chicken Tagine with Apricots, Rosemary and Ginger! As for the Worcestershire sauce, it’s always handy to lift an otherwise dull dish!

So now that the store is stocked up with apricot preserves, it is my plan to highlight some of them in recipes over the coming months.

Until next time…

Bon appétit!