Rowan Jelly
Aug. 2nd, 2009 08:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bunnThis morning I picked 5 1/2 pounds of rowan berries. Rowan berries are much easier to pick than other berries. No prickles, you don't have to bend down and they are pleasantly firm and don't squish. No maggots either (there was the odd earwig, but they are easy to spot, and I don't mind earwigs). I was aiming for 3 pounds, but I am bad at estimating weights.
Then philmophlegm and I boiled them with some windfall apples and sugar, and now we have 5 lovely pots of rowan jelly. YAY! Rowan jelly that you buy in shops is pale and sort of yellowish, but mine is bright red. Odd. Will be interesting to see if it fades with time. At the moment it's still hot so fingers crossed that it sets! I think it will, because the dribble left in the pan set beautifully: that will be the apples. It's nice to find a good use for windfalls.
Well, that was 3 and a half pounds of them, anyway, as that was all that would fit into the biggest pan. I still have 2 pounds left. I'm not sure what to do with them. More jelly? I'd be tempted by this recipe for Rowan Wine only I don't have any demijons so it would cost money.
The Internet says that you should leave rowan berries till the first frost, but obviously I didn't do that. I suspect that this advice comes from colder climates, but If there are any left by the first frost (which in Cornwall will be pretty late) I might try getting some more and contrasting the flavour.
I could do Rowan Schnapps, I'd only need to buy vodka for that. Or this jam sounds interesting.
Edit: found a suggestion that freezing them can improve flavour anyway, it's the cold that makes the difference rather than staying on the trees. Therefore, I should freeze the remainder and contrast!
In a second culinary experiment, we made cauliflower cheese with a purple cauliflower. The whole thing came out a brilliant purple, which was very odd.
Then philmophlegm and I boiled them with some windfall apples and sugar, and now we have 5 lovely pots of rowan jelly. YAY! Rowan jelly that you buy in shops is pale and sort of yellowish, but mine is bright red. Odd. Will be interesting to see if it fades with time. At the moment it's still hot so fingers crossed that it sets! I think it will, because the dribble left in the pan set beautifully: that will be the apples. It's nice to find a good use for windfalls.
Well, that was 3 and a half pounds of them, anyway, as that was all that would fit into the biggest pan. I still have 2 pounds left. I'm not sure what to do with them. More jelly? I'd be tempted by this recipe for Rowan Wine only I don't have any demijons so it would cost money.
The Internet says that you should leave rowan berries till the first frost, but obviously I didn't do that. I suspect that this advice comes from colder climates, but If there are any left by the first frost (which in Cornwall will be pretty late) I might try getting some more and contrasting the flavour.
I could do Rowan Schnapps, I'd only need to buy vodka for that. Or this jam sounds interesting.
Edit: found a suggestion that freezing them can improve flavour anyway, it's the cold that makes the difference rather than staying on the trees. Therefore, I should freeze the remainder and contrast!
In a second culinary experiment, we made cauliflower cheese with a purple cauliflower. The whole thing came out a brilliant purple, which was very odd.
