from Diana thank you it was a lovely to get all those seeds I have allready planted the sweetpeas and the flowers, when do you grow the spinach and bitter gourds?
I wrote in another post that I would really like to make some Christmas pudding, this morning I decided to get all the ingredients together and straight away I realized I had no candied peel (the stuff they have in the shops here is all BRIGHTLY colored) so I went out to pick a lemon a couple of oranges and a pomela. Candied peel is quite easy to make it just takes some time cooking and drying out
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Candied peel
Ingredients
- 2 lemons
- 2 oranges
- 1 grapefruit
- 1 pomelo
- 600g granulated sugar
- Scrub the fruit thoroughly. Slice off the top and bottom of each fruit then cut the peel in wide strips, from top to bottom, making sure that the pith remains attached to the skin. It will make the peel far more succulent once candied. Place peel in a pan, fill with cold water and boil until soft. Depending on your fruit, this can take up to 90 minutes. Keep the water replenished with a freshly boiled kettle.
- Drain and replace all the peel in the saucepan. Cover with cold water, bring up to the boil and cook for a further 20 minutes before draining.
- Meanwhile dissolve the granulated sugar in 300ml water in a large thick-bottomed saucepan over a low heat. Bring up to the boil and gently stir in the peel. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the peel has absorbed virtually all the syrup. You should allow 2 hours 45 minutes for this.
- Lightly oil a grill rack and line it with greaseproof paper. Arrange the peel in a single layer on the rack to enable it to dry. If possible, put in a warm place, like an airing cupboard. Allow 3 to 4 days to dry, turning over twice during this time, to allow both sides to dry. It is very sticky. Once it its dry, store in an airtight jar. Snip into smaller pieces as and when you need it
Looks like I won't be making Christmas pudding this week maybe New years pudding.
Oh yum!
ReplyDeleteWould love for you to join in my online biccie/cookie exchange :]
http://theserendipitycafe.blogspot.com/2011/12/online-biccie-cookie-exchange.html
Hugs
Kimmie
x
You are committed to doing a good job. I admire you. Hope you show us the pudding.
ReplyDeleteYou can sow the chinese spinach probably in spring, summer and early autumn when the weather is warm. Bitter gourd will probably need warm soil around 20 degree celcius which for our climate is usually end spring the best time to sow them. Have fun!
ReplyDeleteLovely to receive gifted seeds...your own candied fruit...how wonderful to have the fruit and make your own...look forward to your New Year pudding!
ReplyDeleteLovely package. You tend to grow this that grow here in Darwin. Do you have snake beans and rosella? I could send you some of those seeds if you want.
ReplyDelete