TARRAGON & THYME

We walked Missy this evening and went and had a look at the crab apples. There are a few and I hope to go for these tomorrow. There are also cones, teasels and rosehips.  There was also a lovely surprise.  The golden load of sloes.  I have never seen so many together.  I aim to pick these as well as there is so much you can do with them and then pop them into the freezer.  That way round I can use some and then save some for a later batch of sloe gin or sloe and crab apple jelly or sloe and apple jelly, sloe whisky, apple and sloe sorbet, slider, (sloes in cider), sloe gin chocolate, sloe port, sloe vodka,  sloe gin jelly, sloe gin and chocoloate pudding, sloe chutney, and there are so many more combinations beside including a cranberry and sloe gin sauce.  So it looks as though I am taking my basket with me tomorrow to harvest some of the contents of the wild larder.  Always adds an element of surprise to the pantry especially on a c...

Every year where I can I try and get hold of a store of crab apples to make crab apple jelly which is wonderful with a joint of roast pork or cold in pork sandwiches. Somehow or other it always manages to lift this lovely meat and turn it into something special, especially as Pork can on occasion be an extremely dry meat. Crab apples come in different hues and colours some are really red and make a lovely purpley pink jelly others are yellowy green but whatever their colour you can process them into something delicious. If there is one preserve you should make this is it - you can use it with a hot meal like roast pork, or with sausages, or in sandwiches or as a spread on toast - on crumpets, these are just a few ideas there are lots more. A dollop can also be added to gravy to give it a background flavour. Crab apples can be used as a base for herb jellies or combined with other fruits. they can also be spiced whole, and can be used in a hedgerow jelly mixed in with oth...