10 Easy Red Currant Recipes

Redcurrants are versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes, both sweet and savory. Here are a few delicious redcurrant recipes to try.

Pawpaw Jam Recipe

Ingredients Cooking Instructions Jump to Recipe Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Home Pawpaws are the fruit of the Asimina triloba tree, which is native to the eastern United States and southern Canada. We waited 5 years patiently to reap the benefits of our Pawpaw Tree. Finally, this year we had an abundance of this tasty tropical tasting fruit. The taste and flavor is a delicious combination of banana, mango and custard apple. Our Pawpaw fruits look a little like mangoes. But anyway who cares how it looks, as long as its tasty and we are able to harvest our own fruits. With so much of abundance, I wanted to preserve this harvest, so I made this easy and delicious Pawpaw jam recipe. While starting our garden, we were looking for some easy maintenance trees which gives us delicious fruits. And we went a little wild with planting a few. Some of the other trees we planted take longer to fruit. But surprisingly, this year we had a lot of paw paws to harvest. We shared our abundance with neighbors and friends too. For most of our neighbors this was a novelty to try. Pawpaws are the fruit of the Asimina triloba tree, which is native to the eastern United States and southern Canada. Pawpaws are the northernmost member of the Annonaceae plant family, which consists mainly of tropical and subtropical plants. They’re considered the largest edible fruit native to North America, measuring 2–6 inches (5–16 cm) and 1–3 inches wide (3–7 cm). The climate in Switzerland is similar to that of North America, therefore, we thought planting them would be great for our food forest. We just had to be patient for this many years to reap the benefit. We planted 2 trees and one of the trees gave us bigger sized fruits but the other one although younger still produced a lot. My husband and I ate almost 2 to 3 fruits everyday as soon as they ripened. But I still had so much that I made a pawpaw jam to preserve it for winter. I make a lot of jams and have shared recipes regularly on this blog. Check out my other jam recipes. Table of Contents Tools you may need Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Glass Jars Funnel for filling Heavy bottom Pot Mixing bowl Wooden cutting board How to make Pawpaw Jam? Ingredients List 2 Kg of ripe pawpaws pureed 2 cups of water 1/2 cup of lemon juice ( I used the bottled one ) 1 Kg of white castor sugar 1 tsp cinnamon powder 2 tsp Vanilla powder Juice and grated peel of that orange ( Optional ) Cooking Instructions Wash and cut the pawpaw. Remove the flesh from the fruit by scooping it with a spoon after removing the seeds. Discard the skin of the fruit. Mash the pulp using a food mill, immersion blender or a food processor. In a heavy bottom large saucepan mix all the ingredients and cook down on low until the mixture thickens. This will take about an hour or more depending on the quantity you have. Do the plate test. Once the jam sets switch off the heat. Fill into sterilized glass jars leaving about 1 cm before sealing the jars. Do a water bath canning for 10 minutes. Tips for making Pawpaw Jam Recipe The jam doesn’t need pectin and it sets easily without it if you cook it longer. Since, pawpaws are not extremely sweet, I prefer to add enough sugar to preserve it. For doing the plate test, set a plate in the freezer. Drop a little of the cooked jam on to the cold plate and tilt it a little, if the jam stops flowing then the jam is ready to bottle. Recipe Card Your feedback is valuable If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you come back and gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much for visiting Vial Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post.  Frequently Asked Questions How long can you store Pawpaw jam? I am not very sure about this, as this was the first time I had access to this fruit. Generally, all the jams I make store well for a year or even more. Because sugar is the preservative. Although, I recently got a pressure canning cooker, I am yet to try canning jams with it. What can you use pawpaw jam for and can you eat it raw? You can add the jam to a smoothie, or pudding and on bread toast. Yes, you can eat the fruit raw which is what we love the most. Wash and cut into half remove the seeds and scoop out the flesh of the fruit and eat it like a pudding. Make sure they are soft, they usually turn somewhat blackish, but don’t wait too long with it. Leave a ReplyPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email *Website / URLMessageCheckboxes Yes, add me to your mailing list. Submit Popular Recipes Subscribe Signup for our NewsletterUnlock a world of flavor, creativity, and green living. Subscribe for exclusive recipes, DIY tutorials, and gardening advice.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email * Submit Popular Recipes

Easy Homemade Elderberry Jam Recipe

Ingredients Cooking Instructions Jump to Recipe Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Home If you’re looking for a unique and flavorful condiment that combines a touch of sweetness with a spicy kick, then this Hot and Sweet Pepper Jelly is the perfect choice. It is that time of the year, when we gardeners are busy preserving our harvest. One of the abundance we have is Elderberry. If you have access to fresh elderberries, then add this easy 3-ingredient Homemade Elderberry Jam Recipe to your list. This recipe is the perfect way to preserve the luscious taste and health benefits of elderberry for the coming winter months. Table of Contents Tools you may need Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Glass Jars Funnel for filling Heavy bottom Pot Wooden cutting board How to make Homemade Elderberry Jam? Ingredients List 500 gms of ripe fresh elderberries 400 gm of jam sugar or pectin sugar 1 tbsp on lemon juice Cooking Instructions Remove the ripe berries from their stalks with a fork. Remove the leaves too. Wash the berries thoroughly. Transfer the clean berries into a heavy bottom pan and crush them a little to release some juices. We want the berry texture too, so don’t mash all of the berries. Add the sugar to the berries and once cooked add the lemon juice. Simmer on a low heat and stir continuously to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom. Cook for around 20 minutes. Discard any scum which has raised to the surface. Do the plate test. Drop a small dollop of the jam on the frozen plate and tilt it. If it has formed a skin and stopped flowing, then its ready for bottling. Alternatively you can also set the plate in the fridge for a few minutes and once the skim is formed, bottle. In case the skin on the jam has not formed, continue cooking and repeat the above process at intervals, till you reach the right consistency. Fill the jam into sterilized glass jars by setting the jar on a tea towel or a wooden board to avoid the jars from cracking. Tips for the Perfect Homemade Elderberry Jam Pick the berries only when ripe. Since elderberries in their raw form contain a constituent similar to cyanide, always cook these berries before consuming. Canning the jam will help to preserve the jam longer. Keep a plate in a freezer so you can test if the jam has achieved the right consistency before bottling. Lemon juice brings back the vibrant colors of the cooked elderberries. Bottle the jam by setting the glass jars on a wooden board otherwise, the jars will crack. Use appropriate tools in order to prevent burns and scalding, since the cooked jam is very hot. Health Benefits Elderberries naturally contain vitamins A, B, and C to stimulate the immune system. A few studies have suggested that elderberry could help with bacterial sinus infections or bronchitis. More research needs to be done on this. I don’t claim anything here, but I enjoy all these fresh produce from my garden. On the other hand, my personal experience with our elderberry cold and flu syrup is that it has worked wonders for us in preventing winter colds so far. Elderberries Recipe Card Your feedback is valuable If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you come back and gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much for visiting Vial Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post.  Frequently Asked Questions How long can you store homemade elderberry Jam ? Unopened bottled jam can be stored in a cool dark place easily for 1 year. Some of my jams store longer too. Once you open the jam, store in the fridge and consume quickly. It is advisable to use smaller jars for bottling so they are used up quickly once opened. Leave a ReplyPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email *Website / URLMessageCheckboxes Yes, add me to your mailing list. Submit Popular Recipes Subscribe Signup for our NewsletterUnlock a world of flavor, creativity, and green living. Subscribe for exclusive recipes, DIY tutorials, and gardening advice.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email * Submit Popular Recipes

Sea Buckthorn infused in Honey

Ingredients Cooking Instructions Jump to Recipe Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Home Sea Buckthorn berries are a power house of antioxidants and vitamins especially Vit C and Vit A ? Sea Buckthorn is a miracle plant that gives us one of the best types of berries in the world. I have shared recipes using Sea Buckthorn berries in an earlier post. But, this year, I decided to give Sea Buckthorn infused in honey a go from this year’s harvest. No Cook Sea Buckthorn Recipe In order to preserve fruits and berries long term, we use a sweetener. To extend the shelf life of most fruits, preserving in sugar is mostly the go to recipe. We do this by cooking the fruits in sugar and making jams, jelly or fruit preserves. Drying is also another way, but this is an energy intensive method. Honey is another method. Honey has a longer shelf life, but heating honey destroys all its medicinal properties. Therefore, we can only use honey for cold preservation. Moreover, good quality raw honey has a lot of medicinal benefits and is expensive, so why waste it. An online friend of mine on Instagram was asking if I tried out Sea Buckthorn infused in honey. In truth, I considered it since some time. I was not very keen on making a jam as no one really eats the jams other than my husband. Therefore, I preserved almost half of this year’s harvest in Honey. I usually, juice the berries and freeze the juice in smaller portions and take out a cube and mix with honey and water and drink it immediately. Whenever, you heat any fruit or vegetable, a lot of the health benefits and vitamins are lost in the cooking process. Therefore, infusing in honey or alcohol helps in preserving without heating. Table of Contents Sea Buckthorn infused in Honey Recipe This can hardly be a recipe, but I will take you through the process of what I did with this year’s harvest. Sea Buckthorn is usually an early fall harvest. This year, we harvested ours in early September, so that the birds don’t get to it before us. We are going to do a second harvest and from that, I will be making some muffins, and cold pressed juice to freeze. But for now, I am going to be infusing the first batch of Sea Buckthorn in honey. Tools you may need Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Salad Spinner Mixing bowl Glass Jars How to make Sea Buckthorn infused in Honey? Ingredients List 1 chopped bell pepper (red or green) 1 cup or 20 finely chopped hot peppers (such as jalapeños, serranos, or habaneros, seeds removed for less heat) 3 cups of pectin sugar 1 cup apple cider vinegar Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon salt Instructions Harvest your Sea Buckthorn with the stalks. Then pick the berries carefully. Use thick gloves for the harvest. Wash the Sea Buckthorn berries a couple of times till the water is clean. Pick out the best berries without any damage. Separate out the firm and fleshy ones. Place the washed berries into a salad spinner and dry them. Dry it on kitchen towels overnight. This is to avoid any fungus formation. Mix equal parts of honey and Sea Buckthorn berries in a large mixing bowl. Mix carefully with a wooden spoon so that each berry is coated with honey but does not break them. Or you can also fill the berries first and then add in the honey. Fill in sterilized glass jars. Refrigerate them and use the berries over the winter months. Eat them plain. Note: Since honey is denser than the berries, expect the berries to be floating on top. You can try to press it down now and again. Which ever method you use to mix the berries and honey, the result is the same. Honey settles down but since the berries are coated in honey, they get preserved. Check out other Sea Buckthorn Recipes Sea Buckthorn Muffins Sea Buckthorn Jam 10 Sea Buckthorn Recipes Recipe Card Your feedback is valuable If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you come back and gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much for visiting Vial Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post.  Frequently Asked Questions Accordion Tab Title 1 Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Accordion Tab Title 2 Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Accordion Tab Title 3 Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Leave a ReplyPlease enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email *Website / URLMessageCheckboxes Yes, add me to your mailing list. Submit Popular Recipes Subscribe Signup for our NewsletterUnlock a world of flavor, creativity, and green living. Subscribe for exclusive recipes, DIY tutorials, and gardening advice.Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.Name *Email * Submit Popular Recipes

Lacto fermented red currants

Ingredients Cooking Instructions Jump to Recipe Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Home Red currants are in season and I make a few preservation recipes with them. These berries taste wonderful once they are ripe after harvest. But they don’t last very long after harvesting. You know my love for fermented healthy food, so I also made lacto fermented red currants to enjoy the health benefits of fermented fruits as well. You know my love for fermented healthy food, so I also made lacto fermented red currants to enjoy the health benefits of fermented fruits as well. Table of Contents What You Need to Know about Lacto Fermenting Berries? Fermentation is a near-magical process that transforms any food. My kitchen and refrigerator is filled with fermented batter, bubbling sourdough starter, yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles and hot sauce to name a few. This lacto-fermented red currants recipe is simple to make. All you need is berries, a sweetener, water, and a starter culture to help start the fermentation process. Fermented fruit don’t need long fermentation process. A couple of days at the most and they are ready. Lacto-fermented berries taste wonderful. They are both sweet and tangy. You can use them on oat meal porridge, fruit salads or berry infused water. They are even great to eat as a snack with homemade yogurt and a little sweetener. Tools you may need Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Fermenting weights Sterilized glass jars Fermentation Lids How to make Lacto-Fermented Red Currants? Ingredients List Ripe Red Currants – 1 Liter Honey – 4 tablespoon Himalaya Salt – 1/2 teaspoon Whey or liquid from yogurt – 4 tablespoon Water – 4-6 tablespoons ( I used filtered water from my Berkey filter ) Instructions Remove the red currants from their stalks and wash it thoroughly and drain excess water. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Crush the berries a little in order to extract some juice. Set it aside for a few minutes and you will see the berries sweat a bit more. Fill the mixture tightly into sterilized fermenting glass jars. Leave a little space before placing the fermenting weights and for the gas to escape. The weight helps in keeping the red currants fully submerged in the liquid and keeping the oxygen out. Make sure that the berries are fully submerged in the juices and liquid. Close with the fermenting lid and set it below a tray to let the fermenting gas and any liquid to escape Leave at room temperature for 1-2 days. Store in refrigerator and use within 1-2 months. Tips to use Lacto-Fermented Red Currants Since, fruits and berries soften during fermentation, you will be getting a thin and slightly jammy texture. You can puree them and use them in smoothies, muesli or in yogurt. Tips to make Lacto-Fermented Red Currants Recipe Use fermenting weights for lacto fermentation. Don’t ferment fruits for more than 2 days or they will get alcoholic. Use a starter culture for lacto fermenting fruits and berries, so that its quicker. Add a sweetener like honey to speed up the fermentation process. You will need the berries to be fully submerged in the liquid so it keeps the oxygen out to avoid mold. Why do you need to use fermenting weights? I have tried previously to use sterilized stones, but I did have a moldy result sometimes and had to throw it out. Since, I have these fermenting weights my fermenting foods works like a dream. Because, these weights are perfectly fitting into mason jars, you can easily ferment small quantities of fruits or vegetables. In addition to it you can use fermenting lids to let the air out during the fermentation process. How to Know When Your Lacto Fermented Red Currants are ready? Unlike sauerkraut or cucumbers which typically benefit from a long period of fermentation, berries on the other hand benefit from a very short fermentation. Therefore, you need only one to two days. Moreover, you want to stop the fermentation before they turn alcoholic. This way they will keep the sweetness intact. After about a day, you’ll notice little bubbles appearing at the surface of the jar. Open the jar, spoon out a berry and taste it. If it tastes tart and faintly effervescent then they are done.  Recipe Card Your feedback is valuable If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you come back and gave it 5 stars! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post.  Frequently Asked Questions Why do you need a sweetener? When you add a sweetener to fruits and berries it helps to speed up the fermentation process. It also proves a source of carbohydrates for the beneficial bacteria which you want to cultivate.The sugars that remain after fermentation gives the berries a wonderful sweetness to balance their tartness. Lacto fermented red currants are quite tart, which I personally don’t mind. But we want our children and the rest of the family to eat this healthy food, so the sweetener helps. Can you use honey as a sweetener? Yes, honey is antimicrobial because it has a low water content and ferments just fine. The addition of a sweetener in this recipe for fermented berries helps, like the starter culture to speed up fermentation by providing a source of carbohydrates for the beneficial bacteria you’re hoping to cultivate. The sugars that remain after fermentation give the berries a wonderful sweetness to balance their tartness. How long can you store Lacto-fermented Red currant berries? Lacto-fermented berries should be stored

Homemade Pineapple Jam (with or without Pectin )

Ingredients Cooking Instructions Jump to Recipe Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Home I love making jams literally out of our berries and fruit harvest. The best way to preserve fruits long term without refrigeration is with sugar. Pineapple Jam is an easy way to preserve tropical fruits like pineapple to enjoy all year round. This homemade pineapple jam fits the bill for many reasons. Its perfect on sandwiches, toast and great as an ice cream topping too. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits, I use this tropical fruit in many ways. The best is to eat it fresh as they don’t last that long at room temperature. At best, the flavor of ripe pineapple remains only for a few hours in the refrigerator. So the best way to preserve any fruit’s flavor to last longer is to make fruit preserves with sugar. I make jams and jelly from almost any fruit I have. My mother used to make jams with tomatoes and sour gooseberries too. Granted Pineapple is not native in Europe, but due to modern transportation from afar, we are able to get them in our supermarkets easily today. Although, I prefer locally grown fruits and produce, sometimes I break this rule and indulge myself once in a way. Jams and jellies are top on my food preservation list during the summer months. In addition to preserving our fruit harvest, they also make great handmade gifts. I love to add jams and other preserves into my Christmas gift basket. Table of Contents How to Make Homemade Pineapple Jam? Ingredients List For Recipe without Pectin 3 cups of chopped and crushed pineapple after peeling and coring 1 1/2 cups of sugar ( if you want jam without pectin) For Recipe with pectin sugar 3 cups of crushed pineapple 2 cups of pectin sugar if you want it sweeter you can add same quantity as that of the fruit. Reduce sugar if the pineapple is ripe and sweet. Measurement with weight 500 gm of crushed pineapple 250 gm of pectin sugar Tools you may need Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more Silicone Canning Jar Lifter and Funnel Sterilized glass jars Making pineapple jam isn’t all that different from making any other homemade fruit jam. As with other jams, you have to prep the fruit and then cook the pineapple in sugar until it thickens.   There are 2 ways to make jam i.e. with or without pectin. Well a lot depends on the pectin content of the fruit. Pineapples don’t have much natural pectin, but they still thicken up nicely due to the fiber when cooked. If you want to make pineapple jam without pectin the flavor is stronger, concentrated and sweeter too. This is technically called a fruit preserve, because jams need pectin. The basic method to make pineapple jam without pectin, is to use 1 part sugar to every 2 parts of fruit.   Preparing Pineapple for making Jam For making homemade pineapple jam, you can either use fresh and ripe pineapples or from the tin. Tinned pineapple does not have much flavor and has a strange metallic taste to it. How to cut fresh Pineapple? Cut the green crown part and the bottom part a little. Next halve the pineapple and then slice of the peel. Its easier to peel that way and you can easily remove the thorns too. Next remove the core of the pineapple and then cut into smaller cubes. Then place the chopped pineapple in a food processor and pulse for 2 or 3 pulses, till its fine but not completely pureed. Instructions I have a rule of thumb for all my jams recipes and its really very simple. Hence, I will not make it complicated and by following this method you will have a jam for many months that has a long shelf life.   Mix the crushed fruit and sugar in a heavy bottom pot and cook between medium to high heat. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid it getting burnt. Thicken the fruit and sugar mixture, this takes about 20 to 25 minutes, depending on the quantity you are making. If you make the jam with pectin sugar, the process is faster. Once the bubbles change from boiling, it will attain a glossy sheen and texture when it is finished. I usually do a plate test to confirm that its ready. Place a plate in the freezer and drop a little of the jam and tilt it. If it sets then its ready for bottling. Fill the jams in hot and dry sterilized glass jars by placing the hot jars on a tea towel or a wooden board. Leave about 1/2 cm space and wipe the rims of the jar before closing the lid tightly. Cool it, and a vacuum will be formed after several hours, you will hear the lid popping which means it sealed well. A nicely vacuum sealed jam will last up to a year or even more. I have jams which lasted even 2 years in our cellar. Once you open the jam jar store it in the refrigerator. Serving Suggestions Hot Pepper Jelly is incredibly versatile and can be used in numerous ways: Cheese Platters: Serve with cream cheese or goat cheese on crackers for a delightful appetizer.Glaze: Use as a glaze for grilled stuff.Sandwich Spread: Add to sandwiches or burgers for a sweet and spicy kick.Condiment: Use as a dip for spring rolls.Breakfast: Spread on toast, bagels, or scones for a sweet and spicy breakfast treat. Tips to make Pineapple Jam without Pectin If you choose to make pineapple jam without pectin and want more quantity, then add 2:3 sugar to fruit proportion. Which means you add

Lacto Fermented Tomato Pickles Recipe

This Lacto Fermented Tomato Pickles Recipe with basil and garlic is easy to make with any kind of tomatoes. The lacto-fermentation process are rich in probiotics and are good for gut health.

Pickled Green Tomato Salad

Serve these delicious and flavor packed pickled green tomato salad as a side dish or as a topping for your breads. The best recipe to use all those unripe tomatoes which do not get ripe by autumn.

Red Currant Syrup Recipe

Red Currant Syrup recipe is easy to make and another way to use up your red currant harvest. The syrup or cordial as its known makes a tasty refreshing drink. Learn how to make this delicious syrup at home with a minimum of ingredients, effort and tools. It is that easy to make plus you get to enjoy your garden harvest even in winter.

6 Easy Homemade Jam Recipes

Summer is the time of abundance for seasonal fruits and berries. In this post, I am sharing with you my 6 easy homemade jam recipes that you can prepare easily.