Monthly Archives: October 2015

An Exciting Pear Preserve

Pears mulled in cider River Cottage recipe

A deliciously gorgeous sight: pears mulled in cider

A few weeks ago some neighbours kindly invited us to help ourselves to pears from their tree. When we got to their garden we discovered that they actually had several pear trees and they encouraged us to take far more than would keep fresh. Clearly a method of preservation was in order. I had something in mind, something which I had seen in the always inspiring River Cottage Handbook on Preserves. But when our neighbour informed us that it hadn’t been a particularly good year for her Conference pears, and that they were mostly small and woody, my mind was…

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How to Salt Runner Beans

How to Salt Runner Beans

Layers of chopped runner beans separated by layers of salt.

Salting runner beans is the traditional method of preservation for this staple crop from the legume bed. Although this process is uncommon these days, it still has its merits to those of us who grow more runner beans that we wish to consume over the summer months. It’s not particularly time consuming, and it allows us to preserve our produce without taking up valuable freezer space. Read on to learn how to salt runner beans. 1. Sterilise a large jar and lid, then add some salt to create a thin layer about 5mm (0.2 in) thick. 2. Chop some runner…

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