I love Alexanders – smyrnium olusatrum. They are one of my favourite spring foragables. Driving around the countryside here on the Isle of Wight they suddenly pop up, lining the streets of parts of the Island from early March. We use the thin stems for a sautéed snack or side, the thicker stems for candying, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2023/04/24/candied-alexander-stems/
Magnolia flowers…. we’ve been eating a lot of them lately, between Magnolia Flower Pickle and Chocolate Dipped Magnolia Flowers and this amazing Magnolia Flower Drizzle. We’re two weeks into official spring and we’ve already finished off two of these beauties!
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2023/03/23/magnolia-flower-drizzle/
I’m on a bit of a Magnolia Flower binge at the moment – it’s understandable, they’re only buds for a short time and our weather is so changeable right now, you’ve got to ‘gather your rosebuds magnolias while you may’! Today’s foodie choice is magnolia flower pickle, which means we can enjoy them well into …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2023/03/13/magnolia-flower-pickle/
I’m always really excited when I find a fig tree – like something in me forgets that I live in England now, and I’ve yet to pick a ripe fig from a tree – even here in the very South of England. Fortunately a South African friend of mine invited me round to her house …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2022/06/05/green-fig-preserve/
While I use frozen fruit, it’s not a favourite as I don’t always like the consistency once it defrosts. A great way to save fruit for the winter months is by freezing it though, so rather than just saving as is, I’ve made strawberries to freeze in a syrup, so that when they are defrosted, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2014/06/19/strawberries-in-cardamom-or-vanilla-syrup/
I took the children fruit picking and foraging this week and we had a fantastic haul, certainly more than we could eat, so I made beautiful fresh Strawberry and Elderflower jam. In the Thermomix it’s such a simple recipe too – no thermometer required. I love this recipe! Strawberry Elderflower Jam Recipe Print …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2014/06/19/strawberry-elderflower-jam-recipe/
Autumn bounty includes Damsons in the UK, and the trees are laden with them. People can’t get rid of them fast enough. The problem with damsons is that unlike, say, blackberries, you can’t eat them raw, so they often go unappreciated till they fall to the ground. My daughter came home from a walk in …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2013/10/13/damson-jam-damson-jelly-recipe/
Around this time of year, the apple trees are laden with juicy, lovely fruit, just waiting to be picked. A few years ago we lived in a house with a huge apple tree in the centre of the yard, and I learned to make apple-everything! I’ve missed this beautiful apple chutney since then, but where …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2013/09/26/awesome-autumn-apple-chutney-recipe/
It’s been a beautiful summer, and I’ve focused largely on my children, and very little on anything else, including these pages. I’ve often taken a photo of things, thinking I’d publish them when I have a moment, and that moment has just never come, and here we are, just in time for autumn. Nature is …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.keeperofthekitchen.com/2013/09/20/blackberry-jam-blackberry-jelly/
