Tomato Chilli Pickles

Our 2 tomato plants produced thousands of kilograms of fruit this season!
(Black Russian & Green Zebra).
As I write this, one week out from the beginning of winter, I have just
plucked the last tomatoes from the vine and it's STILL making flowers!
Psycho tomato.

Another Sally Wise recipe.
She's a pretty potent brew!
In the whizzer is a mix of garlic, ginger and mustard seeds.
It dissolved the little smelling hairs in my nose!

As an afternoon snack, I am a bit partial to cheese and bickies.
You can keep your fancy schmancy water crackers and stinky smelly cheeses,
give me good old Jatz crackers and cheddar cheese and some pickles and I'm happy.
I remember as a kid in the 70's when Mum and Dad had people drop by for drinks in the afternoon,
Mum always made a plate of Jatz and cheese and cocktail onions
- sometimes we even had the green cocktail onions - fancy.
Oh yeah - and stuffed pimento olives.
I can't buy Jatz down here in Victoria.
I can only get Savoys or Ritz (errr - shudder).
Anyway.....
these pickles are superb on my cheese and bickies.

Photos: March & May, 2011

Green Apple Jelly

Lots of apples on the two trees at Pendlebury Hill.
And these are just the Granny Smiths - there are 5 other varieties.

I've never cooked with apples before - so this is my first go!
AND - I've never tasted Apple Jelly before.
Green Apple Jelly can be used in other jams as a pectin base for fruits
that don't have too much - like strawberries or cherries.
But I'm not too sure how much will end up in other jams coz it is
DE-LISH-US!
Why didn't anybody ever tell me how good Apple Jelly is?!!
And why don't you hear more about Apple Jelly?

It's super easy to make - and coz Christine Ferber is French it feels kinda fancy.

I'm so glad I lashed out and spent $8.95 for a confectionery thermometer coz without I would have taken the mixture off the stove too early - it took a good 5 minutes more than I would have given it to reach the correct temperature - that is, at which it would set.

It's the prettiest colour.
Like pink champagne.
I love it on toasted fruit muffins with salty butter.
Drool.

Photos: Home - April, 2011