Reader recipes: Preserves

Congrats to Bite reader Susan Godinet who won a $100 Milly's Kitchen voucher and a box of Vintage Harvest tomatoes in our recent preserving competition.

Susan has been making her zucchini pickle ever since being gifted three jars of it as a farewell present from a friend. Two of the jars never made it home: they were eaten en route, devoured with Christmas ham and crusty bread. The third jar was eaten the next day!

Below are the recipes from our two runners-up as well: Maureen Skinner’s cucumber relish and Jan Agar’s DB’s relish.

There were loads of other great recipes too, and we share some below. All are delicious ways to keep the flavours of seasonal produce alive throughout the year. Please note, these are readers' recipes and apart from the three winning ones, they have not been tested by Bite.

Enjoy, and join us on our next reader recipe competition.

Susan Godinet's zucchini pickle

1.8kg zucchini
500g onions
½ cup salt
4 cups cider vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)
2 cups sugar
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp dry mustard

1. Slice zucchini and onion thinly. Cover with water and the salt and leave for 1 hour then drain and let drip for about 15 minutes then place in a saucepan.
2. Boil together the rest of the ingredients, pour over the zucchini and onion and stand for 1 hour.
3. Place over a medium heat, bring to the boil and boil for 4 minutes.
4. Bottle in hot jars.

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Jan Agar's cucumber relish

2 large cucumbers, pelled and roughly chopped
2 green apples (any tart apple will work), peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 tsp salt
3 cups malt vinegar
2 cups sugar
¼ tsp dry mustard powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole allspice
1 Tbsp cornflour
1 tsp curry powder (extra)

1. Put chopped cucumber, apple, onion and capsicums in a blender, about 1 cup at a time, and blend a few seconds until chopped to fairly small pieces. Add grated carrot. Put all veges in a large bowl, add salt, cover and stand overnight.
2. Next day put veges and their liquid in large saucepan, simmer uncovered over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Add 2½ cups of the vinegar and the sugar. Put dry mustard, cayenne, 2 teaspoons of the curry powder, cloves and allspice in small muslin or cheesecloth bag and add to the saucepan. Stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat, bring to boil uncovered, and stir occasionally for 20 minutes. Remove muslin bag.
4. Mix cornflour to a smooth paste with remaining ½ cup vinegar, add to mixture with the remaining 1 teaspoon curry powder. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly. Reduce heat, simmer gently uncovered 25 minutes or until thick.

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Maureen Skinners’s DB’s relish

2kg tomatoes, skinned and chopped
4 large onions, chopped
375ml malt vinegar
500g sugar
2 Tbsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp mustard powder
2 Tbsp cornflour

1. Boil all together for one hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Thicken with the cornflour mixed with a little water.
3. Bottle in sterilised jars and seal.

Maureen's tip

Edmonds Cookbook recommends that relish and chutney jars are not sealed until they are cold (while jams are sealed when hot).

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Cashmere chutney

Kate Gable’s Cashmere chutney recipe was given to her in London by a friend who had grown up in India through the 1960s and 70s. It’s a kind of fusion recipe, Kate says, that was adapted by ex-pats there. Other fruits may be substituted for apricots. The chutney pairs well with cheese, especially creamy blue types, cheddar and camembert, as well as being a delicious accompaniment to cold meats.

1½ kg ripe apricots, stones removed, flesh chopped
2 cups brown sugar
2 apples, cored and grated
300g sultanas
200g dates, chopped
1 banana, mashed
150g crystallised ginger, chopped
500g onions, finely chopped
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp mustard powder
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
2 cups white wine vinegar

1. Put all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
2. Bring slowly to boiling point then simmer for as long as it takes, perhaps up to two hours, until it is a rich brown and all ingredients are well cooked down into a chutney consistency.
3. Bottle into sterilised jars and seal.

Strawberry and cranberry jam

The major problem with regular strawberry jam, Rod Lyons says, is that if you add enough sugar to set it, the jam becomes sickly sweet which masks the flavour of the berries and is not good for those who border on diabetes. His recipe tries to address those issues by the addition of those berries which are crammed with pectin – cranberries. Makes 6-8 jars

2kg strawberries, frozen are fine
300g cranberries
750g caster sugar
¼ cup lemon juice

1. Crush strawberries and cranberries, add sugar and lemon juice and let stand for a couple of hours.
2. Heat gently while stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved and then bring to a rapid boil until it skims when tested on a cold plate.

Morroccan peach chutney

Fritha Parkes says her simply made, but richly flavoured, chutney is perfect as part of a ploughman’s lunch with cheeses, cold meats and bread and is also fantastic as a side dish with any Indian curry. Makes about 2½ litres

1kg peaches, unpeeled, pitted and chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3½ cups spiced vinegar
3 Tbsp peeled and grated root ginger
1 cup chopped and pitted prunes
1 cup chopped dried apricots
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1kg brown sugar
1 Tbsp salt

1. Put all ingredients into a 5-litre stock pot.
2. Cook for 1¼ hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thick and glossy.
3. Put into clean, sterilised jars.

McKellar’s fruit chutney

Joan Familton has named this chutney, which she says is similar to Branston pickle, after the family of a workmate who gave her his mother’s recipe. Joan plans to publish her recipes in a cookbook one day but meanwhile she says she keeps on adding more recipes to her pile. This chutney can be made hotter by adding more cayenne, if desired. A mix of peaches and nectarines can also be used. Great with cheese or cold meats.

1½ kg peaches or nectarines, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1kg brown sugar
500g raisins, choose large Australian sticky ones
500g dates, chopped
15g crushed garlic, add more if liked
1½ litres vinegar, more or less
115g preserved ginger, chopped
15g cayenne pepper, for a hotter version, increase cayenne and add chilli as well
50g salt

1. Cook fruit and garlic in the vinegar.
2. Add the other ingredients and boil until thick enough to bottle.
3. Cook's tip: I use jars with plastic lids. If using metal lids, cover top of jar with plastic wrap to stop vinegar corroding the metal.

Easy microwave plum jam

Judi Smith shares her yummy recipe. This recipe makes 2 small jars.

2 cups chopped plums, stones removed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp butter
1¾ cups sugar

1. Place all ingredients in a large bowl and microwave on high (100% power) for 5-6 minutes.
2. Stir and continue cooking until jam jells on a chilled saucer, about 9-11 minutes.
3. Pour into hot jars and seal.

Tamarillo chutney

Sharon Sorenson’s children always bring empty jars when they come home to be refilled with this tamarillo chutney. Great with cheese or cold meats and, Sharon says, it can even be eaten straight off the spoon!

1kg red tamarillos
500g apples
500g onions
500g brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1-1¼ cups malt vinegar

1. Blanch tamarillos in boiling water and remove skins. Chop flesh coarsely by hand.
2. Finely chop apples and onions, either by hand or in a food processor.
3. Add sugar, spices and seasonings. Stir in vinegar and boil gently for 1½hours until the mixture thickens to a desired consistency.
4. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Bottle in sterilised jars.

Rhubarb and fig jam

Karen Spencer’s jam recipe was given to her by her grandmother who grew all the ingredients on her property. She even dried her own figs to prolong their longevity.

500g prepared rhubarb
500g sugar
114g dried figs
½ cup water

1. Cut rhubarb into ¼ inch pieces, cover with sugar and let stand 24 hours.
2. Cup figs into small pieces and soak for 24 hours. Cook in water until soft.
3. Put all together in a pan and boil 10 minutes or until it sets. Pour into hot, sterilised jars and cover.