The Good Life: Summer's transition into Autumn

Thick fleshy plate of the back of a giant sunflower

Despite the glorious sunny spells in the past few weeks, Autumn has arrived. The shortening daylight hours, and the crisp cool air in the mornings signal the unmistakable arrival of the third season. The pumpkins have become enormous and the patissons have begun to fruit and flower. Aging sunflowers have shed their bright yellow petals the their large heavy heads are beginning to droop. Corinne's blueberry bush is laden with fat juicy tart berries which are delicious to eat along with our little crop of alpine strawberries. Harry has transformed the tomato plants, which I had allowed to grow a little wild. He has ruthlessly pruned them, and in doing so, he has preserved a decent crop of tomatoes and hopefully prevented a late attack of blight.

Glossy healthy yellow flowers herald the arrival of the patissons

While Corinne was away I decided to commence my jam and chutney production. We had hung and dried the crop of red onions for a number of weeks, and I was keen to make an onion jam having not done one the year before. After a little research I decided to modify a recipe which appears in "Forgotten Skills of Cooking" by Darina Allen at page 450. The ingredients and quantities set out in the recipe are as follows: 700g red onions, 25g butter, 140g sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper, 7 tablespoons of sherry vinegar and 250ml of a full bodied red wine. I used a Cote du Rhone for this recipe, and instead of adding 2 tablespoons of creme de cassis as suggested, I added the same quantity of the vin de noix, produced by Corinne's father from a Cote de Rhone base. Having spent some time shelling the dried mustard seed pods, it seemed appropriate to incorporate them into the recipe as well. I deemed two teaspoons of mustard seed to be adequate.

Once the onions have been peeled and chopped finely (I was not too fussy), they are sautéd in the bubbling butter with the sugar, salt and pepper. The pot is covered and left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes, or until the the onions have become tender and cooked. At this point the sherry vinegar, wine, vin de noix and mustard seed can be added. The melange can be left over a low flame for approximately 30 minutes. It is probably best to err on the side of caution and not reduce the jam too much. Once satisfied, this savoury jam can be spooned into hot sterile jars and sealed down, whereupon they should be stored in a dark, cool and dry place.

For the chutney I used a combination of recipes from a number of sources but ultimately relied upon my chief point of reference for chutneys; "The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys Handbook" by Marguerite Patten. There are some basic rules for chutney which I follow. The choice of vinegar is very important.  Along with being vital in the preservation process, the quality, acidity and flavour of the vinegar will dictate the ultimate flavour of a chutney. Sugar is also important for the preservation process but the choice of sugar will dictate the look or colour of a chutney. Many chutneys are too dark for my liking, and this may be a due to poor selection or combination of ingredients. Having said this one can use a malt vinegar and demerara sugar to produce a deep and richly flavoured fig and apple chutney, however for the following recipe I used Llewellyn's cider vinegar produced in Lusk, County Dublin, and a brown granulated sugar with two tablespoons of demerara sugar.

Having a number of large courgettes in the plot allowed me to produce an 'apple courgette and tomato' chutney, for which I used the following ingredients: 500g apples peeled cored and thinly sliced (grating the apple is also an option), 500g tomatoes skinned and chopped, 500g courgette or marrow peeled, seeded and copped in small cubes, 250g white onions finely chopped, 250g sultanas, 250g sugar plus two tablespoons of demerara sugar, 350ml cider vinegar and 150 ml water, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. I use a general pickling spice mix to put into a muslin bag to add flavour to a chutney, however in addition to my standard mix I included extra cloves, and five or six dried (nuclear) bird's eye chillies.

To make the chutney put all the ingredients, excluding the sugar, sultanas and seasoning into the preserving pan, i.e. one which is neither iron or aluminium. Simmer all the ingredients over a low heat until they are tender, stirring occasionally. For this recipe, I found it took approximately two hours before the apple and courgette became tender. If the sugar is incorporated too early the apple and courgette may not become tender. After adding the sugar and sultanas and seasoning, I continued to gently stir the chutney until the sugar had dissolved and left the chutney to simmer over a low flame gently for a further 45 minutes. After lifting out the muslin spice bag, the chutney was spooned into hot sterile jars and sealing down. A chutney should be stored for a minimum two months before use, whereupon all the flavours and spices will have infused.

As September approaches and my principal source of apples come into season I have been foraging around trying to find a good supply of rose hips for a rose hip and apple jelly. Early this morning I caught a glimpse of a wild thorny bush covered is red and orange rose hips which should be perfect for picking when I commence collecting of the apples.

Rose hips from Rosa Canina or Dog Rose growing against a stone wall almost ready to be picked