What are you harvesting?
Re: What are you harvesting?
Got dragged up to the allotment to do some 'boy jobs', the allotment has been a bit neglected this year but she got a ginagerous courgette, some broad beans and rhubarb. We'll be heading back a bit more frequently to get it rehabilitated for next year.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I just picked another 6lbs of French beans. 
Some I have frozen already, the rest I'm going to pickle. Apparently we might get a frost next week 
Some I have frozen already, the rest I'm going to pickle. Apparently we might get a frost next week Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain~anon
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Jamesey1981
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:46 pm
- Location: A Postbox on Baker Street.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I've been picking apples again today, my tree is probably eighty years old so I get a lot!
Have another dehydrator load drying, a big pan stewing down for apple sauce to go with my morning granola and a Dorset apple cake in the oven, (I posted the recipe on here somewhere the other day but if anyone wants it let me know and I'll PM it to you.)
Have another dehydrator load drying, a big pan stewing down for apple sauce to go with my morning granola and a Dorset apple cake in the oven, (I posted the recipe on here somewhere the other day but if anyone wants it let me know and I'll PM it to you.)
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I do miss my apple trees.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain~anon
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Jamesey1981
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:46 pm
- Location: A Postbox on Baker Street.
Re: What are you harvesting?
There's a lot growing feral near me, (and one crab apple) I would guess that fifty years or so ago someone slung their apple core into the long grass and they grew from there, really handy actually as they're a different variety to mine and are ready a few weeks earlier.
I made some apple infused vodka as well, that got filtered and bottled today, going to make my first apple martini out of it later to give it a test.
Edit: I have an apple martini now and it's rather nice, I'll infuse some more vodka!
I made some apple infused vodka as well, that got filtered and bottled today, going to make my first apple martini out of it later to give it a test.
Edit: I have an apple martini now and it's rather nice, I'll infuse some more vodka!
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
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Ahastyatom
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:26 pm
Re: What are you harvesting?
Hi Jamesey, how do you make your Apple infused vodka?Jamesey1981 wrote:
I made some apple infused vodka as well, that got filtered and bottled today, going to make my first apple martini out of it later to give it a test.
Edit: I have an apple martini now and it's rather nice, I'll infuse some more vodka!
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Jamesey1981
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:46 pm
- Location: A Postbox on Baker Street.
Re: What are you harvesting?
It's actually dead easy, you need a bottle of vodka, don't use the really cheap stuff as it's really harsh but it doesn't need to be anything special, standard Smirnoff is perfect as it's fairly smooth and doesn't really have a flavour of its own.
Two thirds fill some jars with a good airtight seal with chopped apple, I did it in about half inch cubes, no need to peel but give them a wash and discard the cores.
Pour on the vodka making sure there's enough to cover the apples, although they will float, seal the jar and give it a good shake.
Leave it on a shelf, giving it a shake every day for a while, how long you leave it depends on your variety of apples and how many you have in it, I tasted mine after three weeks and it had a nice apple flavour and a pale amber colour to it, so I ran it through a coffee filter paper and put it back into the bottle.
The apples will oxidise and go brown, that doesn't matter.
Then fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and a martini glass with ice cubes to cool it, tip a double shot of apple vodka into your shaker, a single shot of vermouth, shake it until your hand feels like it's going to freeze, you'll get to know the sound when it's ready, it changes slightly but it's not critical, it comes with practice but as long as your cocktail is chilled and slightly diluted by the ice it'll be nice, dump the ice out of the martini glass and strain the cocktail into it, garnish with some dried or fresh apple and you have an apple martini.
Two thirds fill some jars with a good airtight seal with chopped apple, I did it in about half inch cubes, no need to peel but give them a wash and discard the cores.
Pour on the vodka making sure there's enough to cover the apples, although they will float, seal the jar and give it a good shake.
Leave it on a shelf, giving it a shake every day for a while, how long you leave it depends on your variety of apples and how many you have in it, I tasted mine after three weeks and it had a nice apple flavour and a pale amber colour to it, so I ran it through a coffee filter paper and put it back into the bottle.
The apples will oxidise and go brown, that doesn't matter.
Then fill a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and a martini glass with ice cubes to cool it, tip a double shot of apple vodka into your shaker, a single shot of vermouth, shake it until your hand feels like it's going to freeze, you'll get to know the sound when it's ready, it changes slightly but it's not critical, it comes with practice but as long as your cocktail is chilled and slightly diluted by the ice it'll be nice, dump the ice out of the martini glass and strain the cocktail into it, garnish with some dried or fresh apple and you have an apple martini.
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I made Cranberry Vodka once.....it tasted just like fruit juice, the alcohol was barely discernable, as a result I got carried away and I lost the ability to walk and talk. 
Lesson learned.
Lesson learned.
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain~anon
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Jamesey1981
- Posts: 983
- Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 11:46 pm
- Location: A Postbox on Baker Street.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I've never made cranberry vodka, sounds good though, I like cranberrries.
You can definitely still taste the alcohol in this apple vodka, the apple flavour is quite subtle, nothing like the fluorescent green apple drinks that you can buy and taste like liquid haribo.
Subtle or not though it's lovely in the martini I mentioned and I reckon it would be good in any cocktail that's spirit heavy, chuck it in with a load of fruit juice and it would get lost.
You can also infuse a cinnamon stick with the apples which would give a kind of apple pie flavour, but I think that would need a touch of sugar and would be nicer as it is rather than in a martini, I like martini so I left it out.
You can definitely still taste the alcohol in this apple vodka, the apple flavour is quite subtle, nothing like the fluorescent green apple drinks that you can buy and taste like liquid haribo.
Subtle or not though it's lovely in the martini I mentioned and I reckon it would be good in any cocktail that's spirit heavy, chuck it in with a load of fruit juice and it would get lost.
You can also infuse a cinnamon stick with the apples which would give a kind of apple pie flavour, but I think that would need a touch of sugar and would be nicer as it is rather than in a martini, I like martini so I left it out.
That is not dead which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.
Re: What are you harvesting?
I'm digging the notion of post apocalypse cocktails. 
We need names for them. 
We need names for them.