Marrow Chutney

This recipe has been copied from an old recipe note book belonging to my mother. As with all her recipes it seems to have evolved over the years. I will give you her changes and leave you to make your own mind up.

1. 2 firm marrows chunked , sprinkled with salt and left to stand overnight
2. 2 quarts of vinegar
3. 1lb lump sugar
4. 1oz turmeric
5. about 6 shallots
6. a few chillies to taste

Method :
Drain off liquid from the marrow. Mix  lump sugar, turmeric and shallots (though she hasn't written it, take it that they are chopped) and chillies in the vinegar ( again personally I'd leave the chillies whole) and boil for 10 minutes. Add marrow and boil for further 20 minutes and put into jars.

Again, though she hasn't written it I'd leave the chutney a while before eating. If I remember correctly it will keep for months though it was so delicious it never lasted long enough! Wonderful with Cornish Pasties straight from the oven.

1986: 4 lbs marrow, 12 small onions,2 pints vinegar, 8oz sugar,½ teaspoon chilli powder,1 level teaspoon ginger, 12 peppercorns,1oz turmeric.
1989:  1 marrow, 6 shallots, ½oz turmeric, 6 tsp curry powder, 2 pints vinegar,½lb sugar and chillies
1993: 5 lbs marrow,12 oz sugar, 6 chillies,½ teaspoon curry powder, 6 small onions, 1oz turmeric and cornflour to thicken it. Vinegar must be the same as before.
2002: 4 lbs marrow, 6 large shallots,6 birds eye chillies, teaspoon curry powder, 1oz turmeric, 2 pints vinegar, 12 peppercorns, 10oz sugar

Working from memory I think the chillies were left whole then removed before putting into jars. The marrow was always in ½"/ 2.5 cm chunks and never too soft to be unpleasant. How much was actually made in each batch I never knew but it was always in big Jam Jars or in earthenware brown jars.

All I can say is, do try it and 'make it your own'. It's a gorgeous golden colour due to the turmeric and spicy. Even marrow haters ought to try it.

What Does 'BPA Free' Mean?

BPA, or to give it it's full name Bisphenol A, is a chemical found in hard plastics and the internal coatings of food and drinks cans. BPA is used to make such things as water bottles, dental fillings, lenses for spectacles, DVDs and CDs, household electronic and sports equipment.

When food containers products such as Lock & Lock, OXO Good Grips POP Containers and Stewart Plastics state they are BPA free you can rest assured that you can use the food containers without risk.

Bisphenol A is an endocrine disruptor - a substance which interferes with
the production, secreetion, transport, action, function and elimination of natural hormones. The chemical behaves in a similar way to estrogen and other hormones in the human body.

To avoid exposure many consumer groups have advised not to eat
or drink from cans unless labelled BPA free . You should not microwave foods in plastic containers and not place plastic containers in the dishwasher or clean them with harsh detergents if you are in any way doubtful about them.

For more details on BPA there are many useful sites on the Web.

Strawberry Jam Making

Having had a go at making strawberry jam for the last 2 years I've discovered that the one vital ingredient for success is patience not just strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.

I've looked at 3 recipes and they are all different. The recipe from a 1950s book gives the ingredients as 4lb strawberries, juice of 4 lemons and 3½lb preserving sugar. The Good Housekeeping Cookbook (1972) states 3½lb strawberries, 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 3 lb sugar (no mention of it being preserving sugar). The Queen of Cooks - Delia Smith - lists 4lb slightly under-ripe strawberries, 3lb sugar and the juice of 2 large lemons. 

It may be a case of averaging out the ingredients, adding more lemon juice and sugar if required. The main thing is to not lose patience with the boiling process - the 1950s book states about 15 minutes, Delia suggests around 8. The thing to do is keep at it until the jam sets on a cold saucer!

You'll also need jars, a decent maslin (jam pan) pan and some labels. Home Made Strawberry jam will keep for ages and make a lovely present if you make your own covers.

If you have a failure don't despair. Runny strawberry jam is wonderful on top of ice cream!

2014 update. Tried again this year and discovered a trick Wait until the colour of the jam changes from bright red to a deep ruby red colour and it's ready! So much easier than constantly testing. It took a good 30 minutes+ to achieve the colour.