Recipes ?
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cordials are also little candies - 'cherry cordials' are little hollow chocolates filled with a cherry in some sweet liquid. they're vile.
Yeah, I saw those, and they are what I expected. Chocolates full of cordial ( sweep syrup ). Here, we put brandy in those.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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My grand-ma makes syrup, only I can't reach her right now. Her syrup stays good for a year, but be prepared: She adds quite a large amount of sugar, that's what keeps the syrup good. Also she uses some kind of technique to vacuum the bottles. Once you open the bottle the clock starts ticking and it will indeed only stay good for a couple of weeks. Hope I did help you in the right direction.. Don't you have a grand-ma that makes syrup and jam?
WM. What about weapons of mass-construction?
IIRC you need at least 50% sugar to avoid other preservatives. (Might even be more)
WillemM wrote:
Also she uses some kind of technique to vacuum the bottles.
for glasses with glass/metal screw-on cover, you use alcohol: a few drops on the inside of the lid, ignite it with a match, screw on quickly. Grandma di make the bottles hot and very full, and used rubber lids on them. I guess the idea is to have a lower air pressure inside, thus the outer air pressure pushing the rubber tihtly against the bottle.
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Christian Graus wrote:
We make jam, and it keeps for over a year.
Do you can it though? It's one thing if it's hermetically sealed, quite another if it's sitting in your fridge, being opened every day.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
It's in jars, yes. You're saying if I follow the same procedure for the cordial, it will probably keep ? I guess so. My mother in law does those, so I don't know what's involved. I assumed all the sugar was acting as a preservative.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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leckey wrote:
We bought one of those food vaccuum things so stuff keeps longer in the freezer. I haven't seen any freezer burn since.
If you take a freezer bag (Ziplock-style, thick plastic), fill it with food, and submerge it in water before sealing it, it'll usually push most of the air out, and will keep fairly well. I do this frequently for vegetables and meat, as well as apples.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
But, then you haven't BOUGHT anything !!! That's a cool idea, thanks.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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I think if you aren't preserving something naturally acidic eg, tomatoes, or adding vinegar (like to make pickle) then you have to vacuum seal it or something, you can't just put it in a jar. But if you made jam already, then you already know how to safely preserve non-acidic things, so I guess you have to do it a similar way. I only vaguely remember what the preserving book was talking about. Cordial can be made out of fruits or whatever without being that crap stuff you get from supermarkets and mix up with water to create hyper-active children. Because you can buy elder-berry cordial and so on, which has no alcohol, but is similar in that you mix it with water. I imagine it still has a fair amount of sugar, and I don't know how you'd concentrate the flavour in that way. Except, since you are asking about cordials you presumably actually already know what it is... Presuming you don't have a massive freezer (cos then I'd mostly just freeze them and eat them later - well, the raspberries at least) I can't actually think of anything useful though.
"Your typical day is full of moments where you ask for a cup of coffee and someone hands you a bag of nails."
standgale wrote:
I imagine it still has a fair amount of sugar, and I don't know how you'd concentrate the flavour in that way
You boil it, which I assume reduces it.
standgale wrote:
Presuming you don't have a massive freezer
I have four :-) But, three are off right now, and I'd like to avoid using them, if I can.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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IIRC you need at least 50% sugar to avoid other preservatives. (Might even be more)
WillemM wrote:
Also she uses some kind of technique to vacuum the bottles.
for glasses with glass/metal screw-on cover, you use alcohol: a few drops on the inside of the lid, ignite it with a match, screw on quickly. Grandma di make the bottles hot and very full, and used rubber lids on them. I guess the idea is to have a lower air pressure inside, thus the outer air pressure pushing the rubber tihtly against the bottle.
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Linkify!|Fold With Us!peterchen wrote:
Grandma di make the bottles hot and very full, and used rubber lids on them. I guess the idea is to have a lower air pressure inside, thus the outer air pressure pushing the rubber tihtly against the bottle.
If you screw the tops on loosely and then sink the jars in hot water, it'll cause the small amount of air to expand. Tighten the tops, let 'em cool, and you have a cheap & easy vacuum seal. A pressure canner can be used to get a bit closer to a vacuum for foods that are not very resistant to spoilage otherwise.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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My grand-ma makes syrup, only I can't reach her right now. Her syrup stays good for a year, but be prepared: She adds quite a large amount of sugar, that's what keeps the syrup good. Also she uses some kind of technique to vacuum the bottles. Once you open the bottle the clock starts ticking and it will indeed only stay good for a couple of weeks. Hope I did help you in the right direction.. Don't you have a grand-ma that makes syrup and jam?
WM. What about weapons of mass-construction?
Yes, that sounds great. If you can reach her and post a recipe, I'd be very appreciative.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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It's in jars, yes. You're saying if I follow the same procedure for the cordial, it will probably keep ? I guess so. My mother in law does those, so I don't know what's involved. I assumed all the sugar was acting as a preservative.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
Christian Graus wrote:
You're saying if I follow the same procedure for the cordial, it will probably keep ?
Yeah. Depending on the sugar content, you'll want to either use a hot water bath or pressure canner to seal them. And, of course, sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water prior to filling them. I've kept jam and juice in pressure-sealed jars for years with no problems.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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But, then you haven't BOUGHT anything !!! That's a cool idea, thanks.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
I've also made use of a drinking straw to suck air out of bags. Don't do this with raw meat though.
---- I just want you to be happy; That's my only little wish...
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OK, so I am drowning in raspberries and strawberries, and I want to make topping and cordial, for use in winter. I've googled and all the recipes for cordial have vodka in them ( does the word mean something different in the US ? ) and all the 'syrup' recipes say it keeps for 6 weeks in the fridge. I want it to keep on the shelf for a year. Does anyone have any suggestions ?
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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Ta.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
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OK, so I am drowning in raspberries and strawberries, and I want to make topping and cordial, for use in winter. I've googled and all the recipes for cordial have vodka in them ( does the word mean something different in the US ? ) and all the 'syrup' recipes say it keeps for 6 weeks in the fridge. I want it to keep on the shelf for a year. Does anyone have any suggestions ?
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
you could send your excess fruit to me:-D the reason commercial cordials last well on the shelf is a) the amount of sugar they use, b) their use of vacuum sealed containers and c) the preservatives therein. Have a look on a bottle to see what they use, food additives can be purchased at various places, such as restaurant supply services. failing that give your excess fruit to the Salvo's or st vinnies.
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It's in jars, yes. You're saying if I follow the same procedure for the cordial, it will probably keep ? I guess so. My mother in law does those, so I don't know what's involved. I assumed all the sugar was acting as a preservative.
Christian Graus - C++ MVP 'Why don't we jump on a fad that hasn't already been widely discredited ?' - Dilbert
I don't think sugar is a good preservative, but that the boiling kills of bacteria, hence the importance of proper canning immediately after boiling.
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I don't think sugar is a good preservative, but that the boiling kills of bacteria, hence the importance of proper canning immediately after boiling.
Brady Kelly wrote:
I don't think sugar is a good preservative
Lots of sugar is a good preservative. The concentrated sugar solution draws out the liquids inside a cell so that any organism that falls into it is dried out. Small quantities of sugar on the other hand is a growrh medium for bacteria.
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Brady Kelly wrote:
I don't think sugar is a good preservative
Lots of sugar is a good preservative. The concentrated sugar solution draws out the liquids inside a cell so that any organism that falls into it is dried out. Small quantities of sugar on the other hand is a growrh medium for bacteria.
Aha, thanks for clearing that up. I've often heard that it's best not to raise one's blood sugar too much when bacterial infection is a concern, but I don't suppose it's feasible to raise blood sugar to those concentrations.