Modified Vegetables.......

Good work!
Will be making some green tomato chutney myself soon - I have a load that wont ripen before the frosts come...

I know you are a man who recycles so if you do plan on getting a fig tree get an old SS washing machine drum so you have one handy to plant the root ball in - stops the roots expanding and encourages growth above ground rather than under it - fruit is only above ground

So in 2015 I left the green figs on the tree as an experiment to see if they would continue to grow the following year - they didn't - Leaving them meant that the fig tree didn't get a prune so it dominated our small garden this year. It did however provide Mrs BC with one or two ripe figs per day and our local bird population with at least one or two a week so everyone was happy.

So this weekend it got a heavy prune and as a result I harvested a few green figs (yeah just a few)

This is a 35 litre builders bucket



Now we had very few green tomatoes this year so no chutney this time - Preserved Green Figs is what I intend to make (great with ice cream or even as a very chunky jam on crusty bread) - I'd done a small batch - back in 2013 - 5 jars as I was unsure if anyone would like them - I should have done more as they were really nice

Now the first stage of the process is a bit smelly - it's not unpleasant but it does hang about so I set up an outside cooking/preparation area



Now it took me best part of 3 hours to prepare all the figs and I started cooking once I had the first saucepan full

Preparation is simple

Cut off the stalk and notch the stalk end with a cross - bit like brussell sprouts so practice for Xmas

Wear good rubber gloves as the white latex like substance is sticky and will also irritate your skin



Then once a pan full is prepared - rinse a couple of times with cold water to remove the latex (milky solution means another rinse required)

Then a bit of cooking





Now this is thirsty work and I'd finished with tea so it must be beer o'clock - a suitable matching refreshment was selected (label being same green)



They don't need initial cooking for long 30 mins is plenty for first stage



However darkness fell so last batch picture was this



Drain off the figs and cool down and leave overnight in cold water



I'd bought some jars......



I think I might need more

That looks good. There's a fig tree that overhangs my balcony, we've had a few figs from that and they were pretty good.

Start a new movement... Eat more figs!

Oh and the secret weapon for Stuffing jars cleanly and easily is a plastic funnel trimmed open to fit in the jar mouth - it's at the back of one of the pictures - I never think to take a picture as I'm filling the jars as I like to get them filled and shut quickly......

So resolved that below



So now all finished



16 jars of Batch 1

16 Jars of Batch 2

11 Jars of Fig Marmalade

23 Jars of Batch 3 (leftovers or lucky dip flavour)

Bets on which one is going to taste best....... (my money is on Batch 4 - it's always the way it works out when you don't have a list of ingredients and qty to fall back on to re-create it)

Now labelled so I don't forget what they are







Thanks for following

Give most of them away to family and friends

I'd never imagined myself as in South Norfolk, I know I'm not West Norfolk either

Anyway that's another issue - clearly you want some jars but they don't post well - if you are ever passing this way give me a shout

My moto is not to waste anything if possible

you can make great chutney with gardners delight

Much as Jamie Oliver winds me up this would be great with a chilli kick

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/member-recipes/recipe-detail/3209/

Yeah it was tasty the last batch i made, just need more tomatos!

So i can use gardeners delight that are still green then?