Checking our preserves reserves

As part of the early spring cleaning in the kitchen I usually check what chutneys and preserves we have in the cupboard. It gives me a chance to see what we have left and to move older jars to the front of the shelves for immediate consumption. This year we are doing rather well, although we are getting through the four fruit marmalade I made from oranges, lemon, lime and grapefruit in January this year. 

From 2015 we still have: 

• Tomato and red pepper relish
• Spiced tomato relish
• Spiced marrow/courgette and bean chutney
• Glutney chutney (based on a Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall recipe)
• Piccalilli (Waitrose recipe http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/p/piccalilli.html)
• Piccalilli (Hairy Bikers recipe http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hot_mustard_pickle_87973)

From 2014 I discovered lurking at the back of the cupboard:

• Rowan, rose hip, hawthorn and apple jelly 
• Spiced blackberry and apple jam
• Spiced damson chutney - 2014 was a bumper year for damsons, which was just as well as 2015 was rather disappointing. 

Supplies should last until production starts again later this year! 

Chutneys and piccalilli

Some of my spiced chutneys and piccalilli made last year from produce from our own garden and foraging. From left to right: spiced marrow and bean chutney; spiced damson; hot chilli and tomato relish; piccalilli. The flavours have definitely merged and matured over the past few months but I think I overdid the onion seed in the marrow chutney. The hotness has leached into the chutney, which now has a hell of a kick to it!

We have enough jars of these and other chutneys to last well into the autumn when the next production cycle begins.

The bread is homemade sourdough, which I am now making on a regular basis. Every loaf is different mainly because I am experimenting with different combinations of flour (white, spelt, rye) and varying degrees of "stickiness", but also because I am trying different ways of baking the loaf. This one turned out rather flat because the dough was a bit too wet. Nevertheless, it tastes great and makes wonderful toast.

Taken as part of the Flickr photo group Challenge Friday, #‎cf15‬, theme spice.