Home made Cordials

Home made fruit cordials are so much better tasting than commercial ones (though I can be swayed by a Bickford's lime but that is for another post!) and they are so simple to make and better for the budget as well. Soft drinks and bought cordials have become everyday items but when I was growing up softdrink was only for Christmas and cordial was made up from a concentrate for Summer Holidays. During the rest of the year we would have home made ginger beer, ice cold milk and a lot of water.... out of the rain water tank of course. I do remember Nana making lemon cordial if and only if there was a good supply of lemons. I do not remember having a lemon tree on the farm, Nana would buy lemons from a street stall or be given some by relatives and friends in Adelaide where it was warmer climate than up in the hills. I seem to remember that lemons needed more care to grow well where the farm was located and anything that required a lot of extra attention would not have been grown, her life was tough enough as it was! Years later when she retired to the city I still do not remember a lemon tree but I do recall Nana having lots of lemons on hand no doubt given to her by all the neighbours and I guess she would not have seen the sense in growing more.

I made two batches of fruit cordial. One lot was made using Blood Oranges and the next lot was made using Meyer Lemons. The Blood Orange cordial is a brilliant rich orange colour and is a bit sweet for our taste if used alone. Mixed with a dash of lemon juice some mint and ice and it becomes a very refreshing drink, and it is especially good mixed with soda water. The lemon cordial is made with the same amount of sugar in the syrup as the orange but has the wonderful tang that lemon juice gives.

If you grow or are given the fruit then the total cost of making cordials is less than a quarter of the cost of buying commercial brands and these do not contain as much pure fruit juice if any at all! The only preservative I use is citric and tartaric acid and of course the sugar. The bottles should be stored in a cool place and will keep for weeks in the fridge. You could of course put them in a water bath to preserve them for longer period but I prefer to make up fresh batches as we need them, it is so much better tasting and as it is so quick to make.

Blood Oranges I love them!

It has been a long weekend and that means time to do things around the house and in the garden that we do not get time to do during the week. I had been longing to make blood orange sorbet with the ice-cream machine I ordered several weeks ago but when it had not arrived by Friday changed the plans and decided to make cordial and marmalade instead. The tree has so much fruit this year and it is flowering again so the fruit needs to be used before it drops to the ground.

I have been squeezing the blood oranges for my breakfast juice and like to mix it with other juices as well as have it straight. Love the colour and the taste, it really wakes you up and gets you going in the morning!

I adapted a recipe for lemon marmalade from A Year in a Bottle by Sally Wise. This is a book Nana would have approved it is full of thrifty recipe ideas for preserving and jam making. The blood oranges were washed and then finally chopped along with one Meyer lemon and added to the pot with the sugar and water. As it began to heat up the aroma of the mixture was wonderful and brought back memories of Nana's farm kitchen where there was always a pot of something cooking on the wood stove. The mixture bubbled away, the recipe said to boil for 20 minutes but when I tested the marmalade on a cold plate it was still too runny. More research, more reading and checking the internet told me that my fruit may be a bit too ripe or sweet and could lack pectin. I also found that some marmalade makers take two days to make their brew and that by adding a lemon pips and all to stand in the mix overnight then boil it again I should get a set! I found a slightly greenish meyer lemon chopped in quarters left the pips in and pushed it into the mix.

Next morning early, while having breakfast and still in my pyjamas I brought the mix to the boil again and let it bubble away while I finished my coffee. The big test to see if it set worked with a good skin forming on the dob of orange liquid on my plate! I could not resist a dab on my finger to taste it and how delicious mmm this is a winner and one to make again.

I keep a good selection of jars and found enough similar size and not too big (I am not a fan of huge jam jars as I like to be able to put the jar on the table) but some still had the glue of the old label on them. I am trying to cut done on unnecessary bottle of cleaning stuff and knew that the glue remover had been used and not replaced. More research and found a very simple solution, one that I am sure all Nana's would have known! (I do not think they had such strong glue I mean has anyone tried to remove the glue on the labels they must use superglue I think)

Heat the jars and the gluey label up in hot soapy water and after a bit of a soak rub some vegetable oil onto the gluey patch or the label. Most came off very easily and only one needed a bit of help with a scourer and a second rub of oil. Seven jars went into the oven to sterilise and dry off. Ladled the marmalade into the warm jars and sealed with the cellophane squares held with bands. The result is a batch of rich coloured marmalade. Looks so much better than I expected such a beautiful colour.

Blood Orange Marmalade cooling on the kitchen bench. Now to design a label!

I still have more blood oranges on the tree and hope the ice cream maker comes this week so that I can try making sorbet from the next basket full.