Lovely post Anne! I hear you regarding slugs! It's been pointless growing any leafy vegetables this year, and our fruit bushes (strawberries and physalis) have only been kept safe by being placed on high shelves in the greenhouse and monitored daily. I like to make elderberry shrub (with apple cider vinegar) at this time of year, and currently have a nice batch on the go. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on shelf life for such preparations? I find they last a bit longer than syrups if bottled well. Any tios on extending the shelf life?
Hi Sarah, thanks, I would love to see your elderberry shrub and apple cider vinegar recipe! I am looking out across a loaded apple tree in gardens of a nearby care home which never seems to get harvested, so I plan to ask them to let me have some this year for cider vinegar making experiments! My preserves at home - cordials, syrups, sauces, jams, jellies, chutneys - vary a lot in keeping ability. I do often try to minimise sugar content but it is a risky business - likewise home-made cider vinegar is quite weakly acidic so not always ideal. And so much is unpredictable - while a few bottles may start to mold or blacken quite quickly, some will last as long as 4 years. So, I probably would benefit from more attention at home on the 'clean jars' front as well as an 'exact quantities' approach. Of course this attention to detail is crucial if making herbal remedies for use with patients!
Lovely post Anne! I hear you regarding slugs! It's been pointless growing any leafy vegetables this year, and our fruit bushes (strawberries and physalis) have only been kept safe by being placed on high shelves in the greenhouse and monitored daily. I like to make elderberry shrub (with apple cider vinegar) at this time of year, and currently have a nice batch on the go. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on shelf life for such preparations? I find they last a bit longer than syrups if bottled well. Any tios on extending the shelf life?
Hi Sarah, thanks, I would love to see your elderberry shrub and apple cider vinegar recipe! I am looking out across a loaded apple tree in gardens of a nearby care home which never seems to get harvested, so I plan to ask them to let me have some this year for cider vinegar making experiments! My preserves at home - cordials, syrups, sauces, jams, jellies, chutneys - vary a lot in keeping ability. I do often try to minimise sugar content but it is a risky business - likewise home-made cider vinegar is quite weakly acidic so not always ideal. And so much is unpredictable - while a few bottles may start to mold or blacken quite quickly, some will last as long as 4 years. So, I probably would benefit from more attention at home on the 'clean jars' front as well as an 'exact quantities' approach. Of course this attention to detail is crucial if making herbal remedies for use with patients!