More Preserves from Nashtown Castle

Continuing the family tradition of preserving our own home grown heritage vegetables and preserving locally foraged fruit when there is a surplus, allows us to enjoy them all year round. Nashtown Castle Preserves and Pickles are now available in Glasrai & Goodies in Gowran, County Kilkenny and Phelans' Vegetable Shop in Ormond Street, Kilkenny.

Nashtown Castle pickles, jellies and chutneys ready for sale

Nashtown Castle Wild Crab Apple Jelly is created with foraged wild crab apples growing in the local wild hedgerows. 2012 was a bad year for apples, we found one special wild tree that yielded all the crab apples that were required.

Nashtown Castle Sloe & Crab Apple Jelly Not only was 2012 a bad year for apples, it was also a poor year for sloes. However, some careful sleuthing in the nearby woods located enough to make this special jelly. We had to watch and wait until the first frosts came along before we picked them, to allow the sloes to develop a little sweetness. 

Nashtown Castle Pickled Red Cabbage We grow our own red cabbage, it only travels a few yards from where it grows, to the pickling bowl in the kitchen. A stunningly beautiful vegetable, when cut in half, it always seems a shame to slice it up. We love to eat it raw, freshly grated in a coleslaw. We preserve it by pickling it, so we can continue to eat it out of season.

Nashtown Castle Apple & Lavender Jelly One of the greatest pleasures of gardening is picking your own home grown lavender, while the perfume swirls around. The lavender bags are emptied every year, refilled and replaced around the house to deter moths. The remaining lavender is infused to make a herbal tea and it is that juice that is added to this beautiful clear jelly. Having very few apples this year, we raided our neighbour's neglected old orchard, full of old, flavorsome varieties of apples to produce this jelly.

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com

Cucumbers Pickled in Gin

Cucumbers are thought to have originated in India and were probably cultivated in Western Asia for at least a thousand years before their introduction to Europe. The Romans were fond of them, perhaps they introduced them to Britain. After their reintroduction, the Victorians became fond of growing them in hot beds.
A large range of varieties grow well in Kilkenny and fruit freely, provided they are protected by a greenhouse or polytunnel.

Freshly picked Cucumbers, grown in Kilkenny

Our cucumber plants have produced a glut of cucumbers and it became imperative act quickly to preserve some for the lean winter months, before the frost hit them. Different varieties produce different sized cucumbers, there are a vast range of types. This recipe uses medium sized ones.

Cucumber pickled in Gin

It is important to use the best quality gin you can afford, in this case it was a certain gin, that is flavoured by cucumbers, and is thus particularly suitable.

RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 medium sized cucumbers, thinly sliced

200 ml white wine vinegar

100 ml good quality gin

I homegrown whole green chili, thinly sliced

1/2 homegrown onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Zest of 1 lime

4 juniper berries

2 teaspoons of sea salt

1 teaspoon sugar

3-4 drops lime oil

Add the salt to the cucumbers (in this case, one was left with its skin on and the other has its skin removed) and onion in a bowl with the chili, then weigh them down with a heavy plate for approx three hours. Then rinse.

Heat up the vinegar, juniper, sugar and lime zest. Bring to boil, add the cucumbers, onion and chili. Simmer for a couple of minutes, then add freshly picked and chopped mint and the gin and then place in sterilised jars.

This pickle makes a wonderful compliment to cold beef.

Email: kilkennyseakale@gmail.com