Dorothea's Rosella Jam

Peel fruit (red) off seeds (green). Cut up fruit if you like.

Just cover seeds with water, bring to the boil, simmer a few minutes, then allow to stand at least 30 mins. Strain and keep liquid.

Weigh fruit and allow 1.5kg sugar for each 1.5kg of fruit.

Boil fruit and liquid together for 1/2 hour stirring well. Add white sugar and boil another 20-30 minutes.

Bottle into clean/sterilized jars. To check if jam is setting enough, place a saucer in fridge till cold and drop a drop of jam onto cold saucer. It is ready when it does not run any more and wrinkles when you push it.

Eggplant Fritters by Leona

 3 eggplants chopped and boiled until soft (drain well and squeeze out excess water)

2 eggs (separated)

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 cloves grated garlic

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup each of self raising and plain flour

Stir together all ingredients, except egg whites, which need to be beaten to soft peaks and then added to the mixture separately. Season with salt and pepper.

Fry, serve and enjoy as did the farm members.

Tomato Relish by Helene

Ingredients

500g Ripe Tomatoes

500g Onions

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tbsp Salt

1 Tbsp Mustard powder

1 Tbsp Curry Powder

1 Tbsp Cornflour

1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Remove skins from tomatoes by putting a cross on the bottom of each tomato, then dipping them in boiling water for a few minutes, careful not to leave in the water too long or they start cooking.

Chop roughly then add to chopped onion in a large boiler. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard curry and salt. Bring to boil for 10 minutes.

Once boiling, thicken by adding cornflower mixed to a past with the extra 1/4 cup of vinegar. Boil for 3 minutes, then allow to cool slightly before bottling in sterile bottles.

Tip: I use Keens mustard powder and & curry powder. 

Kale Chips by Sara

Carefully remove the kale leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces then wash and thoroughly dry.

Place the kale in a bowl and lightly toss some extra virgin olive oil and sea salt through the kale.

Spread the kale out on a flat tray lined with baking paper and bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes at 180 degrees. This recipe would probably work well in the cob oven too, but only cook for 1 or 2 minutes.

Jackie French’s Choko Marmalade

Ingredients:

12 chokos

Juice of 6 limes

1.75 kilos sugar

1 cup water

1 dessert spoon preserved ginger

Grated rind

2 limes.

1. Peel and chop the chokos, sprinkle with the lime juice and a cup of sugar. Leave overnight.

2. Now place in a pan with the water, ginger and rind, simmer until the sugar dissolves, boil for an hour and a half.

3. Add the rest of the sugar, stir till it dissolves, boil rapidly until a little sets in cold water. This takes about an hour to an hour and a half.

4. Bottle and seal when cold.

Di's Rosella Cordial

2/3 fill your largest stainless steel saucepan with Rosella buds (lightly washed)

Sugar - 1 kilo per litre strained juice

Lemons - approx. 3 per litre cordial

Citric acid - 1 tbs per 1 1/2 litres cordial

Place whole fruit buds in saucepan. Cover fruit - seeds and all - with water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently until soft and the red colour has faded from the calyx (outside petals). 

Strain through a sieve, throw away the fruit in the compost and measure the liquid. Add liquid back to the saucepan and add a cup of sugar to every cup of liquid: 1 litre of juice = 1 litre of sugar (or cut back the sugar a little).

Heat gently until all the sugar is dissolved, stirring often. Once the sugar is dissolved bring to the boil for one minute. 

Take off the heat, add strained juice of lemons to taste - approximately 9 lemons to 3 litres of cordial - then stir in citric acid.

Bring back very briefly to the boil, pour the mixture into clean bottles and seal while still hot.

Keep in fridge and serve with iced water and cubes. A refreshing drink!

Tip: Some people deseed some rosella buds and place them in the jars before pouring the hot cordial. They are excellent for dropping in some wine or sparkling water if preferred. 

Perfect Pesto

Whiz 2 cups of firmly packed basil leaves, 1/2 cup (8 oz) roasted pine nuts and 2 garlic cloves in a food processor until finely chopped.  With the motor running, add 1/2 cup olive oil in a thin stream until combined.  Add 1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese and give the mixture a good whiz.
For an Asian twist, substitute coriander for the basil and use macadamias instead of the pine nuts.

This home-made pesto makes simple pasta dishes delicious.  Nice also drizzled on fish or meat or simply tossed through boiled potatoes.

Di's Refreshing Lemon Myrtle Cordial

1 cup of combined lime/lemon juice or just lemon juice if preferred
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups white caster sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid(available from supermarket - herb section)
1 piece of lemon rind, tablespoon size
1 1/2 cups of lemon myrtle leaves, young/fresh

Wash all fruit and leaves before beginning.  Mix all the ingredients in a large saucepan, except the lemon myrtle leaves.  Boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and add lemon myrtle leaves and steep for 3 minutes.
Remove the leaves, let the cordial cool and pour into a perfectly clean bottle and store in the fridge.
Dilute with iced water and serve with sprig of mint or a fresh lemon myrtle leaf.

Warrigal Greens Pesto

This pesto recipe uses warrigal greens, "also known as Warrigal Spinach, New Zealand Spinach or even Botany Bay greens".  They were one of the first native Australian vegetables to become popular with European settlers. Looking for ways to fight scurvy, Captain Cook encouraged his men to eat them, and many convicts owed their lives to the spinach-like plant.

Some caution should be taken with Warrigal Greens, as the leaves do contain toxic oxates, which can be harmful if consumed in large quantities. To remove the oxates blanch the leaves for 3 minutes or so, then rinse the leaves in cold water before using them in salads or for cooking." (from http://tasteaustralia.biz/bushfood/warrigal-greens/)

Ingredients

2 cups warrigal greens or basil or rocket (or a combinaison to taste)

1/2 cup pine nuts or any finely chopped nuts

2/3 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic

3/4 cup parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

1. Steam warrigal greens until soft OR blanch rocket in boiling water.

2. Combine garlic, soft warrigal greens OR fresh basil OR blanched rocket in a processor and blend until consistency is like running cream.

3. Add nuts and cheese and then oil and salt and pepper to taste. You can add more oil if necessary.