One night last week I found myself chopping up an apple to eat and before I knew it, it was midnight and every surface in the kitchen was covered in stuff! You know, when you get started on something and it just leads to something else and something else and something else.

The result was:
two jars of rhubarb jam
one tub of apple puree
two jars of dried cinnamon apple slices
and a jar of apple leather.
I suppose it all started when I bought 13kg of delicious UK Fiesta apples because the UK season was drawing to an end. I eat apples daily and so I thought I’d buy a box for myself: I could have a good supply of my favourite apples and I could take advantage of Village Green’s bulk buying discount (buy a case and get 10% off, pre-order in the shop).
I soon found out that I couldn’t eat the apples at the rate required despite giving them away to friends and family, adding them to salads and baking them in cakes. (fyi a great vegan recipe for Spiced Apple Cake can be found here: www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/cakes-and-desserts/spiced-apple-cake)
Anyway, back to my busy night. I began by making apple puree:


-Chop and core 12 medium sized apples
-Put in a large pan and add water till it just covers the apples
-Bring to boil and simmer for 15 mins
-Drain the apples
-Put in blender with 2 tsp cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of xylitol
Done! Just allow to cool before use.
I froze half of mine and used the other half to make apple leather:



-Spread the apple puree on a baking sheet that fits into your dehydrator. Mine was about 5mm think but maybe it could have been thicker.
-Dehydrate for 10 hours or so.
I always fill my dehydrator when using it so I also made some dried cinnamon apple slices:


-Slice and core the apples. Leave the skins on.
-Place into a big bowl and pour on lemon juice and sprinkle on cinnamon to taste (I used a lot!)
-Dehydrate for 10 hours. Store in a dry, airtight container.

I also had some of Village Green’s yummy rhubarb left. It usually goes in a crumble or gets stewed. This time I consulted my Mrs Beeton’s Jams, Pickles and Preserves book which was gifted to me by my colleagues at a past job as a wedding present! I never knew back then just how much I would use it. I hate waste and this book helps me if I ever find myself with more fruit or veg than I can use.
So, next…rhubarb jam:

-To each 450g rhubarb, add 450g of sugar. The rhubarb should be stripped of the stringy outer skin and chopped into smallish pieces.
-Add the rhubarb and sugar to a big pan with the finely grated rind of half a lemon.
-Place over a medium heat and let slowly come to a boil, stirring occasionally.
-It’s ready when it sets when dripped onto a cold plate.
-Pour into sterile jars, cover and store.
Well that’s it. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. Your comments are welcome and any tips you can give would be gratefully received. See you all in the shop sometime!