Preserving Foods

[HEPZIBAH]

[face=Comic Sans MS]Fruit and vegetables are often plentiful and relatively cheap in Egypt so what is the best way to make the most of it?

We are all so used to frozen foods these days, which although can be a matter of convenience is really a method of preserving seasonal foods for future use. With the often reported erratic supply of electricity in Egypt, I'm wondering if this, domesticly is the best method. There are many other, older methods of preserving foodstuffs so what are the best to use in Egypt? Are pickling or stewing and bottelling (as in jams and jellies) traditionally used and ideal ways to preserve today? What about salting?

If you have experience of bulk buying your produce and preserving it, please share your experiences, hints and tips.[/face]

[Horus]

Not sure if it happens in Egypt as I have never actually seen it, but elsewhere in Africa it is very common for local fishermen to dry their catch. Perhaps the proximity of the Nile with regards to the main habitation areas dispenses with the need to do this.

[PRchick]

My mother used to can everything from the garden. And pickle. But with the hot climate, aren't fruits and vegetables year round in Egypt?

[HEPZIBAH]

My mother used to can everything from the garden. And pickle. But with the hot climate, aren't fruits and vegetables year round in Egypt?

[face=Comic Sans MS]That may be dependant on where you are in Egypt. I'd hazard a guess, although I do not know this for sure, that in places like Cairo and Alexandria you would get a wider choice of fruit and veg all round, but probably further afield, eg Luxor, the variety would still be much more seasonal. Either way, I'd be interested to hear from those that do know about buying, cooking and storing foods in Egypt.

PR - What do you mean by 'can everything'? [/face]

[PRchick]

Putting fruits and vegetables in glass jars with sealing lids and boiling them. We call that canning. What do you call it?

[Horus]

Putting fruits and vegetables in glass jars with sealing lids and boiling them. We call that canning. What do you call it?

'Bottling' or 'Preserving'

[HEPZIBAH]

Putting fruits and vegetables in glass jars with sealing lids and boiling them. We call that canning. What do you call it?

'Bottling' or 'Preserving'

[face=Comic Sans MS]I had to ask to be sure. 'Canned', or more commonly reffered to as 'tinned' food in the UK is litterally that, food presereved in a sealed tin. This is a commercial process and not used domestically. [/face]

[Ebikatsu]

Well 2 weeks ago I done my sun dried tomatoes and then bottled them once dried with garlic and olive oil.

That's easy to do.

I just buy a load of tomatoes. I use plum ones for the flavour and cut in half horizontally and lay them on a big grill tray from my oven. It's a 5 burner oven so bigger than the standard one. Sprinkle with a bit salt and then put a glass in the middle and cover with muslin or you could use fine net curtain to keep flies off. I put them in the garden early in the morning in the sun and move them around as the sun moves till evening then bring them in so as they dont get dewy. Do that for about 4 days till they are dried. You could put them on a roof too. The salt stops them going mouldy.
Then transfer them into jars with some ( cooked garlic not RAW!!! ), black pepper, dried basil and top up with olive oil and store in a dark cupboard for about a month till they soften up again, then eat.
I use them in salads and on home made pizzas.

Once one jar is finished I use the leftover olive oil flavoured with the tomatoes and garlic for pasta's and salad dressings.

[PRchick]

Wow that sounds wonderful EB.

[PRchick]

Putting fruits and vegetables in glass jars with sealing lids and boiling them. We call that canning. What do you call it?

'Bottling' or 'Preserving'

[face=Comic Sans MS]I had to ask to be sure. 'Canned', or more commonly reffered to as 'tinned' food in the UK is litterally that, food presereved in a sealed tin. This is a commercial process and not used domestically. [/face]

AH ok. Don't know why, but it's always been called canning and the jars are called canning jars. And Mother was a master at it. That and making jelly.

[Ebikatsu]

'Bottling' or 'Preserving'

[face=Comic Sans MS]I had to ask to be sure. 'Canned', or more commonly reffered to as 'tinned' food in the UK is litterally that, food presereved in a sealed tin. This is a commercial process and not used domestically. [/face]

AH ok. Don't know why, but it's always been called canning and the jars are called canning jars. And Mother was a master at it. That and making jelly.

and I've a feeling the jelly isn't the same either

This is jelly after gelatine.



I think you call what we call jam jelly?

[Horus]

That's right Ebi what we call jam as in the 'preserve', Americans call jelly and to complicate it, what we call jelly as in the the wobbly stuff that you eat with ice cream or fruit, they call jello, I think

By the way your sun dried tomatoes sound great

[Ebikatsu]

Dead easy Horus to make

maybe not in UK though

[Horus]

I just tried putting a few on my garage roof to dry I added lots of salt like you said, to stop them going moldy
Just checked on them and all I have is sliced tomatoes covered in a lot of big 'frothy' shriveled up black slugs
Might make a good pizza topping though

[Ebikatsu]

Oh My God!!!

Remind me never to have pizza at your house

[HEPZIBAH]

Oh My God!!!

Remind me never to have pizza at your house

[face=Comic Sans MS]Why's that? Are you vegetarian? [/face]

[PRchick]

Well jello is jello, which is fruit flavored gelatin, and jelly is jelly, which is strained fruit preserved with a gelatin , which is clear. Jam is pureed fruit. Preserves are whole fruits. Clear as mud?

[Horus]

Well jello is jello, which is fruit flavored gelatin, and jelly is jelly, which is strained fruit preserved with a gelatin , which is clear. Jam is pureed fruit. Preserves are whole fruits. Clear as mud?

Interesting is your 'Jam' IE pureed fruit, preserved by adding sugar and pectin and used to spread on scones or toast?
Our 'Jelly' would be the same as your 'Jello' as it commonly uses just flavouring's with concentrated gelatin, this would then be added to boiling hot water then allowed to cool, served with ice cream or fruit.
Preserves are the same thing in the UK, the only thing I am not quite clear on, is your 'Jelly' just a better quality 'Jello' as it uses real fruit rather than flavouring's? or is it served in a different way?

[Ebikatsu]

Oh My God!!!

Remind me never to have pizza at your house

[face=Comic Sans MS]Why's that? Are you vegetarian? [/face]

I am now!!!

[PRchick]

Well jello is jello, which is fruit flavored gelatin, and jelly is jelly, which is strained fruit preserved with a gelatin , which is clear. Jam is pureed fruit. Preserves are whole fruits. Clear as mud?

Interesting is your 'Jam' IE pureed fruit, preserved by adding sugar and pectin and used to spread on scones or toast?
Our 'Jelly' would be the same as your 'Jello' as it commonly uses just flavouring's with concentrated gelatin, this would then be added to boiling hot water then allowed to cool, served with ice cream or fruit.
Preserves are the same thing in the UK, the only thing I am not quite clear on, is your 'Jelly' just a better quality 'Jello' as it uses real fruit rather than flavouring's? or is it served in a different way?

Yes jelly is real fruit. usually boiled, mashed and strained then sugar and pectin are added. it is clear but the color of the fruit and very tasty on toast. Scones are a luxury.