Need advice and suggestions

Is there any raw way to preserve foods like Jams, Chutneys and Pickles?

If so has anyone got some recipes for them? Particularly Onion Chutney,Apple Chutney and strawberry Jam. Oh and pickeled beetroot maybe.

I understand Jam has sugar in it, so any alternatives that will help preserve?

I appreciate other suggestions on how to preserve.

Thanks.

Comments

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    The two ways I preserve things are fridge and lemon juice. I don't know if lemon juice could go in anything that you mentioned...

    Although, I thought the vinegar in pickes did the preserving. How long do you need the stuff to last?

  • Raw PassionRaw Passion Raw Newbie

    Not forever, but at the moment I have waaaay too many fruit and veg and I don't want them to go off or rot. So I thought I could preserve them and since I dont have a deyhydrator Im a bit stuck. I was thinking maybe till Autumn - or even winter hopefully.

    Is Vinegar Raw? And do you think you can swap sugar with agave in Jam - I never made it before even with sugar so I'm not sure.

  • eechoeecho Raw Newbie

    I'm not sure about vinegar.

    Yes, you could also use dehydration method. However, in the future its just best to plan out your groceries so that you're always eating as fresh as possible. I have gotten used to this to the point where I often have a good fruit cycle going: I buy it unripe, let it sit, meanwhile am eating fruit that has already ripened. By the time I finish that, the fruit that was unripe is now ripe, and I buy more, etc. You'll develop your own rhythm :)

  • luxdivonluxdivon Raw Newbie

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pectin

    not sure if this is raw, but it does use dried citrus peels as a source of pectin, so maybe there's something in that.

  • I remember reading a recipe from Carol Alt for making jam without any sugar. I don't know it exactly, but it's something like you blend the fruit, dehydrate over night, and then throw it in the food processor with an appropriate amount of water (or juice?) to make it a jam/jelly like consistency. I will have to try this and report back!

  • Raw PassionRaw Passion Raw Newbie

    Eecho - these are all fruits I've grown myself, I've had to pick them because of the bad weather and pests so I've been unable to control how many I have lol.

  • BelleBelinda: Those pickles look amazing! I LOVE pickles. Do you know how long they stay good for?

  • I haven't tried them yet... But they look very promising :D

  • ambiguousambiguous Raw Newbie

    Jam: Honey is actually a great preservative, if you eat honey. Otherwise, agave works well for a jam, but making it with fresh strawberries could lead to a watery mixture, more of a sauce than a jam--which can also be great. As luxdivon mentioned, pectin, which is not raw but is pretty natural, is often used to make jellies and jams "gel." Lemon juice is a good addition. I might suggest a freezer for long-term storage. Or you could just hull and freeze the strawberries, which are great in smoothies, and vegan ice cream; or you can use them as "ice cubes."

    For European-style pickles, you can just put your vegetables in a jar or other food-safe container with plenty of salt, and I usually use a mixture of maybe 2/3 apple cider vinegar (which is raw if it's unpasteurized) to 1/3 water to be on the safe side, until the vegetables are submerged. You can add garlic, dill (I prefer seeds over the leaf for pickles), peppercorns, or whatever else you like in your pickles. These are often ready to eat in 48 hours or less, but should keep for a long time, especially when refrigerated.

    I don't have any recipes per se for Indian pickles, but a quick and easy method is to mix the vegetable with Frontier's organic Curry powder, which is a blend of spices that they call "Curry" (there are other Frontier curry spices I don't like as much), salt, and cover in olive oil in a jar. This takes a while to "ripen," maybe a month or more, but the end product is really great, and tastes buttery from the olive oil. Onions are awesome. If this stays submerged in oil, it can last for years. The internet has many other, more authentic recipes.

    Sorry I don't have anything specific for beets or apples. Though beets should keep a long time if stored properly. If you have a juicer, then you might consider juicing these and freezing the juice? Again, I'm sure the internet has some recipes that you could adapt to be raw.

  • Bragg's Apple Cider Vinager is the only raw vinager there is. It's not heated at all. Also there is a coconut vinager but I can't find out how they make it.

    Read the bottles

  • FANCY SALADS CUTTING GADGET

    I'm new to this forem, so my question may be redundant. But I am looking for a gadget that cuts veggies into fancy shapes (I have seen one) to make salads more interesting. I've searched the web, but have not found what I am looking for.

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