Luxury preserves are a popular present - and particularly when the gift has been made by the donor themselves. No matter that you have saved a packet by doing so - it's the time and care that went into it that conveys love more than any words.
And it's not difficult to do. With a little preparation and a few easily obtained components, you can make an individually crafted gift fit for a Queen - for well under a fiver ($8) a pot.
This article is about the presentation, not the actual recipe, which is up to you. However, I can recommend several recipes for you to look at, although you may have one of your own.
Fig Preserve with Brandy
Traditional Lemon Curd
Pears in Orange Syrup
Winter Chutney
(Note: All but the lemon curd are suitable for vegans, all are vegetarian, gluten-free and nut-free. The Winter Chutney is low-carb, free of added sugar, and should be suitable for diabetics.)
Before you start to make your preserve, you need certain things to hand. These are just the basic necessities to ensure that it will keep, and prevent mould-forming bacteria from gaining access to your delicious produce.
Even though they are already clean, I expect, you should still wash all the jars you are going to use in hot water with soap or detergent, making sure all traces of any previous labels are removed. Rinse them, then leave them to dry, or if you must dry them, use a cloth that has not been used since it was last washed.
When the preserve is ready to put into the jars, boil the kettle and scald each jar (this means to pour boiling water into it and swirl it to make sure all surfaces get the hot water on them, then tip it out). This ensures that any airborne bacteria that may have floated in will be killed - airborne bacteria are pretty namby pamby things, and will die as soon as the boiling water hits them.
Fill the jars up to about 1cm or half an inch from the top and cover with the small paper discs. If you're using foil, put this on and scrunch it carefully all the way round to hold it on, or with greaseproof paper, just smooth it down and pleat the bit that folds over the side, so that it looks neat. Use a rubber band the right size to ensure a tight seal and keep those mouldy germs out.
Once all the jars are covered, put them somewhere out of the way to get good and cold overnight.
For presentation purposes, there are a few further items you should obtain to make your gift look as special as possible.
Firstly, you will need to label the jar with a description of the contents, the date it was made and where and how long to keep it. You might want to make up an imitation shop label, or just do a simple hand written one. If you use a gold coloured gel pen, it will look lovely. Be very careful to put it on straight!
The easiest way to do this is to get some large self-adhesive labels from your local stationer. You could also just use paper and stick it on with glue, but the final result is not likely to be as good.
Traditionally, jars are covered with gingham (small single colour check cotton), which used to be very easy to get hold of. I'm not sure if you will be able to get it now. If schools in your area are still using check for their summer dresses, you will probably find an old one in a local charity shop that you can cut up, or a good haberdashers will probably have some.
If you can't get gingham you will need to look for something else. You need a small design, as a bit of a big pattern will just look silly, or you can use a plain material, such as hessian (a coarse weave that looks a bit like posh sacking).
Wherever you get it, you don't need much: half a metre will cover at least a dozen jars, so if you're buying it new have a look in the offcuts bin.
If you do buy new material, rather than cutting something up, you will need to wash it to get rid of the dressing, or the material will be too stiff to be usable. Iron it, then cut into 15cm (6 inch) squares using pinking shears (the type of scissors that cut in a zigzag) if you can get hold of a pair. For hessian and similar materials, a straight edge is fine; you can fray it a bit round the edges to make it look rustic.
There's a few things you can choose to tie the cover on. The most obvious is a toning or contrasting ribbon (½cm or ¼inch is big enough). Other ideas include raffia, thick wool or a wool plait if you only have the thin stuff...
I like to get a box or carton just a little bigger than the jar, fill it with crushed tissue or shredded paper, and nestle the jar inside, then cover with a layer of tissue paper (available from stationers' shops). Put the lid on, wrap in pretty paper and present your gift. I'm sure it will go down well - in all ways - and be a reminder of your thoughtfulness for weeks ahead - or as long as the contents last!
So what are you waiting for? Time to get cooking...
The holidays are quickly approaching, which means it’s time to buy gifts. If you’re a little light on funds, following are ideas for inexpensive Christmas gifts.
It is easy to blow your budget and run up credit cards when shopping for Christmas gifts. To avoid this, here’s a list of inexpensive Christmas gift ideas.
Just because you aren’t “bucks up” during the holidays, it doesn’t mean you can’t give great Christmas gifts. Here are just a few inexpensive Christmas gift ideas. If you’re interested in seeing them, just search for the given name on your search engine of choice.
There are guidelines that should be followed when choosing the perfect gift. For one thing, the gift should be chosen specifically for a certain individual whose tastes are known to you. If you are not well acquainted with the recipient, you must give a general-type of gift that will not offend. Another guideline for choosing the perfect gift is that the gift must fit, and most important, if the recipient doesn't like the gift, it must be passed on to someone else.
Do you know anyone who doesn't like cheesecake and wouldn't consider it the perfect gift? For gift-giving occasions the
Read this article in full
Ever wondered what to give the “Person Who Has Everything”? A Gift Basket could be just the thing. Have you been from shop to shop and thought “Yes This is It” and then discounted the gift because it wasn’t really what you wanted.
My best friend has everything and when I say everything, “I Mean Everything”. She has either been given or purchased every conceivable gadget available in the last 5 years. She loves to shop. One of her motto’s is “Shop Til you Drop, Spend Til the End”. And she lives by that rule!
When it comes to gifts
Read this article in full
Everyone loves to receive a gift basket. Corporate gift baskets are often given by businesses to their customers as a token of their appreciation. However, most gift baskets are person to person expressions of love and friendship.
You can find a great selection of online gift baskets from the very expensive to the cheap. Or, you can come up with your own unique gift basket idea and surprise a cherished friend or loved one.
It’s not difficult to make your own personalized gift baskets. Most gift baskets involve a theme.
Here are some sample ideas to get you started:
All of us know that the greatest gifts in life don't cost money. They do take time to think and create. Whether you are looking for ideas for a 21st birthday, 16th, 3rd, or 65th, these ideas will help you create some memorable moments and affect lives. Substitute the X for the birthday number. You can even be creative and use these same ideas for expectant mothers.
tool by TheWebsiteDesign.Co.UK
|
We support this site using affiliate marketing as a way to earn revenue. If you click on a link, go to a site and make a purchase, we get paid a commission for introducing you. This is how we cover the costs of running this site. If you do not accept this, then please do not use this site.
