Pickled

The strawberries were probably the most delicate of the items in my fruit and veg box, so I needed to do something with them first. I love the intensity of strawberry coulis, but wouldn’t normally make it as I’d want to eat the strawberries fresh. However, these being a bit past that fresh stage meant they were great to boil up and make a sugary sweet, bright red strawberry sauce - I’ve popped this in the freezer. The coulis will be ideal to use on some ice cream in the warmer weather, or on top of a cheesecake.

I then decided to pickle the radishes and the carrot. It’s a really simple thing to do and will be a tasty addition to cold meats, fish or in a salad. I made two jars from the bunch I had.

The recipe is a cup of vinegar (I had cider vinegar so used that), 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar, a dessert spoon of salt, some mustard seeds, black pepper and a bay leaf for each jar. Slice the radish and carrot (or any veg you have) and place in a sterilised jar. Boil the vinegar and other ingredients, then pour onto the radishes that you’ve already put in the jars. The key is to ensure you have super sterilised your jars and lids, and any equipment you are using. You need to store the pickles for a week minimum before opening, but they can be kept for up to four months.