Windfall apples make the best base, but you can experiment with quinces, crab apples, medlars and currants. Combinations such as crab apple n sage, apple n lavender flowers and redcurrant n rosemary are all great. You can add food colouring to make each combo distinctive.

• Chop up 3lb/1.35kg of fruit and boil for 30 minutes until soft, add a few sprigs of sage, lavender, mint or rosemary
• Strain through muslin resisting the urge to squeeze as it will make the jelly cloudy
• Measure the volume of the juice and add 3/4lb or 350g sugar to every 20fl oz or 570ml juice
• In a saucepan bring gently to boil dissolving the sugar, add finely chopped herbs or flowers
• Boil for 10-15 minutes until setting point is reached (test a teaspoon full on a saucer of cold water – if it sets it is ready)
• Bottle and label in jars

Another one from "Francine Raymond" in The English Garden.

A surfeit of plums can be turned into a spicy chutney which is great with cold meats and cheese. Found in the English garden Magazine.

• Chop 450g of stoned plums, an apple and an onion
• Put in alatge pan and add a handful of raisins, 230g of muscovado sugar and a tbl spoon of salt
• Add some chopped ginge, grated nutmeg, a cinnamon stick and a few star anise
• Heat, stir and simmer 'til soft and remove the spice wood
• Spoon into jars and label

 Job is a goodun!

As we have got a couple of rhubarb crowns to put in to the garden in the spring I decided that now would be a great time to expand the blog with some recipes.

Here's one I found in a gardening magazin.

• Add 2lb of chopped rhubarb to a saucepan with 2 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1oz chopped root ginger, and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
• Add 1lb each of dark brown muscovado sugar and demerera sugar, 1 pint of red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and the grated rind of 2 oranges.
• Bring it all to the boil and simmer for 2 hours stirring regularly until it thickens. It goes sticky if you over cook it.
• Bottle in clean warm jars and cover with plastic tops.