I made peach and honeysuckle fruit cheese (like a set, condenced jelly to eat with cheeses, rather than a cheese itself...more common is quince cheese) last summer, and we cracked it open tonight to tryit. Well it got the thumbs up from my family, and everyone is insistent I make some more, but I am not sure.....it took an obcene amount of fruit to make just one jar, and two days straining and seiving and boiling down. Its a lot of effort for one jar. Its ok, I like it, but not sure how I feel. I am also trying really hard to find square preserving jars, which would make it eeasier to serve neat slices.....I just cannot find them, yet there are pictures of them in at least two books I have.
Peach and Honeysuckle cheese
- Thread starter lulu
- Start date
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Piccolina
Executive Chef
I think your recipe sounds really lovely. I'm a big fan of edible flowers and would welcome the chance to try honey suckles in a recipe. I've honestly not canned all that much so I'm not too sure where you can find square jars, but I did find a (US - I think) link that has sqaure jars in various sizes, perhaps you'll spot the kind you're looking for here 
: Glass Canning Jars
: Glass Canning Jars
bethzaring
Master Chef
Hey lulu, this sounds like something I would make. I love to make new and different things, and have made many, many items.................once. I make them once, especially if they took an obscene amount of time for such a low yield as this one did. Do not feel badly if you never make this again, just tell you family to really enjoy this one because they may never see it again. And I have never seen the square canning jars for sale, sorry.
Lulu - would you care to share your recipe with us?
As for the square canning jars ... I have not seen any that would serve your purpose. I've seen square jars - but they either had round openings, or the size of the opening was smaller than the interior of the jar. In either case - you couldn't get the jelly to slide out of the jar for nice slices.
However - there are 1-pint jelly jars that would work. Instead of a cube or brick - you would get a small log that you could slice quite nicely. But, that is if you want to can it for long term storage. If you want to make a refrigerator jelly - there are many square container options that would do the trick.
As for the square canning jars ... I have not seen any that would serve your purpose. I've seen square jars - but they either had round openings, or the size of the opening was smaller than the interior of the jar. In either case - you couldn't get the jelly to slide out of the jar for nice slices.
However - there are 1-pint jelly jars that would work. Instead of a cube or brick - you would get a small log that you could slice quite nicely. But, that is if you want to can it for long term storage. If you want to make a refrigerator jelly - there are many square container options that would do the trick.
Michael, as soon as I find the recipe again I will post it.....my books are in storage and I am filtering through them now.
The jar thing is VERY annoying. I have seen pictures of them in very smart preserving books but can never find them. And yes, it does have to be for long term storage, the thing with fruit cheeses is that they have to bbe stored for at least a year before you cut into them, for the taste to mature.
I am thinking of a more traditional damson cheese this year.......
The jar thing is VERY annoying. I have seen pictures of them in very smart preserving books but can never find them. And yes, it does have to be for long term storage, the thing with fruit cheeses is that they have to bbe stored for at least a year before you cut into them, for the taste to mature.
I am thinking of a more traditional damson cheese this year.......
Whike my search for square jars goes on I have found the recipe for the peach and honeysuckle cheese!
2lbs peaches
1 firmly packed cup honeysuckle flowes
juice of 1 lemon
warmed sugar (12oz for every pint of juice produced)
Having halved and stoned the peaches crack a few of the stones and blanch the kernals for a couple of minutes. Add them to the peaches and honeysuckle in a pan, add water to just cover and bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins in the coverd pan. When this is done the peaches should be VERY soft!
I then put the whole lot into a jelly bag, tied in a heath robinson manner over a huge jug and left it over night to drain. It really did take about 12-14 hours.
Add the warmed suger, heat until it has disolved and then simmer, stirring. Now, the recipe said thi would take 40-45 minutes to go thick and dry but it took me the best part of four hours, and the first batch, that I was a little less cautious with simply caramalised first, and became a nice but very different caramelised jelly (which is also great heated back to syrup over US style pancakes with vanilla icecream or clotted cream).
anyway, once dry and so thick that the spoon leaves a clear line when drawn through it, which will be hard to do as it is so thick, spoon in to warm clean jar/s or even a sealable mould.
it is very much the taste of a hot summer day
2lbs peaches
1 firmly packed cup honeysuckle flowes
juice of 1 lemon
warmed sugar (12oz for every pint of juice produced)
Having halved and stoned the peaches crack a few of the stones and blanch the kernals for a couple of minutes. Add them to the peaches and honeysuckle in a pan, add water to just cover and bring to the boil then simmer for 20 mins in the coverd pan. When this is done the peaches should be VERY soft!
I then put the whole lot into a jelly bag, tied in a heath robinson manner over a huge jug and left it over night to drain. It really did take about 12-14 hours.
Add the warmed suger, heat until it has disolved and then simmer, stirring. Now, the recipe said thi would take 40-45 minutes to go thick and dry but it took me the best part of four hours, and the first batch, that I was a little less cautious with simply caramalised first, and became a nice but very different caramelised jelly (which is also great heated back to syrup over US style pancakes with vanilla icecream or clotted cream).
anyway, once dry and so thick that the spoon leaves a clear line when drawn through it, which will be hard to do as it is so thick, spoon in to warm clean jar/s or even a sealable mould.
it is very much the taste of a hot summer day
StirBlue
Head Chef
This is an interesting recipe. While those grocery store canning jars are exclusively always available, I'm bored to death of looking at them. I would think that somebody makes a square jar with an oversized mouth. I will be looking.
This is an interesting recipe. I like to cook with flowers, too, and I love really unusual recipes. I've never tried honeysuckle, because I don't know anyone who grows it!
This recipe worries me, however. Peach kernels contain significant amounts of cyanide. Same with other stone fruits such as apricots and plums etc.
OK, let's assume for a moment that the amount of cyanide isn't going to kill us. What purpose exactly does the addition of the kernels have, I wonder?
Tell you what, I wouldn't be giving that jam to any child of mine. Small bodies, small amounts, immature body which doesn't behave in the same way as a mature one....... I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to kids.
This recipe worries me, however. Peach kernels contain significant amounts of cyanide. Same with other stone fruits such as apricots and plums etc.
OK, let's assume for a moment that the amount of cyanide isn't going to kill us. What purpose exactly does the addition of the kernels have, I wonder?
Tell you what, I wouldn't be giving that jam to any child of mine. Small bodies, small amounts, immature body which doesn't behave in the same way as a mature one....... I prefer to err on the side of caution when it comes to kids.
I want to check that I am understanding--this is basically a jelly that is served alongside a cheese for a special treat.
I think it may be difficult to find a square jar with a screw top that isn't round. Or even with a bail closure that isn't molded at the top in some way. This would also require using paraffin as a sealant for the jelly.
Michael's idea of the wide mouth canning jars is good. There are also 4 oz. (small, squat, cute) jelly jars that might lend themselves to this--they could be turned out and sliced into wedges nicely.
I find the recipe very similar to our jelly recipes--the addition of honeysuckle flower is really intriquing to me and will be on my mind for spring.
Lulu, for your getting the juice you might try lining a colander with cheese cloth and letting it drain through from that. You can even do a preliminary run through the colander to remove the big pieces and then drain with the cheesecloth.
As for the cooking, you want it (I think) to be a jelly so cook until it forms a sheet when it comes off the spoon instead of dropping off the edge of the spoon in droplets. This is when it is "jelled". Also, you could use a thermometer. You don't have a lot of pectin from that amount of peach so it will take some boiling down.
And I think I have to agree with Daisy about the kernels--at least from what I have also heard.
INTERESTING recipe--I am very excited to know about it and will think about it in spring.
I think it may be difficult to find a square jar with a screw top that isn't round. Or even with a bail closure that isn't molded at the top in some way. This would also require using paraffin as a sealant for the jelly.
Michael's idea of the wide mouth canning jars is good. There are also 4 oz. (small, squat, cute) jelly jars that might lend themselves to this--they could be turned out and sliced into wedges nicely.
I find the recipe very similar to our jelly recipes--the addition of honeysuckle flower is really intriquing to me and will be on my mind for spring.
Lulu, for your getting the juice you might try lining a colander with cheese cloth and letting it drain through from that. You can even do a preliminary run through the colander to remove the big pieces and then drain with the cheesecloth.
As for the cooking, you want it (I think) to be a jelly so cook until it forms a sheet when it comes off the spoon instead of dropping off the edge of the spoon in droplets. This is when it is "jelled". Also, you could use a thermometer. You don't have a lot of pectin from that amount of peach so it will take some boiling down.
And I think I have to agree with Daisy about the kernels--at least from what I have also heard.
INTERESTING recipe--I am very excited to know about it and will think about it in spring.
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StirBlue
Head Chef
Are the peach kernels a sort of preservative? As a child, I think some of us may have opened a few peach pits to see what was inside and gave it a chew. There was a controversy on Seinfeld about sharing a peach pit.
