Make Way for July’s Harvest

​July is one of the most fruitful (pardon the pun) times of the year for British growers, with a large range of delicious crops ready for picking. As things ripen on the allotment, in the greenhouse or even in the garden, it’s easy to end up with a  glut of one thing that leaves you scratching your head with how to use it all before it goes bad. As always, we’ve got some preserving, pickling and producing ideas to help you make the most of this season’s crops.
Artichokes
There are so many delicious uses for this earthy vegetable, whether it’s putting them on a pizza, grilling them on a BBQ or chopping them into a salad. One of the easiest ways to preserve them is to submerge them in olive oil, antipasti style which allows them to maintain their rich flavour and to be pulled out of the cupboard at a moments notice. As artichoke hearts are fairly large, you’ll need a spacious jar, such as a Bormioli Rocco jar to hold it. Simply pop your artichoke in, submerge in oil and add any additional flavourings you’d like before sealing.

Berries
July is the prime time for picking British grown berries such as strawberries, gooseberries and early variety raspberries all of which make delicious jams! Making jam couldn’t be simpler and all it requires in it’s most rudimentary form is your berry or berries of choice and some jam sugar. For smooth jams, puree the fruits and strain to remove large lumps and seeds before boiling rapidly with the sugar. Lumpier jams can be formed from putting whole or partial fruits in with the jam and cooking in the same way. Make sure you’ve got enough jars for your batch – red spotty lid hexagonal jars are one of our favourites!
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Fusion Infusions!
As well as many varieties of fruit, this month is also a great one for herbs and when the two combine, they make the perfect pairing for infusing white spirits. Whether it’s gin, vodka or rum, pop in your fruit and your botanicals, reseal and simply leave to infuse for a minimum of 1 month. These make great gifts and look absolutely divine in our swing top bottles.