This recipe is taken from here:http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/lemon_curd.aspx and I can't thank them enough as it is simply superb!

Ingredients:

3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup (not mug!) sugar
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
2/3 cup (not mug!) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon zest

Cooking:

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer, about 2 min. Slowly add the eggs and yolks. Beat for 1 min. Mix in the lemon juice. The mixture will look curdled, but it will smooth out as it cooks.

In a medium, heavy-based saucepan, cook the mixture over low heat until it looks smooth. (The curdled appearance disappears as the butter in the mixture melts.) Increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes. It should leave a path on the back of a spoon and will read 170°F on a thermometer. Don't let the mixture boil.

Remove the curd from the heat; stir in the lemon zest. Transfer the curd to a bowl. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the lemon curd to keep a skin from forming and chill the curd in the refrigerator. The curd will thicken further as it cools. Covered tightly, it will keep in the refrigerator for a week and in the freezer for 2 months.

Variations:

For lime curd, substitute fresh lime juice and zest for lemon.

This recipe is taken from: http://pickyourown.org/marmalade.php.

Fruit - 8 whole oranges, thinly sliced (4 cups cut)
3 whole lemons, thinly sliced (1 ½ cups cut)
Orange juice or Water - 4 cups of either. I use water.
Jam Sugar (contains pectin already)- about 4 cups

Cooking

Wash the fruit
Using a vegetable peeler peel the oranges and keep the outer portion of the peel, chop it finely and put to one side.
Using your fingers now peel all of the white pith from the fruit.
Slice the fuit and chop roughly, saving any juice that leaks out.

Put the peels, use 2 cups of the original 4 cups of water or orange juice (for a richer flavor) in a saucepan.

Bring the mix to a boil. Cover it, turn down the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the chopped fruit, the remaining 2 cups of juice and simmer for 10 minutes more.

Add the sugar and bring the mixture back to a full boil.

Stir the mix and bring it to a full boil, hard, for one minute.

Fill your jars to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled marmalade off the top and put the lids on them.

It may take up to two weeks for the marmalade to set and thicken up. It will be runny until then!

Thanks to http://foodiefresh.com/recipe/homemade-fig-jam/ for this delicious recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds sugar
1/4 cup water
3 pounds fresh figs, stems removed
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Cooking:

Combine sugar and water in a large pot on the stove and cook over low heat. Stir continuously until sugar and water are fully combined.

Add figs, lemon zest and juice and stir to combine. Cook on low heat for at least one hour, stirring regularly. Stir more often the last fifteen minutes of cooking time.

Check the consistency of the jam. If the jam is thick enough to your preference, turn off heat. Continue cooking to further thicken jam.

It makes approx 3 jars.

Thanks to http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu for this very useful pdf guide about storing tomatoes (I had far too many in my garden this year!).

Thanks to http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-pickled-jalapeno-rings. I certainly won't be buying these ready made anymore as this recipe is perfect for my nachos. Just wish I could find a good nacho cheese to go with it!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I used normal table salt as I couldn't find kosher)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
10 large jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings

Cooking:

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, garlic, and oregano in a saucepan over high heat. Bring mixture to a boil, stir in jalapeno peppers and remove from heat. Let mixture cool for 10 minutes.

Pack peppers into jars using tongs, cover with vinegar mixture, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Many thanks to http://talesofakitchen.com/raw/easy-home-made-mediterranean-preserved-olives/ for this great recipe.

Ingredients

• To brine olives:
• For every 1 kg olives
• about 100 ml vinegar
• 2 TBSP coarse salt
• water
• -
• Mediterranean olive marinade:
• for every 1 cup (160 gr) preserved olives:
• 1 medium garlic clove, grated
• ½ tsp dry oregano
• ¼ tsp hot chili flakes
• good olive oil (start with ⅓ cup, but you’ll need enough for a generous coating to cover the olives)

Instructions

1. Step 1: PREPARING OLIVES
2. To prepare olives, make a simple, straight cut into each one or poke each with a fork. This will allow them to release some of the bitterness and soak flavor faster.
3. Place all olives in a big pot, cover them with water and place a big, heavy plate in the pot to keep the olives at the bottom, fully submerged.
4. Leave olives in water for 2 weeks, changing the water every day. (I’ve been changing water every day when back from work. Takes only a minute.)
5. -
6. Step 2: ADDING OLIVES TO BRINE
7. Sterilize your glass jars and lids first by washing them with warm soapy water and then popping them in the oven at low temp (120C) until completely dry. Allow to cool before handling. (If lids are plastic, do not put them in the oven. Use sterilizing solution.)
8. When taking them out of the oven, do not touch them on the inside.
9. Add olives to jars, making sure they are packed as tight as possible. Stuff as many as you can.
10. To make brine, for every 500ml water, add about 100ml vinegar and 2 TBSP coarse salt. First add salt to a bowl with 3-4 TBSP warm water and stir to dissolve salt. Then add salty water to 500 ml water and 100 ml vinegar and stir to combine.
11. Pour brine in the jars filled with olives, to the top of the rim, until it begins to overflow – it is key that no air remains in the jar.
12. Screw the lids on the jars, label them and leave them in a dark cupboard for about 2 months.
13. -
14. Step 3: MARINATING THE OLIVES
15. Now your olives are ready to take on the flavors of the marinade.
16. Rinse olives to remove excess salt and vinegar.
17. Mix marinade ingredients in a bowl.
18. Add olives to marinade and stir to coat them well.
19. Place the olives in a closed jar and add more olive oil if needed to coat them. (Do not worry about wasting olive oil. Whatever will be left after eating the olives will make a wonderful addition to salad dressings!)
20. Place olives in the fridge for 1-2 days. Flavors develop as they sit.
21. Keeps well for weeks.