The Yorkshire Preservatory

This tangy, crunchy pickle will go brilliantly with cold meats, especially at Christmas time. It takes only 30 minutes to make after overnight soaking. Once made it will keep or up to 3 months in a cool dark place.

Also known as "Poor man's capers" the seeds, buds or pods of nasturtium plants make for a delicious alternative to capers. They can be used in sauces, dips, casseroles, soups, stews, salads pizzas..the list is endless. 

Kohlrabi's name is a combination of the German words for cabbage and turnip. It is a crisp, crunchy vegetable that pairs well with carrots. Pickled  they look like a rainbow in a jar;particularly welcome on cold winter evenings.

One of the easiest preserves to put up, bottled tomatoes are an excellent way to use up a seasonal glut of tomatoes. As a bonus by dehydrating the removed skins you also get powdered tomato that you can use to boost flavour in to soups and casseroles.

When I made this I did not expect to discover that I had bottled my own version of Turkish delight in a jar! Flower jellies are so easy to make; they add beautiful jewel-coloured jars to your pantry.

Lucious apple butter has so many uses, all of them delicious. Much sweeter and more unctuous than apple sauce it can be used in both savoury and sweet recipes. You can even use it to make peanut-apple butter sandwiches!

Bread and butter pickles are said to have been named by an Illinois farmer who was reputed to have traded his sweet and sour pickles for staples such as bread and butter. Nearly every cuisine has its own version of a pickled or fermented  cucumber or gherkin. my pantry is never without a jar or two gently marinating away.

The flavour of authentic German red cabbage can be experienced throughout the year or eaten straight away. With its sweet and sour tang,  it makes an excellent side dish to all sorts of meals. 

Tomatoes have a habit of remaining either stubbornly green, (especially if the summer climate hasn't been kind to them) or so profuse that you end up with hundreds of them. Pickling small tomatoes such as the red pear variety is a way of enjoying them beyond the official end of the the tomato season. The process is quick and results in both a yummy and versatile way of storing tomatoes..