Learn more about preserving
Food
How to make Mandarincello
Winter is the season for citrus fruits and hopefully you're making the most of all the cheap vitamin C that is around. However what do you do with all that left over peel? Do you just throw it in the bin or composter? How about turning ...
Food
Top tips for making marmalade
Marmalade is a more time-consuming project than making jam, but no less satisfying. It's much more labour intensive than the summer fruit jams. You need Seville oranges which only have a limited season in the UK shops - it’s smash and ...
Stories
The psychology of gift giving and why home made presents are best
We are getting close to Christmas and it seems that the present shopping is gathering a storm. We might be in a recession, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping the Christmas shopping frenzy. But is shopping the only way to celebrate ...
Food
The pleasure in making sloe gin
It’s that time of year when, as I mentioned in my piece on green risotto, I like to forage. So I can be found scrabbling in hedgerows near my home or screaming ‘Stop the car! - there’s some!’ on a French N road. Why? Because ...
Food
Italian recipes for green tomatoes
One of our Italian members, Lina, very kindly sent us a couple of recipes for preserving green tomatoes. Clare O'Brien's recent piece on what to do with them has provoked a lot of interest. In Italy green tomatoes are very popular and ...
Food
Preserving, pickling and storing fruit and veg
This weather here in the UK has not been too kind for picnicking, barbecuing or holidays at home, but for fruit trees and vegetable gardens it has been amazing and we are having a bumper crop. If like me you are fortunate enough to have ...
Stories - Food
Confessions of a reluctant jam maker
Well I have to write this as I promised to do so in my earlier piece Why I'm going to make jam, which I think would be more appropriately titled as "Reluctant confessions of a novice jam maker". I'm no longer reluctant to make jam - but I ...
Food
What to do with green tomatoes?
I am awash (well, more accurately, a-stalk) with green tomatoes. I have tons of the things, looking beautiful and healthy and weighing down the surprisingly robust plants. They smell incredible and look luscious, but they are steadfastly, ...
Have you got an idea for an article or story?
Whether you’re a seasoned wordsmith or turning your hand to writing for the first time - we’d love to hear from you. Send an email to the address below and we’ll send you our free guide to Writing for Make it and Mend it. It’s full of great advice and could help you get published elsewhere on the web. (Just remember who gave you your big break.)
