Orange cordial……make your own!

Today, is the second last day of my holidays.  I have enjoyed this past week, pottering around the house, catching up on many odd jobs and projects.  Never venturing far from home….partly due to the plague of holiday people and mostly because I rarely get to have time to just do - stuff!

So I was originally going to do a quick Facebook post on this afternoon's project, but decided that it deserved a blog post of its own.  Rather red-faced, it has been a long time between posts, so thought it was high time to write something hopefully interesting.

A quick trip to the local fruit and veg store this afternoon, saw me lugging in three bags of produce - mostly fruit for my new juicer.  I quickly got started on my intended project, fresh orange juice.  Now this is nothing spectacularly different, but wow, it tasted SO good, I wondered what else I could make with it?  Then the light bulb thought of home-made orange cordial came to me……yes, that was it!

After a quick search on the net, I came across this recipe from Towards Sustainability and now that I have discovered this blog, I will no doubt be marking it as one of my must-reads on my iPad.

The finished product….so yummy!

The cordial was dead easy to make….simply mix sugar with water in a saucepan and dissolve over a low heat.  Then add the fruit juice - I had fresh orange, but anything could be used.  I also added some citric acid, to help preserve the mixture in the fridge, but I think when my son comes home, he will soon make short work of this batch. Now that I think of it, I might have to raid my mum's lemon tree to make a batch of lemon……yummy and refreshing!

Ingredients...

So, why make your own?  

1.  It is delicious and unlike store bought orange cordial, it actually tastes like real fruit.

2.  I know exactly what went into it……and exactly what didn't!

3.  It is really cheap to make….I think it would have cost about one dollar for about a litre.

4.  What a great way to use up any excess fruit!  Many citrus trees are often overloaded with fruit.

5.  I am happy for my son to drink this, in moderation of course!

6.  Another great use for the juicer that I got for Christmas……smile.

Love my juicer!

Although I don't make New Year's resolutions, during my holiday I have been putting down the foundations for my Autumn veg crop and really aiming to grow as much of my own food as possible.

I have also been inspired to start making more home-made food, hopefully using much of my backyard harvest.  There are zucchinis starting to grow huge overnight, ready to be included with some yummy pasta. I have a recipe for homemade spelt pasta, now I can give my dusty pasta maker a run for its money.  Tomatoes are not far off…..can't wait to tuck into them!

It makes for a satisfying lifestyle, making and growing your own food.  I would love to hear about your homemade, handmade and homegrown stories…..!

Cheers,

MPH xx