Medlar Honey

Recipe for: MEDLAR HONEY

Ingredients:

• 1.5 to 2 kg firm, unbletted, medlars, straight from the tree
• 1 kg preserving sugar

 Method:

1. wash, then chop all the medlars roughly (skin, seeds & all)
2. place in a heavy pan & cover with water
3. bring to the boil, then simmer till completely mushy
4. tip everything into a jelly bag & leave everything to drip into a bowl overnight
5. next day, measure the (cloudy) juice & return to the (clean) pan
6. add an equal amount of sugar, stirring until it dissolves, then boil rapidly until setting point  – is reached, which should take about 35-40 minutes
7. pot up into clean, warm, sterilised jars
8. cool, seal & label

 What else you need to know:

1. medlars are generally low in pectin, so it’s quite hard to get a proper set
2. if it sets, it’s jelly (spread on toast)
3. if it doesn’t set, it’s honey (serve with ice cream or yoghurt)
4. either way it’s delicious, so don’t worry about it