Topic: jam

[ACE]

When we were kids my mother would make marrow and ginger jam. It was supposed to be melon and ginger, but 'exotic' fruits were not available. I have a glut of ridge cucumbers and was thinking of making something similar. Surfed the net and found cucumber, ginger and vanilla jam. I quite like the sound of it has anybody tried it and what was it like. I don't want to be throwing it away this time next year. Relishes and chutneys are also on the list to make with them so it is the just  jam I am asking about.

[peanuts]

Interesting - my mum used to make the same jam when we were kids.  Perhaps cos that was what was easily available, as were wild blackberries for  making bramble jelly (blackberries always collected  on the railway embankment, wouldn't be allowed now) in cornflake or shredded wheat boxes with the tops cut off.  I don't remember her making other jams when I was a kid.  But I never liked the marrow jam. I do lots of things with courgettes, but my husband will always say the best recipe for marrows is chopping them very small in one direction, then in the other direction, and shooting the lot on the compost heap!  Apologies to marrow lovers!

There are so many nice fruits to make jam and jellies with, why use cucumber?  When i have a lot, we eat several a day, and I always make jars of a lovely sweet cucumber pickle, which goes down  extremely well with our French friends and neighbours, as they make neither pickle nor chutney here.

[brownthumb2]

 Love  marrow and ginger jam taste quite like marmalade to me  // Cucumbers I make a cucumber relish  something like picalilly

[johhnyco15]

carrot and cardamon jam is very nice will have to try the cucumber relish not sure about the jam

[galina]

With relishes and chutneys you are 'safe' and people are going to like them.  I you have doubts about the jam now at the planning stages, you won't like it any better eating it.  Perhaps make a very small batch of two jars at the most and if you really like it, then go for it.

From the USA 'bread and butter pickle'  has always been a favourite with our family, albeit with a lot less sugar than most recipes stipulate. 

If you are adventurous try salt fermenting cucumbers, aka 'kosher pickled cucumber'.  This is the same principle as making sourkraut, lacto-fermented made in a crock.  Different, but not so different that it might be a problem. 

http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/lacto-fermentation-recipes/lacto-fermented-kosher-dill-pickles/

[jennym]

I used to make a lot of jam, one of the varieties was marrow and ginger, which I reckon you could adapt for cucumber. Recipe here:
Marrow, peeled de-seeded and chopped, half fine, half about 1/2" square - 1700g
Apple, (cooking apple type) peeled, de-cored, chopped - 850g
Crystallised ginger - I preferred chinese - chopped fine - 250g
Juice of 2-3 large lemons 150ml
White granulated sugar - I always used cheapest beet sugar -2000g
Allspice, powdered, 1/2 level teaspoonful.
You don't need water.
Put the chopped marrow in a bowl with half the sugar, stir and leave overnight in the fridge.
The following day, put the chopped apple in a bowl, loosely cover and microwave until it mashes into a soft pulp. Stir in the lemon juice and put to one side.
Put the marrow mixture (which by now will look very watery) in a thick bottomed pan with the chopped ginger and the rest of the sugar and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Cook further until the larger marrow pieces are transparent. Do not boil at this stage. Allow to cool slightly and then add the mashed apple and lemon juice mixture and the allspice. Stir in well.
Increase the heat very slowly, stirring all the time. Bring to a rolling boil until a temperature of 104-104.5 degrees C is reached and remove from heat stirring gently.
Jar and seal.
Makes about 7lb,
I guess the cucumber will have more water content than marrow, and be less dense, so I'd probably chop the cucumber a bit larger and increase the chopped apple to 1000g.