Inspired by the thread on home-brewing, I was wondering what people do to preserve excess produce? My OH and I have made about four batches of oven dried tomatoes - they last for weeks if covered with olive oil and stored in the fridge and are fab with pasta / on homemade pizzas etc :)

Last weekend we used up an excess of chillis by making chilli and tomato jam, which again tastes wonderful and was surprisingly easy.

Any other ideas for preserving homegrown fruits?

what did you do to dry them leave them on s seting on oven over night

No, not quite that long - more like three or four hours at about gas mark 2-3 (my oven is a little cool, so I actually used gas mark 3-4, but I think that would be more 2-3 / 150C in most ovens). Before I even got as far as the oven though I also drew some of the moisture out of them with salt . This is the procedure I used:

Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the centre and seeds and then sit up unright like cups in a baking tray. Next cover them with a generous quantity of salt, turn them upside dpwn and leave them to stay for about half an hour. After this time, rinse each one thoroughly to remove the salt and then place back on the tray, upright again. Sprinkle with chopped garlic and oregano (or whatever herbs you like) and place in the oven. Once they are dry, remove them from the oven, let them cool and transfer to clean jars. Cover with olive oil. They are lovely :thumbsup:

My Mum has a glut of tomatoes and she makes Delias, Fresh tomato soup - its fab!! She also, bottles/pickles lots of things. Chutneys are good too. and you can freeze lots of stuff.

So far this year I have crab apple jelly, lemon curd, lemon marmalade (ok so i cheated and it was a glut of lemons for 10p in tesco!) I've jsut discovered a fabulous Mary Berry recipe that uses marrow/courgette to make a wonderful fruit loaf (and i've successfully adapted it so its gluten free), sloe vodka (I dont like gin!) blackberry vodka, blackberry jam.

Other than that i've a fridge full of fresh vegetables (still with muck on :clap: ) and a freezer full of home made ready meals stacked FULL of nice healthy veggies :D

i love autumn.... there's jsut so much choice :D

I've made blackberry & apple jam, blackberry cordial and elderflower cordial.

Potatoes, onions, shallots & garlic stored in cool, dry place. Fridge full of tomatoes and enormous marrow sized courgettes on kitchen worktop. Squashes & pumpkins drying in potting shed.

EM, I also made some lemoncurd - its absolutely divine, well it was - all scoffed now.