DIY World is an occasional feature in the co-op's monthly eNews, where members contribute do-it-yourself recipes they've come up with themselves, or collected from other sources such as family members or books. Here's what we've published so far.

Preserving lemons
Here's a simple way to enjoy lemons all year round and what's more using the following method of preservation they can be around for years without refrigeration!

USES. Sliced preserved lemons go well in salads, couscous or cracked wheat dishes, in marinades for chicken or fish. Or baked with potatoes and plenty of olive oil. They go well with foods such as chickpeas, lentils, parsley and rice and of course the classic Moroccan tagine requires preserved lemon as do many other Middle Eastern recipes.

The following recipe is from Stephanie Alexander's The Cooks Companion.

INGREDIENTS
• 250g coarse salt
• 10 thick-skinned lemons, scrubbed and quartered
• 1 bay leaf, torn into pieces
• 2-3 cloves
• 1 stick cinnamon, broken into pieces

METHOD

1. Sterilise a large 1 litre jar (or a series of smaller ones) by boiling in a pot of water for 10 minutes and by drying in a 150°C oven. Don't touch the interior until you fill with the lemons etc.
   
   
2. Scatter a spoonful of salt into your sterilised jar(s). Tip lemons into a big tub with remaining salt and mix well. Massage fruit vigorously, then pack into jar, curved side out, inserting pieces of bay leaf, cloves and splinters of cinnamon stick at intervals. Press down hard on fruit to release as much juice as possible. (It's good for the lemon wedges to be covered in juice to prevent the formation of white mould Ð though keep in mind that white mould is harmless.)
   
   
3. Spoon left over salt mixture over fruit.
   
   
4. With a clean cloth dipped in boiling water, wipe neck of jar free of salt and cap tightly. Let the lemons mature for at least a month in a cool spot (not the fridge) before using.

Sprouting seeds by Jo Rose
Sprouts are cheap and easy to grow, use very little water and take up minimal space. The co-op has a variety of different seeds from the humble alfalfa to the spicy radish. There's also buckwheat, red clover, mustard and black sunflower seeds. All take around the same time to grow so have fun combining the flavours.

The simplest way to grow sprouts is in a jar because all you need are the seeds, a piece of muslin, a large glass jar and a rubber band. A tablespoon of seeds is all you need to provide you with a couple of cups of sprouts within a week.

METHOD

1. Place your seeds in a glass jar and cover with warm water. The key is not overfill the jar – air and water need circulate for the sprouts to grow.
   
   
2. Cover the jar with the muslin and secure with an elastic band and allow the seeds to soak overnight.
   
   
3. Next morning, drain the seeds and gently shake the jar to ensure the seeds are well covered in water and to remove any excess liquid.
   
   
4. Tilt the jar with the muslin facing down at a 45° angle so the seeds are fully drained – your dish rack is ideal.
   
   
5. Rinse, drain and gentle shake the sprouts two to three times a day to keep them damp and ensure they are getting a good air supply.

After three days the seeds should have begun sprouting; after 6-7 days they should be ready to harvest. They'll keep for a week in the fridge if you rinse them every few days.


Mustard by Renata Field
Mustard used to be one of the very few things our household bought from the stupermarket . . . until we realised how easy it was to make it ourselves!

INGREDIENTS
• 90g brown or yellow mustard seeds (or both if you like)
• 1/4 cup rapadura sugar (or honey)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• 7/8 cup vinegar or white wine

METHOD

1. Blend mustard seeds, sugar, salt, pepper and turmeric. The longer the blend time, the finer the mustard will be.
   
2. Gradually add liquid one tablespoon at a time. You should have a coarse
   paste, let this stand 20 minutes.
   
3. Spoon into a clean jar, cap tightly and store in the fridge. This should
   be ready in about two weeks.

TIP: Add garlic, chilli, herbs or spices for that individual touch.

Preserving tomatoes by Genevieve Derwent
Like many in the Alfalfa community, my family and I are always searching for ways we can lessen our impact on the planet. Part of this has involved thinking through what we eat and when, particularly the “when”. I’ll admit initially it was daunting to face the prospect of months without eggplant or tomatoes or basil. But I soon learned there are rewards, as I’ve begun to feel profound joy at the arrival of new fruits and vegetables that herald the beginning of a new season. Once immersed in this way of eating, the thought of buying tinned tomatoes from the other side of the world starts to feel a little excessive. That said, the prospect of no tomatoes for sauces and curries and soups and casseroles and stews throughout the winter months isn’t something I’d want to contemplate. As with many questions about living more sustainably, we can learn from what previous generations have done and in this case, the answer is preserve your own!

Preserving tomatoes is quite simple, fun, satisfying and, in fact, kind of addictive. You can get together with friends and make a day and night of it! One weekend, we preserved 30 kilos of organic tomatoes then sat down to a roast vegetable lasagna made with handmade pasta, a wonderfully herbaceous green salad from our garden and an Italian grape and olive oil cake filled with the gorgeous sweet grapes currently on offer at the co-op. What a perfect way to spend a Saturday . . .

You can order 10 kilo boxes of organic cooking tomatoes through our fruit+veg coordinator. I’ve found that 10 kilos of tomatoes fills about ten 750ml jars/bottles. While there are numerous ways to preserve tomatoes, I think the following method is the simplest and allows for the most versatile preserved tomato for eating in the cooler months. This method is called boiling water bath preserving.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
• Tomatoes – the more the better
• A large pot that will hold a number of jars/bottles and allow them to be submerged in water
• A rack of some sort that will fit in the bottom of the pot as the jars shouldn’t touch the bottom
• Jars/bottles – preferably re-used and always freshly washed
• New lids
• A funnel or similar

METHOD

1. Chop the tomatoes and blend roughly. This helps ensure the bottling process runs more smoothly. In a pot or two, cook up the tomatoes for about an hour until they are thick and of a sauce-like consistency.
   
2. Meanwhile, keep your jars and lids in a sink or tub of hot water until you need them. You don’t want hot tomatoes going into a cold jar as this increases the likelihood of the jars cracking.
   
3. Once the tomato sauce is ready, pour it into your hot jars/bottles, using the funnel. Make sure you leave space between the sauce and the rim of the jar (around 1.5-2cm). This is to ensure that a vacuum can be created within the jar. Wipe the rims of the jar and keep them clean and tomato-free. The jar won’t seal properly if there’s anything that comes between it and the seal on the lid. Once the jars are clean, put the lids on.
   
4. Put the rack in the bottom of your large pot and place the jars on the rack, allowing a little bit of space between them. Fill the pot with warm water until the jars are submerged. Turn the stove on to a medium heat and slowly bring the pot of water to a gentle boil. The size of the jar determines processing time. For 750ml jars it took around an hour.
   
5. Once done, turn the stove off and leave the jars in the water to cool slowly. As they cool, push the pop-top button on the lid down. (A vacuum is created by the contents of the jar cooling.) If the jar hasn’t cooled enough it won’t stay down. If any of the jars don’t seal you can process them again in the boiling water or else put the jar in the fridge and use the contents within a few days.
   
   Using this method you can preserve any number of tomatoey delights – salsa, relish, pasta sauce. And once you’ve mastered the art of preserving tomatoes there are a myriad fruit and vegetable preserving possibilities to explore. Enjoy.

SOME CAUTIONS

Important note 1: To ensure your jars seal properly, only use new lids. (Re-used lids could have damaged seals from the acids in food.) Fortunately, most commercial jars are standard sizes and www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au has a range of different-sized new metal lids you can purchase.

Important note 2: There is disagreement on whether all tomatoes are acidic enough on their own to prevent the growth of botulism. Botulism grows in the absence of air in an alkaline environment and is potentially fatal and not something you want to mess with. Some people recommend adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to each jar of tomatoes to help increase the acidity level. I’ve never done this and so far have had no problems with any kind of food poisoning, so it’s up to you.

Important note 3: A little bit of grey discolouration forming at the top of the tomatoes over time is ok, as it could just be the tiny amounts of mineral deposit left from using metal utensils and cookware. However, if the grey discolouration is pervasive you may have a problem and should think twice about eating the tomatoes. Likewise if your tomatoes seem bubbly or smell fermented or are mouldy, it would be best not to eat them. This can happen if something has gone awry with the processing and the seal/vacuum has failed to form properly so better luck next time.

Eggplant Pickle by Sarah Bock

• 8 eggplants, cut into 1⁄2cm wide slivers
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups apple cider or white wine vinegar
• 2-3 cups olive oil
• 400g fresh herbs (thyme, oregano and basil are good)
• 6 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 brown onions, sliced
• 4 chillies, if desired

METHOD

1. Bring eggplant, onions and garlic to the boil in a mix of 1⁄2 water, 1⁄2 white vinegar.
2. Leave eggplant to cool in mixture. Drain.
3. Prepare pickling jars by boiling, ensuring not to touch the inside of jars or lids.
4. Fill jars with eggplant. Combine onion, garlic, herbs.
5. Fill jars with a combination of half good quality vinegar, half olive oil, ensuring the eggplant is completely covered with oil.
6. Store in a cool dry place, start eating after one week.

Janne's Beetroot Pickle by Janne King

• 2 medium beetroots
• 1 cup vinegar
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• spices to taste: salt, pepper, bay leaves, mustard seeds

METHOD

1. Boil beetroots with the skin on for 30-60 min or until tender.
2. Heat vinegar with sugar until dissolved.
3. Skin the beetroots and cut into desired cubes or slices. 
4. Place into clean, scolded jars and pour the vinegar solution over the top.
5. Add spices to taste.
6. Leave unopened in the fridge for a week before enjoying.

TIP: Wear gloves when peeling the beetroot to prevent your hands turning pink!

Vanilla essence by Renata Field

• 4 vanilla beans, split
• 2 cups brandy

METHOD

1. Place brandy in jar. Scrape in the seeds from vanilla beans then add the beans.
2. Seal tightly. Let stand in cool place for at least two months, shaking jar occasionally.
3. 3 Store in cool dark place.
   

Tomato relish by Renata Field

• 16 medium-size tomatoes
• 1 1⁄2 cups white vinegar
• 1 1⁄4 cups brown sugar
• 1 1⁄2 tbsp mustard
• 1 1⁄2 curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger, cumin, chilli powder, pepper as desired
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp cornflour

METHOD

1. In a large bowl submerge tomatoes in just boiled water for 5 mins.
2. Carefully tip out the water and replace with cold water. Let sit for 5 mins. The skins should come off easily.
3. 3 Peel tomatoes and roughly chop.
4. In a large stockpot fry up onions until clear (do not brown). Add all spices, stir 1 min.
5. Add tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Simmer about 40 mins.
6. In a small bowl make a slurry with cornflour and a few tbsp of water. Add to stockpot and cook on a high boil for a few mins, after which the cornflour should thicken the relish.
7. Prepare your jars while relish cools. Clean all jars and lids very well. Fill to the brim with boiled water and let cool until you can handle jar easily. Tip out boiled water.
8. Fill jars with warm relish, clean off any spillage. With clean cloth, wipe lips of the jars and inside lids with vinegar and seal tightly. Place filled jars upside down, allow to cool (creates seal). The relish should keep a few months out of the fridge, and longer in the fridge.