Help Salvage my Goreous Grapefruit!!!

12 years ago

Hello All!

So I made a bonehead mistake in a recipe that I had. I have "Canning for a New Generation" and was trying to make "grapefruit segments in Mint Syrup" Well, I messed up and when I read "Holding back the segments, pour the juice that has collected in the bowl into a 2 cup measure. Add enough water to make 2 cups liquid. Put in medium saucepan, add sugar, and 1/4 cup mint. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring to dissolve sugar" I read it as boiling grapefruit segments in the water until the sugar dissolved and now my grapefruit segments are completely disintegrated. Now I have grapefruit pulp in minty syrup. Is there anything I can do to salvage all this yummy grapefruit? Maybe add more sugar and boil it down to more of a thicker syrup consistency?

The original recipe called for 5 pounds grapefruit, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup packed fresh mint springs plus one small sprig per pint.

Please help me!

Thanks!

uaskigyrl

Comments (10)

readinglady
12 years ago
If you want to make a heavier syrup, I would strain out the grapefruit bits so they retain as much of the present flavor and texture as possible. Then cook the syrup and re-combine, if that's what you wish.

For myself, I'd leave the grapefruit-syrup combination as it is, perhaps planning to use it as a compote with compatible fresh fruits. In other words, in winter I'd pour the grapefruit-syrup mixture over things like apples and bananas.

Heck, I might even check sorbet and granita recipes and see if it could be frozen and served that way.

Carol
digdirt2
12 years ago
I wonder if you couldn't add pectin and turn it into a marmalade or using it in combination with other fruits to make a hint of grapefuit flavored jams? But I also like Carol's suggestion of using it as a topping with other fruits.

Dave
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uaskigyrl
Original Author
12 years ago
Carol: You. are. a. genius! I just got the ice cream maker attachment for my kitchen aide as a gift (to myself!) and have been making sorbets for summer time (I prefer sorbets). I still have 2 grapefruits left and can juice those and combine everthing into the ice cream maker! Goodness, I don't know why I didn't think of that...I guess I was too sad from losing my grapefruit segments! It's always a moral buster when you work so hard at something only to "lose it" from a bonehead mistake (especially when you've been in the kitchen all day)! LOL :-)
readinglady
12 years ago
Glad to help. Believe me, every experienced canner has lots of ideas for "salvage." We learned the hard way, LOL.

Carol
tracydr
12 years ago
We must have gone through at least 100 lbs of grapefruit this year, just juicing it for fresh juice. It's amazing how much fresh fruit it takes to make a gallon of juice and how many gallons of juice two people can drink.
We especially like it with a shot of vodka over ice!
It seems to be the most given away fruit in the Valley during the winter time. Maybe other people just dont like it or don't go to the trouble of juicing it?
We also went through at least 100 lbs of oranges, maybe 150. Between the 40boxes I buy on sale for five dollars at the street side markets, the bags the neighbors give us and the 20-30 pounds of special varieties I can think of that I purchased, maybe even 200 pounds.
Wow, I need to update my "what have you put up in 2011" post. I never even count our citrus juicing as putting up, since I just refrigerate the results!
dgkritch
12 years ago
tracydr, you're killing me here!!

We pay anywhere from $.69-$.99 PER POUND for citrus.
When a really good sale hits, sometimes I can fine grapefruit 3/$1.00.

sigh............... Citrus is one of the few things we can't grow here in Oregon.

Deanna
uaskigyrl
Original Author
12 years ago
Soooooo true Tracy! People at work bring bags & bags of citrus cuz it's just falling off the trees this time of year & they have the choice of giving it away or letting it rot. I try to find out who bring in the citrus so I can at least give them a small jar of marmalade or something, which just means people give me MORE citrus! Dont get me wrong, I love citrus but sometimes I'm like, "MORE CITRUS?!?!"...I guess it's a good thing we live somewhere where it grows non stop.

I have a friend that has 30 citrus trees on her property & every january her husband & her have a HUGE Citrus Picking Party. They grill & just let their guests go to town on their trees (they bought the house with all those trees)!

Then again my fav fruit is berries & cherries...very hard to find in the valley!
dgkritch
12 years ago
I've said before, it would be nice if we could swap our excesses! I have blackberries growing wild all over!
I keep goats just to eat them back.
Unfortunately, they don't ship very well....not the really good RIPE ones!

Deanna
nancyofnc
12 years ago
If only we could swap ----- (Big Sigh).

Nancy
tracydr
12 years ago
That would be nice. I would love to have good peaches, apples and strawberries. The ones around here are horrible. To think I used to have enough in OK to fill an entire chest freezer every summer with fruit.
I am planting blackberries, a fig, pomegranate and dwarf peach this fall. Also, going to experiment with annual strawberries and annual rhubarb this winter.
This winter, our neighbor was putting big grocery sacks of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit on top of our fence. My husband was bring bags and bags home from school. We have two lemon trees and my parents have one.
I drive by dozens of orchards and they sell seconds of oranges/grapefruit in 40-50 lb boxes for 4.99 if I need some before the neighbors start giving it away. My little electric citrus juicer for $29.00 earns it's keep! I buy a big box or two and juice 1 gallon at a time,getting about 2-4 gallons per box.

Help Salvage my Goreous Grapefruit!!!

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readinglady

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Help Salvage my Goreous Grapefruit!!!

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