One of my favourite books is The Fruit and Nut Book by Gail Duff.
My edition was published in 1990.

The book contains wonderful information about nearly one hundred fruits, nuts and seeds.

There are also about 200  recipes, designed to enhance out the flavour of the main fruit or
 nut.

Loquats are in season here in Adelaide and most folks do not know what to do with them.

Here is a recipe I have adapted from Gail's book.


Chickpea, Rice and Loquat Salad

2 cups of cooked chickpeas

2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups of peeled and sliced loquats

Mix together.


Salad dressing

1/2 cup of olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

salt and ground black pepper

2 cloves crushed garlic

1/2 cup of chopped parsley

2 sliced spring onion (optional)

Chopped chilli to taste

Chopped coriander to taste

Mix all dressing ingredients together and stir through peas, rice and loquats.

This salad is also great with tomatoes or diced orange if you do not have loquats.

Marinated Fruit-in-alcohol Drinks

Cassis

5oog black currants

500g sugar

10 fresh black currant leaves

750ml bottle brandy

Crush currants and leaves.

Add sugar and brandy.

Pour into wide mouthed jar and shake to dissolve sugar.

Shake now and then for a month or more.

Strain and bottle.

I sip it neat, in  a shot glass but its easy to drink more!

(From my elderly neighbour, Janny)

Raspberry Ratafia

3 cups raspberries

1/3 cup sugar

750ml vodka

6 lemon verbena leaves, crushed

Into a large, wide-mouthed jar put the raspberries and sugar and stir gently to crush a little.

Add the verbena leaves and the vodka.

Leave in a warm room for 4 weeks or more, shaking now and then

Strain and bottle.

I sip it neat in a shot glass.

(from a beautiful book called Plum Gorgeous)

Limoncello

1 litre vodka

peel of 12 large lemons

equal parts sugar and water

Into a large wide-mouthed jar put the peels and pour over the vodka.

Shake now and then for 3 months.

Strain.

In a pan, heat a cup of water and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Let cool completely.

Add the syrup gradually to the limoncello, tasting as you go, just until its how you think it should be!

Leave again for a week or more. May need straining again.

Most recipes have much more volume of syrup but I prefer it like this.

(From my friend Deb at Nirvana Farm)