Maia Orav wins with a preserve that brings garden and forest together

Preserve maker Maia Orav says she enjoys bringing expected and unexpected ingredients together. Her preserve “A walk from the garden to the forest and then to the café” took second place at the Olustvere preserves fair, ERR reported after she spoke on the Terevisioon morning programme.

The preserve combines carrot, rhubarb, spruce shoots and espresso coffee. Orav said it would go well with a strong cheese or as a topping for a dessert such as curd or ice cream. She sees developing unusual combinations as a way to challenge herself and avoid sticking to old ideas.

Orav became interested in unusual preserves after she started growing chillies. She first combined strawberries and chilli, a pairing she described as very successful.

On Terevisioon, she made a preserve called “Autumn frolic”, using tomatoes, raspberries, chilli and a little vanilla. She added lemon juice, chopped tomatoes and a little sugar to the raspberries, then said the chilli should go in halfway through cooking and liquid vanilla at the end.

Her other combinations include beetroot, lingonberries, rowan berries and chilli, as well as pear, lingonberries, horseradish and honey.