Strawberry Rose Petal Preserves

The local Foodshed had an amazing sale on strawberries.  The recent heat wave caused the strawberry fields to smell like jam, which is heavenly but means it's the last of the strawberries.  So it's time to jam.

I wanted to add an additional flavor; looking at what was available in my yard, I thought roses would go beautifully with strawberries.  I picked a bunch of 'purple splash' rose petals and a Meyer lemon from the garden.  I use Pomona universal pectin, mostly because that's what's available at the co-op, but also because it allows me to use less sugar than some recipes.

flower rainbow for pride month;
that's a 'purple splash' rose on the upper left corner.

1.25-1.5 cups evaporate can sugar, organic, fair trade

3 teaspoons pectin

5 cups strawberries (1.5-2 pounds), sliced thick

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 teaspoons calcium water (from the pectin packet)

2 cups rose petals, tightly packed

Place a small plate in the freezer. If canning, prep all your tools and equipment, and start boiling water for processing.  Make the calcium water.

In a small bowl, add sugar.  Sprinkle with pectin and stir well. Send aside.

Put a large cast iron enameled pot on high heat.  Add the sliced strawberries. lemon juice, and calcium water.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Sprinkle in the sugar mix and stir vigorously to dissolve sugar while bringing it back to a boil.  Stir in the rose petals and boil for 5 minutes. Test to see if the jam is set by putting a teaspoonful of liquid jam onto the frozen plate.  Allow plate to cool for 2 minutes in the fridge.  If the jam gels, it's ready.  If not, test every 2 minutes.  When it's done, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

If canning, fill jars leaving a half-inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes about 4.5 cups.  I made three batches, which made 13 cup jars—the perfect fit in my canning pot.

Loquat Chamoy

Flipping through the latest Edible SD magazine, I turn to the last page and see a simple, short recipe for chamoy.  I'm not a huge fan of sweet-spicy but my little brother and sister love it, so I thought I'd whip some up for them.

It seemed odd to me that their recipe called for apricots, which are not easily or often grown in San Diego.  With a plethora of loquats on my trees and multiple jars of freshly jammed loquats in my cupboard, it struck me as the perfect use for them.  Being ubiquitous here, currently in season, and, while not native, a big part of my Mexican culinary heritage, it's an obvious choice.  So here's my version:

4-6 loquats, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup loquat preserves
zest and juice of 3 small limes
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4-1 teaspoon ancho chile powder (to taste)
3/4-1 teaspoon cayenne chile powder (to taste)

Add all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Makes about 1 cup.

Serve on fruit sorbets, fresh fruit, fruity drinks, shave ice, cheesecake, tostilocos...

Vanilla Loquat Preserves

A great crop on my favorite loquat tree this year!  I'll be making a few versions of this jam this month:

16 cups loquats (seeded and quartered)

4 cups sugar (or less)
1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tsp vanilla extract (or see other variations)

Remove the blossom end of the loquats, seeds, and cut into quarters.  In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the loquats with sugar and lemon juice and let sit for at least a half hour.

On high heat, bring to a boil, stirring constantly, to gel point (could be 20-60 minutes - test a small amount of jelly on a plate you've kept in the freezer; return the plate to the freezer for 1 minute.  If the jelly wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done.)  Stir in vanilla extract.

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Makes 9 cups.

Variations:
Instead of vanilla, try 16 leaves rose geranium, zest of an orange, or 1 teaspoon cardamom added when you bring it to a boil.

Lavender Mulberry Preserves

Looking at and smelling the lavender growing next to my mulberry tree made me think their delicate flavors might be nice together.

Lavender in foods can be tricky.  Too little and you can't detect it, too much and it tastes like soap.  To avoid overpowering flavors I always use fresh lavender.  It's quite subtle in this recipe:

6 pounds fresh mulberries

4 1/2 cups sugar
24 springs of fresh lavender, tied together in a bouquet garni
3/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons calcium water (comes with Pomona's universal pectin powder)
2 tablespoons pectin powder

Rinse mulberries and clip the little stem off (this part takes forever).

In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the mulberries with sugar and lavender and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours.

Put mulberry mix on high heat.  Stir in the lemon juice and calcium water.  Slowly sprinkle in the pectin stirring it in as you goes so as to avoid lumps.  Boil, stirring constantly, to gel point (test a small amount of jelly on a plate you've kept in the freezer; return the plate to the freezer for 1 minute.  If the jelly wrinkles when you push it with your finger, it is done.)

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Makes 12 cups.

Variations:
Try a different herb instead of lavender, such as sage, mint, lemon verbena, or rose geranium.
Instead of lemon juice, use 1/4 cup white or dark balsamic vinegar and eliminate the herb.

Mulberry Preserves with Homemade Pectin

In the past, I have not been patient or experienced enough to get mulberries to the correct jam consistency.  Mulberries don't have enough pectin on their own to jam, I've always wanted to make my own pectin, and I had a couple pomelos hanging around.  So this year, I did a bit more research, used the turbo burner on my stove to get the temp up and voila!  Success!

4 pounds fresh mulberries
homemade citrus pectin from half a pound of pith
2 7/8 cups sugar
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice or vinegar of your choice)

Rinse mulberries and clip the little stem off (this part takes forever).

In a large enameled pot (or other high heat tolerant, non-reactive pot), mix the mulberries with sugar and let sit in the fridge for 8 hours.

Put mulberry mix on high heat, add pectin and vinegar, and stir frequently to 220 degrees or to gel point (this part can take awhile - be patient to get to that gel point)

If you're canning, fill jars leaving 1/2 inch head space and process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

Mulberry Cordial

Mulberry season is in full force, but a month later than recent years after a long, cool, wet winter.  My tree is quite prolific; I have plenty to share with neighbors, friends, family, birds and squirrels.  I'm also looking for more recipes to try to use them up.  Of course, I always jam them.  I love them in a meyer marmalade.  I'll borrow my mom's dehydrator.  And here's a cordial/syrup:

3 cups mulberries
1 1/2 cups evaporated cane sugar

juice of a small lemon

In a quart jar, crush berries and sugar and add lemon juice. Let steep in fridge for 1-2 days, then strain out the fruit.

Keep refrigerated up to a week. This can also be canned to be shelf stable for up to a year.

Serve with sparkling water over ice or to sweeten iced tea or lemonade.

Variation: add 1 1//2 cups of vinegar (balsamic, red wine, or apple cider) after straining to make a shrub.

Purple Jalapeño Hot Sauce

I've been meaning to pick these beautiful, dark purple jalapeños for a while but it's serendipitous that I didn't because now this hot sauce is flavorful with dissipating heat and a natural sweetness from purple jalapeños that ripened into red.

7 small-medium jalapeños, stemmed
2 scallions, rough chopped, also from the garden
1 huge garlic clove, peeled, from Schaner Farm
1/2 cup vinegar (I used champagne vinegar cuz that's what I had on hand)
juice of 1 small lime, from Good Taste Farm
1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree a few minutes until smooth.

Balsamic Caramelized Onion Jam

1/4 cup olive oil
6 medium-sized yellow onions, quartered and sliced thin, from Schaner Farm
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, minced, from my backyard
2 teaspoons whole grain dijon mustard
1/4 cup sucanat, rapadura, or other brown sugar
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar (I used a sweet, syrupy type; you could also use a dark one)

Heat the oil over medium heat, stir in onion, thyme and sea salt; cook covered, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, until soft and golden. Reduce heat to low, stir in mustard, sugar and vinegar; simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced to jam consistency.

Makes about 2 cups


adapted from The Produce Companion

Organic Almond Sauce

Looking for uses for leftover almond meal from making almond milk, I did a little research into recreating a certain farmers market sauce with organic ingredients:

2/3 cup spring water
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2  cup leftover almond meal (real raw almonds from Terra Bella Farm)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, from my tree
3 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic, from Schaner Farm
2 teaspoons bragg liquid aminos
1/2 dried new mexican chile
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon paprika

Place all ingredients in a quality blender. Slowly blend for one minute, then blend on high for another minute for a smooth and creamy consistency. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups

Great for dippin' raw veggies and tortilla chips, or use 3/4 cup water for a thiner salad dressing.

Spiced Cranberry Pear Compote

This version of cranberry sauce was inspired by a wonderfully fragrant pear from Smit Farms at the Little Italy farmers market.

1 pear, peeled, diced
zest of an orange or tangerine
1 1/2 cups apple cider
3 cups fresh cranberries
1/3 cup golden raisins

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rapadura sugar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground

1/4 teaspoon clove, ground

a pinch of allspice, ground

1/8 teaspoon cayenne, ground

Stir all ingredients in large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes, until all cranberries burst. Uncover, reduce heat to simmer until the pear is soft and the raisins are plumped, 15-20 minutes. Cool to serve at room temp. Can be kept frozen for several weeks or canned to be shelf stable.

Makes about 3 cups.

LOL! Marmalade

In San Diego, loquats are ubiquitous and largely ignored, even when heavy with their delectable, unique fruits.  I grew up eating them off my English immigrant grandma's and my Mexican-American great-grandma's trees.  Each spring I was treated to their yellow appearance on the branches and would wait with joy for them to turn slightly more orange so I could seek out the perfectly ripe specimen.  I have trees of my own now but while every where else in SD the fruits are abundant, this is the second year that mine haven't beared at all!  I'll spend some time trying to remedy this for next year but in the meantime, I have friends with a plethora of extra fruit.  So this marmalade is courtesy of the Coopers:

Loquat Orange Lime Marmalade
I like making marmalade because it produces it's own pectin; I don't have to add extra, non-organic ingredients.  That an organic pectin is not available is shocking to me. And I like cutting the marmalade with another fruit (I've also made a strawberry- and a mulberry-meyer lemon variety!) because that helps temper the sweetness of all the added sugar and the stiffness of the pectin.

4 cups loquat (after being peeled, seeded, membranes removed) from the Coopers
2 pounds (about 8 small) cara cara oranges from Smit Farms at the Little Italy farmers market
2 pounds (about 3 large) navel oranges from Solidarity Farm
4 limes from the Coopers
5 1/3 cups local spring water
4 cups sugar (I like organic evaporated cane)

Prep the loquats: I had a ton of fruit so I peeled them after blanching using this method.  Then I removed the seeds and the stringy membranes around the seeds by hand.  (You could also freeze the fruit at this point to use in other future recipes.)

Scrub the citrus fruit clean. I do not use soap (yuck); just rubbing and water.

Cut oranges in half and juice (you need 2 2/3 cups of juice), saving all the seeds & membranes in a muslin bag or cheesecloth (cuz we're making our own pectin!).  Scrape the white pith (and save in the bag) from the oranges (this is the the most time consuming active part of this recipe).  Julienne the peels.

Cut the limes in 8ths, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membranes and add them to the bag.  Slice the lime sections into thin triangles.

Put the juice, peels, lime triangles, water & muslin bag (closed tight, let the string hang over the edge but don't let it catch on fire) in a medium/large-ish, heavy bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil and boil on medium heat, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so the fruit and bag doesn't stick to the bottom and burn.

Remove from heat.  Transfer bag to a bowl and allow to cool.  Measure the marmalade mixture and for every cup, add a cup of sugar.  When the bag is cool enough to handle, squeeze the pectin juices into the marmalade mix (and then compost the bag contents).

Heat the marmalade back up to a rapid boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Secure a candy thermometer in your mixture, making sure it does not touch the pot.  You want to get the temp up to 220-222 degrees so it will jell (this step also takes awhile).  Then stir in your loquats, return to a boil, and remove from heat.

Fill sterilized jars (that you've been keeping in hot water) leaving 1/2 inch head room, scrape down side to remove any air bubbles, clean head space & outer threads with a clean, damp cloth, add lids & rings (that you've been keeping in hot water), not super tight, and process in water bath covering the topd of the cans by an inch of water just below a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the water bath and let sit, undisturbed overnight.  Next morning, check to make sure they've sealed and tighten the rings.

Makes about 10 1/2 cups.

There are many resources for more complete instructions on jamming and canning.  Check out your local library, co-op, or homesteading groups.

Another Mushroom Gravy

I wanted a slightly lighter, more liquidy, more traditional gravy this year.  Bonus: use oil instead of butter and you've got a nice vegan gravy!  The meat-eaters at the table prefer this gravy to the one someone else made from turkey.  You may want to make a double-batch.

4-6 tablespoons Spring Hill butter or oil
1/2 pound crimini mushrooms, sliced, or even better 1 1/4 ounces dried wild mixed mushrooms, reconstituted in hot water for at least 30 minutes and roughly chopped
3 large shallots (about a cup), minced from Schaner Farm
3 tablespoons flour

a bay leaf

a sprig of thyme
3 cups vegetable broth/water from reconstituting dried mushrooms (bonus: use potato water to help keep the gravy from solidifying when cooled)
a splash of tamari, soy sauce, or bragg's to taste if needed for both for taste and color

a splash of vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

If using fresh mushrooms, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and brown, then set aside.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in the pan and lightly caramelize the shallots on medium-low heat.  Add the remaining butter and melt.  Add the flour, bay leaf, and thyme, and cook for 3-4 minutes, whisking frequently. Whisk in the broth, so as not to have any lumps.  Add in the mushrooms and simmer 6-8 minutes until it thickens. Season to taste.

Makes about 4 cups.

thai peanut sauce

About time I posted this favorite. Use it in a whole wheat wrap, with Asian noodles, for stir-fried veggies, a dipping sauce or thin for a salad dressing. Goes great with greens, carrots, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, avocado, sunflower sprouts, green onions, fresh cilantro and mint leaves. Garnish with roasted or sprouted peanuts.



Thai Peanut Sauce
2 tablespoons namu soyu (soy sauce)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon local honey or agave
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger (dry measure)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup peanut butter (measured by displacement of the liquid)
2 tablespoons warm water (more or less to desired consistency)

Blend with immersion blender until smooth. Makes about a cup.

Honey Balsamic Fig Preserves

I am a big fan of trading.  Seeds, saplings, starters, recipes, clothes, work, skills, time... And I love food swaps.  I have too many eggs from my lovely backyard chickens, my friend has a heavy-bearing fig tree (or lemons, macadamia nuts, goat milk, honey, vegan tamales, tomatoes...), so we trade!  Yay!  Let's take some money out of the system and build community while we grow and produce our own!

 Now I've got all these figs (she brought me a sizable bag of them) -- enough to try 2 different small-batch fig jam recipes (and bonus: figs are another fruit that don't need added pectin to jam), so here's the first...

2 1/2 cups fresh figs (thanks, Mariah!), chopped into eighths
3/4 cup local honey (or your favorite sugar or syrup)
1/4 cup apple juice from Smit Farms (or orange juice or other liquid of your choice)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice or another vinegar)

If you're new to jamming, get yourself a good resource for a more descriptive process on how to jam.

Set up your water bath for equipment & jar sterilizing.

Combine figs, honey, juice and vinegar in a heavy medium-sized pot (I like enameled cast iron; it's safe, clean and the least reactive) on medium-high heat.  Stir frequently, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until jam gels, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fill sterilized jars (that you've been keeping in hot water), wipe lip & outer threads with a clean, damp cloth, add lids & rings (that you've been keeping in hot water), not too tight, and boil in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove and let sit undisturbed overnight.

Makes 1 1/2-2 cups

Adapted from wellpreserved.ca

Mulberry Meyer Marmalade

I love making marmalade because it means I'm making my own organic pectin, and not adding anything from a box.  And while our mulberry tree has not been as prolific this year (maybe because I need to feed it, maybe because of our changing climate), I'm still thinking about coming up with new things to do with mulberries (although they are quite lovely just eaten straight off the tree).  I did bake them up into a mulberry crisp a few weeks ago, and simmered them into a quick compote to serve on waffles or pancakes, and then I thought of this!..

3 1/2 lbs Meyer lemons: ours from my mother-in-law's beautiful yard in the Oakland Hills
4 cups filtered or spring water
4 cups evaporated cane sugar
3 cups mulberries, stems removed

Scrub the lemons clean. I do not use soap (yuck); just rubbing and water.

Cut in half and juice the lemons except for one (you need about 2 1/3 cups of juice), saving all the seeds & membranes in a muslin bag or cheesecloth.  Scrape the white pith (and save in the bag) from the lemons.  Julienne the peels (for 3-4 cups).

Cut the last lemon in 8ths, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membranes and add them to the bag.  Slice the sections into thin triangles.

Put the juice, peels, Meyer triangles, water & muslin bag (closed tight, let the string hang over the edge but don't let it catch on fire) in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring so the fruit and bag don't stick to the bottom and burn.

Remove from heat.  Transfer bag to a bowl and allow to cool.  Measure the marmalade mixture and for every cup, add 7/8 cup of sugar.  Squeeze the pectin juices from the bag into the marmalade mix (I save it and squeeze it more after it cools, saving the pectin liquid for later jamming).

Heat the marmalade back up to a rapid boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  Secure a candy thermometer in your mixture, making sure it does not touch the pot.  You want to get the temp up to 220-222 degrees so it will jell.  Then stir in the mulberries.

Fill sterilized jars (that you've been keeping in hot water), scrape down side to remove any air bubbles, clean head space & outer threads with a clean, damp cloth, add lids & rings (that you've been keeping in hot water), not super tight, and boil in a water bath for 10 minutes.

I got about 9 cups.

The Gift of Nature's Bounty & Honey Kumquat Cranberry Compote

For many of us, winter brings holiday opportunities to celebrate with, spend time with, and show gratitude for family and friends. I get immense joy from sharing with those I love food made with care and love from beautiful, wholesome ingredients. So with that in mind, I have spent the last year putting up foods to give as gifts or to share at gatherings.

Homemade pickled vegetables make beautiful hors d’oeuvres. Hot sauce & salsas get rave reviews as gifts and are quickly consumed at parties. Jams, preserves, compotes are very versatile: add to a cheese plate, serve with fresh baked rolls, bake on brie wrapped in puff pastry, spread on sandwiches, or in desserts. Make an unconventional version of a traditional holiday dessert, trifle, by layering cranberry compote with small chucks of ginger spice cake, topped with a few spoonfuls of whipped heavy cream sweetened with maple syrup, and topped with a few pieces of toasted pecans. The cake and compote can be made a few days ahead of time, and assembled (up to 24 hours ahead of time) in small clear glass cups or mason jars for beautiful individual servings.

By preserving the harvest, we can share and enjoy the best each season has to offer year round. Our (or our neighbors’) trees & gardens can produce boatloads of produce, sometimes falling to the ground faster than we can pick it. Or ask your farmers or produce department if they have any overripe and pick up multiple pounds of the stuff at a lower price. Canning is not hard and what an awesome way to use fallen fruit and bruised veggies!

For the uninitiated, the canning process may seem intimidating to take on by one’s self. But it's ever-so-fun in a group, or find a friend with some experience, or follow instructions on the pectin package (or online or a book from the library). You will need some equipment: large pot, canning rack that will fit into said pot, canning jars (can be reused), new lids (these can't be heated twice), bands (can be reused), maybe a few other useful tools (like a ladel, funnel, spatula, maybe a magnet lid wand). Yes, it's a bit labor intensive but the results are pretty amazing and cheap, and all your loved ones will feel so fortunate if they get some.

In season now, persimmons and pomegranates are beautiful winter fruits that can be a little tricky:

You generally find two varieties of persimmon at the markets: fuyu (short, squatty shape) and hachiya (more oblong, teardrop shape). The fuyu you can eat firm and are a bit sweeter when they are just a bit soft). I do not recommend eating hachiya until it is very, very ripe, super soft, and jelly-like, almost translucent. If it's not, the hachiya is very astringent, which is not pleasant (but you may want to try it just for the experience).

Easily remove the jewel-like seeds of the pomegranate by scoring the outside with a knife, peel it apart and loosen the seeds from the pith in a bowl underwater. The seeds sink and the skin and pith float. Or try cutting it in half, and banging the outside with a wooden spoon over a bowl and the seeds fall out.

Another seasonal favorite, cranberries are not grown locally, but this compote is so much better than the jelled substance from a tin can. This is a new, easy recipe I improvised this year. Make it with love!

Honey Kumquat Cranberry Compote
1 cup fresh orange juice from the farmers market
1 1/2 cups kumquats, sliced thin, seeds removed, from my backyard
3 cups fresh cranberries from the local co-op
1/2 cup local honey

Stir together all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cover pan and bring to boil over high heat. Stir, reduce heat to medium, and cook covered for 5 minutes, until all cranberries burst. Uncover, reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes, until thick.

Can be made weeks ahead of time (keep refrigerated) or canned:

Boil empty canning jars for 10 minutes and left them to sit in the hot water. In a separate small pot, soften lids in hot water (not boiling). Ladle hot compote into sterilized canning jars, filling ½ inch from the top, wipe off the rim with a clean damp cloth. Seal each jar with a lid and barely tighten bands. Boil jars for 15 minutes on a canning rack. Remove from water bath and let sit, undisturbed overnight. Test lids in the morning by pressing top to make sure they’re sealed; tighten bands and label your homemade gifts.

Honey Habanero Hot Sauce

There is a guy in our produce department that special orders chiles from one of our farmers.  He shared a handful of the chiles with me (3 anaheims, 2 orange habanero-looking, 2 red habanero-looking, 2 small green, and 1 small red).  The only thing I can think to do with them is turn them into hot sauce:

1 head garlic
1 1/4 cup carrot, roughly chopped
1 1/4 cup onion, roughly chopped
4 habanero-type chiles, stemmed
3 small mystery chiles, stemmed
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp honey

Note of caution:  I wear gloves when dealing with hot chiles - especially when I don't know exactly how hot they are - because I do not want them anywhere near my face or other sensitive body parts.  And if you've ever dealt with chiles and then touched your face, you know what I'm talking about!  If this by chance happens to you, soak your burning skin in milk to help take the fiery sting away.

Break garlic cloves apart and roast on a baking sheet in a 400 degree oven until blackened in spots, turning occasionally until soft, about 15 minutes. Cool, peel, and set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the carrots, onion, chiles, salt, vinegar and 1 1/2 cups of filtered water. Cover partially and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the carrots are completely soft. (Careful not to inhale the steam!)

Blend all ingredients & their cooking liquid together until smooth.

Makes about 4 cups, which keeps for months in the fridge and makes great gifts.

Spiced Nectarine Preserves

I recently tried a spiced nectarine preserve (or at least, that's what I'm guessing it was) with goat cheese on a crisp, thin bread slice that had been baked with olive oil.  I was at a wedding and the bride is foodie, urban homesteader, and event planner.  It was, of course, a beautiful, delicious farm reception, complete with handmade marshmallows for fair trade chocolate s'mores we made ourselves over a bonfire during a stunning sunset.  Her brother catered, the groom served a homebrewed saison, and wood-fired pizzas were made, while we watched, with locally grown ingredients.  We ate on locally crafted wood tables with sweet, small bouquets of flowers most likely picked on the farm.  It was an affair after my own heart.

And as soon as I tasted those preserves, I knew I had to try to make them.  And lucky for me, nectarines are in season; so I asked my friend/farmers market vendor selling nectarines if they had any overripe fruit they couldn't sell, picked up multiple pounds of the stuff, did some recipe research, waited for the sun to set and the weather to cool a bit before building up a sweat over a hot stove, and came up with this...

6 cups chopped nectarines (remove pits but keep the skins - the pectin is in the skin), from Smit Orchards
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice, from a Schaner Farm lemon
3 cups rapadura sugar
rounded 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
a slightly crushed cardamom pod (try to fish it out before canning)
a scant pinch of ground cayenne, just for kicks
1 teaspoon homemade vanilla extract

Cook fruit, juice, & sugar at a soft boil for 30-minutes; reduce heat if needed to prevent burning.  Stir often and skim off foam from the surface.  Stir in spices, turn off heat and stir for 5 minutes.  Ladle into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Wipe rims and jars clean with a damp cloth.  Seal each jar with a lid and barley tighten bands.  Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Adventures in Food Preservation, Final Class Project: Balsamic Mulberry Jam

I've been picking boat loads (up to 16 cups) of mulberries off my tree every day.  They fall to the ground faster than I can pick them.  My refrigerator overflows with them.  I had to jam just to make room for more mulberries.  I jammed them a couple years ago, which went well but I made a few adjustments this time.

I really enjoyed using the pectin from the seeds & pith of citrus for marmalade, and I hope to get a hold of under ripe apples in the future to make my own pectin for jams (especially since I'm having a hard time finding organic pectin), but that didn't happen this year so I've bought the boxed stuff from OB People's Co-op. This is a citrus-derived pectin that uses calcium to jell the pectin; this allows me to use less sugar in the jam or to use honey, which I like.

I de-stemmed my mulberries by hand, which takes forever, because I wanted the fruit to stay as intact as possible, making more of a preserve texture (it also makes a dark purple mess but because the color is naturally sourced, the stains come out washing up with soap and water).  It still ends up pretty mashed (cuz the stem runs down through the middle of the fruit).

4 cups smashed mulberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I picked up a lovely one last time I was in the SF Ferry Building from Stonehouse)
1 tablespoon calcium water (add calcium packet to 1/2 cup filtered water in a small jar and shake)
1 tablespoon pectin powder
2 cups rapadura sugar (this will give it a deep molasses-y flavor and won't screw up the color cuz the berries are so dark)

I clean and sterlize jars and keep lids in hot water.  I follow the directions on the pectin box (and do all the stuff properly how I was taught in class and from reading the text, but here's the streamlined version):
Heat the fruit with the acid and calcium water to a boil; mix the sugar and pectin together and then add to the fruit, stirring to dissolve.  Return the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.  Fill jars leaving 1/4 inch head space, add lids and rings (not too tight).  Boil jars for 5 minutes on a canning rack.  Remove from water bath and let sit, undisturbed overnight.

I got 5 cups of jam from this recipe.

Adventures in Food Preservation, Part 4: Marmalade!

I've made jam a couple times before but because you've got to be exact, I've found the process intimidating to take on by myself.  But it's ever-so-fun in a group.  Get a good source for detailed instructions: our text is great (and cheap), Preserving Summer's Bounty, there's of course lots of info online, and it's a good idea to follow the directions on the box (if you get your pectin in a box).

There is a good deal of equipment needed for jamming:

• large pot
• canning rack that will fit into said pot
• canning jars (can be reused)
• new lids (these can't be heated twice)
• rings (can be reused)

Not technically required but very useful:

• magnetic lid wand (sounds dumb but keeps scorching hot lids sterile)
• jar lifter (basically tongs with grip)
• wide-mouthed funnel
• thin spatula to scrape inside of filled jars to remove any air bubbles

Yes, it's a bit labor intenstive (cleaning and sterilizing all jars and such ahead of time...) but the results are pretty amazing and cheap (especially if you're growing it or foraging) and all your loved ones will feel so fortunate if they get some.

We burnt the marmarlade (ever so slightly) and it was good!  So let's just call it caramelized:

Orange Marmalade
3 pounds (about 12 small) oranges: ours were assorted varieties from Dennis, who can be found at the Little Italy and other SD farmers markets, including low acid vanilla pinks and blood oranges, which gave the marmalade a rich, dark color.
1 Eureka lemon
1 Meyer lemon
4 cups filtered water
4 cups sugar (we used evaporated cane)

Scrub the fruit clean. I do not use soap (yuck); just rubbing and water.

Cut in half and juice the oranges (you need 2 cups of juice), saving all the seeds & membranes in a muslin bag or cheesecloth (cuz we're making our own pectin!)  Scrape the white pith (and save in the bag) from the oranges.  Julienne the peels (for 4 cups).

Cut Eureka lemon in half and juice.  Add the juice to the orange juice. Add the seeds, membranes and peel to the bag.

Cut the Meyer in 8ths, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membranes and add them to the bag.  Slice the Meyer sections into thin triangles.

Put the juice, peels, Meyer triangles, water & muslin bag (closed tight, let the string hang over the edge but don't let it catch on fire) in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring so the fruit and bag doesn't stick to the bottom and burn (like we did, but hey, it still tasted great).

Remove from heat.  Transfer bag to a bowl and allow to cool.  Measure the marmalade mixture and for every cup, add 7/8 cup of sugar.  When the bag is cool enough to handle, squeeze the pectin juices into the marmalade mix (and then compost the bag contents).

Heat the marmalade back up to a rapid boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently (which we did so we didn't burn it anymore).  Secure a candy thermometer in your mixture (did I mention how much equipment jamming requires?), making sure it does not touch the pot.  You want to get the temp up to 220-222 degrees so it will jell.  There are other ways to tell if it's jelled, but those are a bit too esoteric for me.

Fill sterilized jars (that you've been keeping in hot water), scrape down side to remove any air bubbles, clean head space & outer threads with a clean, damp cloth, add lids & rings (that you've been keeping in hot water), not super tight, and process in 180 degree water bath for 5 minutes.

Again, follow all instructions (from a resource other than this streamlined post).