Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 125

Links: Beets, Wild Grapes, and a Winner

I spent the weekend at the Rowe Center in Western Massachusetts, teaching a delightful group of women how to make jams, jellies, fruit butters, chutneys, and pickles. At the end of our time, we had made nine different preserves and a batch of dehydrated apple slices. It was such a fun and relaxing weekend! Now, links!

Need a little canning inspiration? Check out how Kathie gets her beets preserved.
Tomato season is over, but you could always make salsa with persimmons.
Making jelly with wild grapes.
Lacto-fermented pickled cranberries. It’s a fun option for your Thanksgiving table.
Delicious sauerkraut, just one jar at a time.
Beet, celery, and horseradish shrub!
This is a preserving project of another kind. Autumn leaves, suspended in time with glycerin.
Got a surfeit of mint? Make yourself a batch of extract.
You may have hear this one before, but if not, it’s going to blow your mind. You can fit a mason jar onto many blender bases and puree directly in a jar.
Itty bitty Japanese quince make mighty fine jelly.
This one is a blast from the past, but is worth repeating. Pull those blueberries out of the freezer and make a batch of the Tigress’s blue apple jam with fennel and bay.

And now, time for the winner of the Eat Boutique Preserves Collection. First off, huge thanks again to Maggie and the whole Eat Boutique team for letting me put this box together. The winner of the box I’m giving away is number #245, Savannagal. If you didn’t win, I do so hope that you’ll consider sending this fun box of goodies to a friend or family member for the holidays this year (or that you treat yourself to one!).

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Boston This Week + Winners
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Eat Boutique Winner

Why You Should Store Your Jars Without Their Rings

Whenever I teach a canning class, I always mention the fact that it’s important to remove the rings from your jars before you put them away. You see, those rings are only necessary to hold the lids in place during processing and then again when you open the jar to use the contents.

There are two really good reasons why the rings should be stored separately from the jars. The first is that they last longer when they are removed, washed, dried, and stashed in a plastic bag (they have a tendency to rust if not stored properly).

The second reason is that if the contents of the jar happen to spoil (though it happens rarely, it does happen), you’ll know more immediately. That’s because when things spoil, it typically happens because there’s some sort of bacterial growth that off-gasses. That creates pressure which eventually breaks the seal.

The reason I’m writing about this topic today? It’s because this tip that I’ve shared so many times in canning classes actually proved useful in my own canning life yesterday. I was in my hall coat closet (one of the spaces that doubles as my pantry in this small apartment of mine) to get some whole peeled tomatoes. I picked up the jar and the lid slid right off onto the flour.

I stared at it for a moment, unbelieving that one of my precious jars had gone bad, but then felt so grateful to have followed my own advice. If the ring had been on the jar, I truly might not have known that the seal was no good. I walked those tomatoes over to the garbage disposal and sent them on to a watery grave (they actually smelled fine, but I take no chances).

So, if you’re storing your jars with the rings still on, do yourself a favor and go pull them off. Your future self may thank you.

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Giveaway: Eat Boutique Preserves Collection

Many times over the years, I’ve been asked the question, “What is your favorite thing to preserve?” Typically I hedge a little, saying something about my allegiance to seasonality or simply that there are too many delicious things in the world to preserve. However, when absolutely pressed, I’ll finally admit that there are a few jams and spreads I love best of all.

Sour cherry jam, featuring big hunks of fruit suspended in a ruby syrup. Thick, sticky tomato jam for spreading on toasted cheese sandwiches or dolloping on roasted sweet potatoes. And a long-cooked onion spread, gently caramelized and tangy with vinegar or beer.

When Maggie Battista from Eat Boutique came to me and suggested that we team up on a box, I knew immediately that I wanted it to include some of my favorites. And so we constructed a box that includes We Love Jam Tart Cherry Jam, Blue Chair Fruit Early Girl Tomato Jam, Wozz Triple Ale Onion Spread, and a signed copy of my book. And at $58 for all those goodies, it’s something of a deal for the preserves lover in your life.

Thanks to Eat Boutique, I also have one of these Preserves Collection boxes to give away to a lucky Food in Jars reader. Here’s how to enter.

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite preserve. Be it jam, chutney, pickle, or spread, tell me about your very favorite thing to preserve.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, November 2, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted on Sunday, November 3, 2013.
Giveaway is open to US residents.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.

Disclosure: Eat Boutique is a Food in Jars sponsor. Additionally, I receive a portion of the profits from the sale of this Preserve Collection box. However, I still had a delightful time helping pick out the preserves to put in the box and my opinions about these Eat Boutique are spoken from the heart and remain entirely my own. 
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Upcoming Classes: Reading Terminal Market! Western Mass! Wyebrook Farm!

Though tomatoes and peaches are finished, there’s still plenty to be canning this time of year. Come take a class and preserve the fruits of autumn.

October 29 – Chutney making class with the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market. We’ll make a batch of apple pear chutney (using all local fruit) from 6-8 pm in the Rick Nichols Room. Click here to sign up.
October 30 – A hands on pickling workshop with the Lower Merion Conservancy. We’ll make cauliflower pickles, taste a few things from my pantry, and dig into the basics of the boiling water bath canning. Class runs from 7 – 8:30 pm and costs $35 for LMC members and $45 for non-members. Click here to register.
November 1 to 3 – Join me in Western Mass. for a weekend-long canning class at the Rowe Center. More details can be found here.
November 4 – Get ready for Thanksgiving by making a batch of Honey Sweetened Cranberry Sauce at the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods Market. Class is from 6:30 to 8:30 pm and costs $35. Click here to sign up.
November 16 – Spiced applesauce class at the Tyler Arboretum. We’ll cover the basics of boiling water bath canning and walk through the steps necessary to make a batch of delicious, low sugar applesauce. Class is from 10 am – 12 noon and costs $60 for Arboretum Members, $70 for non-members. For more details, click here and select the “Health and Wellness” drop down.
November 17 – Mulled Cider Jelly class at  Wyebrook Farm  in Chester County, PA. Class runs from 2 – 4 pm. Click here to sign up.
November 18 – Prep for Thanksgiving and make cranberry preserves with me at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market. Class is from 6-8 pm in the Rick Nichols Room. Click here to sign up.

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Upcoming Classes, Events, and Canning Demos
Upcoming Classes: Pressure Canning! Pie Filling! Fall Chutney!
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Links: Autumn Canning and Winners

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind. There were two classes in Washington, D.C., four canning demos across three counties, and a visit from my sister and her touring partner Becca. I’ve logged about 1,000 miles on the road and have canned my way through a bushel of pears. It has been good and it has been intense. I have one more crazy weekend coming up, and then things are going to quiet down a bit (and I couldn’t be more pleased). Now, links!

Swimming in kale? Try this kale and pumpkin seed pesto. It’s certain to freeze beautifully.
Fig season is long gone in Philly, but I’m remembering this fig and honey jam for next year.
Cold and flu season is coming! Amanda has some serious fermented goodness for you to ward off any seasonal bugs.
The folks at Rancho Gordo have discovered the goodness that is pressure canned beans. I try to always have a batch of these in my pantry.
Don’t throw away those apple peels! Make vinegar instead.
Maple chipotle sauce. Sounds like the perfect thing for turkey burgers.
Grape mostarda. It is amazing stuff.
Camille at Wayward Spark has been documenting her food preservation all season long. Latest installments have included sweet pepper romesco sauce and grape jelly. Love it!
I am deeply intrigued by this black onion jam.
Pear chutney. It’s a great thing to have on the pantry shelf. Make it.
Finally, this one doesn’t have anything to do with food preservation, but appeals to my potluck habit. Pasta for a crowd.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to enter the lid wand giveaway and shared their bargain stories with me. They were fun to read! The winners are…

#10 Sarah Van Bruggen
#225 Latrecia
#227 Jessica W.
#260 Kathy D.

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Links: End of Season Stonefruit and Winners
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Cookbooks: Who Wants Seconds?

I do the bulk of my day to day cooking without recipes. Over the years, I’ve developed a fairly reliable set of dishes and cooking techniques that I call on and adapt on the fly. However, the one problem with cooking in this manner is that no matter what I make, much of what I eat on a regular basis tastes very much the same. I regularly find myself deeply weary of my own food.

Once of the reasons I love going to potlucks so much is that it’s a chance to get a break from my food and eat something prepared by home cooks working in other kitchens. And when there’s no potluck on the horizon, I turn to cookbooks that feel friendly, familiar, and like the author might well bring a dish to share at my table someday.

Who Wants Seconds? by Jennie Cook appeared in my mailbox, it immediately felt like the kind of book I’d turn to for a home cooking palate cleanser. It’s bright and feels more like Jennie’s personal kitchen notebook than the highly designed cookbooks we see so much these days. Obviously, both book styles have their places, but it’s refreshing to see something that feels like a modern Moosewood in a world of perfectly styled images.

Jennie is lifelong cook, former restaurant owner, and currently runs a plant-based catering company in the Los Angeles area. This book is imbued with her personality and character, and I want to eat everything she writes about.

I’ve only had the opportunity to try out a single recipe from the book, but it did everything I want from a friendly potluck-style cookbook. I made the Sunshine Ginger Soup (the recipe follows) and it was a happy change from my regular versions of carrot and squash soups. I will be employing the combination of coconut milk and citrus again in future soups, as it tastes fabulously alive.

If you’re located in or around Portland, OR, Jennie is going to be in your area in about a week, offering cooking classes. She’ll be at In Good Taste on, talking about Holiday Appetizers on November 5 (click here for more info) and at the Whole Foods Market at Bridgeport Village on November 6 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm (sign up by calling 503-639-6500. For even more of her events, click here.

Print

Cookbooks: Who Wants Seconds?

Prep Time: 1 hour

Yield: 2 quarts

Serving Size: 6 to 8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound winter squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, or any combination thereof
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 cinnamon stick
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Dash cayenne pepper
4 cups stock or water
1 15.5-ounce can coconut milk
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 orange
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon light-colored vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel squash with a vegetable peeler, remove seeds, and slice into large chunks, as if you’re making mashed potatoes, and set aside.
Place large stockpot over medium heat, add oil, and sauté onions, garlic, fresh ginger, dried ginger, cinnamon stick, thyme, cumin and cayenne until translucent, about 6 minutes.
Add squash and stock or water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook until vegetables are super soft, about 30 minutes.
Add coconut milk, lemon juice, orange juice, zest, maple syrup, and vinegar. Stir and mash the squash and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Add more stock or water if necessary to achieve the consistency you prefer.
Allow to cool slightly, remove the cinnamon stick, and purée in a blender or with emulsion blender. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Variation: Add a tablespoon of curry powder when sautéing the onion.
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Preserves in Action: Baguette with Ricotta, Fig Jam, and Baby Arugula

On Monday night, I took a cheese class at Metropolitan Bakery with Madame Fromage and Sue Miller of Birchrun Hills Farm (she is one of my very favorite Pennsylvania cheesemakers). It came just after a weekend in which I had taught and demo-ed enough to make my voice go hoarse, so it was doubly nice to sit back and let someone else do the teaching and explaining.

We began the tasting with an orienting sip of Birchrun’s raw milk, just hours from the cow and then, starting with fromage blanc, we sampled our way through six cheeses. There were slices of baguette and French berry roll from the Metropolitan ovens, and at the end, a little splash of madeira to drink with slices of Birchrun blue. It was one of the nicest evenings I’ve had in a while.

At the end of the class, we were packed off into a chilly night with warm cheeks and fresh baguettes. Scott is currently off carbs, so the work of eating this pointy loaf has been entirely mine (truly, it’s not a hardship). This morning, when I opened the paper bag, it was quite hard. Happily, I have a trick for refreshing bread that always works with Metropolitan’s loaves (they use a long fermentation period, which builds the interior structure and makes it more resilient).

I hacked off a chunk, sliced it down the middle and ran the pieces quickly under a dribbling kitchen faucet. I toasted the slices twice, once to help dry them out and again to give them some color. The end result is four-day-old toasted baguette that is flavorful, with just the right amount of crunch and chew.

Now, here’s where the Preserves in Action component comes in. I spread the toasts with fresh ricotta cheese (what I really longed for was Sue’s fromage blanc, but Claudio’s ricotta is a more than acceptable substitute), dolloped on fig jam, and piled up baby arugula. I added a few turns of a pepper grinder and breakfast was ready. This meal could easily serve as lunch, or if cut into smaller pieces, as a starter for a party.

Curious why I know so much about this bakery’s practices? Many moons ago, Scott and I used to make an online cooking show called Fork You and in one episode, we visited Metropolitan’s baking facility and made bread with James Barrett, one of the founders. The old blog appears to be corrupted, but the video is still available on Viddler’s blog if you’re interested in finding out more about them (and seeing the glasses I was wearing five years ago).

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Preserves in Action: Apricot Jam on Ricotta Cheese
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Apple Date Chutney

For the last couple of months, I’ve been ruminating on the idea of a chutney sweetened strictly with dried fruit. Though most chutneys typically have a goodly amount of raisins, currants, and dried apricots in them, they also rely on either brown sugar or honey to balance out the tang of the vinegar.

I wanted to see if I could make something delicious using just dried fruit as balance, without even a drop of honey or sugar. And so I called on dates. They pack a mighty wallop of sweetness and I had a hunch that they’d fit in nicely alongside shallots, apple cider vinegar, and star anise in a small batch of chutney.

Well, it worked, and on the first try, no less. This is a chutney that is gently sweet and mildly puckery. You get some of the date flavor in each bite, and that sweetness is backed up by the tiny, tender currants. The apples also do their part, though they carry more of the vinegar flavor than their natural sweetness.

I used a little last night to perk up leftover chicken. When my sister gets here on Friday, we’re opening a jar to eat with crumbly cheddar cheese. And I have plans to swirl a little into plain yogurt to eat with my next batch of this curried chicken.

Note 1: I did use a little bit of crystallized ginger in this chutney, which does have a marginal amount of granulated sugar on the outside. But I see it as incidental in the grand scheme of things. If you prefer, you could use freshly grated ginger in its place.

Note 2: Remember that chutney is like wine in that it needs a little breathing time before it’s ready to serve. Open your jar at least half an hour before you serve it so that the intensity of the vinegar can mellow.

Print

Apple Date Chutney

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 half pint jars

Ingredients

4 cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples (about 3-4 medium apples)
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup pitted and chopped dates (about 6 ounces whole dates with pits)
3/4 cup minced shallot
1/2 cup dried currants
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

Combine the apples, vinegar, dates, shallots, currants, ginger, salt, chili flakes, cardamom, star anise, and cinnamon sticks in a low, wide pan.
Stir to combine and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-high.
Cook, stirring regularly, for 40 to 50 minutes, until the chutney no longer looks watery and the apples have softened enough that you can mash them with the back of your spoon.
When chutney has thickened sufficiently, remove the pan from the heat.
Remove cinnamon stick and star anise pieces.
Funnel into clean, hot jars and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from canner and place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
Once jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to one year. Any unsealed jars should be kept in the fridge and used promptly.
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Giveaway: Progressive International Lid Lifters

The Food in Jars giveaway took a bit of a break last week, but happily, I’m back with one of my very favorite canning tools. While I was down in the D.C. area over the weekend, I stayed with a dear friend who happens to live just a stone’s throw from a Crate & Barrel outlet. I am powerless in the face of such possible bargains and so we dashed in for a quick glance at the deals.

I picked up a few extraordinarily cheap Christmas ornaments, a holiday gift for my mom, and a handful of these lid lifters to share. To my mind, this Progressive International Lid Lifter is one of the best versions of this tool on the market. I find that the magnet is just a touch stronger than other lifters and I like the ring on the end (it allows you to extend your reach a little if you’ve dropped your lids in a deep pot of water to soften).

I have four of these lid lifters to give away. Here’s how to enter.

Leave a comment on this post and tell me about your favorite bargain. .
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, October 26, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted on Sunday, October 27, 2013.
Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.

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Upcoming Classes, Events, and Canning Demos

We’re deep into the harvest season and that means lots of classes, events, and book signings. Here’s were I’ll be in the next couple of weeks. Mark your calendars!

Events and Demos

This Saturday, October 26, I’ve got two free events.

At 10 am, I’ll be at Central Market in Lancaster City, PA as part of their Food Day/Week celebration. I’ll be showing how I make small batches of Pear Vanilla Jam, sweetened with honey. There will be fun and samples for all.
Then, from 1 to 5 pm, I’ll be at the Williams-Sonoma at the Bellevue in Philly as part of their Artisan Market. I’ll be leading a canning demo and then will be sticking around to sell and sign books.

On Sunday, October 27, I’m doing two demos at one event.

From 1 to 4 pm, I’ll be at the Lehigh Valley Harvest Festival, sharing the Fillmore Container Preserving the Harvest demo stage with Amanda Feifer from Phickle. I’m making Pear Vanilla Jam and Pickled Pears, Amanda is making Sauerkraut and Kefir. This event costs $25 per person, but is well worth the fee.

Classes

October 29 – Chutney making class with the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market. We’ll make a batch of apple pear chutney (using all local fruit) from 6-8 pm in the Rick Nichols Room. Click here to sign up.
October 30 – A hands on pickling workshop with the Lower Merion Conservancy. We’ll make cauliflower pickles, taste a few things from my pantry, and dig into the basics of the boiling water bath canning. Class runs from 7 – 8:30 pm and costs $35 for LMC members and $45 for non-members. Click here to register.
November 1 to 3 – Join me in Western Mass. for a weekend-long canning class at the Rowe Center. More details can be found here.
November 16 – Spiced applesauce class at the Tyler Arboretum. We’ll cover the basics of boiling water bath canning and walk through the steps necessary to make a batch of delicious, low sugar applesauce. Class is from 10 am – 12 noon and costs $60 for Arboretum Members, $70 for non-members. For more details, click here and select the “Health and Wellness” drop down.
November 17 – Mulled Cider Jelly class at  Wyebrook Farm  in Chester County, PA. Class runs from 2 – 4 pm. Click here to sign up.
November 18 – Prep for Thanksgiving and make cranberry preserves with me at the Fair Food Farmstand in Reading Terminal Market. Class is from 6-8 pm in the Rick Nichols Room. Click here to sign up.

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Upcoming Classes, Events and a Few Favorite Links
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