Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 130

Links: Pickles, Salsas, Dill Heads, and a Winner

This past week was another intense seven day stretch, filled with classes, workshops, demos, deadlines, and finishing off a round of editing on the next book (it’ll bounce my way again in about a month, but I get a little time off for now). You might have noticed that posting was mighty slim around these parts last week. Happily, this week is shaping up to be a bit less frenetic and next week, I’m headed out for nearly a week of vacation! Let there be good times ahead!

Julie from Dinner with Julie makes a small batch of blackberry apricot jam with foraged berries, just to make Dory Greenspan’s Beurre & Sel Jammers. Sounds heavenly.
Maybe this will be the year that I get my act together and make a batch of sriracha sauce.
How not to die from botulism, in a handy infographic.
Swoony pictures of fresh figs that are destined for jam.
The Kitchn tackles the pectin question.
Plum cordial. Just the thing to make on these end of summer days.
Blueberry jam made three different ways. There’s something for everyone!
Alana is back on the lunchbox beat with a giveaway from Mighty Nest and pumpkin snack bar recipe.
Why garlic turns green.
Useful tips on canning salsa from Canadian food preservers, Joel and Dana of Well Preserved.
Linda Ziedrich has been blogging about pickle-making lately. She’s touched on using fresh dill heads and causes for soft pickles.
I’ve not made my annual batch of dilly beans lately, but I’m hoping to do it this week and plan on taking some spice cues from Kaela because her Indian Green Beans look amazing.
Rebecca from Cakewalk gets her hands on some tart cherries and shows off the cover of her new preserving book that’s coming out this fall.

As always, many thanks to everyone who took the time to enter the Mrs. Wages tomato mix basket giveaway last week. The winner is #338/Jordan Watts. Congratulations Jordan, I hope you find these mixes useful!

I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon with another giveaway, so make sure to check back then!

 

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Links: Meyer Lemon Jam, Kerr Jars, and a Winner
Links: Plum Preserves, Tomatoes, and Winners
Links: Pickling Cucumbers, Seven Day Pickles, and Winners

Blackberry Jamtini from Growing a Greener World

As you all well know, nothing delights me more than discovering a new way to put my jams into action. I use them to sweeten smoothies, pour the runnier batches over yogurt, make vinaigrettes with them, and use the to glaze roast meat. So, when Theresa Loe, master food preserver and Co-Executive Producer of the gardening show Growing A Greener World, emailed to ask if I wanted to participate in a virtual cocktail party in which every drink would include some jam, of course I said yes.

She looked through my archives, picked out my blackberry jam and invented a custom cocktail featuring that particular preserve. It includes fresh blackberries, raspberry lemonade, simple syrup, vodka, sparkling water, and a goodly dollop of blackberry jam (sounds pretty darn good right about now). Here’s what Theresa said about the recipe:

This recipe would work with any of your blackberry jams. I bet the apricot-blackberry would be divine! I prefer seedless jams because the seeds tend to clog up the shaker strainer. But if you have seeds in the jam, it still works. It just takes a little jiggling to get all the liquid through the strainer and into the glass. For a non-alcoholic version, imply skip the vodka and add an extra shot or two of lemonade. Easy-peasy!

 Visit the Growing a Greener World site for more Jamtini recipes and links to the other party participants. For a quick demonstration of the art of the jamtini, make sure to watch the video embedded below. To check in on all the jam cocktail action on Twitter, follow @GGWTV and the hashtag #Garden2Jar

Print

Blackberry Jamtini from Growing a Greener World

Ingredients

Fresh blackberries
1 oz. raspberry lemonade
1 oz. simple syrup (see note)
2 oz. vodka
1 heaping spoonful seedless blackberry jam
Ice
A ½ pint jam jar (as your serving glass)
Club soda
Sprig of mint as garnish (optional)

Instructions

In a cocktail shaker, muddle two fresh berries. Add the lemonade, simple syrup, vodka, jam and some ice. Put the lid onto the shaker and shake. Shake some more! (You need to distribute the jam.)
Add some ice to a new jam jar and strain in the cocktail. (Discard solids in the shaker.) Top off with a splash of club soda. Garnish with some mint and a few berries if you wish. Serve.
Note: Simple syrup is just a boiled solution made of equal parts water and sugar. It needs to be made ahead of time and allowed to cool before using. In a small saucepan, combine at least 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and let mixture cool completely before making cocktails.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://foodinjars.com/2013/08/blackberry-jamtini-from-growing-a-greener-world/

 

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Giveaway: Mrs. Wages Tomato Mix Basket

Last Thursday, I went to the farmers market to pick up my second half bushel of apricots for the season. While there, I entered an altered state of preserving confidence and ended up also buying a flat of grape and cherry tomatoes. In my defense, they were just $15, which is an unheard of bargain for 12 pints of tiny tomatoes.

I tell you this story simply to illustrate the fact that tomato season is upon us. And what better way to get ready for tomato season than with a Mrs. Wages Tomato Mix giveaway!

You combine your fresh tomatoes with these mixes (they all have instructions on the back of the packet) and suddenly you’re a salsa, pasta sauce, and bloody mary star. I’ve used several of these mixes in the past to great success. They’re particularly helpful in that moment when you’re overwhelmed by tomatoes and need to do something that doesn’t require a great deal of thought.

Here’s what the basket contains:

3 – small packages of pizza sauce mix

2 – mix and serve Classic Salsa packets

2 – small chili seasoning packets

1 – Spiced Carrot Juice mix packet

1 – Bloody Mary mix packet

1 – mix and serve Chipotle and Garlic Salsa packet

1 – mix and serve Guacamole packet

1 – mix and serve Pepper Jack Queso packet

2 – Large Pasta Sauce Packages

2 – Large Ketchup Packages

1 – Chili Base Package

1 – Large Pizza Sauce Package

If you’re interested in a chance to win this giant package of tomato canning goodness, here’s what you do.

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite berry memory. Any memory will do!
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, August 17, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, August 18, 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: I am a paid contributor to the monthly Mrs. Wages newsletter. However, this is not a paid giveaway and my opinions remain my own. 
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Blackberry Sage Jam Story and Recipe on the Driscoll’s + Berry Coupon Giveaway
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Upcoming Classes and Events: Roxborough! Perkasie! Wyebrook Farm!

There’s a whole heck of a lot happening on the class and event front this week! Check the list and mark your calendars!

August 14 – Plum jam making workshop hosted by Henry Got Crops at the Weaver’s Way Farm off Henry Avenue in the Roxborough neighborhood of Philly. This is a pay-what-you-wish class, with all donations going to benefit the CSA program. The class starts at 6 pm and all levels of canning experience are welcome.
August 17 – My annual tomato canning workshop at Blooming Glen Farm in Perkasie, PA (cost is $75 per person). We start canning at 10 am and don’t stop until we’ve worked our way through 100 pounds of tomatoes (typically we’re done no later than 1:30 or 2 pm). All participants go home with 2-4 quarts of tomatoes (it depends on how many we managed to make) and the skills necessary to do it at home. Currently, registration is low for this class and it is in danger of being canceled. If you are interested, please sign up today!
August 18 – A free canning demo and book signing at Wyebrook Farm, with a few tastes of preserves from my pantry. I’ll make a batch of spiced plum jam and will have books to sign. The event starts at 2 pm. Click here to sign up.
August 20 – Spicy Tomato Chutney class at the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods Market. Class is from 6:30 – 8:30 pm and costs $35. Sign up here.

I also have just three classes left in the preserving series I’ve been teaching this summer at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. These classes are two-hour, hands on sessions. You’ll go home with a juicy packet of canning info and a jar or two of preserves. Prices vary depending on the topic.

August 24, 2 – 4 pm (tomatoes)

August 25, 2 – 4 pm (jam)

August 26, 6:30 – 8:30 pm (tomatoes)

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Upcoming Classes: Boston! Brooklyn! Bucks County!
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Links: Plum Preserves, Tomatoes, and Winners

Well kids, it was another whirlwind week (I’m beginning to think that they are the only kind I have anymore). I taught, I spoke, I schlepped jars to and fro (it was book photo shoot week!), and I did my best to write things both here and elsewhere. We are rounding the corner into the final push of summer and though I look forward to this time of year like no other, I will be grateful for the slower, cooler days of fall.

Kate from The Hip Girl’s Guide to Homemaking shows her secrets for breaking up the work of salsa making and fitting it into her week.
A reminder to make the preserves your family actually likes to eat, along with a recipe for pickled beets.
Plum preserves, sweetened with honey.
A really comprehensive tutorial on how to make sauerkraut, one jar at a time.
Two NPR food stories from Deena Pritchep. One about fruit-filled hand pies and the other about the traditional fermented Russian drink, kvas.
A fun round-up from Eat Boutique about shrubs and fruit infused booze.
A really helpful post about preserving the fruits of summer in ways that work for diabetics.
Sarah from The Yellow House digs into the ethics and viability of local food, and shares her second digital recipe booklet. This one features summer tomatoes and is gorgeous.
Beautiful storytelling about hot summer days, frustration, and a stew of tomatoes, onions, and flat green beans.
Finally, if you’re curious about bowl of pasta above, it’s the latest version of the no-cook pasta sauce I wrote about for Slashfood many, many years ago. I didn’t have any mozzarella, so I used a palmful of grated Parmesan instead (and added some chopped basil, as well). These days, I serve it over big beds of baby arugula to make it both lighter and more filling.

Last week’s giveaway was five sets of berry coupons with a value of $15 from Driscoll’s Berries. I had written a guest post for their blog and shared my recipe for Blackberry Sage Jam. As happens with all good things, that giveaway has come to and end and it’s now time to announce the winners! They are…

#82 Sharon
#182 Heather
#196 Lindsey
#244 Cookery Coach
#267 Keyla

Thanks to all who entered! I’ll be in touch soon!

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The 10 Pound Cherry Challenge

Earlier in the summer, I canned my way through two flats of rain-split sweet cherries from Beechwood Orchards. I made butter, chutney, this batch of sweet and sour cherry jam, rosemary pickled cherries, and cherry lime preserves (hmm, doesn’t look like I’ve posted that recipe anywhere). When all that was done, I took a deep breath and figured I was done with cherries for the season.

Then, along came a chance to participate in the 10 Pound Cherry Challenge that OXO was hosting in conjunction with the Northwest Cherry Growers. And despite a little schedule insanity, I just couldn’t say no.

And so, mere moments before I was leaving for my trip to Boston last week, I took delivery of ten pounds of sweet, lovely cherries and a box of OXO goodies, including their 11 pound scale, a set of their nesting bowls and colanders, and two cherry pitters.

I took a few of the cherries with me as a road trip snack, and stashed the rest in the fridge. While I was away (the trip was all of 2 1/2 days, so the cherries held just fine), I started imagining all the ways I could use and preserve them. I got home late on Saturday night, but was up early Sunday morning to pit the first pound for a quick clafoutis.

If you’ve not had one before, this traditionally French dessert resembles a Dutch baby or a firmly set custard. If you’re hewing closely to the way it’s done in France, you do not pit cherries before using them in this dessert. I prefer serving a version that uses pitted cherries, because it doesn’t endanger the dental work of your guests and just makes for a more pleasant eating experience.

However, once the clafoutis was done, I ran out of steam. You see, we did the photo shoot for my next cookbook last Monday through Thursday and I had four nights of teaching and speaking last week as well. By the time Friday came along, I was entirely spent, my apartment was wrecked, and I had a to-do list a mile long. So I did three things.

I shared two pounds of cherries (and one of the OXO pitters) with my friend and cookbook editor Kristen (she just happens to be an avid preserver and lives just a couple miles from me). I funneled four pounds into a roomy slow cooker and started another batch of sweet cherry butter (a little more never hurts). And I took a cue from Maggie Battista of Eat Boutique fame (who put me up while I was in Boston) and started a batch of cherry-infused rum.

Maggie had several jars of fruit-infused spirits sitting prettily in her kitchen while I was there and I couldn’t help but realize that it had been awhile since I’d combined fruit and booze to good effect. And so, I rummaged through our liquor cabinet until I came up with a bottle of light rum that I thought would benefit from a little fresh cherry flavor. I stemmed the remaining cherries, tumbled them into a pretty jar and covered them with rum. Not the most inventive thing ever, but it sure will make for a tasty tipple when the days get chilly.

If you’re interested in seeing what some of the other 10 Pound Cherry Challenge participants did with their cherries, here’s who else was playing along:

thesweetsensations.com
girlichef.com
noblepig.com
hungrycouplenyc.blogspot.com
appetiteforchina.com
eat-your-heart-out.net
nibblesandfeasts.com
diethood.com
blushandjelly.com
eat-drink-love.com
seaweedandsassafras.com
crunchycreamysweet.com
tasteloveandnourish.com
mrsregueiro.com
natashaskitchen.com
maedeforyou.blogspot.com
52kitchenadventures.com
brighteyedbaker.com
sweet-remedy.com
panfusine.com
meandmypinkmixer.com

For more on the challenge, make sure to check out OXO (Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram) and the Northwest Cherry Growers (Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram). And, for even more cherry goodness, there’s also a project-specific Pinterest board.

Print

Cherry Clafoutis

Ingredients

1 pound fresh cherries, stemmed and pitted
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/4 cup whole milk
4 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter a 10-inch baking dish or cast iron skillet. Spread cherries out in a single layer. Set aside.
Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla extract in your blender's carafe and blend until just incorporated.
Add the flour and salt to the blender and blend until well-incorporated and lump-free.
When the batter is entirely integrated, pour it over the cherries. Carefully set dish or skillet into the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes. It is done when it no longer wiggles in the center.
Serve warm or at room temperature.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://foodinjars.com/2013/08/the-10-pound-cherry-challenge/


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Spicy Peach and Yellow Tomato Jam

I made this jam back before my trip to Portland and have been meaning to share it ever since. It came to be thanks to an impulse purchase at Reading Terminal Market, just days before I was set to fly. Many of the produce stands there bag up their rapidly ripening produce and sell them for a buck a bag.

When you buy one of the discounted sacks, you know what you’re getting. It’s soft, sweet, and needs to be used within a day. I did not need another canning project in that moment, but I could not resist the deal of getting more than five pounds of jammable produce for $4.

This is a honey sweetened jam that gets a set boost from Pomona’s Pectin. I’m finding myself moving more and more towards honey, maple sugar, and fruit juice concentrates for sweetening. I feel better when I use less refined sweeteners for my everyday preserves and am starting to save the sugar sweetened ones for special occasions. Such is the evolution of life and tastebuds, I guess.

I think of this as a fairly spicy jam, because I added two tablespoons of freshly grated ginger and 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes. However, I realize that for those of you who like something with a more powerful kick, this is going to taste fairly bland. Feel free to adjust the red chili flake upwards a bit or add a generous dash of cayenne. I don’t want anyone disappointed by my wimpy spice tolerance.

Finally, you might notice that this product is preserved in the six-sided jam jars that close with lug lids. If you’re curious about them, make sure to read the piece I wrote about how to use them a few weeks back.

And just one more thing! The idea to combine tomatoes and peaches in a jam was originally planted in my mind by a recipe in Breakfast for Dinner. Though I didn’t follow their recipe at all, this is the second time I’ve made something really good that was inspired by that book.

Print

Spicy Peach and Yellow Tomato Jam

Ingredients

4 cups pitted, peeled, and chopped yellow peaches
4 cups cored and chopped yellow tomatoes (no need to peel or seed)
4 teaspoons calcium water
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 cups honey
2 teaspoons Pomona's Pectin

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold 3 1/2 pints of product. Place lids in a small saucepan of water and bring to a very low simmer.
In a large jam pan, combine the peaches, tomatoes, calcium water, ginger, salt, red chile flakes, and lemon juice and zest. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring regularly, until the mixture has reduced by at least 1/4, at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Once the fruit mixture has cooked down sufficiently, stir the pectin powder into the honey and add it to the pan.
Stir to combine and let the jam cook at a low boil for another five minutes. Because Pomona's Pectin sets up a little differently, you don't want to cook too much once you've added the pectin powder.
Remove jam from the heat and funnel into prepared jars.
Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
When time is up, remove jars from canner and let them cool on a folded kitchen towel.
Check seals when jars are cool. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.
This jam is a good one for meats, burgers, and as a dipping sauce for roasted root vegetables. Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://foodinjars.com/2013/08/spicy-peach-and-yellow-tomato-jam/


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August 17 is National Can-It-Forward Day!

Judging by the number of peaches and tomatoes currently in my apartment, we are nearing the pinnacle of the canning season. In order to celebrate this season of abundance, Ball is throwing a little party. The third annual National Can-It-Forward Day will be taking place on Saturday, August 17.

They’re going to be streaming a free, live webcast from the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City from 10 am to 2 pm. Hosted by the Food Network’s Ted Allen, the day will feature a variety of preserving, entertaining, and DIY demos. If you happen to be in NYC that day, make sure to head over and catch the festivities live. Everyone else can tune in at Ball’s Fresh Preserving website.

What’s more, Ball invites home canners from across the country to throw their own canning parties and gatherings next Saturday and share their pictures and recipes on the Ball Facebook page.

The only reason I won’t be in New York for this canning extravaganza next week is that I’m teaching a giant tomato canning workshop that day at Blooming Glen Farm, in Perkasie, PA. There are still a bunch of spaces available, so sign up today!

 

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Autographed Copies of Food in Jars Available Through Provisions

Earlier today, Food52 officially launched Provisions. It’s an online shop stocked with an array of truly lovely kitchen tools, linens, dishware, and artisanal edibles. They launched with a handful of product collections and I do believe that there’s one that may be of particular interest to many of you.

Called Small Batch: Jamming, this collection includes the new blue glass heritage jars, a handy canning kit, a gorgeous vintage copper jam pan, and signed copies of my cookbook. I’m hand packing and shipping every copy that’s ordered through Provisions, which means if you’ve wanted to have one with a personalized note and I haven’t gotten to your town yet, now’s your chance. I’m ready to write notes, make recipe suggestions and otherwise inscribe a book just for you. We’re only selling 100 autographed copies through Provisions (and 20 have already been ordered), so if you want one, I suggest placing your order soon!

 

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Blackberry Sage Jam Story and Recipe on the Driscoll’s + Berry Coupon Giveaway

Back in the spring, I had a really fun (albeit brief) trip to California thanks to the folks at Driscoll’s berries (I wrote about the trip and all the berry tidbits I learned here). When I got back home, they asked if I’d be willing to write a post and recipe for their blog, featuring some of their berries. Because blackberries are one of my true fruit loves (I well and truly gorged myself on them when I was in Portland a week ago), I wrote about my childhood, picking blackberries in an open field near our house and going home to make jam with my mom. The post and recipe are now live on Driscoll’s site.

Because Driscoll’s is all about sharing the berry love, they’re hosting a little giveaway with me here today. I have five sets of berry coupons valued at $15 a piece to give away to away to my readers. Here’s how to enter:

Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite berry memory. Any memory will do!
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, August 9, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, August 11, 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: Driscoll’s is providing the berry coupons for this giveaway. What’s more, they are paying me for the blog post and recipe I developed for them. However, all my opinions remain my own. 
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