Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 133

July 8, 2013

Giveaway: An OXO Berry Pack

OXO Berry Pack


Last week, in the first post of my new series for beginning canners, I wrote about the basic equipment you need to get started canning. The list included things like a stock pot to serve as your boiling water bath canner and a pair of jar lifting tongs to help you move your jars in and out of the hot water without injury.


Today, I’m here to talk about a few pieces of equipment from OXO, that while not absolutely necessary for basic canning, will make your canning prep work infinitely easier. This post is sponsored by OXO and features a giveaway at the end.


OXO Strawberry Huller


When I was a senior in college, I lived with two friends in an off-campus house. When we first moved in, we spent an evening unpacking our kitchen boxes together, choosing from the duplicates and making a list of the things we needed to fill any gaps in our tools. At that point of my life, I thought I was fairly well-versed in all available kitchen utensils, but when Andrea pulled out a pair of squat, metal pincers, I had to ask her to identify the tool. She told me it was a strawberry huller. Later, when strawberries came into season, I tried her huller, found that it was was far more trouble than a paring knife and wrote off strawberry hullers forever. Or so I thought.


A few years back, I found myself in possession of a OXO Strawberry Huller (I think it was included in a gift bag I picked up at a conference). Remembering my previous experience with hullers, I was ready to dismiss it. However, it happened to arrive right around the same time as a flat of strawberries and so I tried it. Immediately, I was won by its charms. It has the ability to remove the leaves and hard hull of the berry without pulling away any value flesh. It wastes so much less than my old paring knife technique and does it in less time, too. I am now among the huller converted.


OXO Cherry and Olive Pitter


The first year I canned cherry preserves, I was foolish. I pitted an entire flat of sweet cherries with an unbent paper clip. I learned the technique from a video on Gourmet’s website (oh, how I still miss Gourmet!) and thought that if it was good enough for them, it would be good enough for me. What I didn’t realize was that there’s a big difference between pitting a few cherries for a tart and pitting 8 quarts for multiple batches of jam.


By the time I was done, it was 1 am and I’d spent four hours removing pits from cherries. Though I was dizzy with exhaustion, before I went to bed I logged on to Amazon and bought myself an OXO Cherry Pitter. I’ve used it ever since and it has made my stints as a cherry processor far more pleasant.


OXO 3-piece Berry Set


Growing up, we had just one colander in the house. My mom liked it best that way, because it meant there was less to store and manage. However, almost every time I needed to drain or rinse something, I’d reach for the colander to discover that it was already in use. This led to many frustrating moments and overcooked pots of pasta. I swore that when I had my own kitchen, I’d have a few colanders around, to ensure there was always one available when needed.


I may have taken that promise a bit too far, because if one were to count the number of colanders, perforated berry bowls, and fine mesh sieves currently in my kitchen, they’d discover nearly a dozen different options. I don’t see them as clutter though, because in the course of a week, I’ll use nearly every one. I guess I do a lot of rinsing and draining.


Lately, as berry season has gone full-bore in the Philadelphia region, I’ve found myself turning to OXO Berry Bowl and Colander set more and more often. You can give your berries a good rinsing, pop the colander into the bowl and put it right onto the table, without dripping or an extra plate set underneath to catch extra water. The bowl also has a lid, which makes for easy leftover storage.


OXO Food Mill


Last, we come to the OXO Food Mill. This is the food mill of my dreams. When I first moved to Philadelphia, I inherited a large box of vintage kitchen equipment. It had all belonged to my Great-Aunt Doris and had been living in my cousin Angie’s garage for the last 15 years. Included in the box was a dented oval roasting pan, a rusty french fry cutter, and ancient Foley food mill. The roasting pan was quickly demoted to storage vessel, the fry cutter is still caked with rust, but the food mill went straight to the kitchen.


I used it for years, despite the fact that it was impossible to clean (it was a one-piece model without a detachable screen), had a tendency to discolor acidic foods, and was slighted dented (which made it hard to turn the handle smoothly). Two years ago, I bought a new food mill from one of those discount shopping websites, thinking I was doing myself a great service. The first time I used it, the little legs that keep it elevated over the bowl all snapped off. I was ready to swear off food mills entirely, when I used the OXO version while teaching a cooking class.


The screens popped in and out without pinching my fingers and were easy to clean. The supportive legs were sturdy and could take the pressure necessary to mill the tomatoes I was deskinning and seeding. And the handle turned smoothly and easily. It was my dream food mill and I use it all year long to make fruit butters, sauces, soups, and tomato products. I will never use another.


Thanks to the kind folks at OXO, I have one of these berry packs to give away to a Food in Jars reader. The winner will receive a strawberry huller, cherry pitter, berry bowl and colander and food mill. Here’s how to enter:



Leave a comment on this post and share your favorite OXO tool. If you don’t have one, take a look at their website and name one you wish you had.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, July 12, 2013. Winners will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, July 13, 2013.
Giveaway is open to US residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.

Disclosure: OXO provided me with the tools pictured in this post for photography and review purposes. They’re also providing another set of the same implements for this giveaway. They did not pay for placement and all opinions expressed are my own. Additionally, there are a few affiliate links in this post. 
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Published on July 08, 2013 09:00

Upcoming Classes: Boston! Brooklyn! Bucks County!

class image revised


Last week, I posted about some of the classes I have coming up in the next few weeks. However, knowing how busy life can get, I bet a lot of you are already booked in the nearer term. That’s why today I’m writing about the the events I have coming up in August, in the hopes that some of you might have slightly more flexible schedules a little later in the summer. As always, if you have any questions about whether one of these classes might be a good fit for you, please do leave a comment and I’ll be certain to get back to you.


August 1 – Come learn to pickle your garden produce at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Wellesley, MA. This class will walk you through the steps of pickling and boiling water bath canning in this two-hour hands-on Dilly Bean workshop. You’ll learn how to tackle a mess of beans and have the opportunity to ask all your burning preserving questions. The class runs from 6 – 8 pm and costs $55 ($50 for MassHort members). Click here to register.


August 2 – Free canning demo and book signing at the Hudson Public Library in Hudson, MA. The demo starts at 2 pm. There’s no sign-up required and I hope to see some of you there!


August 3 – Two classes at Create-a-Cook in Newton Highlands, MA. From 10 am – 1 pm, I’m doing a boiling water bath class featuring plum jam and pickled green beans. It costs $68 and you can sign up here. Then, from 2 – 5 pm, I’m offering a pressure canning class. I’ll talk about how to safely preserve low acid foods such as chicken stock, beans, and other vegetable products and will demonstrate how to make and preserve a batch of caramelized onion jam. That class is also $68 and the sign up page can be found here.


August 7 – Apricot jam two ways at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. This session features both demonstration and hands-on components and all participants go home with multiple jars of jam. Class runs from 6:30 – 8:30 pm and costs $65. Click here to sign up.


August 10 – Pickles at Indy Hall in Philadelphia. A deeply hands-on class, students will make quick cucumber and preserved green bean pickles (both vinegar based) and will take both varieties home to compare and contrast. Class is from 11 am – 1pm and costs $50. Leave a comment or email me to sign up.


August 15 – Tomato canning with the Fair Food Farmstand! We’ll preserve pints of whole peeled tomatoes in a boiling water bath canner. Participants will take home a jar of tomatoes and the knowledge necessary to do it at home. 6 – 8 pm in the Rick Nichols Room at Reading Terminal Market. Click here to signup.


August 17 – A massive tomato canning workshop at Blooming Glen Farm in Perkasie, PA. I’m going to set up a bunch of burners and we’ll can enough tomatoes for everyone to take home 2-3 quarts (final yield will depend on how much we’re able to get through that day). It costs $75 and will be a sweaty, fun, productive day with a potluck lunch. Click here to sign up.


August 18 – 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 and a sign-up link is coming soon.


August 20 – Spicy Tomato Chutney at Greensgrow in Philadelphia. Class is from 12 – 2 pm and costs $35. Click here to sign up!


August 24 – An all-inclusive tomato canning class at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, NY. Students will receive a demo on how to safely can their own fresh tomatoes and receive a take home kit that include detailed directions, a case of wide mouthed pint jars, and a flat of canning tomatoes. Class runs from 2 – 4 pm and costs $85. Click here to sign up.


August 25 – Plum jam two ways at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. This session features both demonstration and hands-on components and all participants go home with multiple jars of jam. Class runs from 2 – 4 pm and costs $65. Click here to sign up.


August 26 – An all-inclusive tomato canning class at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, NY. Students will receive a demo on how to safely can their own fresh tomatoes and receive a take home kit that include detailed directions, a case of wide mouthed pint jars, and a flat of canning tomatoes. Class runs from 6:30 – 8:30 pm and costs $85. Click here to sign up.

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Published on July 08, 2013 06:00

July 7, 2013

Links: Apricots, Sour Cherries, and Homemade Ketchup

joyful ice cream


On Friday night, I went a little pickle-crazy. The refrigerator situation around these parts was getting a little out of control, and so I pulled everything out of the fridge that could possibly be pickled, cooked up a couple batches of brine and kept the canner going steadily for a good two hours. The result was over a dozen jars (mostly pints, but a few half pints too), of pickled cucumbers, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, white turnips, and beets. I was up far too late, but it was incredibly satisfying nonetheless. Now links!



Rebecca from Cakewalk makes a handful of preserves and infusions with currants, all while nine months pregnant. 
I wish I’d thought to flavor my kombucha with strawberries while the local ones were still around.
Brandied blackberry jam. Sounds like a fine idea to me!
I just picked up a half-bushel of apricot seconds this morning, and so think that Shae’s honey-sweetened apricot jam is very much in the cards for me.
Speaking of apricots, this strawberry apricot jam seems like a lovely way to go too.
Lacto-fermented golden beets with cumin and basil. Sounds pretty darn amazing to me!
Many years ago, my family had a Russian restaurant here in Philadelphia and my grandmother used to tell stories about how they always served strong black tea with sour cherry preserves on the side as a sweetener. I have a flat of sour cherries in a borrowed refrigerator as I type, and tomorrow, I’m making Sofya’s version of these classic Russian sour cherry preserves.
Artisanal ketchups were all the rage last week at the Fancy Food Show, but we preservers know the best way to go is to make it yourself. Joy the Baker’s spicy homemade ketchup sounds like a particularly tasty option.

What have you guys been cooking up lately? Tell me about the things that you’ve been making and preserving this summer so far!

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Published on July 07, 2013 20:36

July 6, 2013

Sponsors: Fillmore Container and Cuppow

mason jars


Like I mentioned on Tuesday in my introduction to the new design, there’s now space on Food in Jars for individual companies, Etsy sellers, bloggers, authors and other folks with a jar-friendly message to advertise. These sponsors make it possible for me to spend more time on this site and continue to bring you interesting recipes, canning tips, and giveaways.


I relaunched on Monday with two sponsoring companies who have long been friends of the site. The first is Fillmore Container. They are a jar and container distributor based in Lancaster, PA.


Fillmore sells the complete line of Ball jars, as well as smooth sided pints, half pints, and quarter pints. If you want to give your preserves a more professional look, you can also pick up an array of cute jam jars, just like the ones used by commercial folks. They were also my source for some of the tall jars featured recently in this post about asparagus jars.


new Cuppow colors


The second sponsor is Cuppow. They produce lids that convert canning jars into travel mugs and I couldn’t love their product any more. I particularly like teaming up one of the wide mouth lids with Straw-Tek with a Pint & Half jar for meeting my iced coffee and tea needs during the summertime.


Make sure to check back to blog on Tuesday, because Cuppow is announcing a new product and I’ll have some details to share!


If you’re interested in becoming a Food in Jars sponsor, please check out all the details on the sponsorship page. Feel free to leave a comment or shoot me a note if you have any questions about this new feature.

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Published on July 06, 2013 07:37

July 5, 2013

Cookbooks: Little Jars, Big Flavors

Little Jars, Big Flavor


I like making small batches of preserves (you probably know this already). I appreciate their relative ease and speed, as well as the fact that they mean that I wind up with a lot of variety in my pantry (instead of 12 jars of the same thing). In fact, I like them so much that my second book is entirely devoted to tiny batch canning (it’ll be out next spring!)


basic gear spread


I also like seeing what other people are doing with small batches and so when I heard that Southern Living was putting out a book devoted to just a few jars at a time, I was excited to check it out. Called Little Jars, Big Flavors, it’s a beautifully photographed volume that contains both preserves as well as a generous handful of recipes that suggest ways to use them.


canning tips


One of the things I really like about this book (in addition to its many tasty-sounding recipes) is its tone. It delivers information in a way that is useful, clear and does not encourage the reader to be at all fearful about what they’re about to do. For instances, the troubleshooting section called “Not Ideal, But Usually Not a Big Deal.” It’s so no-nonsense and helpful. To my mind, that’s a very big part of what a canning book should be.


tomato jam with lemon verbena


There are a number of recipes I’ve marked in this book to try someday. However, there’s one that particularly leaps out at me as one I must make. It’s for a Refrigerator Tomato Jam with Lemon Verbena. I had every intention of making it before I wrote about this volume, but once again, I seem to have overestimated the amount I’d be able to get done in a week’s time. Happily, the publisher has given me permission to share the recipe anyway. If any of you try it, tell me if it’s actually as good as it sounds!







Print

Tomato-Ginger Refrigerator Jam with Lemon Verbena


Yield: 3 half pints




Ingredients

5 lb. firm, ripe tomatoes
1. cups sugar
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (4 medium)
1⁄3 cup chopped garlic (10 cloves)
1⁄3 cup minced fresh ginger
1 (6-inch) lemon verbena sprig

Instructions

Wash tomatoes. Cut an X in bottom of each tomato.
Place tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water 30 seconds or until peel begins to separate
from tomato flesh. Remove with a slotted spoon. Plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process; drain.
Peel back skin using a paring knife, and discard.
Place a fine wire-mesh strainer over a bowl. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise, and squeeze gently to remove seeds, holding tomatoes over strainer to collect juices to measure 1 cup.
Discard seeds, and trim off stem ends. Coarsely chop tomato halves to measure 6 cups.
Bring reserved 1 cup tomato juice, 6 cups coarsely chopped tomato, sugar, and remaining ingredients to a rolling boil in a 6-qt. stainless steel or enameled Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove and discard lemon verbena sprig.
Simmer, uncovered, stirring often, 1 hour or until mixture is thickened. (Keep a close eye on it near the end of the cooking, being careful not to let the bottom scorch.)
Spoon into clean canning jars or other heatproof, nonreactive containers with lids. Let cool 1 hour.
Cover and chill. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks.

Notes

This is a refrigerator jam from Southern Living's canning cookbook, Little Jars, Big Flavors. The recipe is reprinted with permission.

Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://foodinjars.com/2013/07/cookbooks-little-jars-big-flavors/


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Published on July 05, 2013 07:15

Upcoming Canning Classes: Brooklyn! Phoenixville! Philly! Portland!

class image revised


July 6 – Blueberry jam two ways at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. Class runs from 2-4 pm and costs $65. Click here to sign up.


July 11 - Make two kinds of jam (peach and blueberry) at Cooking Spotlight in Phoenixville, PA. This class is from 6:30 – 9 pm and  costs $59. Click here to sign up.


July 13 – Plum-Apricot Preserves at Indy Hall! This class will focus on boiling water bath canning and combining different kinds of fruits for successful pectin-free jam making. This class costs $50. Leave a comment or email to sign up.


July 18 – Apricot jam two ways at The Brooklyn Kitchen in Brooklyn, New York. Class runs from 6:30 – 8:20 pm and costs $65.Click here to sign up.


July 20 – Come learn about jam making and boiling water bath canning with me at Longview Farm Market in Collegeville, PA. We’ll be making a batch of low sugar plum jam using Pomona’s Pectin. The class runs from 11 am – 1 pm and costs $35 to attend. Click here to sign up.


July 23 – Low sugar plum preserves in PORTLAND, OREGON! Class runs from 7 – 9 pm and will be held at the Subud Center in NE Portland. Class costs $40. Click here to sign up!


There are also lots more classes coming up in August. Click through to my classes page to see the entire schedule.

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Published on July 05, 2013 05:00

July 4, 2013

New to Canning? Start Here: Equipment

canning pots


For months now, I’ve had it in my head to do a series here on the blog that would give new canners everything they needed to know to get started. A collection of posts that would detail necessary equipment, the boiling water bath process, best safety practices, good starter recipes, tips for successful jam making, and hints on how to make flavorful, texturally pleasing pickles.


As is the case with so many ideas, it’s taken me a while to bring it from concept to execution, but my plan is to start this series now and continue for the next six to eight weeks. As we move along, if you feel like there’s something that belongs in a canning primer that I’m missing, do get in touch and let me know.


trivet canning rack


One of the misconceptions about canning is the belief that you must have a dedicated canning pot in order to can. This is not true. All you need is a pot that is tall enough to hold a rack, your jars, an inch of water above the jars and an additional inch or so of space where the water can boil.


Most often, I use this 12 quart stock pot made buy Cuisinart (in the picture above, it’s the one on the left). For batches that only make three or four jars, I use the yellow stock pot in the middle of the photo (made by Dansk, that one was an eBay find). And for when I only have two or three half pints to process, I use a 4th burner pot.


Any time you turn a stock pot into a canning pot, you need to find a small rack to drop into the bottom. I’ve used round cake cooling racks, kitchen towels, a layer of old canning jar rings, dedicated racks like this one from Progressive International (it’s quite good). However, my favorite is this silicone trivet. It folds up for easy storage, never rusts, and because it’s flexible, it works in a fairly wide array of pots.


Obviously, you don’t need to have all three of these pots when you’re starting out. The idea is simply to show that nearly any tall pot can serve as a canner and that if you’re only canning a few jars, you can use a smaller pot, should you have one in your kitchen arsenal.


jam pans


Once you have your canning pot figured out, you need a pot in which to cook your product. For jams, jellies, tomato products, chutneys, and other products that need to be cooked down, I typically opt for a roomy Dutch oven. I really like the my nine quart Le Creuset that’s pictured above for its ability to conduct heat.


I also regularly use an 8 quart stainless steel All-Clad Dutch oven, particularly when I’m cooking something that I know has a tendency to burn (my tomato jam springs to mind). You can always scrub a burnt spot off stainless steel. It’s harder to do without ruining the finish on an enameled pan. I also recently added a Sur La Table 8 quart pan to the set of cookware I take to canning classes and I like it. It’s not quite as low and wide as the All-Clad model (a plus when trying to encourage evaporation), but is of equal tri-ply quality for about $100 less.


I also use a stainless steel skillet for a lot of my very small batches. The one I have is from that crazily high rated set of tri-ply cookware made by Tramontina that only Walmart* appears to sell. It’s also a third of the price of a comparable All-Clad model. Sur La Table makes a nice one that falls in the middle of the price range. Because these small batches quickly over very high heat, you want something that will perform well under those conditions and I’ve found that any heavy, low, wide stainless skillet will do.


For heating pickle brines, I always turn to the 4th burner pot pictured above. Because it’s got both the spout and the handle, it makes it a breeze to pour the brine into the jars.


favorite canning utensils


Finally, we come to the small tools. You’ll need a knife and a cutting board, but I figure most of you have those, so they’re not pictured here. A heatproof tool for stirring and scraping is always good and that silicone one on the left end is my favorite because it can go in the dishwasher (have five of them, to ensure that at least one is always clean).


A wide mouth funnel is always useful for getting your products into jars without a huge mess. I like the stainless steel ones just a little bit better than the plastic, but use both regularly. A jar lifter is a handy tool to have and I’ve found that the one made by Progressive International is my favorite (it’s got a stronger magnet than most, which makes retrieving lids a bit easier).


Jar lifters are designed to give you a secure grip on the jars as you move them in and out of the water. Though the jar lifter has been redesigned repeatedly over the last few years, I find that I still like the classic model the best (even if the rubber on the grips does have a tendency to peel away over time).


Finally, you want a good tool to move your product from the pot and into the jars. For years, I used an 8-ounce measuring cup to do this job (since it’s the same size as a half pint, you knew that with each scoop, you were getting enough to fill a jar). However, since getting this canning ladle from Progressive International last year, I find that I turn to it for almost every batch. Like my measuring cup, it’s sized to hold one cup,  really does a good job of getting those tricky last drops out of the bottom of the pot, and has a little hook that allows you rest it on the pot between scoops so that it doesn’t slide away and make a mess. If they made it in stainless steel, it would be the most perfect ladle ever.


bubbling the relish


Other tools that I like.



Potato mashers! They help break down large chunks without pureeing like an immersion blender does. I like this one and this one.
Skinny silicone spatulas! They are the perfect tool for easing air bubbles out of pickles and whole canned fruit because they can slip in without doing a lot of damage.
Paper towels or reusable cloth towels, like these from Athena Creates. I use these for wiping jar rims, cleaning up spills, and generally controlling the mess of canning.

As you’ve read through this post, you’ve probably noticed that a number of the things I call for are items that already exist in your kitchen. And if you don’t have exactly what I’m recommending, chances are you have something similar. Truly, it’s a kitchen task that many are already equipped to do.


Finally, remember that this post details just my opinions. You may have or discover favorites that aren’t mentioned here anywhere. Such is the way of life.


*I know Walmart isn’t for everyone (and they aren’t typically for me), but this particular line of cookware is of amazingly high quality and is ridiculously affordable.


Disclosure: This post is liberally peppered with affiliate links. If you follow those links and subsequently make a purchase, I get a few cents. Additionally, the Progressive International tools I mentioned above were received last year for review and giveaway. The opinions expressed here are the result of a year+ of regular use. No one asked me to update my thoughts or include them in this post, I wrote about them because they’ve proven to be useful. 
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Published on July 04, 2013 05:00

July 3, 2013

Preserves in Action: Pickled Carrots and Daikon in a Sandwich

pickled carrots on a sandwich


Back in March, I cooked up a batch of quick pickled carrots and daikon radish. I thought they were long since gone, but while digging through the fridge in the hopes of making more space for the increasingly large CSA shares we’ve been picking up, I found one last jar. I’ve been making very good use of these rediscovered pickles. I’ve been chopping them into ribbons and adding them to salads, have been eating them straight from the jar and have been layering them into lunchtime sandwiches.


pickles in a sandwich


 


I come from a family who likes pickles in a sandwich for crunch and pucker, and these thin slices of carrots and radishes serve admirably in this role. I always make sure to blot them lightly before applying them to the sandwich (to prevent soggy bread). We’re having a little indoor cookout for two around here tomorrow and I plan on curling these pickles around my hot dog (though I may alternate between pickles and spoonfuls of this fennel relish).


How have you been using your preserves lately? And are you going to be including any homemade pickles in your 4th of July spread? Do tell!

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Published on July 03, 2013 19:00

July 2, 2013

Welcome to the New Look of Food in Jars

food-in-jars-new-look


For many months now, my friend Roz has been working on a refresh for this site. She has squeezed it into her evenings and weekends and finally, this last Sunday night, she and Scott flipped the switch and made the new look live. I am entirely delighted by it.


You’ll notice that the navigation has moved from the header bar to the left rail of the site. A few people have mentioned that they miss the list of links out to other blogs. It still exists and can be found here (currently, the link is buried on my about page, but I’m trying to find a better, more obvious home for it).


Another thing that might jump out at you is that there are some new ads up in the right sidebar. Instead of simply using an ad network, I’m now offering anyone with a Food in Jars-appropriate ad to buy space in my sidebar. Prices start at $75 for a small ad and there are price points for lots of different budgets. Click here if you’re interested in learning more.


Finally, there are still a few bugs, broken links, and issues, but we’re working on fixing those as soon as we can. If you notice anything looking amiss, please do let me know!

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Published on July 02, 2013 20:34

Links: Rose Petal Preserves, Garlic Scape Vinegar, and Winners

snacks in jars


Thanks to everyone for your patience during this transition to the new site. I had intended to get this post up on Sunday night but we started the server shift and I missed my window. I spent yesterday at the Fancy Food Show in New York and got home late, nearly dizzy with exhaustion, with no brain power left. So here we are, midway through Tuesday and I just getting up my links and winners. Such is life, sometimes!



I love this post about how to build your own summer salad with what you already have in your fridge and pantry.
Make your own mason jar themed notebook. Perfect for tracking your summer canning.
Never before have pickled veg looked prettier than this sandwich slaw.
Preserved rose petals. Gorgeous!
It’s been awhile since I made ghee. I think it’s time to bring it back, as it’s such a nice cooking oil to have on hand.
I have long been a fan of Kevin West’s blog, Saving the Season. His new book is beautiful and I love this Morning Edition story from this last Saturday in which he was featured.
Garlic scape infused vinegar. Do it while scapes are still available!
If you’ve still got strawberries, save the scrapes and make a little cordial.

new Cuppow colors


 


cuppow winnersTime for the winners of last week’s Cuppow giveaway! It was really fun to read about all your favorite summer drinks and coolers!



#36 is Maddy
#104 is Kat
#198 is Erin Buchanan
#677 is Meg
#716 is Beth

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Published on July 02, 2013 12:00