Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 22

Mixed Stone Fruit Drizzle

Sometime in the last week, I hit my canning season tipping point. It’s that moment when I transition from making carefully adjusted recipes to just simply trying to get things that are threatening to spoil into jars. This stone fruit drizzle is a really good example of this kind of canning.

I had peaches, nectarines, and plums that were shouting to be used. Some had bruises that needed to be cut away and others were so ripe that a knife was entirely unnecessary for pit removal. So I triaged. I pitted, pared, and squished until I had about 16 cups of lumpy, juicy fruit in a big pot. There was no weighing this fruit ahead of time, since so much of it needed some kind of trimming.

I added three cups of sugar, gave it a good stir, and forgot about it for several hours. Once dinner was done and the dishes were put away, I turned on the heat. Even at that point, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was making. Was it jam? A chunky compote? Or something else?

As it cooked down, I realized that it was going to become a drizzle. This is what I call the category of preserve that exists in between a syrup and a fruit butter. It’s sweeter and thinner than standard butters, but manages to have far more body than a conventional fruit syrup.

Once it was cooked down to my liking, I zapped it with an immersion blender until it as totally smooth. At that point, it went into jars with about 1/2 inch of headspace. Rims wiped, lids and rings on, processed for 15 minutes (because it was thickening up to be a pretty dense preserve).

This batch made 6 pints (yes, there are only 5 1/2 pictured above, but there’s also another half pint in the fridge that didn’t get processed). I will give some of it away with instructions that it be spooned over yogurt, oatmeal, and cake. I will eat it in much the same manner.

Other drizzles I’ve made in the past can be found here and here.

Related Posts:

Check the recipe index for more tasty preserves!

Sweet Cherry Butter

 

Back at the end of June, I got a shipment of sweet cherries from the folks at the Northwest Cherry Growers. They sent them as part of their annual Canbassador program (here’s my round-up from last year). I made a number of things from those cherries, including this Sweet Cherry Balsamic Jam, some Cherry Chutney, and a batch of Cherry Kompot.

When all that was complete, I still had about five pounds of cherries left. I washed them well, took off the stems, and heaped them in a pot with a cup of water. I brought it to a simmer and cooked the cherries just until they were soft enough that I could pinch out the pits. Once all the pits were out, I poured the cherry pulp into a slow cooker, zapped it with an immersion blender and cooked it down until it had reduced by about half. I zapped it again, added a little sugar to taste (enough for balance, but not so much that it was cloying).

Processed in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes, this collection of five jars will be used this winter in bar cookies and on toast spread thickly with ricotta. It recalls the dense cherry preserves that my mom’s Auntie Tunkel used to make by slow roasting cherries in her old-fashioned oven (a trick she learned from her mother during her childhood in Ukraine). It feels connected to the past and is deeply delicious.

Print


Sweet Cherry Butter

Yield: makes 4 to 5 half pints

Ingredients

5 pounds sweet cherries, pitted


1-2 cups granulated sugar

Instructions

Pit cherries with either a hand pitter, or using the simmer method described above.


Once pitted, puree cherries smooth. Place the puree in a slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 16 hours, until the cherry puree has reduced by half and is quite thick.


Puree the mixture again with an immersion blender until very smooth. Add sugar to taste and stir until it is completely distributed and dissolved.


Funnel the finished butter into half pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.


Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.


When the time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.






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http://foodinjars.com/2018/08/sweet-cherry-butter/






Related Posts:

Sweet Cherry Ketchup
Hot Pack Spiced Cherry Preserves
Sweet Cherry Balsamic Jam

Spicy Apricot Jam

After a couple lackluster years, this season has been a truly spectacular one for apricots. Thanks to their availability, I’ve canned my way through at least 25 pounds of these, the very sunniest of stone fruit. I made a bunch of this basic apricot jam (it’s a little runny but so delicious), there was this batch of sour cherry apricot jam, and then there’s this spicy jam.

It’s sweet, spicy, and perfect for glazing roast chicken, using on baked brie, or even on a very grown-up pb&j.

If you want to see the making of this preserve in action, I demoed how to make this jam last night on a Facebook livestream. If you missed it, you can find it here.

Print


Spicy Apricot Jam

Yield: makes 5 half pints

Ingredients

4 cups apricots, mashed


2 cups sugar


1 tablespoon crushed red chili flakes

Instructions

Combine the apricots with the sugar and let them macerate for at least an hour (overnight is even better).


When you're ready to cook, prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold around 5 half pints of product.


Pour the macerated fruit into a low, wide, non-reactive pan and set it over high heat. Add the red chili flakes.


Bring the fruit to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally at the start of cooking, and nearly constantly towards the end.


The cooking process will take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the width of your pan, the water content in the fruit, and the heat output of your stove.


You're looking for the jam to get glossy, for thick layers to form on the walls of the pan, and for the jam to sheet nicely off your spoon or spatula. When it does all that, it will be done.


When the jam is thick enough for you, remove the pan from the heat and funnel the jam into your prepared jars.


Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. When the time is up, remove the jars from the canner and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars are cool enough to handle, test the seals. Sealed jars are shelf stable for a year or more. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.






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http://foodinjars.com/2018/08/spicy-apricot-jam/






Related Posts:

Sour Cherry Preserves with Bourbon
Small Batch Sweet Cherry Lime Jam
Small Batch Spiced Blueberry Jam

Giveaway: Weston Deluxe Electric Tomato Strainer

Five years ago, I wrote about the Roma by Weston Brands. It was the first electric tomato strainer I’d ever encountered and it totally changed how I preserved tomatoes. I went from someone who did mostly whole, peeled tomatoes to someone who did 30 or 40 quarts of puree each season.

As much as I loved it, that original model did have some issues. The body was so light that when you pushed the tomatoes through, it would tilt precariously (a problem I remedied by perching my elbow on the body to keep it level). It also splattered badly when you pushed the tomatoes through, because there was nothing covering the screen.

I am delighted to say that Weston Brands has thoroughly redesigned their electric tomato press and this new model (the Weston Deluxe Electric Tomato Strainer) is terrific. The body is heavier and less prone to tipping. There’s a screen cover to prevent splatter. It has a 250 watt motor which flies through food. It can go in reverse if something gets stuck. And it assembles so easily.

For my unit’s maiden voyage, I used it to quickly puree applesauce (it’s still a little early to be doing tomato sauce around here). I quartered every apple in the house, heaped them in a big pot (peels and cores included), and cooked them until soft. Once I started, it took all of five minutes to mill all those apples.

If you’re looking for something to make your tomato preservation easier, I definitely recommend it! This week, I’m giving away one Weston Deluxe Electric Tomato Strainer to a lucky Food in Jars reader. I hope it transforms your tomato process as much as it did mine. The giveaway is open to US residents only. Please use the widget below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Weston Brands provided the review unit you see pictured here at no cost to me and are also providing a second giveaway unit. All opinions are my own.

Related Posts:

Giveaway: Roma by Weston Electric Tomato Strainer and Sauce Maker
Giveaway: OXO Jam Making Essentials
Giveaway: Decorative Lids from Mason Jar Lifestyle

August Sponsors: Fillmore Container, EcoJarz, McDonald Paper, and Mason Jar Lifestyle

Happy August, dear readers! It’s the start of the month and that means that it’s time to thank the businesses that help make this site possible. Please do show them that you appreciate their support with your time and attention!  

Lancaster, PA-based and family-owned Fillmore Container are first! They offer all manner of canning jars, lids, and other preservation gear and carry just about every Ball jar currently available , so if you’re looking for a particular style, check them out. Additionally, this month, they’re participating in the Preserve the Harvest giveaway from Countryside Magazine. Check this blog post to see what you can win from Fillmore each week and enter here.

Our friends over at EcoJarz are another stalwart sponsor. They make an array of products designed to fit on top of mason jars, including cheese graters, coffee brewers, and stainless steel storage lids. Later this month, they’re releasing a new product, so stay tuned for more details on that front soon.

Back for another month is McDonald Paper & Restaurant Supply. Based in Brooklyn, they are open to the public and sell all manner of culinary supplies. Restaurant supply stores are a great way to get affordable, durable kitchen gear (including jars!). I’m a big of their big food storage containers for macerating fruit for jam.

Mason Jar Lifestyle is a one-stop shopping site for all the jar lovers out there. They sell all manner of mason jar accessories and adaptors. If you’re in the market for lids, straws, sprouting lids, fermentation weights, airlocks, tea light converters, cozies, they are there for you.

And if your company, shop, or family business is interested in reaching the food-loving and engaged Food in Jars audience, you can find more details here. Leave a comment on this post or drop me a note to learn more!

Related Posts:

July Sponsors: Fillmore Container, EcoJarz, McDonald Paper, and Mason Jar Lifestyle
June Sponsors: Fillmore Container, EcoJarz, McDonald Paper, Mason Jar Lifestyle, and CanningCrafts
May Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, EcoJarz, McDonald Paper, Mason Jar Lifestyle, and CanningCrafts

Pasta and Kosher Dill Pickle Salad

This post is sponsored by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands.

Yesterday, I showed you how to make the Kosher Dill Pickle Spears from Ball® Fresh Preserving Products. These spears are my ideal pickle in both form and flavor. They are brightly flavored, have a hint of sweetness, and thanks to the addition of Ball® Pickle Crisp, hold on to their texture nicely.

These pickles are good for so much. They are obviously perfection alongside a sandwich. You can nestle one into the bun with a hot dog or grilled sausage. And they make a really delicious addition to all manner of summer salads.

This version of pasta salad takes some elements from classic macaroni salad, but tweaks it so that it’s less sweet and more vegetable-forward than the versions you get at your local deli.

I use just 8 ounces of pasta with 1 1/2 cups of pickles, along with chopped celery, red onion, hard boiled egg, chopped parsley, and a dressing made from mayo and pickle juice. It can be served warm or chilled and is the perfect thing to make ahead and keep in the fridge for a week of easy meals.

Print


Pasta and Kosher Dill Pickle Salad

Yield: Serves 6-8

Ingredients

8 ounces dried pasta


1 1/2 cups diced Kosher Dill Pickles


2 celery ribs, minced


1/2 red onion, minced


2 hard boiled eggs, diced


1/2 cup chopped parsley


1/2 cup mayonnaise


1 tablespoon pickle brine


1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it generously and cook the pasta according to the package directions.


Combine the pickles, celery, red onion, parsley, and hard boiled eggs in a large bowl and stir to combine.


Drain the pasta and rinse it in cool water. Add the pasta to the bowl of veg. Add the mayonnaise, pickle juice, and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.


Serve warm or chilled.






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http://foodinjars.com/2018/07/pasta-and-kosher-dill-pickle-salad/






Related Posts:

Check the recipe index for more tasty preserves!

Kosher Dill Pickle Spears from Ball® Fresh Preserving Products

This post is sponsored by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands.

Last month, I teamed up with my friends at Ball®Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands to share their recipe for Honey Cinnamon Pears and the Honey Cinnamon Pear Sorbet I made with it. (Back in May, I did their Mixed Berry Jam and made Jammy Baked Oatmeal.) This month, we’re talking pickles.

Kosher Dill Pickle Spears, to be precise. These pickles are the exact image my brain conjures when I think of a classic kosher dill and they live up to their name in both form and flavor.

This style of pickle is one of the most versatile in the homemade pantry. They are great with sandwiches, tucked Chicago-style into hot dogs, or diced and stirred into dressings and relishes.

It’s an incredibly easy pickle to make. You start (as with most canning projects) by placing your jars in a canning pot, filling it about two-thirds full of water, and bringing it to a low simmer. While the canner heats, grab a few pounds of pickling cucumbers, trim the ends (make sure to remove the blossom end!), and cut them into spears.

Combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once the canning pot has come to a simmer and the jars are hot, remove one jar. Working quickly, place dill, garlic, Pickle Crisp®, and spices into the bottom of the jar. Pack the cucumber spears into the jar, fill it with the hot brine to 1/2 inch headspace, and wiggle out the air bubbles (top with more brine if the level has dropped below 1/2 inch).

Wipe the rim, apply the lid and ring, and return the jar to the canner. Repeat the process with the remaining jars. Once all the jars are filled, process them in the boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. When the time is up, turn off the heat, remove the lid and let the jars stand in the hot water for an additional five minutes

Once the jars have finished cooling in the water, remove them from the canning pot and place them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. These pickles like to have at least a week in the jar to allow the flavor to infuse before you open them up. Check in tomorrow for a recipe that will show you how to use them in a most delicious way.

Print


Kosher Dill Pickle Spears

Yield: makes 4 pints

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs 3-4 inch pickling cucumbers


2- ½ cups water


2 cups white vinegar


1/4 cup sugar


1/4 cup Ball® Salt for Pickling and Preserving


4 cloves garlic


4 small bay leaves


12 dill sprigs


2 tsp yellow mustard seeds


4 small hot peppers (optional)


Ball ®Pickle Crisp (optional)

Instructions

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set aside with bands.


Wash cucumbers and hot peppers in cold water. Slice 1/16 of an inch off the blossom end of each cucumber; trim stem ends so cucumbers measure about 3 inches. Cut cucumbers into quarters lengthwise.


Combine water, vinegar, sugar and salt in a small stainless saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat to simmer.


Place 1 garlic clove, 3 dill sprigs, ½ tsp mustard seed, 1 bay leaf and 1 red pepper and Ball® Pickle Crisp (if desired) into a hot jar. Pack cucumber spears into jar, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Trim any cucumbers that are too tall.


Ladle hot brine into a hot jar leaving a ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.


Process jars 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.






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http://foodinjars.com/2018/07/kosher-dill-pickle-spears-from-ball-fresh-preserving-products/






Related Posts:

Check the recipe index for more tasty preserves!

Cookbooks: The Fruit Forager’s Companion

There is little I like more in life than discovering a free-for-the-picking cache of fruit, somewhere in my neighborhood. When I was growing up, we would gather wild blackberries from a field around the corner from our house and windfall apples from a pair of gnarled apple trees planted in the parking strip. These days, I stalk wild mulberries and wineberries in the parks of Philadelphia and seek out fig trees that lean out of yards and into public areas.

If this sounds like you as well, then you must check out The Fruit Forager’s Companion by Sara Bir. This book is part memoir, part cookbook, and part journey through the always-growing, edible landscape that so often we miss in our hurry from one place to another. And if it’s not yet you, a few moments with this book and you’ll forever be scanning your neighborhood trees and shrubs for signs of pickable fruit.

The book is ordered alphabetically by kind of fruit. It starts with apples and wraps up with sumac. Each chapter is filled with stories, history, and recipes, as well as tips on harvesting, storage and culinary uses.

Truly though, the thing that makes this book special is Sara’s voice. She is a delightfully good writer, with a literary personality that is smart, funny, and none-too-precious. The following two sentences about figs on page 129 made me laugh out loud.

“Figs are nutrient-packed, offering more minerals per serving that other common fruits. They’re also high in fiber and sugar, keeping people on the move in multiple senses.”

A book that is useful, charming, and includes a tasteful poop joke? Sign me up!

If you’re looking for ways to connect with your local landscape that is both meditative and productive, let this book be your guide.

Related Posts:

Check the recipe index for more tasty preserves!

Sour Cherry Apricot Jam

Sour cherries and apricots are two of my very favorite summer fruits, so it’s hard to believe that I’ve never combined them before. And yet, here we are.

I love the flavor that combining these two brings and the finished color practically glows.

I realize that in some parts of the country, sour cherries are now out of season. Know that this jam could be made with frozen cherries if fresh are now but a memory.

Print


Sour Cherry Apricot Jam

Yield: makes 7-8 half pints

Ingredients

3 pounds sour cherries, pitted


1 1/2 pounds apricots, pitted and chopped


2 1/2 cups sugar


1 tablespoon calcium water


1 tablespoon Pomona's Pectin

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold 8 half pints.


In a low, wide, non-reactive pot, combine the pitted cherries, chopped apricots, 2 cups sugar, and the calcium water. Stir to combine.


Set pot over high heat and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook at a vigorous boil for 20 to 25 minutes, until the volume has reduced by at least one-third.


Stir pectin into the remaining sugar and stream it into the cooking jam, using a whisk to stir to help prevent clumps.


Return the contents of the pot to an active boil and cook for an additional 2 minutes and then start looking for signs of thickening (it should be pretty clear as Pomona's pectin sets quickly). Once you see some thickening, remove the pot from the heat.


Funnel the jam into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe the rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.


When the time is up, remove the jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool. When the jars have cooled enough that you can comfortably handle them, check the seals. Sealed jars can be stored at room temperature for up to a year. Any unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.






4.29

http://foodinjars.com/2018/07/sour-cherry-apricot-jam/






Related Posts:

June Mastery Challenge: Foraged Berry Jam
Low Sugar Blackberry Rhubarb Jam
Pear Cranberry Jam

Upcoming Classes: Princeton! Glen Mills! Rhinebeck! Philadelphia!

I have a few really great classes coming up still this season. If you’re in New York, New Jersey, or the Philadelphia area, there might be something here for you!

Tuesday, July 31 (Princeton, NJ)

I’m teaching a demo-style canning class at Miele Experience Center in Princeton, NJ. I’ll show you how to make Blueberry Maple Jam and Spiced Blueberry Chutney (everyone will go home with a small jar of the chutney). 6-8 pm. $50. Register here.

Wednesday, August 1 (Glen Mills, PA)

I’ll be offering a pickle making demonstration at the Rachel Kohl Community Library in Glen Mills, PA. The demo starts at 7 pm and will go about an hour. This one is free!

Friday-Sunday, August 3-5 (Rhinebeck, NY)

This is my weekend-long canning workshop at the Omega Institute (Rhinebeck, NY). It’s an in-depth, hands on workshop in which we’ll make 12-14 various preserves. Participates will go home with a box of jams, pickles, etc and the knowledge to replicate the work at home. Details here.

Wednesday, August 15 (Philadelphia)

This is a demo-style stone fruit canning class at the Culinary Literacy Center of the Free Library of Philadelphia. I’ll show you how to make three different preserves and will give you a chance to taste all the recipes made in the class. It’s from 6-8 pm and costs 15. Sign up here.

Saturday, August 18 (Philadelphia)

This is a hands on salsa making class at Glen Foerd on the Delaware. The workshop is from 11 am – 1 pm, costs $35, and everyone will go home with a finished jar of salsa. Details here.

Related Posts:

Upcoming Classes & Events: April, May, and June 2017
Upcoming Events: Fante’s! Terrain! Morris Arboretum!
Upcoming California Events: Pacific Grove! Healdsburg! San Francisco! Oakland!