Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 63

Last Call for Food Preservation Workshop at the Omega Institute

Friends, consider this a workshop last call. In a little over two weeks, I’m teaching a weekend-long food preservation workshop at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. It starts on Friday, June 24 and runs through Sunday, June 26. We’ll make between 10 and 12 different products and will dig into a variety of skills, including jam making, pickling, fermenting, drying, pressure canning, hot packed fruit pieces, natural sweeteners, and more.

Currently, there are just four people signed up for this workshop, so it’s going to be an intimate session. It’s a particularly great opportunity for anyone who needs to learn through doing. You’ll have the chance to get your hands on everything we make, and I will share everything I know.

In addition to being a really fun weekend of food preservation knowledge, the Omega Institute is also a truly gorgeous, restorative place (as you can see from the photo above). In between our canning sessions, you can walk around the grounds, get a massage, treat yourself to locally made ice cream, meditate, or sit peacefully by a lake. If you’re in need of a escape from your regular life and want to spend some of taking a relaxing, deep dive into canning and preserving, this weekend is for you.

For information, or to register for the workshop, click here.

Related Posts:

Preserving the Edible Bounty at the Omega Institute
Upcoming Events: May Classes, Demos and More!
Upcoming Events: Greensgrow! Local Mouthful Potluck!

A Canning Tee-Shirt to Benefit Seed Life Skills

Do you want to get an awesome canning tee-shirt and do some good? Here’s how.

Yesterday, Liana Krissoff, author of Canning for a New Generation*, launched a campaign on Teespring to help raise money for Seed Life Skills by selling cool canning tee-shirts. They are a nonprofit organization that is working to develop a home cc curriculum that is useful and relevant for today’s students (you might even say that it’s Home Ec for a New Generation).

Seed Life Skills was founded by Hugh Acheson after his disappointment with what his daughter was learning in her home ec program. After complaining to school administration, they challenged him to do it better and so he did. The students will learn any array of practical skills, like how to cook with real, whole food, how to minimize waste, how to can and preserve, how to mend their clothes, and also how manage minor financial tasks like picking the best cell phone contract.

The program is launching this year in Athens, Georgia and the hope is that it will roll out across the country over the next couple of years. There is more about Seed Life Skills here.

Wanting to help, Liana teamed up with designer Jake Genen and he created the canning tee-shirt you see above. There are several versions up on Teespring and if enough people place orders, they will go into production. All the proceeds (minus taxes) will be donated to Seed Life Skills. The shirts are available until Thursday, June 16 at 11 pm.

*A new edition of Canning for a New Generation will be published next month, so if you’re thinking of pulling the trigger on a copy, consider waiting for the new one!

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Giveaway: Mrs. Wages Perfect Pickle Sampler

This week’s Perfect Pickle Sampler giveaway comes to us from long-time Food in Jars sponsor Mrs. Wages. I’ve been doing a bit of work with the folks from Mrs. Wages for the last six years and one element of our annual partnership is that they always offer up one or two awesome baskets of their mixes, spices, and starters for me to give away to my wonderful readers. This summer is no exception!

This is the first of two baskets of canning helpers that I’ll be giving away from Mrs. Wages this summer. This basket contains nearly every pickle product that Mrs. Wages makes, which should delight the pickle lovers. Here’s exactly what’s in the basket.

Pickling Lime
Pickling and Canning Salt
Kosher Dill Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Zesty Bread & Butter Pickle Quick Process Pickle Mix
Polish Dill Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Sweet Pickle Relish Quick Process Pickle Mix
Bread & Butter Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Sweet Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Spicy Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Dill Pickles Quick Process Pickle Mix
Kosher Dill Pickles Refrigerator Pickle Mix
Dilled Green Beans Refrigerator or Canning Mix
Sweet Pickles Refrigerator Pickle Mix
Polish Dill Pickles Refrigerator Pickle Mix
Spicy Pickles Refrigerator Pickle Mix
Pickled Beets Refrigerator or Canning Mix
Pickled Vegetables Refrigerator or Canning Mix
The Mrs. Wages Home Canning Guide and Recipes

If this massive collection of pickle spices and starters appeals to you, here’s how to enter the giveaway.

Leave a comment on this post and tell me about your favorite pickle. Whether it’s fermented or vinegar based, one your mom always has in her fridge or something you discovered at the local supermarket, I want to hear about it.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, June 11, 2016. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, June 12, 2016.
Giveaway open to United States residents only.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.

Disclosure: Mrs. Wages is providing the basket for the giveaway. They are also a Food in Jars sponsor and so do help contribute to the running of this site.

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Giveaway: Mrs. Wages Perfect Pickle Sampler
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Links: Chicago Events, Strawberry Jam, and Winners

Yesterday morning, I hopped on a plane. Destination? Chicago! I’m in this lovely city for the next week, offering canning demos and signing books all around the city and surrounding suburbs. I was at the Botanic Garden this morning for a 10:30 am demo (after I was done, I had the good fortune to walk around the garden with a friend in the glorious weather). The rest of the schedule for my Illinois stay can be found here. Now, some links!

Quick pickled beets.
Raising the bar – A fabulous piece about the food preservation program at Bar Tartine.
Strawberry rhubarb refrigerator jam.
Strawberry lychee jam.
Mulberry jam.
Rhubarb whiskey sour.
Lime oleo saccharum (lime zest syrup).
Preserved labneh.
Buttermilk panna cotta with rhubarb compote.
How to strain yogurt.
Whole wheat milk bread.
Dilly bread.
Focaccia.
Warm kimchi cheese dip.

I’ve got two giveaways to close up tonight! The first is the All-Clad D5 giveaway that launched two weeks ago. The winner there is #77/Sherri M.

The other is the Broth & Stock giveaway that ran last week. The winner there is #119/Joyce Almeida.

I’ll be back tomorrow with another giveaway, so stay tuned!

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Links: Strawberries, Maple Syrup Grading, and a Winner
Links: Small Batches, Granola, and Winners
Links: Roasted Carrots, Rhubarb, and a Winner

Honey Sweetened Strawberry Vanilla Jam

If this post is accurate (which, to my best count, it is), there are at least 14 ways to preserve strawberries in the archives of this site. There are yet more versions in my books. And yet, despite all these approaches, I can’t resist adding this honey sweetened strawberry vanilla jam variant to the conversation.

A couple of pieces of advise before you take on this recipe. Number one, use really delicious honey. The flavor of the honey really comes through in this recipe, so you want to use one that tastes amazing (I used some of the honey that Camille from Old Blue Raw Honey gave me when I saw her back in March).

My second piece of advice is to get yourself a small stash of grade B vanilla beans from a purveyor like Beanilla. They have all the flavor of the grade A versions, and are markedly cheaper. And if vanilla beans aren’t in the cards for you, a jar of vanilla bean paste is better than vanilla extract, because you’ll still the speckle and flavor from the seeds.

PrintHoney Sweetened Strawberry Vanilla Jam

Ingredients

4 pounds strawberries
2 cups honey, divided
2 vanilla beans, split and scraped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon calcium water (part of the Pomona's Pectin system)
1 tablespoon Pomona's Pectin

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and 6 half-pint jars.
Combine the strawberries, 1 1/2 cups honey, vanilla bean seeds, lemon juice, and calcium water in a large, nonreactive pot. Give it several good stirs to help combine the ingredients and dissolve the honey.
Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Once the fruit boils, reduce the heat to medium-high and continue to cook at a low boil, until the strawberries break down and the volume in the pot has reduced by one-quarter. Depending on the water content in the berries, this will take 15 to 25 minutes.
While the fruit cooks, stir the pectin powder into the remaining honey. Once the necessary amount of reduction has occurred, stir in the honey and pectin slurry. Return the jam to a boil and cook for an addition 3-4 minutes.
When the jam is finished cooking, remove it from the heat. Funnel it into the prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch. Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
3.1http://foodinjars.com/2016/06/honey-sweetened-strawberry-vanilla-jam/

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June Sponsors: Cuppow, EcoJarz, Fillmore Container, Mrs. Wages, Mason Jar Lifestyle

We’re at the start of a new month and so it’s time to thank the people who help support this blog through sponsorship! Please do show them your love if you have a chance.

Back in the top spot are our friends at Cuppow. They are the creator of the original mason jar travel mug topper and the BNTO, a small plastic cup that transforms a canning jar into a snack or lunch box. Also among their products is the CoffeeSock Cold Brew Kit, which is the perfect way to keep cool as the summer heats up!

After some time away, our friends over at EcoJarz are back on the sponsorship rolls. They make an array of products designed to fit on top of mason jars, including a stainless steel shaker ball, a pour-over coffee kit called Dose, a set of grater and slicer lids, and stainless steel storage lids. I also love pairing their stainless steel bands with the Pickle Pipe from Masontops, because they don’t rust or corrode.

Lancaster, PA-based and family-owned Fillmore Container are next! They sell all manner of canning jars, lids, and other preservation gear. Right now, they’re offering 10% off all preserving tools if you use the code CANMORE. Oh, and their blog is such a good resource, and just yesterday, they posted news about the changing policies around steam canners.

Our friends at Mrs. Wages are also back. They make pectin, vinegar, and more canning mixes than I can count. Their website is an incredible preserving resource and I can’t say enough good things about their salsa mix. Sign up for their newsletter for monthly installments of canning goodness and keep your eyes peeled, as I’ll have a giveaway from them next week!

Mason Jar Lifestyle is a one-stop shopping site for all the jar lovers out there and they’re celebrating their first year of being in business this week with a giant sale. Now through June 8th, use the code BIRTHDAY20 for 20% off nearly everything in the shop. Additionally, the first 25 orders to use the sale code will also get a free wide mouth silicone drinking lid. I recommend using the sale code to get some of the cork stoppers. I just love them!

If your company or small business is interested in becoming a sponsor, you can find more details here. I offer discounts for multiple month purchases and am always happy to work with your budget. Leave a comment on this post or drop me a note to learn more!

Related Posts:

May Sponsors: Cuppow, Masontops, Fillmore Container, Harvest Right, Mrs. Wages, Mason Jar Lifestyle
April Sponsors: Fillmore Container, Harvest Right, Mrs. Wages, Mason Jar Lifestyle
March Sponsors: Cuppow! Fillmore Container! Hobby Hill Farm Farm! Mason Jar Lifestyle!

Rhubarb Yogurt Loaf with Noosa Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt

A couple of weeks ago, the folks from Noosa sent me a box full of their strawberry rhubarb yoghurt (they’re from Australia) as a way to celebrate National Strawberry Month. Now, I don’t really need an excuse to celebrate strawberries, as I typically spend most of the spring in thrall to them, but I was happy for the excuse to indulge even more.

I’ve been eating my way through the containers of sweet, creamy yogurt, but thought it would be nice to do a little baking with it. A rhubarb yogurt loaf cake is what sprang to mind. Dorie Greenspan’s yogurt loaf is my starting place any time I want to make a quick snacking cake with yogurt (one version is here).

I reduced the sugar to compensate for the sweetened yogurt, used white whole wheat for a bit of extra healthfulness, arranged some frozen rhubarb on top, and then dusted the whole thing with a packet of turbinado sugar for a little crunch. The finished cake is tender, mildly sweet, and perfect for breakfast, afternoon snacking, or a late night nibble.

PrintRhubarb Yogurt Loaf with Noosa Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cane sugar
1/2 cup Noosa strawberry rhubarb jam
1/2 cup of neutral oil
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped rhubarb
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one large loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine.
Pour into loaf pan and gently wiggle to distribute evenly. Arrange rhubarb on top and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
Bake for 45-55 minutes. Use a toothpick or cake tester to determine whether the cake is cooked all the way through. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2016/05/rhubarb-yogurt-loaf-cake/

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Giveaway: Broth & Stock from the Nourished Kitchen

I learned to make broth from my mom during my childhood, though there was never a point at which she sat me down for a lesson. It was simply something she did and in my way, I watched and absorbed the information. When I had my own kitchen, homemade chicken stock was one of the very first things I cooked.

These pots of homemade broth are something I mostly do by feel, and while I don’t think that’s going to change anytime soon, there’s a new book on the topic that I am delighted to welcome into my kitchen. Called Broth & Stock from the Nourished Kitchen and written by Jennifer McGruther, this book offers info on making your own broths and stocks as well as recipes designed to help you make the most of every drop.

The book opens with an introduction that walks you through a brief history of broth (mention of portable broth in this section inspired me to cook two quarts of my own stock down into a single, concentrated cup, so it served me before I got to the first recipe!). From there, we get chapters entitled The Broth Maker’s Kitchen, Master Broths and Stocks, Poultry, Meat, Fish, and Vegetables. It’s a simple and highly useful method of organization.

One of the things that I appreciate about this book is that it’s useful whether you’ve got a whole day or less than an hour to make your stock. What’s more, the recipes for using up the batches of broths and stocks you’ve made are appealing and aren’t limited to just soups and stews (risotto! glazed bok choy! gratins!). It makes me hungry every time I pick it up.

Thanks to the kind folks at Ten Speed Press, I have a copy of this book to give away. Here’s how to enter the giveaway.

Leave a comment on this post that has something to do with homemade broth, stock, or soup.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, June 4, 2016. A winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, June 6, 2016.
Giveaway open to United States and Canadian residents. Void where prohibited.
One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post.

Disclosure: Ten Speed Press sent me the copy you see pictured above for photography and review purposes, and is also providing the giveaway unit. Both are being provided at no cost to me. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. 

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Food in Jars Favorites: Earlywood Tasting Spoons

I first discovered Earlywood and the gorgeous wooden tools that Brad Bernhart makes thanks to a post on the blog, Dig This Chick nearly five years ago. As a lover of wooden spoons and spatulas, I was powerless in the face of her recommendation and ordered myself a large saute tool and a scraper.

Since then, Earlywood tools have become something I buy myself when I reach a milestone or am in need of an inexpensive splurge. For instances, when I turned in the manuscript for my third book, I bought myself a ladle. I’m at the point where most of the wooden tools in my kitchen started their life as a hunk of wood in Brad’s shop.

A few months ago, Brad sent me his tasting spoon set (you can also buy them one at a time), curious if I thought they might have particular application in a canning kitchen. After living with them for a while, I’ve come to find that I reach for the all the time, though not necessarily for tasting.

I’ve found that they’re a fabulous tool for poking air bubbles out of jars (I use both the bowl of the spoon and the handle, depending on the location of the bubble) and for ensuring that jam flows evenly into jars with shoulders. They are beautiful, useful objects and really, you can’t ask for more than that!

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Upcoming Events: A Week in the Chicago Area

Hello Chicago area readers! I am headed your way very, very soon and want to make sure that you know about all the various events, demos, and book signings I’m going to be doing while in your fine region. Please mark your calendars, tell your friends, and come say hi while I’m in town.

Oh, and books will be available for sale at all these events, so no need to get a copy ahead of time. That said, I am also always entirely happy to sign copies you already own, so make sure to bring those too!

Sunday, June 5

Chicago Botanic Garden! Canning demo and book signing in the Garden Kitchen Amphitheater. 10:30 a.m. Admission is free but seating is limited, so get there early!

Monday, June 6

Mundelein, IL! Canning demo and book signing at the Fremont Public Library. 6:30 pm. Free.

Tuesday, June 7

Gurnee, IL! Canning demo and book signing at the Warren-Newport Public Library. 6:30 pm. Free. Register here.

Wednesday, June 8

Lake Zurich, IL! Canning demo and book signing at the Ela Public Library. 6:30 pm. Free.

Thursday, June 9

Northfield, IL! I’ll be speaking at a luncheon starting at 11:30 am to benefit Canning for Kids and The Ferrer Foundation. More details here. Buy your ticket here!

Chicago, IL! Later that evening, I’m teaming up with Local Foods and Read It and Eat from 6-7:30 pm for canning demo and book signing. This event is free, but we ask that you sign up in advance.

Friday, June 10

Chicago, IL! Canning demo and book signing at The Chopping Block’s Merchandise Mart location. 5:30-6:30 pm. Free.

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