Marisa McClellan's Blog, page 84

Books at the Market at High Street and Headhouse Square Farmers Market

This weekend, I’m going to be at two Philadelphia area markets with stacks of my books to sell and sign. With canning season in full swing, this is a great opportunity to pick up a book and some produce for canning, all at the same time!

On Saturday, July 11, I’ll be at the Saturday farm stand at High Street on Market from 10:30 to 1:30 pm (the stand is open until 3:30 pm, but unfortunately I can’t stay that long). This French-style market features produce from Plowshare Farms and a rotating cast of special guests. This week I’ll be there along with Food and Ferments. If you can’t make it this weekend, Madame Fromage has the full list of future guest vendors.

Then, on Sunday, July 12, I’ll be at Headhouse Market from 10 am to 2 pm. Look for me positioned between The Food Trust’s table and the Buzby Produce stand.

I’ll have copies of both books with me, along with the last of the orange Food in Jars stickers for giveaway. The books cost $20 a piece and I can take cash or cards!

Related Posts:

Upcoming Events: Hazon Food Festival, the Lehigh Valley Harvest Festival, and More!
Upcoming Events: Upper Merion! King of Prussia! Phoenixville!
Classes and Events: Philly! Horsham! New Jersey! Lancaster!

Sweet Cherry Rhubarb Jam

When I got my box of fruit from the Washington State Fruit Commission back at the beginning of June, I had grand plans to dedicate a full week to my many delicious cherry creations. And then life got in the way (as it so often does). Instead, I’ve been publishing these tasty things in fits and starts.

Today’s recipe is for a batch of cherry rhubarb jam, made with minimal sugar and set up with Pomona’s Pectin. The combination of cherries and tangy rhubarb make for a preserve that has a really nice balance of sweet and tart.

At this point, I must confess I am bereft of words to describe this recipe. The photo shoot for the next book started today (and I still have four more preserves I must make and deliver to the studio), my inbox is clamoring for my attention, and most difficult, my mother-in-law has been in the hospital since Friday night. Oof.

I would like to point you to some of the other Canbassador projects I’ve posted in the past.

Cherry Kompot (2015)
Sweet Cherry Chutney (2015)
Slow Cooker Peach Vanilla Butter (2014)
Low Sugar Spiced Peach Jam (2014)
Lazy Peach Preserves (2013)
Honey-Sweetened Peach Chutney (2013)
Oven-Roasted Nectarine Butter (2012)
Luisa Weiss’s Spiced Plum Butter (2012)
Italian Plum Jam with Star Anise (2011)
Honey-Sweetened Apricot Lavender Butter (2011)
Apricot-Blackberry Jam (2010)
Pickled Sweet Cherries (2010)

PrintSweet Cherry Rhubarb Jam

Yield: 4 1/2 pints

Ingredients

3 pounds sweet cherries, pitted and chopped (about 8 cups)
2 pounds rhubarb, chopped (about 6 cups)
3 cups granulated sugar, divided
1 tablespoon calcium water
1 tablespoon Pomona's Pectin

Instructions

Prepare a boiling water bath canner and enough jars to hold 4 1/2 pints.
Combine the cherries, rhubarb, 2 cups of sugar, and calcium water in a large, non-reactive pan. Stir to incorporate the sugar. Once it has started to dissolve, place the pot on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cook at a boil (reducing the temperature if need be) for 15 to 20 minutes, until the fruit softens.
Once the fruit has started to look jammy, stir the pectin powder into the remaining sugar and whisk it into the cooking fruit.
Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until you see the jam starting to thicken. Once you see that, remove the pan from the stove.
Funnel the finished jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the 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. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/07/sweet-cherry-rhubarb-jam/

Related Posts:

Cherry Kompot
Low Sugar Spiced Peach Jam
Honey-Sweetened Peach Vanilla Jam

Home Canned Peaches in Fruit Juice + MightyNest Giveaway

This post is sponsored by our friends at MightyNest! Read through to the end for details about a giveaway worth $200!

There is a park near my apartment that hosts two weekly farmers markets. I almost always go to the Saturday market, but often miss the mid-week one. It takes place on Tuesdays from 10 am to 2 pm and so often, by the time I remember that it’s happening, I’ve already missed it.

Last week, though, the stars were aligned in my favor. I had been out running errands and on my walk home spotted the cheery row of white tents set up along the north edge of the square. It was nearly 2 pm, but the vendors all still had good things on offer. I bought three quarts of yellow and green beans for pickling, a half pint of black raspberries, and five pounds of hail-marked peaches for $5.

The peaches were a little beat up but it was nothing some careful work with a paring knife couldn’t fix. I set them out to ripen for a couple days and applied myself to the rest of the produce. I trimmed the beans, fit them into a large jar with garlic and spices, and covered them with brine (we’ll talk more about those next week when they’re finished fermenting). The raspberries? Those I ate with my lunch.

A few days later, the peaches were ripe and ready for canning (and eating! I did set aside a few for snacking). I considered turning them into jam, but I just discovered a cache of peach vanilla jam in the back of the cabinet, so that seemed unnecessary. Instead, I decided to can them in fruit juice for later in the year when all available fruit is being shipped from the other side of the world.

Over the years, I’ve preserved fruit slices in syrups made from cane sugar, honey, and agave nectar, but when it comes to ease and virtue, there’s nothing better than plain old apple juice. When I first started working on my natural sweeteners book, I got into the habit of keeping a few canisters of 100% juice concentrate in the freezer because they’re so useful during canning season.

I prepped the peaches by cutting them in quarters and laying them in a heatproof baking dish. Once they were ready, I put the pan in the sink (to help prevent large messes), brought a kettle of water to a boil and poured it over the peaches. This helps loosen the skins and when you’re working with relatively small amounts of peaches, makes for an easier peeling process.

Once the peach quarters had sat in the hot water for about three minutes, I lifted a corner of the pan and tipped out most of the hot water. Then I ran some cool water from the tap over the fruit. Then, I peeled the skins off the peach segments. They lifted away easily enough, though some benefited from a little paring knife assistance.

I’d prepped the juice ahead of time (using the regular dilution of one can of concentrate to three cans of water) and brought it to a simmer in a four quart pot. After each peach segment was peeled, I dropped it into the hot juice. The acid content in the juice is enough to help prevent oxidation, and the heat helps the fruit release some of its trapped air, making for a finished product that should siphon less that peaches that were done using the cold pack method.

Once all the peaches were peeled and in the simmering juice, I pulled three clean, hot 1/2 liter Weck tulip jarsout of my prepped canning pot and filled them with peach slices. I ladled in enough juice to cover, leaving about 1/4 inch headspace (make sure to wiggle out any trapped air bubbles).

Finally, I wiped the rims, eased on the seals and lids, and clamped them in place with the metal clips. Because they were a hot packed product, these jars (which are the functional equivalent of pint jars) spent just 20 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

Once the time was up, I slide the pot off the hot burner, removed the lid, and let the jars cool for ten minutes still in the water. This is another way to help prevent the siphoning of the liquid to which whole fruit is so prone.

Finally, I pulled the jars out of the water and let them rest on a folded kitchen towel. You can always tell with Weck jars that they’ve formed a seal because the little rubber tab will point downward.

Now, here’s the fun part. Our friends at MightyNest are huge canning fans and want to help one lucky Food in Jars reader get set up for a very successful canning season. To that end, they’re letting me give away a canning pot, jar lifter, stainless funnel, and an assortment of jars. The total value is $200. Just plug your information into the widget below to enter.

Disclosure: MightyNest is a Food in Jars sponsor. Additionally, they provided the Weck jars you see featured in this post. However, all opinions remain entirely mine.

PrintHome Canned Peaches in Fruit Juice

Ingredients

4 pounds yellow peaches (freestone preferred)
48 ounces 100% apple juice (from concentrate is fine)

Instructions

Prepare a canning pot and three pint or 1/2 liter jars.
Cut peaches into quarters and remove pits. Place in a large, heatproof baking dish. Bring a kettle of water to a boil as you prep the peaches.
Once all the peaches are cut, place the pan in the skin, and pour the boiling water over them. Set a timer for three minutes.
While the peaches resting in the water so that their skins loosen, pour the juice into a four quart saucepan and bring to a simmer.
When the time is up, tip the hot water out of pan and run cold tap water over the peaches to make them cool enough to handle.
Remove the peels from the peach segments. If you start at the stem end, they should come free fairly easily. Use a paring knife on any tough bits.
As you work, slip each peeled peach bit into the simmering juice.
Once all the peaches are peeled, remove the jars from your canning pot.
Using a slotted spoon, divide the peach segments between the jars. Top with the hot juice, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use a chopstick to wiggle out any trapped air bubbles and add more juice, if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the seals, lids, and clips, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes.
When time is up, remove the lid from the pot and slide it off the hot burner. Let the jars rest in the pot for an additional 10 minutes, to help prevent siphoning.
Finally, remove the finished jars and set them on a folded kitchen towel to cool.
Sealed jars should be stored in a cool, dark place and should be eaten within about a year. Unsealed jars should be refrigerated and used promptly.

Notes

For more exotic peaches, tuck a section of vanilla bean, a cinnamon stick or a bit of star anise into each jar. For something boozy, you can add a dash of bourbon or whiskey to each jar.

This recipe can be easily increased. As written, you will have a cup or two of juice leftover, so you can certainly add a pound or two of fruit without increasing the volume of fruit. Once you venture beyond six or so pounds of fruit, you will need more juice.

3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/07/home-canned-peaches-in-fruit-juice-mightynest-giveaway/

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June Sponsors: Cuppow, iLids, Fillmore Container, MightyNest, Mrs. Wages, Fermentools, and Preserving Now
Giveaway: The Preservationist Gift Set from MightyNest
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Upcoming July Classes: Chestnut Hill! Lancaster County! Online!

I’m teaching four classes this month! One is in Philly, two are out in Lancaster County, and one is another live, online class via Concert Window. I’m focusing hard on tomatoes a little earlier in the summer that I normally do, in the hopes of sharing those skills before the season starts rocking. I hope some of you can join me!

Wednesday, July 8 – Whole Peeled Tomatoes with Weaver’s Way. I’ll show you how to prep and preserve whole peeled tomatoes in the kitchen at the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting House. 7-9 pm. Click here to register.
Monday, July 13 – Live online class via Concert Window. This time, I’ll be making a small batch of peach jam. I’ll publish the recipe ahead of time, so that you can cook and can right along with me. Pay what you wish. Starts at 8 pm eastern time. Sign up here.
Saturday, July 18 – Jam making class and book signing at Goodwill at Homefields Farm (Manor Township – 150 Letort Road, Millersville, PA). 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. To register, contact Heather Conlon-Keller at 717-808-7060 or heather@homefields.org. Class fee is $22 per person, payable to Homefields.
Saturday, July 25 – Canning Tomatoes Two Ways at Christina Maser Co. We’ll cold pack whole peeled tomatoes and hot pack crushed tomatoes, all at Christina Maser Co. in Lancaster, PA. Class is from 10 am to 1 pm and costs $65. Click here to sign up.

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Links: Berry Jams, Pickles, and Winners

Oh friends. Canning season is on so hard right now. I have 25 pounds of apricots spread out on baking sheets on my living room floor, and I have four pounds of super ripe peaches on my kitchen counter. There are dilly beans fermenting on the dining room table, and I put a finished half gallon of kosher dills into the fridge. I both love and am totally overwhelmed by this time of year. Now, links!

Sunshine cherry jam with orange.
Ploughman’s pickle.
Jostaberry jam.
Pickled cherry peppers.
Fruity, boozy infusions.
Wild black raspberry jam.
Pickled strawberry preserves.
Jam-filled hand pies. So good!
How to go on vacation and keep your cultures alive.
Skillet strawberry jam. One of my favorite quick jam techniques.
Could lacto-fermented pickles make you less anxious.
Maintaining your kitchen ecosystem (the article includes a recipe from Preserving by the Pint).
All about maceration!
The latest news on steam canners.

I missed announcing winners in the Ball Blue Book giveaway from last week, so I’m going to double up and include those here as well as the winners in the Chalk Tops giveaway.

So, first the Ball Blue Book winners. They are #6/Rebecca, #75/Barbara Durkee, and #297/Eileen.

The Chalk Top winners are #37/Susie, #89/Deb, and #198/Sarah. Thanks to everyone who entered both these giveaways. I’ll have another fun one up tomorrow!

Related Posts:

Links: Cherries, Chick Pea Crackers, and Winners
Links: Cherries, Pickles, and a Winner
Links: Strawberries, Cauliflower Hummus, and a Winner

Canning with Taste of Home Cooking School & Cooking Up a Story

Friends! I have two fun video-centric things to share with you. The first is that back at the beginning of May, I spent a day in a video studio in Connecticut co-hosting a series of canning how-to videos with the folks from the Taste of Home Cooking School.

My co-host was the delightful Nicki Sizemore and we spent the day making strawberry jam, a mixed pickle, and other tasty things. The Canning and Preserving course we recorded that day is now available for purchase and costs just $15. If you learn best by seeing other people do and demonstrate, this is a good one for you.

The other video news is that there’s a new piece from Cooking up a Story that features me! Rebecca and I met up last summer when I was in Portland and she saved some of the canning goodness we recorded that day for this season.

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Cherry Kompot

When I was 16, I went to Poland. It was the first time I’d ever been outside of North America and I was thrilled to be seeing more of the world. I went with a small group of fellow teenagers from my Unitarian church, to be native speakers at English immersion camp outside of Warsaw.

It’s been twenty years now since that trip and while many of the specifics have blurred, I still remember the meals clearly. They were served family style at long tables, with benches on either side. Breakfast and dinner were much the same, consisting of sturdy rolls, cheese, butter, yogurt, jam, sliced cucumber, fruit, and often some ham or sausage. We drank tea, milk, and water.

The main meal was served at lunchtime and always consisted of three simple courses. First there would be soup (I had my first chilled cucumber soup that summer). Then there would be cooked meat, potatoes, and a vegetable. To finish, a fruit-based dessert. And in the upper right hand corner of the place setting, you also had a small glass filled with lukewarm juice, with a piece of cherry or plum resting at the bottom. This was the kompot.

The first time I was confronted by a glass of kompot, I was wary. It was unlike any beverage I’d had in the US and the soften fruit in the bottom gave me pause. After one taste, I was among the kompot converted. It was mildly sweet and refreshing, reminding me slightly of what Kool Aid might be if made with fresh fruit.

A few weeks back, 20 pounds of cherries arrived on my doorstep, sent by the Washington State Fruit Commission as part of the Canbassador program. As I gazed at those cherries pondering how to best use them, a memory of the kompot popped into my head. After a few quick searches, I cobbled a recipe together and brewed up a batch of cherry kompot. After it had cooled a little, I ladled up a glass and it tasted of that summer 20 years ago.

PrintCherry Kompot

Ingredients

1 gallon filtered water
1 1/2 pounds cherries (remove stems but don't worry about the pits)
1 cup sugar

Instructions

Combine the water, cherries, and sugar in a medium stockpot.
Set over high heat and bring to a boil.
Once it reaches an active boil, reduce the heat to medium-high to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Once the fruit has split and the color of the liquid has taken on a ruby hue, it is done.
Remove the pot from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Drink warm or chilled, making sure to give each glass a piece of fruit or two.
The kompot can be made and kept in the fridge for 4-5 days. Any longer than that and it may start to ferment slightly. I kept mine for about three weeks and by the end of its life, it was slightly fizzy and a bit boozy. This is not a bad thing to my mind, but you wouldn't want to serve it to kids in that state. 3.1http://foodinjars.com/2015/07/cherry-kompot/

Related Posts:

Low Sugar Spiced Peach Jam
Honey-Sweetened Peach Vanilla Jam
Urban Preserving: Italian Plum Jam with Star Anise

July Sponsors: Cuppow, iLids, Fillmore Container, MightyNest, Mrs. Wages, Fermentools, Orchard Road, and Preserving Now

It’s the first of July and that means that it is time to thank those companies who help sustain this blog. Truly, I couldn’t do it without their support. If you appreciate them as much as I do, please follow a link or two and show them that you care.

Cuppow is 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. They also recently expanded their product line to include branded jar coozie and they’ve teamed up with the EIO Kids Cup folks to bring the manufacturing of that kids drinking system onto US soil. I’ve been particularly digging their Cuppow in the Wild Pinterest board lately.

iLids is a Seattle-based small business that makes both storage and drink lids in both regular and wide mouth sizes for mason jars. Their storage lids are water tight and the drink lids can accommodate a straw. I love how many colors their lids come in!

Fillmore Container is a family-owned business based in Lancaster, PA and sells all manner of canning jars, lids, and other preservation gear. They recently started carrying my beloved 4th Burner Pot, which pleases me to no end.

MightyNest is an amazing resource for non-toxic, natural, and organic products for homes and families. We’re partnering on a fun tutorial and giveaway later this month, focused on preserving fruit slices without any refined sugar, so stay tuned for that.

Mrs. Wages makes 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. Make sure to sign up for their newsletter for monthly installments of canning goodness.

Fermentools offers a brilliant fermentation starter kit that involves a heavy-duty glass pickling weight, an airlock, a lid with a reusable rubber seal, and mineral-rich salt. Get one (or several!) to help turn your CSA goodies into naturally fermented pickles.

Orchard Road makes mason jars, lids, and rings for home canners. Now in their second year of business, you should be seeing their jars in more physical stores. If you’re not finding them out online store is now open for business, so you can now order them straight from the source.

Preserving Now is a small business based in Atlanta, Georgia run by Lyn Deardorff. This summer, in addition to teaching her regular Canning Immersion Classes, Lyn has added a Summer Preserving Series at Serenbe in Atlanta and Nashville. Each class in the series features both a seasonal fruit preserve and a pickle or relish.

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.

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May Sponsors: Cuppow, iLids, Fillmore Container, Mighty Nest, Mrs. Wages, Fermentools, and Preserving Now!
April Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, Spice Ratchet, Mighty Nest, and Fermentools
February Sponsors: Cuppow, Fillmore Container, Spice Ratchet, and Fermentools

CSA Cooking: Shredded Everything Salad

I have a problem with produce management. A big part of the issue is that when confronted by a lovely array of fresh vegetables at a farmers market, I forget entirely what it is I already have at home and fill my totes with more delicious things. Add an occasional CSA share to the situation and it’s madness.

Happily, I have a relatively simple solution for the overabundance. A giant shredded salad. The genius is two-fold. First, it takes all the difficulty out of eating a giant homemade salad because the bulk of the prep work is already done. Second, it keeps for about a week, so you can make a truly giant batch and eat it for days.

You start by pulling out all the sturdy vegetables you have in your fridge. In the case of this recent batch, that included radishes*, small white turnips*, sugar snap peas, fennel, green onions, cucumber, and cabbage (other good additions include green beans, golden beets, red and green peppers, carrots, celery, and asparagus).

Once you have a nice selection of veg, start chopping. You can use a food processor fitted with a slicing or shredding blade, but I find that a sharp knife and one of these inexpensive handheld slicers is all the gear I need for something like this. Your only goal is to cut the vegetables thinly and in relatively similarly sized pieces.

I tend to keep the finished salad in a big ziptop bag, so that I can squeeze the air out after portioning out a serving, but a big bowl with a tight-fitting lid also works. We eat it heaped on top of greens if they’re handy, or tossed with feta, cooked farro, and a drizzle of vinaigrette.

If Scott needs something to take to work for lunch, I make a simple batch of tuna salad and pack it on top of a bowl of this shredded salad. When he’s ready to eat, he stirs the tuna into the vegetables and it serves as both protein and a dressing of sorts. When in need of a potluck or picnic contribution, I dress it the same way I would cole slaw and it is good.

*Both from my June Philly Foodworks share.

Related Posts:

CSA Cooking: Green Hummus
CSA Cooking: The June Share
CSA Cooking: Ramp-infused Vinegar

Giveaway: Chalk Tops from Masontops

One of the reasons that so many of us love canning jars is that they are so versatile. Sure, you can in them (and goodness knows, I certainly do). They’re also great to use as drinking glasses (during the summer, I try to drink at least three quarts of water a day and use a big green jar to help me keep track), as containers for leftovers, and to store grains, beans, and other pantry staples.

As more people turn to canning jars for all sorts of tasks, more companies have sprung up to make the experience even better. One such business is Masontops. They started with a small line of products to make it easier to ferment in jars (their pickle pebbles and the pickle jar packing tool are both so smart, sturdy, and useful).

Recently, they added another product to their line. Called Chalk Tops, these storage (not canning) lids seal tightly with a conventional ring and can be written on again and again. I realize that many of you have made similar products by covering lids with chalk board paint, but I’ve found that those almost always end up with a dry finish that feels terrible to the touch. The lids made by Masontops are smooth, easy to write on, and erase cleanly.

This week, Masontops is offering up three sets of their Chalk Top combo packs for giveaway. Each set includes 8 regular mouth and 8 wide mouth Chalk Tops. They’ve also created a discount code for Food in Jars readers to use on their Amazon store. Use the code “FDINJARS” on an order of Chalk Tops, Pickle Pebbles, or the Pickle Packer and get 10% off your order.

Here’s how to enter the Chalk Top giveaway:

Leave a comment on this post and tell me how you use your mason jars. If all you do is can in them, that okay. But if you use them to hold your dish soap, pantry goods, leftovers, or morning coffee, I want to hear about it.
Comments will close at 11:59 pm eastern time on Saturday, July 4, 2015. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday, July 5, 2015.
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: The Masontops folks send me a collection of their products for photography purposes. They did not provide any additional compensation for this post and all opinions expressed here are my own. 

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Giveaway: Fillmore Container $50 Gift Codes
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