Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam

I can’t believe I am posting this publicly.  This jam is our go-to gift reserved for those we love and appreciate.  It has been a hit with every recipient and a coveted gift item by many.  I can it in multiple batches and have it on the shelf with recycled bows and ribbon nearby for any impromptu gift giving moments.

It’s gorgeous in the jar.  And tasty on toast on a cold winter morning.  A family favorite for every holiday and a sure guest at the dinner table when we have company with a loaf of fresh baked bread.  So here you go, from our home to yours, a holiday gift giving sensation:  Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam.

Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam

3 c pears, crushed, peeled and cored
2/3 c dried cranberries, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened apple juice
1/4 c lemon juice
5 1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin

Prepare canner, jars and lids (or skip this step if you are planning on freezing the jam.)

In a large pot combine all ingredients EXCEPT PECTIN (I can’t even tell you how many times I have forgotten this.)  Over high heat bring to a boil, stirring constantly until it cannot be stirred down.  Stir in pectin.  Boil hard stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and skim off foam.

Bottle in prepared jars.  Cook in water bath canner for 10 minutes (20 in altitude) plus 5 minutes uncovered.  (Or if freezing, ladle into jars or tupperware and freeze.  That easy, just not shelf stable.)

For more detailed instructions on canning, go here:  http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

All Things Apricot (Apricot Jam & Apricot Butter)

Canning season began with a bang this year in our kitchen, the inaugural day including apricot picking at my neighbor’s home, followed by apricot butter, two jams and dehydration. Since I can’t do things like canning with the kids home for summer with much efficiency, the process began at 9pm and didn’t end until 3am!  Needless to say, I’m awfully tired today- please excuse any typos or random nonsensical rambling. I’ll try to stick to the point: yummy apricot recipes.

Round 1:  Cinna-Vanilla Apricot Butter

Have you made fruit butter yet?  If not, you’re missing out on one of simple joys of canning.  We’ve done apple, pear and now apricot butter.  We eat it spread on toast, in peanut butter sandwiches, mixed in oatmeal, with yogurt and over ice cream.  There aren’t a ton of ingredients and I use minimal sweetener, making it a healthy sweet.

Cinna-Vanilla Apricot Butter

Ingredients:

Apricots- about 10 lbs worth.  Wash, peel and take out pit.
Sweetener- Agave, maple or honey to taste.  1/2 to 3/4 c for apricots.  (I use a lot less for apples and pears.)
1 Tbl. Cinnamon
1 Vanilla Bean, see this tutorial for a great explanation on how to cook with a vanilla bean

Put apricots into a crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Use an immersion blender to puree the cooked fruit until it is a smooth consistency.  (Or put into a blender, but that is just messy.  It’s worth getting the immersion blender, trust me.)  If it is still watery, leave the lid propped open a tiny bit to let moisture seep out for a bit.  Or add water if it is getting too thick.  Add sweetener and seasonings.  Let it simmer for another hour so the flavors blend in.

Process in a boiling waterbath canner for 20 minutes.  Add an extra minute for every 1000 ft about sea level.

If you are new to canning, Ball has great details on the how-to’s of preservation and some great recipes as well.  If you don’t want to can it, the apricot butter will keep well in the freezer for months or in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.

Round 2: Dehydration.  Super simple, just takes a while.

Wash and halve apricots, remove pit.  Lay down on trays.  Turn on dehydrator.  Rough stuff!  Apricots make yummy fruit leather too if you have liners for your dehydrator trays.  Just puree fruit, add sweetener if you like and dehydrate.

Round 3: Apricot Jam

I made two variations.  The first was just the basic recipe in the Pamona’s Pectin box, using apple juice as the sweetener.  It was alright but nothing too special.  The second so much fun, a great savory twist on the standard-

Rosemary Apricot Jam!

To make, just follow the directions on the Pamona’s Pectin Box, or find it at their website.  You could use other pectin brands too of course.  When all ingredients are in your pot heating up to a boil, add 3 Tbl chopped fresh rosemary.  That’s it!  What a difference it made, a lovely new flavor combination for a fruit I am just beginning to love.

A Happy Happenstance and a Little Experimentation (Raw Cookie Dough Bites)

I am not the worlds most gifted cook.  That gene passed from my Grandmother to my sister- the gift of just throwing things together, whipping something up on the fly and having it taste amazing every time.  I have envied the gift time and time again, trying repeatedly to learn the science of culinary arts.  Sure, I can follow a recipe (most of the time, except when I am tired… or distracted… or not paying attention) but rarely do I successfully discover something on my own.

Which leads to the happy happenstance.  The other day Somer put together a crust for mini fruit tarts using dates, almonds, almond butter, vanilla and salt.  It was crumbly like a graham cracker crust and super delicious.

I went home and gave it a whirl, not knowing exact proportions (never a good idea in my kitchen.)  Into the food precessor went the almonds.  Everything looked lovely.  Then I processed the dates which turned in to a big sticky ball of sweetness.  I can work with big sticky balls of sweetness.  I combined the two and the result was much more ‘fruit & nut bar’ than ‘graham cracker crust’ and I didn’t even add the nut butter yet.  I could have added more nuts, no big deal, but I was famished and not patient enough for another go.

That said, I was still craving the salty vanilla flavor, so I added a couple splashes of vanilla and a sprinkling of sea salt.  One taste and I, the carb-starved-haven’t-eaten-a-baked-good-in-three-weeks gal, was in heaven.  We had happened upon raw cookie dough.  I tested it on my kids, calling it cookie dough and waiting for their reaction.  They jumped for joy, shouting that mommy makes the best cookie dough ever.  Yeah, I know they were just trying to butter me up, but these little babies are officially kid-tested and mother-approved.

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

Combine almonds and dates in a food processor to desired consistency.  Add vanilla and sea salt to taste.  Roll into balls.  Taste and smile.

Experimentation

#1 The Avocado:  I always wanted to try to grow an avocado plant.  I don’t know why I haven’t before, most likely due to a fear of failure.  But it worked, it really worked!  We took an avocado pit, skewered it on 3 sides and suspended it in a jar of water.  2 weeks passed.  No sign of change.  3 weeks, it cracked open a bit.  Could it possibly work?  4 weeks, is that a sprout in the middle of the pit?  5 weeks: a root!  And here we are, about 7 weeks in with a mini-avocado plant.  Success.

#2 Stevia:  Can I really grow it and what does it look like?  I put in seeds for 3 starter plants and only one grew.  Noted.  But this one is quite lovely.  It is potted (next time we’ll try direct planting) and very happy.  I ate a leaf.  It tastes like……  drumroll please….. a sugar coated leaf.  Shocking.

#3 Sauerkraut: From scratch?  I’m thinking Bubbies, natural fermentation, only cabbage, water and sea salt required.  Simple, delicious, tangy.  Bonzai Aphrodite said it was easy and gave me the step by step.  Why not?  Recipe says to let it sit 5 days to 5 weeks.  We are 10 days in and it’s not quite to my taste yet but it’s getting close and I can be patient.  Sometimes.

Marmalade Madness (and Muffins)

Jen here!  I guess we’ve all taken a break this summer and have been busy doing whatever it is that we’ve been doing.  Actually Amanda and Erika have been busy mommies with new little ones, and I’ve been a busy mommy with my bigger ones.  But, since we took the summer off from school (even though we’re homeschooling, it’s easier for us to follow the public school schedule right now), I made a lot of preserves, jams and marmalades.

I remember reading cookbooks and dreaming about making marmalade someday, but it always seemed too bothersome.  (Don’t you read cookbooks and dream about cooking the recipes?  I often judge a cookbook by its readability: Can I read it for pleasure, before bed?) Once I learned how to make jam last summer, amazing marmalade doors have been opened.  I realized that I didn’t have to find Seville Oranges and do tricky things that required lots of time and fiddling.

Right now, I have multiple marmalades on my shelves.

I have orange marmalade from Alton Brown’s recipe that’s more like wonderful orange candy in a jar, than anything else.

I made a Meyer lemon marmalade that took advantage of the lovely Meyer lemons that grow beautifully in my parents’ and my in-laws’ backyards.

After my mom stayed with us this spring, I had a Costco bag of limes left in my fridge and made lime marmalade (this isn’t the blog I found before, but the technique is the same – quick and easy – using the food processor for it all).

I also have blueberry orange marmalade (this recipe is from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard),

peach marmalade (we have a productive peach tree in our backyard); and

cherry marmalade (this recipe is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving edited by Judi Kingry and Lauren Devine).  This cherry marmalade is my hands-down favorite.

I’m sure that I will try many more kinds of marmalade and fruit and time allow.  (As defined in my Small-Batch Preserving book, a “marmalade is a jam made from citrus fruit.  Marmalades generally do not have pectin added since citrus rinds and seeds contain enough pectin to form a soft gel.”)

But, as any jam-making addict knows, you end up with surplus.  You can’t possibly eat all you’ve canned, but you want to make more.  (This three citrus marmalade sounds really wonderful. Do I have room on my shelves for more?) So, I’m working on finding ways to consume my jams in creative ways.  Amanda already suggested stirring into yogurt, which is a wonderful suggestion, if I start eating yogurt on a regular basis.  I’m sure I can add them to smoothies, once I start eating those again.  Yes, I do put them on toast, but I don’t have time or appetite to eat that much toast.

Back to my excellent Small Batch Preserving book.  There are many reasons this is a wonderful book.  First, is the whole “small batch” aspect, because canning things in large volume terrified me when I started.  Next, the recipes are different from the Ball Complete Book.  The most important reason that I love this book is that it’s full of recipes for using your preserves.  Now that you’ve made them, what can you do with them?

Just for marmalades, they’ve got Marmalade Cream (with ricotta cheese, marmalade, orange juice and grated semi-sweet chocolate), Marmalade Fruit Muffins, Marmalade Mustard Butter (for vegetables), Marmalade Sauce (for pancakes and waffles), and Marmalade Squares (a fruit-filled dessert bar).

Yesterday, I made the Marmalade Fruit Muffins using half Meyer lemon marmalade and half lime marmalade.  In place of dried fruit or nuts, I substituted chocolate chips (when in doubt or your shelves are out, try chocolate).

Marmalade Fruit Muffins

Marmalade adds moisture and lively flavor to these elegant muffins.  Any marmalade can be used, but we like the more intense flavor of those made with Seville oranges.

2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour

2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder

1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt

1/4 tsp (1 mL) baking soda

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50 mL) soft butter or margarine

2 eggs

1 cup (250 mL) marmalade (“Traditional English Seville Marmalade, page 76)

1/4 cup (50 mL) orange juice

1/2 cup (125 mL) dried cranberries, raisins or nuts (or chocolate chips)

1. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. Cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer or by hand; beat in eggs.  Stir in marmalade until blended. Fold in half of flour mixture.  Add orange juice, mixing just until combined, and then fold in remaining flour and cranberries.

3. Spoon into greased or paper-lined medium muffin pans, using half-cup (125 mL) measure. Bake in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Makes 18 medium muffins.

I loved these.  I’m happy.  I’m typing with a pleasing marmalade bitter aftertaste.  I’m anticipating trying these with different marmalades, dried fruits, nuts and chocolate chips.  And, my kids don’t like them much, so more for me (I’ll freeze them and have them for busy morning breakfasts; you didn’t think I was going to eat them all at once, did you?).  I think my next batch is going to be with Amanda’s strawberry marmalade.

Enjoy.

P.S. For my next jam-using project, I may have try these homemade pop tarts.  What do you think?  I’ve already tried this glaze with Black Forest cherry preserves (and loved it; I’m using it on my birthday cake next month).

Kim’s Chili Sauce

The first time I ate this was with a large group of 25 or so people, including 9 children under the age of 6. The chili sauce was served cooked with a pork roast and some added worchestershire, mustard, brown sugar and ketchup. Plates were cleaned, the kids ate it right up, my cousin Greg went back for thirds and even brought a tupperware of sauce home for later. Rave reviews all around.

In making it myself I was suprised it called for so much vinegar but that’s only because I am still a greenie with the canning and processing of tomato ingredients.

This chili sauce is very versatile. It can be used as a condiment, as a marinade as mentioned above on a pork roast and then for pulled pork sandwiches or quesadillas, or even mixed with cranberry sauce and meatballs in a crockpot for the holidays.

Thank you Kim, I am grateful for the many lessons in the kitchen you have shared! A girl couldn’t ask for a more wonderful step-mom.

Chili Sauce

8 lb. tomatoes, blanched peeled and chopped
4 red & 4 green peppers
3 c. diced celery
3 c. diced onion
2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 T salt
2 cinnamon sticks
2 hot chili peppers or 2 t dried red pepper
2 t whole cloves
1 T mustard seed
1 T celery seed
3 c. cider vinegar

Cook uncovered for 45 minutes. Add spices. Cook another30 minutes until thickened.

(You can add sugars with spices to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Water bath process canning for 10 minutes (20 in the altitude.)

Makes about 8 pints.

Tip: Grab a friend and double the recipe. The chopping will be finished more quickly, ingredient contributions can be divided and really, who doesn’t enjoy a friend in the kitchen?

Charmayne’s Spectacular Salsa

My good friend Charmayne shared this sensational recipe for salsa, one that has proven to be tried and true in her family for years.  She said she makes four batches and it is rarely enough to last the year.  My four-year-old son and I (he peeled and squeezed the tomatoes) made a batch and it is yumalicious.

Charmayne’s Salsa

1 gallon of peeled and chopped tomatoes
6-7 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic salt
Peppers vary.  This year, I used 9 anaheim peppers with 3 jalapeno peppers.  You can adjust whether you like the heat or not by de-seeding the pepper as well. 

Put all ingredients in lrg. pot and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 2 hours.  Put in pint jars with lids and bands and waterbath for 10 minutes after water starts to boil. 
Each recipe makes about 8 pints.
tip- I chop my tomatoes with my pampered chef chopper to get the right consistency that I like and then I use the food processor for the onions and peppers.

Amanda’s Cherry Conserves

I’d never had cherry conserves before this recipe.  Now, I’m in love.  I wish I had a picture of it’s beauty but the security guards at the airport gate confiscated it- apparently they are considered a liquid.  I just thought they were lovely and a nice gift for family.  Instead they graced the bottom of a dumpster.  So sad!

Our family did eat a couple pints first.  My favorite use was in plain, homemade yogurt.  It was also delicious on roast pork.

Black Cherry Conserve

 4 c. sweet cherries
2 Med navel oranges, peeled, seeded, and chopped (½ c. juice and pieces)
½ c. honey
½ c lemon juice
2 T grated orange zest
¾ t. ground cinnamon
6 whole cloves

 In a large enamel or stainless steel saucepan, combine the cherries, oranges, oney, lemon juice, rind and cinnamon. Put the cloves into a cheesecloth bag and add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes. Bring back to boil for 4 or 5 minutes, until thickened.

To can: Pour into hot scalded half-pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Seal and process for 15 (25 in Utah) minutes in a boiling water bath.

Why you must make this now

I have been told many a time that I am nuts for “preserving” so much. It’s true. I probably am nuts. But if, after 30 different attempts to make the perfect jam, I come up with this, all the other attempts were worth the effort. And the most beautiful part about this one (except that I don’t have pictures) is that it is a freezer jam recipe and shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes to prepare.

I have virtually no pictures because I still have not yet realized that I should document everything I ever make, even if it tastes like garbage, because on occasion, I will have these breakthrough moments that if documented, will make all the difference. The pictures were taken ex poste facto, I’m sorry to say.

This is a recipe for pineapple orange rosemary jam. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but that is only because it has rosemary in it. I wouldn’t have thought twice if it was just pineapple orange jam, so then I wouldn’t have made it, and this post wouldn’t exist, and I would not have had my most delicious bowl of yogurt in my life tied only with yesterday’s identical bowl of yogurt.

Pineapple Orange Rosemary Jam

3 1/2 cups sugar
1 sweet orange (I used a cara cara navel because that’s what I had)
1 1/4 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple (thank heaven for food processors)
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
4 sprigs fresh rosemary (and no, I have no idea how much a sprig is)

1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. (Apparently warm sugar dissolves better, which is especially good when using the organic evaporated cane juice that rebels against dissolving)

2. Remove thin outer rind from orange with vegetable peeler and cut into fine strips with scissors or sharp knife; OR zest it how ever you want. Squeeze juice from orange. Place orange rind and juice in a large bowl. Stir in pineapple and sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in pectin, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.

4. Insert sprig of rosemary into each jar or plastic container. (And if you’re putting it all into one container, you might not need the full 4 sprigs, but don’t skimp either. The rosemary imparts this gorgeous subtle flavor that improves the whole jam.) Ladle jam into jars or plastic containers to within 1/2 inch of rim. Cover with tight fitting lids. Label jars and let stand at room temperature until set, up to 24 hours.

5. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freezer for longer storage.

Makes 4 cups.

Why you must make this now – Pineapple Orange Rosemary jam

I have been told many a time that I am nuts for “preserving” so much. It’s true. I probably am nuts. But if, after 30 different attempts to make the perfect jam, I come up with this, all the other attempts were worth the effort. And the most beautiful part about this one (except that I don’t have pictures) is that it is a freezer jam recipe and shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes to prepare.

I have virtually no pictures because I still have not yet realized that I should document everything I ever make, even if it tastes like garbage, because on occasion, I will have these breakthrough moments that if documented, will make all the difference. The pictures were taken ex poste facto, I’m sorry to say.

This is a recipe for pineapple orange rosemary jam. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but that is only because it has rosemary in it. I wouldn’t have thought twice if it was just pineapple orange jam, so then I wouldn’t have made it, and this post wouldn’t exist, and I would not have had my most delicious bowl of yogurt in my life tied only with yesterday’s identical bowl of yogurt.

Pineapple Orange Rosemary Jam

3 1/2 cups sugar
1 sweet orange (I used a cara cara navel because that’s what I had)
1 1/4 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple (thank heaven for food processors)
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
4 sprigs fresh rosemary (and no, I have no idea how much a sprig is)

1. Place sugar in an ovenproof shallow pan and warm in a 250 degree oven for 15 minutes. (Apparently warm sugar dissolves better, which is especially good when using the organic evaporated cane juice that rebels against dissolving)

2. Remove thin outer rind from orange with vegetable peeler and cut into fine strips with scissors or sharp knife; OR zest it how ever you want. Squeeze juice from orange. Place orange rind and juice in a large bowl. Stir in pineapple and sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in pectin, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.

4. Insert sprig of rosemary into each jar or plastic container. (And if you’re putting it all into one container, you might not need the full 4 sprigs, but don’t skimp either. The rosemary imparts this gorgeous subtle flavor that improves the whole jam.) Ladle jam into jars or plastic containers to within 1/2 inch of rim. Cover with tight fitting lids. Label jars and let stand at room temperature until set, up to 24 hours.

5. Refrigerate for up to 3 weeks or freezer for longer storage.

Makes 4 cups.

Canning lids – lesson learned

Jen here!  I’m still quite an amateur (less than 2 months experience) when it comes to preserving my own food.  I inherited my mother-in-law’s jars and enamel canner last year, even though I  had never canned before.  I had high hopes.  I finally realized this year that I needed to jump in and learn what I need to know, before high harvest is upon us and I’m drowning (I hope) in tomatoes and apples from my highly optimistic garden.  So I’ve been trying things like grape jelly (from store bought juice), applesauce and marmalade.  I’ve bought books and read websites and blogs.

Most recently, I received a copy of the canning “bible,” the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (for $4.95 + $2 s/h from FreshPreserving.com – Ball’s official website; currently their online store is being “remodeled” and the book is not available, but soon, it says).

I’ve had a problem, or at least a concern, about the lids on my jars.  They’ve sealed – pinged and gone concave on me, but the lids came off easily – no tools but my fingertips necessary.  While reading through techniques in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (hereafter BBB), I came across this:

Home canning lids with sealing compound must be heated for 10 minutes before using to help lids achieve a vacuum seal.  Place lids in water to cover and bring water to a simmer (180°F), keeping lids in simmering water until ready for use. (BBB p. 11)

So, when I heated my lids this weekend, I used my thermometer to make sure the water was up to 180°F, which I didn’t know before.  And yes, the lids were heated at least 10 minutes, probably significantly longer, as I worked on my orange slices.

Today, I opened one of the jars, and could not remove the lid with my fingertips.  I did need my “church key” type can opener (with the blunt lever) to pop the lid off.  And the sealing compound had definitely been softened and soundly sealed, looking well used.

I’m glad I learned that lesson now, before I’d done 100s of jars.  I trust my seals, but know I’ll need to use the products sooner than later.  Thought you all might like to know.