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Roasted Apple Butter with Maple Syrup

Apple Butter on Toast

A Change of Seasons

You aren’t planning to start preserving? Well, why shouldn’t we?

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Fruit butter is this month’s Food in Jars Mastery Challenge. There were so many decisions, what fruit to use and then what method of cooking. I was so very tempted to try peach or nectarine butter but the gravitational pull of autumn was more than I could resist. We stopped by Gizdich Ranch and bought newly harvested apples. On the day we went they had tiny, tiny Gravensteins, Golden Grimes, Honeycrisp, Gala and Mutsu apples. After sampling them all I chose the tangy, green skinned Mutsu for apple butter and baking. A few Golden Grimes and Honeycrisp came home for afternoon snacking. Apple season is here and I’m planning on enjoying every crisp slice. READ MORE . . .

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Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Tomatillo Salsa

The Hot Pack Challenge

“She was gay and frightened about the visit to Salinas. She liked the idea so well that she felt there must be something bordering on sin involved in it.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

We’re deep into July and the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge is in the seventh month. Seriously how is it the end of July? It’s that time of year when canning projects explode with the momentum of summer. Here along the central coast of California local tomatoes and peppers will peak late next month. Our summers are later than most, September and early October bring the most heat. It’s then that I’ll make huge batches of traditional salsa with local, dry-farmed Early Girl tomatoes. For this month’s canning challenge I tried something new, Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. READ MORE . . .

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Spicy Pickled Asparagus

Spicy Pickled Asparagus

Memory in a Jar

“The dinner table was set in the house. Lee said, I’d have liked to serve it under the tree like the other times, but the air is chilly.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

A friend of mine who knows I like to try new canning recipes asked me if I’d ever tried pickled asparagus. Would I make some and bring him a jar please. Oh, make it spicy too. I always shrug my shoulders and say I’m more of a jam maker. But that’s one of the reasons I decided to join the Food in Jars Mastery Challenge, to try new recipes and techniques. After making regular pickles with cucumbers one quickly realizes that most vegetables and fruits can be pickled. A tangy solution to saving seasonal produce that brightens salads, cheese plates and sandwiches. Even roasted vegetables seem pale in flavor comparison. READ MORE . . .

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Quick Pickled Strawberries and a Kale Salad

Quick Pickled Strawberries

Quick Pickled Strawberries and a Salad to Remember

The word got around when a girl really wanted to know.
East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

More strawberries? Why yes, but savory this time. It’s spring and local berries make me insanely happy. April’s Food in Jars Mastery Challenge is quick pickling. All manner of vegetables can be pickled, with a variety of vinegars, spices and herbs. I’ve shared quick picking before, spicy red onions and earthy beets. But pickling sweet berries was an entirely new concept. When I read about Quick Pickled Strawberries I was intrigued. I had to give it a try. And wow, what a pop of flavor! Sweet and tangy, all at the same time. A salad to remember, Quick-pickled Strawberries are perfectly matched to the robust flavor and texture of kale.

Essentials

If you’re losing interest in salads, listen up, quick pickling will have you not only making healthy salads again, but craving salads again. The time it takes to make quick pickles is minimal. The tangy flavor boost quick pickles offer is nothing short of amazing. Quick pickling is not hours spent in the kitchen, chopping tons of vegetables or using canning gear. Quick pickling can be fifteen minutes of meal prep to jump start a week of healthy salads. All that is needed is a spotlessly clean jar with a tight fitting lid, vinegar and salt. The barest hint of sugar and spice add to the intrigue. The choice of what to pickle is entirely up to you. READ MORE . . .

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Pomegranate Jelly with Balsamic Vinegar

Pomegranate Jelly with Balsamic Vinegar

An Easy Jelly Making Adventure

“The Trasks were well established in Salinas. Lee, once he had given up his brackish bookish dream, made a new kind of place for himself in the house beside Reynaud’s bakery. On the ranch his possessions had never really been unpacked, for Lee had lived poised to go someplace else. Here, for the first time in his life, he built a home for himself, feathered with comfort and permanence.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

This months’ Food In Jars Mastery Challenge was just the motivation I needed to try making a jelly I’ve thought about making many times, Pomegranate Jelly with just a hint of balsamic vinegar. Not enough balsamic vinegar to taste, but enough to add depth, a mystery flavor, to the naturally tangy pomegranate. Jelly now gone rogue, somewhat sweet and very spreadable, a fitting accompaniment to toast and crackers. What I really, really like about this jelly is its’ use in either sweet or savory applications. It’s somewhat akin to cranberry sauce or lingonberry jelly. Definitely making this very easy Pomegranate Jelly recipe for the winter holiday season. Cranberries take a rest, a new flavor has arrived. READ MORE . . .