Food in Jars Mastery Challenge
“And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way. And that was the long Salinas Valley. “
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
After all the dark and stormy weather plus two power outages in one week this is just the project I needed. Easy and rewarding, the bright color and intensity of pure citrus chased all my gray thoughts away. Salt preserving is the second Food in Jars Mastery Challenge. Making citrus salt was nothing like making marmalade, the first Mastery Challenge. There wasn’t anything sweet to temper the boldness. It was intense in its presentation. I zested the fruit into separate piles, Lisbon lemon, Persian lime and Meyer lemon. Rubbing the zest into the salt was a sensory pleasure. As even more citrus oil perfumed my fingertips my mind wandered. I wanted to be more like my lemons and limes, bold and bright in winter, but not crisp and brittle. To bring joy and only overwhelm with goodness. To know that adding a little sweetness doesn’t diminish a personality, it just softens the intensity.
