Strawberry Balsamic Jam

My husband has a weird game that he plays where he looks at a person and names what they often eat. "He eats a lot of burgers." "She eats a lot of granola." It's kind of fun, and I have even found myself unconsciously deciding what other people eat when I'm out and about.

One day I asked him what I looked like I eat, and without hesitation he said "strawberries". Now I'm very picky about my berries, and because of that I probably don't eat that many. But I will say a big, ripe, red strawberry is one of earth's most succulent foods, and at the top of my list of favorites. So when he asked me to make a "real jam", (and it was on sale at the market) it was no question that I would make a batch of strawberry jam.

Mais je suis une cheffe! I couldn't make just plain ol' strawberry jam! I had to make it really special, so I consulted my foodie bible, the one I keep on my nightstand, as of late- Culinary Artistry. I spend hours engrossed in the extensive lists of ingredients, pairings, seasonality, menus and ideas in this incredible book.

Under strawberries two things caught my eye- balsamic vinegar and Beaujolais wine. Both captured my interest, but what I had in my kitchen was the balsamic. Also, I have a hard time imagining buying a nice bottle of Beaujolais, then dumping a good portion of it in jam, instead of drinking it.
Thus, Strawberry Balsamic it is:

6 1/2 pint jars
3 lbs. strawberries
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 box pectin

Sterilize jars, lids and rings. Get your canner ready and stove top set with everything you will need. Rinse strawberries in cold water, dry, cut off stems and cut in half. Add to a pot with water, sugar, salt and balsamic vinegar. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally (but not disturbing the foam that is forming on top) until strawberries are broken down and consistency is syrupy. Ladle off the foam. Add pectin and bring to a full boil for one minute. Let rest for five minutes then pack and sterilize jars.

The result is a sweet, tangy and totally addictive jam! The color, as you can see, is deepened by the balsamic to a seductive crimson. I think it could go either way with desserts or some bread and creamy cheese; however, I've only had it so far by the spoonful (and half the jar is gone..).

Carrot and Onion Sandwich Slaw

In a tiny town in Western Pennsylvania, amidst a paper mill, a rivet factory and hundred-year old houses, there exists a small pizza shop called East End Pizza. It is known throughout the world for it's hoagies, and the onion slaw with which they stuff each one of those amazingly addictive subs.

Now, if you are here to find the recipe for that onion slaw, this is NOT it. I would never commit culinary blaspheme by posting a recipe for that which you can only obtain at the revered shop itself. But it was the inspiration for my own canned slaw recipe. To cut down on the monumental onion-breath it causes, and because they are the subject of this month's canjam-



-I replaced much of the onion with carrot. Because I was canning my slaw, I had to add more vinegar than the original. Not sure about the dried spices, I used my own Italian Combination. And I also added fresh garlic, just because I like it. You could shred the vegetables, or use a mandolin, if you're not feeling up to the intricate knife work; but I find it to be an enjoyable pastime, akin to meditation. Here it is:

3 sterilized pint jars, lids and rings
4 cups matchstick carrots (this is how a Korean taught me to easily cut beautiful matchsticks with no waste)
2 cups julienne onion
3 cloves thinly sliced garlic
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. fine salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
16 oz. white wine vinegar

Toss carrots, onion, spices and salt. Bring vinegar to a boil. Pack veg into jars and fill with vinegar. Process for 10 minutes. (Follow all standard canning procedures- you can learn about them here.)

To consume, drain slaw and toss in extra virgin olive oil. Spoon generously onto your favorite deli sandwich.

Preserved Lemons

I'm on a roll now! I went to the farmer's market yesterday and found a basket of big, gorgeous, lemons- three for a dollar- calling my name. I had no idea what to make of them, but I knew they were too good to pass up. On the way home I imagined lemon roasted chicken, pasta primavera with lemon, lemon dahl.. I knew I had to get these lemons into a jar before they ended up in a dish. So I chunked and tossed them with peppercorns, cinnamon bark, cloves, coriander seed, bay leaves and a good dose of salt, shoved them in a jar, topped off with good olive oil and sealed immediately. The jars a so darn pretty I might just use them as a decoration while they cure for the next two months.

Saffron Spiced Marmelade

Winter is over, all two weeks of it! Yes, THIS is why I moved to Florida- and I wanted to celebrate by taking advantage of our signature crop: oranges. Okay, it also helped that citrus happens to be the theme of January's CanJam.



I wanted to do something fairly simple, this being only my second attempt at canning. I also wanted it to be versatile, for sweet or savory use. I flavored my marmelade with spices which can be found in almost all cuisines of the world. I added sugar to taste, just enough to take out any bitterness, not enough to make it very sweet. Here's how:



Begin with twenty lovely Florida oranges. I bought mine 10 for a dollar at Downtown Produce.Wash your produce with mild, soapy water, rinse well and pat dry. Use a five-hole zester to zest all of the oranges. Don't skimp, every bit is flavor!

Next, use a very sharp knife to remove most of the rind from the oranges, as seen in the first half of this video. Don't worry about getting every bit of white off the orange, a little bit will add a depth of flavor and bring the texture closer to an old-fashioned marmelade.

Cut the oranges in half through the equator, remove the seeds with the tip of the knife, and cut into rough chunks. You should end up with something like this:




In a medium pot, bring the oranges and two cups of water to a simmer. Cook for half an hour, stirring occasionally and picking out seeds that float to the top. I enlisted the help of my "master nose" to come up with the perfect blend of ground spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, cardomom, cloves, anise, coriander, ginger and saffron.


Add spices and 1 1/2 cups sugar and cook for another half hour. During this time, set your stove with everything you will need for canning your marmelade, and sterilize 8 half-pint jelly jars.


At the last minute, add 1 box fruit pectin to the marmelade, crank up the heat and bring to a hot and heavy boil for one minute (or to 220 degrees). It should look pretty close to this:


Ladle into jars, wipe rims, place on lids, and tighten rings. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove to a towel covered cutting board or sheet tray. Within seconds you should hear a beautiful popping sound. I like to count them, with growing excitement, to make sure all of the jars have properly sealed. Store the marmelade in a cool, dark place and forget about it. Seriously! It will be much better in a couple weeks when the pectin has set, or in the summer when you are suddenly taken over by a craving for perfectly ripe, deeply spiced, pure Florida sunshine.

Giardiniera

For three years I've been craving giardiniera. When I moved to Florida, I was shocked and appalled that no one here had ever eaten or heard of this Italian appetizer. In western Pennsylvania, where I grew up, it is sold in quart-sized jars, at minimal prices. If there is one thing you can expect to find in an I.U.P. student's refrigerator, it's a big jar of giardiniera. In the last year, I have begun to see it popping up here in tiny little jars at exorbitant prices, which I refuse to pay. So, upon receiving my new canner, it was a real no-brainer what my first endeavor would be- the hot and sour pickled garden veg of my youth- giardiniera!

Recipe makes 6 pints

6 1-pint canning jars with lids and rings
32 oz. white wine vinegar
32 oz. water
2 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
1 tbsp. mustard seed
1 tbsp. peppercorns
12 cloves garlic
4 carrots, peeled and crinkle cut on the bias
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 head cauliflower, cut to florets
1 lb. hot wax peppers, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces


Bring to a boil vinegar, water and spices. Cover, turn off heat and let it steep while you prepare the jars.

Quickly blanch green beans, carrots, cauliflower and garlic separately in a big pot of very salty water. Layer into each sterilized jar 2 cloves of garlic, small handful of carrots, a few green beans, then stuff jars to 1 inch from brim with cauliflower and peppers. you can push down on the veg a bit to make it all fit.

Strain brine and pour into jars using a funnel.

Cover jars with sterilized lids and rings. I packed the jars directly in the rack so that I could pick it up and sink it right into the canning water. Make sure water covers jars by at least and inch. (It is helpful to have a kettle already hot, in case you need it, and you probably will.) Bring water to a boil for 5 minutes. Pull up the rack and transfer jars individually to a wooden, towel covered surface.

After a couple hours, test the lids to make sure they sealed. If they are, move them to a cool, dark place. If you're lucky, one won't seal and you'll have an excuse to eat it right away. Otherwise, the flavors will mix and meld and get better over the next month, if all six jars last that long. I only have two left!

Introduction

I'm very disappointed. I've always thought I was a Generation X-er. But after some wiki-searching last night, I discovered that I missed that title by five days. Born in the early morning of January 5, 1982, it seems I am one of the very first of a new generation called, for lack of a better term or any creativity, Generation Y. I guess this stems from Y2K, the year we first Millenials graduated from high-school. Characterized by our influence from, and on the media, we get our news on msn.com, we e-mail, we text, we have our own urls, and yes- we blog.
So, here I am, playing out my little part in the world of the next generation by blogging on my new-found obsession: canning. (Did she say canning? Like Grandma used to do?) That's right, folks. I'm bringing canning back. In a world decaying with trash and sugar, I'm here to show you how to live better by knowing exactly what's in those jars on your shelf, and re-using said jars, as well. It's easy, and it's fun- so let's get started!

Canning 101: Cleanliness is Godliness

Before You Begin

First, you will need the hardware to get the job done. For beginners, such as myself, I recommend a Granite Ware 11 1/2 Quart pot with rack. If you're not lucky enough to have a Grandma who will buy you one for Christmas, you can obtain one at Walmart, or online here-Amazon.com, for a small price. Along with the pot I HIGHLY recommend you purchase some version of the "home canning kit" which includes a jar lifter, a magnetic lid lifter, a funnel and a small spatula. Finally, you will need Pint-size jars. You will find a variety of shapes made by Ball or Mason, but do not use old store-bought jars! They are not meant for home canning!

Bad things can happen when canning is improperly done, ranging from wasted food to paralysis from botulism. But don't let that scare you away from canning! These instances are very rare and quite avoidable. First, you must know the difference between something just merely being clean and SANITIZED. When we wash dishes by hand they are clean. When we sanitize we subject our jars, lids and rings, for at least ten minutes, to an environment in which bacteria cannot survive. There are three ways of doing this:

1. Wash jars and rings in hot soapy water, then place in a 200 degree oven for at least ten minutes, or until ready for use.

2. Place the jars and rings in the rack and submerge in boiling water for ten minutes, then place in a 200 degree oven until ready for use.

3. Put jars and rings through one cycle in the dishwasher, hold in a 200 degree oven until ready for use.

Because the lids have a rubber seal that is activated by heat they must be sanitized in simmering(not boiling!) water until ready for use. I do this by putting them in a tiny sauce pot on a burner set to the lowest setting possible. Lids can only be used one time! In order to reuse your jars you must purchase a pack of fresh lids.

Now you've got your jars, lids and rings sanitized, you've followed your recipe and have a delicious fruit or vegetable that is ready to be canned.

Lets Get Canning!

There are two ways to can, hot or cold. Foods like jams and sauces will be hot-packed, or packed in the jars while the food is hot. Things like whole fruits and pickled vegetables will most likely be cold-packed (also known as raw-packed), or packed into the jars while cold, and covered in either a simple syrup or a brine.
Your recipe may call for "thin", "medium" or "heavy" simple syrup. This terminology refers to how much sugar is in the liquid you use to cover your fruit.

Thin- 2 Cups sugar: 4 Cups water, Yeilds 5 Cups
Medium- 3 Cups sugar: 4 Cups water, Yeilds 5 1/2 Cups
Heavy- 4 1/2 Cups sugar: 4 Cups water, Yeilds 6 1/2 cups

Brine comes in many different flavors, but usually contains an acid and salt. Keep all foods covered whenever possible to avoid contamination, especially if you have a pet who sheds!

This is actually pretty easy... Remove the jars from the oven to a clean counter-top. If you're doing a pretty big batch, only remove seven at a time (this is how many your rack will hold at once). I like to put them in the rack at this point, so they may be easily lifted after being filled. If you are cold-packing, fill jars with the fruit or vegetable . Ladle in hot liquid through a funnel to about 3/4 inch from the rim of the jar. Wipe the rims of the jars with a damp cloth. Pick-up lids out of simmering water and place on the jars. Screw on rings until snug, but not very tight. The rings are not part of the seal, they simply hold the lid in place during the canning process.

Follow the recipe guidelines according to how long the jars should be processed, that is, left in the boiling water. If the recipe does not say, or if you are creating your own concoction, use this general rule: 10 minutes up to 1,000 feet altitude, add five minutes for each additional 1,000 feet. Turn off heat, lift the rack and let it rest at the top of the pot. Using your canning tongs, remove each can individually and place on a wooden surface in a non-drafty spot. I use my big cutting board, covered in a towel, for easier clean-up just in case a jar should bust. After a couple hours, check the seals. If any lids pop up and down (like an opened bottle of snapple) refrigerate immediately. Leave the sealed jars to cool for twenty-four hours, remove rings, label and date and store in a cool, dark place.

Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor!

Different foods have different expiration times, but friends and relatives will rarely let your canned goods last that long, often begging for your heavenly creations- this, for me, is the best part of the job!