- Author: L. Watts
Apple Festival is Here!
Come and celebrate all those upcoming apples with us. Learn what to do with them and learn about delicious foods can be made in your own kitchen.
Please leave a comment by clicking on the blue "Comments" below.
- Author: L. Watts
AKA: Apri-NOT Butter
In this missive I shall relate to you some depressing things:
1. I purchased apricots at a store. (YIKES!)
2. Next day, I cut them up, added sugar and lemon juice and cooked it up for a jam, er, butter.
3. The result thickened/jelled but tastes like sweet-sour mystery fruit “stuff”. No 'cot flavor at all.
4. I have the equivalent of about a quart and a half mystery-fruit-apricot-jam-wannabe-butter-stuff in a tub in my refrigerator.
The above is truly a huge failure: but by my failures shall I (and) you learn.
Take Number 1:
Anyone knows that you cannot buy decent apricots in a store; where I live it is impossible. I seriously doubt that anyone can buy a decent, good apricot in any store anywhere. Good apricots canbe gotten at road side stands or farmer's markets, but not in a brick-and-mortar store, especially if they have them shipped in. And if YOU can get good apricots in a store where you live, you are truly blessed by the Apricot Deity OR you do NOT know what a truly ripe apricot tastes like. Around here, the difference between store-bought and home-grown is just like the pictures on this page-please note!
In my area, good apricots are ONLY found on a tree. If you don't have your own tree, the best tree is usually one that is in a backyard, planted too close to a wall, and has fruit-laden branches are hanging over that wall. This means you need to be bold and run and steal that low-hanging fruit (because you KNOW it is NOT “low hanging fruit”, if you get my drift), then run to your car laughing crazily and zip off in a hurry because you are feeling so guilty about stealing. Or you knock on a door to ask permission to pick, but, of course, no one ever answers and so you are still forced to steal those fantastic apricots. But wait, you are going to drop off a jar of jam to give those not at home a thank-you for your steal, so it is not that bad, right?
Well, any way, I purchased apricots at a store. And they were truly a worst-case example of the phrase “low hanging fruit” I have ever had the misfortune to experience. Some were big, some smaller. Pretty color, some dark, some not so dark. No. Aroma. What. So. Ever. But like a fool, I said to myself, I'll give them a try; it was a true case of hope springs ever-eternal in the breast of an apricot lover.
Number 2:
I cut them up, sugared them on, juiced them up and attempted to cook them down. Too much in one pan—a double batch. Undistinguished apricot flavor equals mystery fruit.
Number 3:
“Stuff” says it all. Very depressing.
Number 4:
It now resides in my fridge. Should I process and can it? If I do, would I even consider giving it out for gifts—nope, I would be embarrassed to give it for a gift unless I labeled it “Mystery Fruit” jam. And if I did can it up, what would I use it for? Maybe I will can some up and use it for some barbecue glaze or base for a grilling sauce.
If you want to do the following recipe, “For the love of God, Montresor!” make sure you do it with wonderful apricots from someone's back yard!
So below is the recipe I used. It is from So Easy To Preserve. I tried, but it turned into a soft mystery-fruit jam. Need I mention to NOT double the recipe?
I wish you the absolutely best of luck. Maybe you will get mine!
Apricot Jam (if it fails, you call it butter, or syrup, or sundae topping or . . . and I didn't peel the apricots!)
From "So Easy To Preserve", Cooperative Extension Service, University of Georgia, Third Edition.
Makes about 10 half-pint jars.
2 quarts crushed, peeled apricots
6 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Sterilize canning jars. Combine all ingredients; slowly bring to boiling, stirring occaisionally until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly until thick, about 25 mintues. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Pour hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
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- Author: L. Watts
Join us for the Gifts from the Kitchen class. It is this coming Thursday. Sign up now, put it on your schedule. You will be informed, entertained and will get a bag of swag to take home: a sample of everything demonstrated. See you there!
- Author: L. Watts
Wanted, Wanted: People interested in learning about Home Food Preservation. For a very reasonable fee and investment of your time as a volunteer, you can learn all about preserving food at home.
You will learn about: food safety, high-acid canning (fruits, jams and jellies, pickles, and the like), low acid canning (meats, beans, vegetables, etc.), fermentation (kimchi, brined pickles, sauerkraut. . . ), freezing (you know about that!), and dehydration (fruit, vegetables, leathers, jerky) among other things.
This is a very interesting course, and with its information you can learn to preserve all sorts of things.
I hope to see you there!
- Author: L. Watts
PICKLES! NATIONAL PICKLE DAY!
#NationalPickleDay
Guess what's coming up? National Pickle Day on November 14. You all know what a pickle is, right? Those green things you put on burgers, eat with grilled burgers, get wedges of on your deli-plates? Typically refereeing to cucumber pickles in the US of A?
Pickles can be sweet, sour, salty, dill, hot, garlic, fruity, mustardy, spicy or any combination there-of. They can come in chips (crosswise slices), sandwich slices (lengthwise slices), halve, wedges, quarters, whole (small, medium, large or gigantor), baby, chopped (relish, both sweet and sour). Generally we think of cucumbers as pickles, but just about any other fruit or vegetable can be made into pickles.
There are pineapple, peach and fig pickles. Don't forget green bean, bell pepper, okra and asparagus pickles. Meat can be pickled (pickled pig's feet anyone?). Cabbage (and other things are pickled into delicious sauerkraut, kimchi and hot sauces.
Pickled plums are snacked on in Japan. Pickled turnips are munched in the Mid-east. Chile pickle is ingested in India. Pickled winter vegetables are chewed in China. Garden vegetable pickles (giardiniera) in-taken in Italy. (please allow me my alliteration!)
Let's all celebrate the wonderful world of pickles! It is going to be National Pickle Day November 14—get a jar of pickles and pucker-up with someone you love.
http://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-pickle-day-november-14/
Make some of these and store in the refrigerator so you will have PICKLES on hand for National Pickle Day:
Garlic Dill Pickles (For the Refrigerator)
(about two one-quart jars)
Adapted from Marissa Mcclellan, Tasting Table: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/08/garlic-dill-pickles.html
2 quart kirby cucumbers (approximately 3 pounds)
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 tablespoons pickling salt
8 garlic cloves, peeled
4 teaspoons dill seed
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Wash jars thoroughly in warm, soapy water. Rinse well. Wash lids of jars, rinse well. Since these pickles are NOT processed and MUST be stored in the refrigerator, you may use any jars you wish as long as you have their lids to fit.
Wash and dry kirby (pickling) cucumbers. Remove both ends. Cut into chips, spears or leave whole, depending on your preference.
Combine vinegar, water and salt in sauce pan and bring to a boil briefly. Turn off heat.
Divide garlic cloves, dill seed, black peppercorns and red chili flakes between jars. Pack cucumbers into jars as tightly as you can without crushing them.
Pour the brine into the jars, covering the cucumbers and leaving 1/4 inch headspace (that's the amount of space between the surface of the brine and the rim of the jar).
Remove any air bubbles from jars by gently tapping them. You can also use a wooden chopstick or plastic utensil to help remove stubborn bubbles.
Wipe rims of the jars and put the lids on; do not screw down too tightly.
Let the jars cool before putting them into the refrigerator. Do note that your jars may seal during the cooling process—they still must be stored in the refrigerator.
Good after at least a day or two of marinating in the refrigerator. Will be better with a week or two of refrigerated storage—if you can wait.
These will disappear quickly! Enjoy.
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