Spring has arrived! As the days & nights grow warmer, more colors appear in fruit trees and flowers. For UCCE Master Food Preservers, the onset of Spring ignites visions of gardens and re-stocked shelves of freshly preserved foods.

Preserving foods has been an important part of many kitchens for years.  With the onset of the pandemic, more people have discovered the joy of preserving their own food.  It's both satisfying and comforting to have the knowledge and the ambition to turn fresh foods into preserved foods whether it be through canning, dehydration, freezing or smoking. The process completes all our senses from start to finish.  It is important to remember preserving foods safely is the foundation of what a UCCE Master Food Preserver teaches.  Preserving foods using the right equipment, tested recipes and procedures, and fresh foods will help you achieve success and decrease the chance of foodborne illness!  Those of you who have been preserving for years, know what I'm talking about. For those of you who have only had minimal experience or none, but you want to start, I have an opportunity just for you!

Learning how to preserve foods safely is key to your success.  The UCCE Master Food Preserver Program is launching a new project called “Ask a Master Food Preserver”. Every 4th Saturday of the month @ 10AM beginning April 24, certified Master Food Preservers will host a live 30-minute Zoom meeting with the purpose of guiding you through the safe steps of preservation and answer any questions you may have.

The first session is called “Getting Started with Canning Basics”. This is a great introduction or refresher (for those of you who may have some canning experience) incorporating safe canning practices, needed equipment and a few recipes! It's online and FREE! Use this link and join us: https://ucanr.zoom.us/j/99190452915?pwd=djZMQ2ZXWWhwTmh3REYwczJoWFlwQT09

The series of topics to be covered are designed to follow the natural progression of preserving as we go through the season. There will be numerous sessions focused on “Preserving Safely” and a series titled “When things go Wrong”.   We hope you join us and look forward to helping you achieve success safely with your upcoming preservation projects.

I'm always on the hunt for recipes that use my sourdough starter discard.  I saw this recipe for soft pretzels on the King Arthur Baking Company® website and thought I would give it a try!  Who doesn't love a soft warm pretzel just made for dipping in mustard or eating alone?  I must say I was a bit intimidated by the shaping step, but I knew if I didn't try it, I would never learn.  This recipe can be made quickly since the starter is used directly from the refrigerator, or a regular discard without the need to feed it.  The recipe does call for instant yeast to help with the rise also aiding in how quick it comes together.

First step of course is to wash your hands.  As with any new recipe, read through it before beginning.  Sometimes, I need to read a new recipe several times before I begin to feel comfortable with the information.

Prepare your dough and baking sheets according to the recipe (see below).  Allow the dough to rest for about 45 minutes (the rise is small).  Remember, dough is considered a raw food and should not be consumed uncooked.  Make sure and wash your hands and all equipment with hot soapy water when finished.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Once the dough is made, turn it out onto a lightly greased or non-stick work surface.  Fold a few times to deflate and divide into 12 equal pieces (2 ¼-2 ½ ounces each).  I used my bench scraper to help me divide the dough.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Shape each piece of dough into a 15-18 inch long rope.  I used my silicone baking sheet to do this part.  There was no sticking at all!

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Continue rolling each piece of dough into a rope until you have 12 ropes.  You can cover them if you are taking a while to get your ropes made, but I found this step to go quickly.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Next step is to begin shaping your pretzels.  First create a loop with the ends of your rope crossed.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Bring the crossed ends of your rope towards the circle part of your loop tucking the ends underneath.  Carefully move your shaped pretzel to your prepared baking pan and reshape as needed.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

You can get a little fancy and create a double twist in your rope shown in the photo above.  I liked this look so decided to use it for the rest of my pretzels.  You finish shaping the same way as you did with a single twist by bringing the ends of your rope towards the loop and tuck them under to secure.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Once they are all shaped, you will brush them with a little sugar water.  This helps them to get crispy and golden on the outside and assists with the salt sticking to them.  I sprinkled them with Kosher salt, but you could go wild and use a flavored salt like our Cabernet salt from an earlier blog post.  Or there is salt you can buy just for pretzels which is a larger grain than Kosher.  Use whatever you like and have available.  Just know if the grain is fine, it may disappear on the dough, but you will still be able to taste it.  Or you can leave the sprinkled salt off if you prefer.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Here you can see my pretzels shaped and oven ready.  My shaping technique needs practice, but I was pleased with my first attempt!  I would recommend exaggerating the loop making the “handles” more open than mine in this photo.  By opening this area of your pretzel, you will allow for more expansion during baking making the pretzel a little less compact.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Here is my finished product!  I still need work on shaping, but once out of the oven, I brushed them with a bit of melted butter (why not?)!  They were delicious straight from the oven alone…chewy, salty, and tangy! We had them for dinner to accompany our soup, but these could make a great snack dipped in your favorite mustard.  How about making your own mustard? (That will have to be a different post!) To save us from eating them all to quickly, I portioned a few into a freezer safe storage bag, and reserved for another meal.  They should keep well in your freezer for 6-8 months.  Thaw them at room temperature.  If you would like to reheat them, do so wrapped in foil at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Give them a try!  Here is the recipe: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-pretzels-recipe

Are you in lemon overload right now?  We are so fortunate to live on the Central Coast of California where citrus trees are abundant and well suited to our climate. Lemons are often seen carpeting neighborhood yards while the trees hang heavy with fruit.  Juicing the lemons and freezing for other uses is one way to use them, but I have another suggestion.  Try preserving them!  These lemons are not canned in the modern sense of preserving, but they are preserved in salt instead.  Preserved lemons are used as a flavoring in so many dishes.  They are traditionally found in Moroccan and Middle Eastern cuisines but can be used in something as simple as steamed rice or oven baked chicken to add a bit of brightness to an otherwise common dish.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Start by washing your lemons well in warm water and your hands too!  I would use a vegetable brush to make sure and remove all dirt and debris from the peel.  If you are purchasing lemons instead of using them from your backyard tree, make sure and find some that have not been waxed if possible.

I use a quart mason jar to hold my preserved lemons.  You could make half the recipe and use a pint jar instead.  Either size will require you to sterilize your container.  Submerge it in a pot of water and boil for 10 minutes.  Keep the jar in the hot water until you are ready to use it.

After washing the lemons, remove about 1/8-¼ inch from the stem end of half the lemons.  Cut the lemons into quarter sections, but don't cut all the way through the ends.  You will be creating a “lemon flower”.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Squeeze the remaining lemons for their juice only.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

I like to strain my juice to remove the extra seeds and pulp, but this step isn't mandatory.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

For a quart size jar, you will need about 1-1 ½ c. of fresh squeezed juice.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Add about 1 Tbsp. of canning or pickling salt into the bottom of your sterilized jar.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Sprinkle about a tablespoon of salt inside each of your “lemon flowers”.  I would recommend doing this over a bowl to catch the excess.  Pack about half of your “lemon flowers” into the jar.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Some recipes call for adding a variety of dried spices.  You don't have to use any spices.  You can just use the lemons and salt allowing the flavor to be just lemon.  I enjoy adding a few bay leaves, some peppercorns (about a teaspoon), and cinnamon sticks.  These spices lend themselves to a more traditional flavor. Add your spices when you have packed about half of your lemons into the jar.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Continue to add the remaining “lemon flowers” which you have packed with salt.  You may need to use a wooden pestle or a wooden spoon to tamp down the lemons as you go.  Add the remaining salt spilled into your bowl when packing the lemons.  Add the lemon juice slowly allowing for the juice to permeate and trickle down and around your lemons.  Leave ½ headspace at the top of your jar.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Lid your jar and turn it carefully rotate it up and down a few times. (Do this over a bowl or sinks just in case it leaks a little.)  Store at room temperature in a dark cool cupboard for several days up to 2 weeks. After this time, move your jar into the refrigerator.  The preserved lemons will keep for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.

To use in your recipes, remove the amount of lemon you would like and rinse well under running water removing the pulp.  You will only use the rind in your dishes.  Simply slice the rinsed rind in thin slivers and add as desired.  Here is a recipe for basic preserved lemons. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_preserved_lemons/#recipe1815

In place of making “lemon flowers” you can cut your lemons into quarters and pack alternating  layers with the salt and then add the lemon juice as usual.

Once you have made and used preserved lemons, you will always want to have a jar of them in the refrigerator!

Is your freezer full of your summer fruit bounty?  Are you wondering how to use some of that stashed produce?  My freezer was experiencing an overload of plums.  The last couple of summers, my Santa Rosa plum tree has provided a large crop each season.  I had made jam, and so many cobblers and tarts, my family started to back away when they saw the bags of frozen plums being unloaded!

I needed a different plan.  I discovered a recipe for Plum Sauce that I thought would be ideal for using up some of my excess produce.  I decided to give the recipe a try.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

After washing my hands and cleaning my work surfaces, I gathered my ingredients. My plums are still frozen.  I premeasure my fruit prior to freezing and make a note on the container as to the volume inside.  By doing this step, I'm able to better gauge how much I need to take out of the freezer for the recipe I'll be preparing whether it's jam, cobbler, or plum sauce!

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Once I have my ingredients ready, I move onto getting my jars, lids, and rings prepared by washing them in hot soapy water, rinsing well, and putting the jars into a pot of simmering water to heat up.  Follow manufacturers' directions for preparing your lids.  These 2-part lids only require washing and rinsing.  You do not need to heat these lids before use.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

I allow the fruit to only partially thaw before chopping and remeasuring according to the recipe to keep the volume as close to that of fresh fruit as possible.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

You can see I was able to finely chop my plums since I didn't fully thaw them.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

This recipe calls for finely chopping all your produce ingredients.  This fine chop will enable them to break down and release their flavor and juice while minimizing chunkiness to produce a smoother sauce. I used jalapenos for the peppers in my batch, but you can use whatever variety of pepper you enjoy.  This gives you control of the “heat”.  NEVER alter the volume of peppers called for in a recipe you will be canning.  This could make the recipe unsafe.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

All the ingredients except for the plums are added into a large stainless-steel saucepan and combined.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

These ingredients are brought to a boil over high heat stirring constantly.  Don't turn your back on this step since there is a lot of sugar and it will burn easily.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Now is the time to add your plums. Bring this mixture back to a boil.  Reduce your heat and continue to boil gently until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy.  This will take about an hour and a half to two hours.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Once your product is thick enough, ladle into your prepared jars leaving ½ inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles and adjust the headspace if needed.  It is important to wipe the jar rims with a damp towel to remove any spills of your sauce on the top of the jar.  It is quite sticky like jam, so a clean jar rim is important to help assure you will have a good seal after processing.

Photo credit: Dayna Ravalin

Here are my completed jars that I processed for 20 minutes in my steam canner.  You may use a boiling water canning instead.  I prefer my steam canner since it uses less water, is easier to move, and takes less time and energy to get to temperature to start my process.  Either one is acceptable for this recipe.

I use this plum sauce as a baste on salmon fillets, its great on chicken and pork too.  We have also used it to enhance the flavor of a vegetable stir fry served with steamed brown rice.  Find the recipe using this link:  https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/oriental-plum-sauce.htm?Lang=EN-US

Using some of the fruit out of my freezer felt like a great way to start the new year.  It won't be long until my plum tree is loaded again!