- Author: Jennifer Codron, UC Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch, Academic Coordinator II
- Editor: Maria E Murietta, Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
It's that time of year again! The dominant variety of apricots, Blenheim, that have a short season here on the Central Coast, have arrived. I used to have a Royal apricot tree in my yard and made delicious jam every year. Unfortunately, it contracted a fungal disease and slowly lost its limbs one by one which ended my annual tradition of making jam.
Last year, I wanted to bring this jam making tradition back so now I purchase my Blenheim apricots from my local farmer's market. The farmers there have been growing apricots for years and they have some of the tastiest ones around.
First, gather your ingredients and canning supplies. This recipe makes about nine 8-ounce jars and you will need 8 cups chopped and pitted apricots, 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, and 6 cups granulated sugar. Make sure your cooking space is clean and wash your hands.
I decided on a simple no-pectin recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (2006) so the pure delicious flavor of the apricots could shine through.
I like to listen to music while I jam, mostly bluegrass, but any music will enhance your experience and help pass the long minutes of stirring the pot when you choose the long boil, no pectin method.
I washed and dried and chopped the apricots, removing any blemishes and getting rid of any damaged pieces. You want a mix of about ¾ ripe to ¼ under-ripe apricots since the latter contain more natural pectin to help the jam set. Prepare fruit in small batches, just enough for one recipe for best results. For my second batch, I chopped the apricots in smaller pieces and ended up with more fruit in my recipe.
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon juice and the apricots. I let this mixture sit for about a half hour as the fruit begins to release its juices and starts to form a syrup. This helps prevent sticking as you heat the mixture over medium heat.
Add 6 cups of granulated sugar.
Add 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice. The juice needs to be from a bottle purchased at the store. This is a guarantee that the juice will have the right pH, at least 4.5 percent acidity whereas freshly picked lemons can vary in their pH.
Add the 8 cups of chopped apricots. Although the recipe calls for peeling the apricots, I leave the skins on and end up with a smooth jam.
Stir the pot occasionally to help the sugar dissolve and keep the mixture from sticking. Once the mixture has broken down and begins to thicken you need to stir constantly as it boils. This is where your favorite music or a good podcast comes into play.
I decided to use the temperature test since it is the most accurate way to see if the gel stage of the jam has been reached (Ball Book, 2006, pg. 21). After cooking for an hour, the jam reached only 210 degrees, so I decided to try the sheet test with a spoon that had been in the freezer for several minutes. The jam came off the spoon in sheets, so I decided to ladle into the hot jars. The second batch of jam did reach 220 degrees after only about 45 minutes as I boiled this one a little harder. Interestingly, the first batch which was cooked longer turned a darker shade of orange while the second batch was brighter.
Spoon or sheet test: Dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling jam. Lift the spoon up and out of the steam so it starts to fall off the spoon. If the jam forms light and syrupy drips, keep boiling. If the jam comes off in one sheet, the jam is ready to place into hot jars.
Ladle the hot jam into half-pint jars leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Use a debubbler or chopstick to release any air bubbles that may have formed.
This jam is very sticky so make sure the rim is wiped clean with a damp paper towel before placing the lid on the jar.
Place the lids on the rims and screw on the bands just until fingertip tight.
Set filled jars onto a canning rack and submerge into a water bath canner with 2-3 inches of water covering the tops of the jars. Bring to a full rolling boil and process for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn off heat, remove the lid and let the jars stand in the canner for 5 minutes before removing the jars to a clean towel on your counter. Be sure not to tip the jars as you are removing them as the mixture could bubble under the lid and cause the lids not to seal properly.
Let the jars stand 24 hours before checking that they are sealed properly. Place any unsealed jars into the refrigerator immediately. Store jars in a cool dark location after removing the bands. By removing the bands, you will be able to notice if at any time during storage the lids become unsealed and thus not edible.
To remove water stains on lids before marking the type and date of jam, take a cloth dipped in vinegar and wipe the lid.
In the second batch I made, I placed one cinnamon stick to add a little flavor. You can also add a vanilla bean or the apricot kernels in a stainless-steel tea strainer to compliment the flavor of the apricots. You can safely add up to 1 teaspoon of flavoring or herb to a jam or jelly recipe.
Because the Blenheim apricot season is so short, making jam is a great way to savor this flavor year-round and your friends will be happy when you bring over a jar of this delicious fruit. Enjoy!
Apricot Jam Recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving copyright 2006, page 22.
- Author: Jennifer Codron, UC Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch, Academic Coordinator II
- Editor: Maria E Murietta, Master Food Preserver Program Coordinator
- Editor: Jennifer Hopkins
With the weather warming up, I am beginning to think of summer potlucks and picnics with friends and family. Even in summer life is busy, so when I saw the social media post from the UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County on making coleslaw ahead of time and freezing it, I thought I would give it a try. Freezing cabbage isn't something we typically recommend, so I was curious to see how it would taste out of the freezer.
I was able to get some fresh heads of cabbage from my local farmers market as well as some beautiful orange carrots.
First, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for 20 seconds and make sure your cooking area is clean. Then gather all the ingredients for the recipe.
Remove the outer leaves of the cabbage and rinse all vegetables (except for the onion) under cool, running water. Next, start shredding! I find that my mandolin comes in handy for this type of recipe and I use the largest shredding setting. I did not have a green bell pepper so I added some mild jalapeños for flavor and a bit of a kick.
Sprinkle on the salt, stir well to combine, and let stand for an hour.
Tip: I waited until the cabbage mixture sat for an hour before I started the syrup, but next time I will start making the liquid right away as it needs to cool before adding it to the shredded mixture.
The recipe calls for dry mustard, which I did not have. Instead, I ground mustard seed which gave me the dry mustard! I use a coffee grinder dedicated to only spices for this purpose.
To make the syrup, heat the vinegar, water, dill, dry mustard and sugar in a heavy pan on the stove and bring to a boil. Boil for three minutes and stir to incorporate sugar and to make sure it is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool.
After letting the cabbage mixture sit for one hour, the recipe says to drain off the liquid. I found that I did not have any liquid at the bottom of the bowl, so I proceeded with ladling the syrup over the cabbage mixture and stirring until thoroughly incorporated.
Scoop the coleslaw into freezer safe jars or containers. I used a variety of sizes of glass canning jars safe for the freezer so I would be prepared for a dinner for two or a side dish for a picnic. You could also use freezer bags or other food and freezer safe containers that are moisture-vapor resistant. Be sure to label your containers with the recipe name and date. Some foods are difficult to recognize once frozen.
When freezing foods, it's important to remove as much air from the packaging as possible while allowing enough room for the food to expand. This recipe calls for ½ inch headspace, which means there should be ½ inch of space between the top of the jar and the top of the food. You can use a clean ruler to measure headspace.
So my burning question was how does it taste once out of the freezer? After freezing it overnight, I thawed it in the refrigerator and sampled it for dinner.
The results? It was surprisingly crunchy after being in the freezer! The coleslaw is quite sweet. I added a little hot sauce to make it sweet and spicy, which would make it a perfect accompaniment on a hot dog,bratwurst, polish sausage or even in a burrito or on tacos. The texture is similar to sauerkraut after 1 day in the freezer. Foods will start to lose quality after prolonged periods in the freezer so it is recommended to eat frozen foods within one year for best quality. This coleslaw will be a great little topping to keep on hand this summer!
Here's a link to the recipe: https://ucanr.edu/sites/mfp_of_cs/files/367352.pdf
- Author: Tami Reese, UC Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch
This article first appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Last November I had an abundance of fresh cranberries. After water bath canning a few jars, I decided to dry the rest with my dehydrator. I finally found the perfect way to use the dried cranberries and share with my friends. I am making “Window-To-My-Heart” Cookie mix. It is a dry mix stored in mason jars that you give to friends as gifts. They add the “wet” ingredients and can make beautiful heart shaped Valentine's Day cookies. As an added bonus, you can also gift the heart shaped cookie cutters needed for this recipe. I have also included how to dry your own cranberries for this recipe.
Dehydrating cranberries:
Wash and dry cranberries thoroughly. Cut berries in half and place skin side down on mesh drying tray in a dehydrator. (This exposes more surface area of the interior of the berry and speeds up the drying process.) Dry at 130 F degrees for 10 to 14 hours. Berries should be slightly shriveled, firm, and no longer juicy inside. Store in mason jars in pantry.
Mason jar “Window-To-My-Heart” cookie mix:
Makes 1 (1 quart) jar
2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
½ cup powdered sugar
15 to 20 cherry or cinnamon flavored hard candies
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl.
- Layer flour mixture, brown sugar, chopped cranberries and powdered sugar in 1-quart food storage jar. Pack ingredients down slightly before adding each layer.
- Place candies in a small plastic food storage bag; seal and place on top.
- Close jar; cover lid with fabric. Attach gift tag with baking instructions and fabric to jar with ribbon.
Baking instructions:
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 jar “Window-To-My-Heart” cookie mix
- Beat butter and vanilla in large bowl.
- Remove candies from jar; set aside.
- Gradually beat in remaining contents of jar.
- Wrap dough in cellophane; refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
- Place candies in heavy duty plastic food storage bag and crush into fine crumbs with a rolling pin or mallet; set aside.
- Roll dough out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into heart shaped cookies; with smaller cookie cutter make heart shaped cut out in center of each cookie.
- Transfer cookies to cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle thin layer of crushed candy into empty centers. Bake 20 minutes or until cookie are lightly browned around edges and candy is melted. Cool on cookie sheet until candy centers are firm.
Bennett, Bev. “Window-To-My-Heart Cookie Mix”. Recipe. Gifts from a Jar Year-Round Treats. Lincolnwood. Publications International, Ltd. 2005. 15. Print.
Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day
Master Food Preservers are here to help you with all of your food safety and home food preservation questions:
Visit our website at http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/, email us at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or call our helpline at 805-781-1429. We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost. Contact us for more info!
- Author: Jennifer Codron, Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch
We are blessed here on the Central Coast with an extended apple season that begins in August and can continue well into November. Although applesauce and apple pie are favorites this time of year, dehydrating apple slices can be a yummy snack and even better gift this holiday season.
The following recipe was shared many years ago by one of our own Master Food Preservers, Tami Reece, and is a keeper.
Grandpa's Cinnamon Apple Rings
Recipe by: Tami Reece
Wash your apples under cool, running water.
Lay out your clean and food safe dehydrator trays.
Core, peel and slice apples into uniform pieces. I like using a hand crank apple peeler-slicer for this recipe. It's fun and easy. However, you can get the job done with a peeler, knife, and cutting board as well.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon on a plate and dip slices into mixture on either one or both sides depending on how sweet you like your apples.
Lay slices on trays leaving space between each one.
Dehydrate at 150 degrees F for 2-3 hours. Then turn down to 130 degrees F until slices are dry and can bend without sticking together but not break (approximately 3-9 hours).
Grandpa's Cinnamon Apple Rings by Tami Reece
8-10 firm apples, washed
½ cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered cinnamon
Directions:
Peel, core, and slice apples.
Lay slices on a food safe dehydrating rack.
Place in dehydrator at 150 degrees F for 2-3 hours. Turn down to 130 degrees F until still flexible but no moisture can be squeezed out of them.
Enjoy! Did you try it? Let us know in the comments.
We invite you to “preserve today, relish tomorrow,” and to support our mission to keep Californians safe and well as they use culturally appropriate, research-based practices to safely preserve food in the home. For more information, visit our website at: http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/, or email us your home food preservation questions at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or call our helpline at: 805-781-1429. We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost.
- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Debbie George, Master Food Preserver Volunteer
