Central Sierra: Master Food Preserver Articles - El Dorado County

Preserve it! Make jams and jellies All varieties of berries are in season. While they are delightful added to salads, stirred into your daily yogurt, made into a pie, or blended into a smoothie, we have all been over-enthusiastic when stopping at a fresh berry stand. You made the smoothies, the pie, the…

Preserve it! Dehydrating your herbs Fresh herbs, whether purchased at a local grocery store or grown in your own herb garden, are easy to dehydrate and preserve. Start with a clean kitchen and clean countertops. Then, rinse the fresh herbs under running water to get rid of insects and dirt. Use a salad…

Preserve Today, Relish Tomorrow. Many of our local u-pick blueberry farms are open between late-May and mid-July. We all know blueberries are pretty expensive, but, oh, so worth the effort and expense. Here is a recipe that gets the most out of your harvest basket: Blueberry Bonanza is two recipes in…

Preserve it! Time for a Review  Before planning this year’s garden or trips to the farmers market, let’s look at your pantry and freezer with a keen eye. Take stock of what you preserved last season and what you have consumed up to this point.  If, by this time of the year, you have an abundance of…

Preserve It! Chicken Wing Season! The Super Bowl always means there is a grand feast of snack foods to plan and prepare. While the textures and flavors abound at this annual gathering (whether you watch the game or not), it seems a quintessential ingredient on the menu is the spicy-vinegary buffalo…

Preserve It! For a Lofty Dessert!  Seckel pears are crisp, juicy, and quite sweet with a slightly spicy flavor profile when ripe. They are very small in size (about one-inch diameter and three-inches in height – about the size of a small lemon), making them perfect for canning beautiful halves of…

Preserve It! A Fruit from the Bogs! From the bogs and swamps of the northeastern part of the country comes a fruit widely used for those family gatherings this time of year. Sure, in a pinch, you could purchase one of those iconic cans of cranberry sauce from the grocery, but why not can and preserve…

Preserve It! A Jam for the Ages Cozy up with what might be considered classic, comforting, winter flavors of onion, maple syrup, and apple juice. This jam sets up more like a spread and is quite delicious on a hamburger or as a glaze over a chicken or a pork roast. Try pouring it over cream cheese as a…

Autumn Glory Compote is as good as pie  This autumn compote is a delicious change of pace from eating pumpkin pie, but still evokes the flavors of the harvest, and this tested recipe is safe for boiling water canning as well as atmospheric steam canning*. A versatile condiment with festive…

Preserve It! Homemade Fruit Spread is a Freezer Delight!  What would you say to a fruit spread recipe with a low or no sugar option? Yes? Short on canning jars or just don’t want to deal with the processing? Freezer jam is the answer. A bonus is that freezer jam stays soft and can be scooped out as…