|
Canning Your Own Jam
There are two types of canning: the
boiling-water method and the steam pressure method. High-acid foods such as
fruits, juices, and tomatoes can be processed by submerging the cans in a large
pot of boiling water for several minutes. Low acid foods like vegetables and
meats need to be brought up to a temperature higher than that of boiling water
to keep the food safe from harmful bacteria. The only way to reach that high
temperature is to can via the steam pressure method. Jam made from high-acid
fruit is one of the easiest things to can. Here's what you'll need:
*Glass mason jars and lids with bands
*Canning pot (available at most hardware
stores)
*Canner rack to keep jars in place
*Funnel
*Tongs and a jar lifter to take hot jars
out of water
*Some people also like to have a long
plastic jam spatula handy to help free bubbles in the jar
The Process:
First, you need
to make sure your jars, bands and lids are clean and hot. You can do this by
washing them in hot, soapy water, and then rinsing with warm water. Pour
boiling water over the lids and let stand in hot water until ready to use. Or
(we think this is easier) put the jars, lids and bands in a clean dishwasher
and run on a regular cycle. Keep the door closed and take out each jar as you
need it.
Bring a large
amount of water in canner to a gentle boil. Place a funnel in a jar and ladle
the jam in, filling to within 1/8 of the top. Repeat with remaining jars. Wipe
jars and lids. Place jars on the canning rack and lower them into the boiling
water (water should cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches; add more boiling water if
needed). Once the water comes back to a boil, cover the pot and process the jam
for 10 minutes if you are at sea level (if you live at a higher altitude, add 1
minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level).
Carefully remove
jars using tongs or and place them on a towel or cutting board. Let them cool
upright at room temperature for 1 day. After the jars are cool, check seals by
pressing middle of the lid with your finger. It should not pop back. If it
does, the jam is not "set" and you should refrigerate the jam (eat it within 1
week). Unopened canned jams and jellies can be stored in a cool dark place for
up to 1 year.
*Canning is really very easy and is especially a
great way to save up the harvest from a home garden in the late fall.
*It is very important to remember two things:
bacteria and mold can grow if food is not processed correctly. If the jar is
not vacuum-sealed, or the food looks or smells funny, throw it out. The water
used is very hot and caution needs to be taken, especially around children.
*You must use new jar lids every time.
*If you want to use a lot less sugar in your recipe,
use the less or no-sugar needed powdered pectin.
|
Three-Berry Jam
Making jam is a great project for two friends-one can mash the berries while the other readies the water and sugar. When winter comes along and the first summer berries seem like an eternity away, open up a jar of the jam to share with your friends. It's lovely on bagels, homemade waffles, biscuits, and even pound cake. Jars of jam also make great gifts for holidays and hostesses.
Makes 4 pints or 8 half-pints
- 1 quart strawberries, hulled
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 1 package Sure-Jell powdered pectin (1 ½ packages for a firmer jell)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 4 cups sugar
Place the berries in a large pot and gently crush with a potato masher or a fork until about 1/2 of the berries are smashed. Stir in the pectin and lemon juice and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar, and return to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for one minute while gently stirring. Remove from the heat and skim off any foam from the top (you can add a bit of butter or margarine to keep the foam off). Using a sterilized funnel, divide the jam between jam jars. Follow the canning instructions above, or refrigerate for up to 1 week. |
|
For more
information on canning:
Ball Blue Book of
Preserving-
This is considered the canning
"Bible" and has recipes,
instructions, pretty much all you
would ever need to know.
The Ball website is
a great
resource too:
www.freshpreserving.com
The National
Center of Home Food Preservation is at
www.uga.edu/nchfp.
If you really get
into it, there
is a group of smart and funny
canning junkies who trade
recipes,
tips and information at yahoo.com/group/home_canning
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Dear Friends,
Farm
fresh fruits and vegetables are a highlight of our summers. In our opinion, there's
nothing like a crunchy bite of sweet corn or a juicy slice of vine-ripened
tomato. But as the days of summer dwindle, so too do our opportunities to enjoy
these seasonal sensations. When Cooking With Friends, there are myriad ways
you can prolong the culinary pleasures of summer. We suggest getting together
with a friend to preserve what's farm fresh for the chillier days ahead.
Please e-mail us at info@cookingwithfriendsclub.com and check out our web site, featuring our blogs and lots of great tips at www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com.
Alison and Shannon
 |
The two
main ways to preserve foods at home are freezing and canning. We're big fans of
freezing, but we experiment with canning foods as well. There are entire communities
dedicated to helping people preserve foods safely including several Yahoo
groups: Friendly Freezer, Canning2 and Frozen Assets.
|
|
Cooking With Friends Summer Sauce Swap
How about a Summer Sauce Swap? It gets you together with your friends in the summer (which can get a bit tricky with vacation schedules) and makes cooking fun! It's really simple to throw a swap. Here's how it works:
- Get a group of friends together.
- Pick a host and a swapping date.
- Divide into cooking teams of two or three people.
- Ask each team to choose a pesto or sauce they will make.
- Decide on quantity (We usually recommend 6 portions of a set quantity).
- Cook together.
- Come together for an afternoon or evening of socializing and swapping.
|
|
Freezing
Tomato Sauce
If you
have a tomato press, this is an ideal time to get it out. In fact, making
tomato sauce from scratch is an end of summer tradition for us. We get together
with friends - kids and all -- to make large batches of marinara sauce. Kids
love to turn the crank and we appreciate the extra help. We use tomatoes from
our own gardens but also make trips to the local farm stands to buy their
imperfect fruit (which isn't the most attractive but a lot less expensive) and
turn it into sauce for the next few months. If you don't have a press, you can
use peeled, chopped tomatoes and then puree with a hand blender. A little bit
of muscle work now pays off for a taste of summer in the fall.
|
Tomato-Basil
Marinara Sauce 
Makes 4
quarts
The success of this
marinara sauce depends upon the freshness and quality of the ingredients. Make
sure your garlic is firm with no visible green sprouts and your basil is fresh
and green without wilted edges. Finally, be patient-the more the marinara
simmers, the tastier it becomes! While one of you removes the skin from the
tomatoes, the other friend can prepare the garlic and basil.
1/4 cup
extra-virgin olive oil (preferably mild and not too briny or spicy)
12 large
garlic cloves, minced
32 fresh
tomatoes
2 1/2
tablespoons sugar
1 1/2
tablespoons kosher salt
2
teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
3 or 4
dashes hot sauce (optional)
8 ounces
fresh basil (about 2 large bunches) washed, stemmed, and sliced into strips
First,
you will need to remove the skins from the tomatoes by blanching them in
boiling water. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Score the top of each
tomato with an "x." Drop tomatoes a few
at a time into the boiling water and remove with tongs. Cool for a minute and
peel off the skin. Repeat until skin is removed from all the tomatoes.
At this
point, you can either put the tomatoes through a press to remove the seeds, or
simply cut the tomatoes in chunks, reserving the tomato juice. Set aside.
Heat the
olive oil in a 5-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the garlic
and cook until fragrant and golden, about 2 minutes.
Add the
reserved tomato juice and bring it to a simmer. While the liquid comes to a
simmer, tear the tomatoes into pieces and add them to the pot. Stir in the sugar, salt, red pepper, and hot
sauce (if using). Add the basil, stir, and cover the pot.
Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook
about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If after 2 hours the sauce looks thin,
remove the lid, increase the heat to medium, and let it cook down for a bit.
Cool to room temperature and divide into plastic containers or freezer bags.
| |
|
|
Pesto
Pleasures
|
Another
great food to make in bulk with a friend is a basil pesto - it makes a
delicious topping for pasta or a spread for a sandwich. It's also an
opportunity to use up your garden basil and parsley. You can freeze pesto in
ice cube trays, and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. All you'll have
to do in the coming months is pop one or two cubes out for pesto-in-a-pinch.
Perfect
Pesto
With only
6 main ingredients, this pesto is simple to make and freezes beautifully for future
meals.
4 oz. fresh basil, washed thoroughly, stems discarded
1 cup flat leaf parsley, washed thoroughly, stems discarded
3/4 cup toasted pine nuts
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus 2 tbs. olive oil for sauteeing
9 large garlic cloves
2/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
½ tsp. Kosher salt
2 ounces of water for blending
Toast pine nuts until golden (approximately 6 minutes in toaster oven on 375)
shaking pan occasionally - pick out any nuts that have turned a darker shade of
brown. Wash basil and parsley thoroughly, chop & set aside. Peel
garlic cloves, chop in thirds & saute in 2tbs. olive oil for approximately
2 minutes - remove from pan quickly before browning.
In a blender, gradually add basil, parsley, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic,
cheese & kosher salt. Add water one ounce at a time to help blend the
ingredients. Pesto is finished when the consistency is smooth & creamy and
the color turns to a lighter green. Transfer to ice cube trays and freeze.
Freezing and Serving Suggestions
Defrost 2-3 cubes of pesto, combine with a bit of reserved pasta cooking
liquid, and have a delicious meal in under ten minutes.
|
|
|
Alison Bermack and Shannon Henry
Visit our web site at www.cookingwithfriendsclub.com.
| |
|
|
