A little elf told me to black out my website in support of Internet freedom. I am not really tech-savvy enough to do that. Instead, I’ll spend some time today urging my congressmen to stop the PIPA and SOPA bills so that I and others retain the ability to express opinions without threat of...
Read more →When I finished making candied Meyer lemons, I couldn’t toss the remaining syrup. Lightly lemon flavored, I tried stirring it into a cocktail but it was too thick. Jam-like already, all signs pointed to marmalade. I chopped ten Meyer lemons from my surprise windfall from Green B.E.A.N. into tiny bits, carefully removing the central...
Read more →Cranberry sauce is the most neglected dish on the Thanksgiving table. It is over-sweetened to the point of tasting like jam, or worse, dumped and sliced from a can, ridge marks remaining. Why should these tart orbs be subjected to such a fate? Cranberries are easy to obtain fresh in November and full of...
Read more →Thanks to a generous friend who gave me a huge stash of canning supplies, I have a new favorite jar. (What? You don’t have favorite jars? Crazy!) This jar is blue, which is fun, and obviously old. It nearly matches four others I have of the same size and brand. This one is special...
Read more →My Great Grandma Davis, mother of my father’s mother Joyce, was an old school home cook. She grew a large garden and Grandpa fished to feed themselves fresh and cheap food. Grandma later used her kitchen experience to serve as a school cook for many years in the decades where everything was prepared from...
Read more →You’ve heard the most delightful sound in the kitchen – the popping of lids fresh from the canner – and your jars are completely cooled. Now what? Prepare Jars for Storage Remove the rings and wipe down the outside of the jar with a warm wet cloth or sponge. Often a bit of juice,...
Read more →Step 1: Put out a call on Facebook that you are canning. Tell friends you will teach them. Step 2: Offer to entertain their kids with paper mache when friends respond. Step 3: Breathe deeply as chaos ensues when friends and kids come over. Step 4: Enjoy the chatting as you work together to...
Read more →Homemade jam is a perfect canvass for creativity. Fresh seasonal fruit packs plenty of flavor on its own but thanks to the high acid content, fruit jam can be safely canned with herb and spice additions. Tired of the same old peach jam I usually make, I asked the family for new ideas. Lil...
Read more →I am a mad woman harvesting Parisian pickling cucumbers every morning and night. I want them at exactly 2-3 inches in length to make into cornichons. Too small and they aren’t worth processing. Much larger and the skin is bitter. But try as I might, little cukes camouflage themselves under umbrella green leaves. Seemingly...
Read more →I love a good cocktail but I despise maraschino cherries. The rubbery red-flavored spheres resemble the natural fruit in name alone. I decided to tackle creating cocktail cherries at home when faced with an extra quart of fresh local sour cherries after making sour cherry preserves. While searching for a recipe, I discovered a...
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