Foodista is celebrating the bounty of fruits and vegetables this summer with a month devoted to canning. We hope you discover (and contribute!) some delicious recipes to “put up”! Check out our Can-tastic canning page for inspiring recipes. We’d love to see some of yours!

Here’s to a Can-tastic summer!

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Categories:	Canned Goods	Leave a Comment
Tags:	canning • food preservation • jam • jelly • pickles • preserving • putting up

Right now our farmer’s market is a virtual cornucopia of fresh delights. The smell of just-off-the-vine tomatoes and huge bunches of basil sitting in the sun was beautifully overwhelming! Perfect fava beans  laying in heaps, squashes of all shapes and sizes, potato “marbles” no bigger than the tip of your pinky finger, and Rainier cherries as big as your head (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but they were the largest I’ve ever seen).

We were there on a mission: to stock up on cherries and apricots for our canning party the following day. But it was oh so hard to stay focused! Everything looked so divine! Did I mention those tomatoes!?

We stuck to our rule: only two foods were going to be canned in one day and we had collectively chosen cherries and apricots. We bought a case of Bing cherries, about a half case of a mix of cherry varieties, and a case of apricots. Buying in bulk got us some big discounts too.

We arrived at Tracy’s house on Sunday rearing to begin. We pitted all the cherries (now there’s a job!), sterilized all the jars, and started our first recipe: Cherries in Wine. This is such a simple recipe and the result is excellent with both sweet and savory dishes (think roasted duck breast with a nice cherry in wine sauce). Recipe:

While the cherries were processing we moved on to the apricots. We cold packed them (canned them fresh rather than stewing first) and each of us “personalized” our simple syrup. We added lavender to some jars, star anise to others, vanilla bean, hibiscus, and even a version with white pepper corns, mustard seed and coriander. It may sound strange, but I guarantee it’s a scrumptious combination. And come winter, what a wonderful variety of flavors we’ll have!

Next weekend: peaches and tomatoes.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Fruit	2 Comments
Tags:	apricots • canning • cherries • farmers market • Fruit • lavender • preserving

When my mom used to make homemade strawberry jam and give it to people- you’d swear they had just been given a jar of diamonds; “Oh this is wonderful!” “Thank you so much! I can’t wait!” When I was younger, I never really got it, it’s just jam. It wasn’t some fun toy or a trip to the park; these people were being given homemade jam, Yawn. Now that I am older the thought of someone giving me homemade jam, banana bread, pickles or slow-cooked peach sauce is a true gift. Not only do these delicious edible gifts taste better when they are homemade, someone spent time making me something from scratch and time in my eyes may just be the most valuable gift anyone can give.

Now, maybe it’s just me, but canning is cool again. Maybe it never was un-cool, maybe I’m just realizing how fun, rewarding and delicious creating sweet raspberry jam or vinegary pickles can be. And I’m definitely not alone. Perhaps it’s the recession, perhaps it’s this jump in homemaking interests that my generation is hankering for. Whereas the microwave generation prior, often wanted more time for careers and less time in the kitchen. Making slow sauces, cupcakes from scratch, learning to garden and making pickles all by myself?! That’s waayy cool.

Photo by Ocadotony

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Categories:	Canned Goods	1 Comment
Tags:	canning • jam • preserves

Cooking in a slow cooker (or crockpot, as we used to say in the “old days”) is not only easy and convenient, but it’s wonderfully spectacular to come home with your dinner cooked and ready to eat. And no one got your kitchen all messy. I like to “forget” that it was I who placed all the ingredients in the pot that morning. Instead, I imagine that I have deep pockets and can afford to throw money at a personal chef who prepares healthy, organic meals for us when we’re tired.

Reality check.

Personal chef-prepared or not, your family will enjoy this hearty and delicious, yet light, vegetable chili. I’d call it Vegetarian Chili but we also did a batch with lean ground turkey, which made a tasty version as well. Add fresh chopped parsley or basil on top for a burst of freshness.

Click here for the recipe:

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Cooking tips • Seasoning & Spices • Veggies	Leave a Comment
Tags:	beans • chili • kidney beans • onion • tomatoes • vegetable chili • vegetables • Vegetarian • vegetarian chili • zucchini

Some people turn their noses up at the mention of oxtail, but this underrated meat is succulently delicious. When slow cooked for many hours or quickly blasted in a pressure cooker, which we did, the gelatinous meat turns tender and fall-off-the-bone fantastic. Oxtail is also quite inexpensive, making it easy on the pocketbook, which I’m sure we can all appreciate right now. Use up that leftover red wine for stewing and this meal just gets more economical by the minute!

Red Wine Stewed Oxtail

Approximately 2 lbs. oxtail
1 16 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
Red wine
1 Bay leaf
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

In a large stockpot or pressure cooker, brown the onions, garlic and oxtail in a splash of olive oil. After browning, add the red wine (and chicken stock if you need more liquid) until it just covers the oxtail. Toss in the bay leaf, a good pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer; cover. If you are using a stockpot allow the oxtail to simmer for a few hours, or until the meat starts to fall easily from the bone. If you are using a pressure cooker, cook for about 40 minutes.

Delighful served over couscous and sprinkled with a tasty herby-citrus gremolata.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Meat & Poultry	3 Comments
Tags:	Food • foodista • meat • oxtail • red wine • stewed oxtail

As much as we’d love to spend the afternoons canning, pickling, storing, and preserving, we don’t always have the time to do so, do we? Then comes the moment when you long for that homemade raspberry jam and you say to yourself, “Self, why didn’t I just buck up and make jam that afternoon?”

Don’t beat yourself. You can still make that delicious jam and not spend all afternoon doing it. Two words for you: freezer jam.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

1 3/4 c. crushed raspberries
4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 bottle Certo

Measure fruit and sugar into a large bowl. Mix well. Let set 10 minutes to macerate.

Combine 3/4 cup water and Sure-Jell into small pan. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add to fruit mixture and stir for approximately 3 minutes. Put into jars or plastic containers. Cover. Let set at room temperature for 24 hours, then freeze.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Fruit	2 Comments
Tags:	canning • certo • Food • foodista • freezer jam • Fruit • jam • preserves • raspberries

Photo: jspatchwork

Pasta with a simple tomato sauce is one of my favorite comfort foods, filling the kitchen with sweet, rich smells. My sister Jody, an excellent cook, taught me this recipe after learning from an italian friend’s mother – so you know you can’t go wrong. This recipe allows for much variation, use it in its most simple form or as a foundation.

Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

Canned Tomatoes – I exclusively use whole canned tomatoes from San Marzano. If you are lucky enough to find these in your grocery store, feel lucky. Many will have to search. They are a little more expensive than the ordinary canned tomatoes – maybe $1 to $2 more per can – but they are truly worth every cent.

Yellow Onion – I like the flavor that these onions bring to the sauce, but sweeter varieties are also a nice addition.

Olive Oil – I prefer extra virgin for this recipe, though because it will cook for a long time an expensive one is not necessary.

Sugar – Most of the time I use a little sugar, maybe 1/2 a teaspoon, to the sauce to balance out the acidic quality that can arise. When using sweeter onions taste before you add this ingredient.

Salt – I add salt at the end, to taste. I have also made this recipe without salt when my guests are avoiding salt in their diets and have not found it too bland.

Pepper – Fresh ground, of course, to taste.

Optional Ingredients:

Red Pepper Flakes – I love to add red pepper flakes for a little kick.

Anchovy Paste – I sometimes add this in place of salt, but be careful not to use too much. A little can go a long way in this sauce.

Italian Sausage – I would betray my family’s south side of Chicago roots if I didn’t put a plug in for a good saaausage (pronounced with a long a if you’re from the neighborhood). I prefer hot italian sausage, but any good italian will be nice.

Basil – I tend to use a little dried, added while the sauce is cooking. Fresh basil is also nice, though when I use fresh I tend to sprinkle a little chiffonade at the end.

Parmigiano-Reggiano - I save the rinds in my refridgerator and add one to the sauce as it’s cooking. It adds a richness I am confident you will enjoy. Remove before serving and beware – it will burn and stick to the bottom of the pot if you cook your sauce on a heat that is too high. Nibbling off the soft gooey cheese is a nice treat for the chef.

Garlic – No, this recipe does not include garlic. I will share other tomato sauces soon that include garlic, but I like the absence of garlic in this recipe. That said, use garlic if you feel so inclined, though be careful not to brown it or it can become bitter.

Technique:

• Slice onion (one large) along the grain. I prefer to slice with the grain to keep the slices neat and intact. I slice mine to make long, thin slices, which makes a nice contrast to the little rounds of italian sausage that I often add to this sauce.
• Saute onion in a non-reactive pot, I love my le crueset for this sauce, in olive oil until lightly golden. Add red pepper flakes if so desired and anchovy paste at this stage, though be careful not to scorch the anchovy paste because it can make your sauce a little bitter.
• Add canned tomatoes. I prefer to crush them in my hands before I add them to the pot, though beware – they will squirt. A good masher can also do the trick. This is a rustic sauce, though you may also puree these tomatoes prior to adding to the sauce for a smoother texture.
• Add the cheese rind if you so choose and roughly 1-2 teaspoons of dried basil at this stage.
• Simmer on low for at least 1 hour. I have been known to simmer this for several hours.
• Taste – add a little sugar when you are mid-way through your cooking process. Add in small amounts, maybe 1/4-1/2 teaspoon at a time. You can always add more.
• If adding italian sausage, I prefer to brown mind in a pan first. Once nicely browned, but not necessarily cooked through, I like to wipe out the grease that has emerged from the sausage, deglaze the pan, slice the sausage into bite-sized rounds, and add to my sauce at least 1/2 hour before serving so that the flavors can meld.
• I like to add salt and pepper at the end, to taste.

To serve, add a generous sprinkle of cheese on top of your sauce and pasta. I also like to add chopped green onions and parsley. I sometimes add fresh basil. If my husband is eating this, he adds more red pepper flakes. Experiment. You can’t go wrong.

Buon Appetito.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Cheese • Herbs • Italian • Pasta & Grains • Sauces • Uncategorized	3 Comments
Tags:	anchovy paste • basil • italian sausage • olive oil • onion • red pepper flakes • tomato • tomato sauce

At the end of summer, my aunt Mimi and I used to roll up our sleeves and dive into pepper jelly making. It was so fun spending the afternoon filling jar after jar with our beautiful, sweet and spicy jelly. It’s been a few years since I’ve made it, but seeing Marco Arment’s lovely photo (above) makes me want to stock up on jelly jars and sequester myself to the kitchen.

Spread a good soft cheese on a cracker and smother it with this yummy jelly. The fun begins when the heat kicks in!

I’ve always used jalapeno or habanero peppers, but Gourmet’s recipe for Red Pepper Jelly, found on Epicurious, sounds delicious too.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Seasoning & Spices	7 Comments
Tags:	Food • foodista • pepper jelly • red pepper jelly • Spicy

My good friend, Amy (food lover, caterer, organic gardener, food show radio producer, and all around girl about town), gave me this recipe for a Turkish garbanzo (aka chick pea) salad and I just had to share it with you. She prepared it for a recent catering gig she did and it was a huge success.

“The beauty of this recipe,” she says, “is that you can really dink with the proportions. Love fruit in your salad? Add more apricots. Want a bit more heat? Add some chili flakes.” So play around with it a bit until you get the taste you really like the most. Delicious served with Moroccan mint tea.

Turkish Garbanzo Salad

3 – 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans (or approximately 6 cups)
One small red onion, diced
Large bunch of Italian parsley
¾ cup dried Turkish apricots, sliced
1/3 cup kalamata olives pitted
½ cup olive and sunflower oil blend
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ tablespoon garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon paprika
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ Tablespoon dried oregano
½ Tablespoon dried marjoram
½ Tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Rinse and drain the beans. Whisk together dressing: vinegar, oil, garlic, Dijon, marjoram, oregano, paprika, salt and black pepper. Toss with beans. Chop onions and parsley. Slice apricots thinly. Add with kalamata olives (rinsed and drained) to bean/dressing mixture. Let marinate several hours before serving.

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Tags:	chick peas • Food • foodista • garbanzo beans • salad • Turkish

When I was little my mother would make us wear our bathing suits and go out on in the backyard to eat watermelon. That way she could hose off the copious quantities of juice that had run down our arms and legs, which always quickly turned into sticky-pink-brown-watermelon-dirt-gunk. I won’t lie, it was not beneath me to lick said mixture from my fingers and forearms.

To this day, I am a messy watermelon-on-the-rind eater. I sit in my Adirondack chair in my backyard and, with knees apart, I lean forward to bite into my wedge of melon, juices running down my arms like I’m six again. I do manage to avoid being hosed off by Barnaby. Grin.

Being Pacific Northwesterners, we had never saved the rinds for pickling as they do in the South, we just tossed them into the garbage. Who knew!? I was well into adulthood when I had my first pickled watermelon rind, and I am hooked. I was expecting a salty pickle flavor, but what I discovered was more like a soft, sweet and sour pickle.

For all you Yankees who have never had pickled watermelon rinds, give them a try. Your future is about to get sweeter. Depending on where you live you can get them in supermarkets or gourmet food stores (as we did). You can also purchase them on Amazon.com. If you’d like your own home-made batch, try this recipe.

Pickled Watermelon Rind
I prefer pickled rinds without any added food coloring, but many recipes call for either green or red.

• watermelon rind, 4 quarts of 1-inch chunks
• 3 quarts water
• 3/4 cup salt
• 1 quart white or cider vinegar
• 8 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 10 to 12 3-inch cinnamon sticks, broken into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

Remove green skin and remaining pink from watermelon rind, then cut into 1-inch chunks to measure 4 quarts. Place rinds in a non-metal bowl and add the water and salt. You may need to add more water in order to completely cover the rinds. Cover and soak overnight in refrigerator.

Drain and cover with clear water, then transfer to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes; drain and set aside. In the same large saucepan, pour vinegar; add sugar. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add to vinegar mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Add the drained watermelon rind. Boil gently until rind is transparent and syrup is slightly thickened, about 45 to 55 minutes.

Remove spices and spoon into hot sterilized 1-pint jars, leaving about 1/2-inch head space, and seal. Process jars in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes about 4 pints.

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Categories:	Canned Goods • Cooking tips • Fruit • Uncategorized	13 Comments
Tags:	Food • foodista • Fruit • pickled watermelon rind • pickles • pickling • preserving • recipe • watermelon