Autumn Giles and I first met in 2010. It was at a canning party in Kate Payne’s Brooklyn apartment on a hot, August morning, where we chopped, trimmed, pitted, and canned our way through nearly 100 pounds of produce.
She was a beginning canner in those days, but as you can see from her new book, Beyond Canning: New Techniques, Ingredients, and Flavors to Preserve, Pickle, and Ferment Like Never Before, she has become an expert preserver in the intervening years!
The recipes in this book are divided up into three sections. You’ll find the Sweet Preserves first. That chapter includes appealing things like Tomato-Vanilla Jam, Hibiscus-Lime Jelly, Banana-Chocolate Butter, and Fig Jam with Toasted Fennel Seeds. I particularly like how Autumn makes good use of chiles and spices to add interest and flavor to familiar fruits.
Next comes the Pickles. This section positively vibrates with creativity and I want to make every single thing in it. Recipes that are particular stand-outs in my mind are the Broiled Pickled Onions (I love the idea of a little char in a pickle), the Maple Plum Mostarda (it’s made with mustard seeds rather than the oil, so that the ingredients are accessible for all makers), and the Green Chile Jam (I want to dollop some on eggs immediately).
The third section digs into various acts of Fermentation. You’ll find Dilly Beans (a long-time favorite), White Kimchi, Gochugaru Preserved Lemons, Chow-Chow Kraut, and so much more. If you’ve not yet dipped a toe into the fermentation pool, I promise, Autumn’s clear and confident instructions will help you get started without fear.
I have one more treat from this book for you. Autumn and her publisher have given me permission to reprint the Rose Wine Jelly recipe. I’ll confess, I’ve not had the chance to make it yet, but I LOVE the idea of it and plan on turning to her formula the next time I have a bit of wine leftover from the bottle.
“just a cup” rosé wine jelly
Ingredients
- 3/4 teaspoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin powder
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup rosé wine
- 1/2 teaspoon Pomona’s Universal Pectin calcium water prepared according to package instructions
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Because recipes made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin have such a short cook time, have your jars prepped and out of the water bath before you even start cooking the jelly. I like doing this in 2 quarter pints, since the batch size is so small. Because the batch is so small, you can also skip the water bath altogether and stash this in the fridge if you prefer.
- Stir together pectin and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the wine, calcium water, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, gradually add the pectin-sugar mixture, whisking continually to help it dissolve.
- Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more while whisking to dissolve the pectin. Remove from the heat and use a clean spoon to skim off any foam.
- Ladle into prepared quarter-pint jars, leaving 1/4 -inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe rims. Place the lids on the jars and screw on the bands until they are fingertip tight.
- Process in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed.
- After 24 hours, check the seals. Label, date, and store out of direct sunlight without the bands for up to a year.
Working on the perfect lemon curd. I love winter!
Our stove with a dehydrator in it has been sparking my culinary creativity in recent days 🙂
Using homemade white wine vinegar, love it.
My husband has just been diagnosed with diabetes so I’m trying to adjust recipes to account for this. Trying to serve lots more veggies since I’m not the only one eating them now!
I am tapping my maple tree for the first time to try my hand at making a small batch of my own maple syrup. I can’t wait to see how it turns out and I already have too many test recipes swirling around in my head. So excited!
Leftovers! I’ve been on a mission to clear out the fridge, so I’ve been combining foods recently that I never have before… all with good results, thank goodness lol
I made my own mustard for the first time over the weekend! I haven’t tasted the final result yet but it was fun to try something new 🙂
I can’t seem to get enough citrus. i just bought another bag of meyer lemons from Trader Joe’s.
I took some of my frozen roast pumpkin to make some savoury pumpkin sage biscuits. I found the recipe on another blog! (And will likely use the rest of the pumpkin purée for chili to spice things up!) The biscuits take yogurt so I am also trying to use up the large batch I made last week. Thanks for the chance to win, this book looks wonderful!
I’ve been trying to learn to bake lately. Mainly yeast breads, but I tried a cheesecake last week. Each week I attempt to try something new.
With spring coming, I’ve been wanting light healthy meals that don’t take long so that I can spend afternoons outside.
I just joined HomeTown Harvest, they deliver a bag of organic, local fruits and vegs to my door every week. It has been great trying new things. The favorite so far was roasted pickled beets we made with the first bag.
Just made my very first jar of preserved lemons…Cant wait to try them out. Thanx for the chance to win…
Lately I’ve been inspired to make better, healthier bread for my family. So I’m trying my hand at sourdough. It is not easy, but I’m learning!
It’s all about spring asparagus…eating it roasted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper…YUM!!!
Smoked sea salt! Trying it on lots of things. Especially like it stir into homemade caramel sauce.
I’ve been making a lot of fruit scrap vinegar to avoid waste.
I have been trying to use up bits and pieces in the freezer and pantry to create new dishes. Times are tough here, and I can’t waste ANYTHING!
I love Autumn’s recipes and writing and would be thrilled to own a copy of her book! I’ve only just started canning myself, and am looking forward to trying my hand at pickling more once my summer CSA kicks off again. I’m especially thinking of dilly beans…
Beet kvass!
For us it’s been all things German lately. We are taking our boys to Germany for the first time and preparing them for a new culinary journey!
I’m vey excited about this book. I make pickled vegetables, jams, and chutneys. Always looking to try something new.
I”m enjoying marmalade season right now- but would LOVE to own a copy of this book!
With Spring looking like it is beginning to, well, spring…I am looking forward to non comfort meals!
We are just beginning to get a bit tired of soups and comfort foods! This canning book is beautiful!
I’ve been playing with sweeteners in jam. Different flavors of honey, raw vs. clover or orange blossom. White grape juice concentrate. It’s been interesting and delicious!
I am planning all my sweets, jams, marmarlades for the upcoming year – and enjoying my last jar of vanilla clementine marmarlade
Looks like a good one. I’ve been working with pie and pie crust, trying to master the variability of local ingredients, home rendered lard and ancient grains. This challenge can probably keep me busy for a while, lol.
All of the citrus food in the produce section just call to me to be used in some marmalade or curd.
Using cauliflower in various forms – my cuurent favorite is as a cultured pickle, to supplement my dwindling stores of summer pickles
I’ve been experimenting lately with making queso fresco and then ricotta from the leftover whey. I’ve been enjoying the whey at the end also by putting it in cocktails with a bit of lemon. It’s been fun and interesting. I didn’t realize how much milk differs brand to brand.
Cranberry sauce!! It is mind blowing. Looking forward for making citrus jams. Yumm !!
Trying to figure out how to use manzanita flowers (yummy honey-like flavor). Sure, on top of an iced cake is always good, but wondering if I can soak them in something to preserve color and flavor and dry them, or…?
Fermentation!
Making marmalade!!
I would like to try a citrus based jam.
I made homemade mustard for the first time in December and now I’m hooked.
I have been exploring a lot of Indian recipes lately and having fun experimenting with new (to me) ingredients!
cranberry sauce!
I’ve been really excited about beans lately, somehow. Canning them and making various dips and whatnot. But looking forward to spring…
I’m loving all things pickled these days. Excited to try your recipes.
I’m all about citrus right now – trying to use and enjoy it as much as possible before it disappears.
I have a large container of baby spinach in the fridge and, coupled with my resolve to waste less food this year, as well as a need to drop a few pounds, I’ve been trying to come up with some ways to use it up, along with other items on hand. Last night, turkey sausage, two pints of shriveling grape tomatoes, and rice pasta gave me dinner and then lunch today. Tonight, frozen blueberries and cranberries, cooked with balsamic vinegar and chicken tossed with a cooked wild & brown rice mix made the meal (plus lunch tomorrow). And, I used up 4 cups of spinach in each recipe. Tomorrow, I’ve got cukes to use, so I’ll have to see how I can combine that with the spinach in some way other than salad!
We just purchased a new yogurt maker. Having been a devourer of yogurt for decades, but never having made my own, my cooking is having a renaissance of creativity. Can I use yogurt for this? Or this? Dips, flavored yogurt, froyo, marinades.
But, spring is here in DC and it won’t be too long before the produce is covering the counters and I’m trying to figure out what to do with all of our garden bounty.
Ken Hom’s “Complete Chinese Cookbook” has been interesting to me lately. There are cooking techiques I’ve never tried before in there and flavor profiles just ever so slightly new.
I’ve been eating a lot of jam as the sun was shining and it was warm this weekend – a sure sign that it’s almost time to make some more soon!
My husband has been into making tangy sourdough bread and pancakes and I have been making new dip recipes for potlucks.
I’ve been deciding which chilis, peppers and tomatoes to start under the lights! Which involves thinking about what I want to put up next summer! The canning books and online ideas are as much fun as the seed catalogs!
I made my first marmalade yesterday, with kumquats, champagne, & mulling spices. It came out well, but I don’t think I care for it. I’m not sure if I just don’t like marmalades or if my brain keeps trying to say “ew! bitter jam!”, and I just need to get past that knee-jerk notion.
Also, I’ve been working more with dry beans instead of canned – as such, I’ve discovered a whole world of beans! Cranberry and navy beans are currently my favorite, and I’ve discovered I really truly do not like flageolet beans!
I made Apple Cider vinegar for the first time this last fall and have fallen in love with making my own vinegar (used the peels and left overs from making applesauce so nothing went to waste). Now I have red and white wine vinegar that should be ready in 90 days. So easy and delicious. Thank you.
I read this book, The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and came up with the idea to use everything I have in my cupboard and fridge. It’s been making me think of cooking ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise.
I’ve been sprouting different seeds and combinations lately. Figuring out which ones my family likes best!