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.
A new oven soon. Now all I want is to roast stuff!
Jams and jellies take up half the pantry, even after they played a big role in holiday gift-giving. So currently looking for recipes to use up those jars of sweet and fruity goodness. I’m also perfecting my breadmaking skills – if you can’t put it in the recipe, you can at least put it on top.
Kombucha is my latest science experiment! Doing bigger batches each time & exploring flavors for secondary fermenting.
The last of the homemade kraut-chi disappeared last week. Dreaming of fresh cabbages and veggies to make more!
With all the citrus on my trees I’m making all different kinds of marmalades and using the citrus in all my dishes.
I just got the book Ferment Your Vegetables. It really sparks my interest in trying new things on the fermenting side of food prep.
My CSA box always sparks my creativity!
My husband and I decided that our tween boys have become too limited in their food range. To jumpstart bigger taste buds, we’ve eaten at 4 new restaurants in 3 weeks! The kids trying new things out makes me went to cook new things at home! Bring it on!
I found a bag of chopped rhubarb in the freezer – it will feel like spring to make something yummy with it!
Making lots of soups and stews. Until it really warms up outside I still need thes soul warming dinners.
I am inspired by trying to eat unprocessed foods, just the real stuff.
I saw a recipe for Jam Bars posted on the Dessert for Two blog last week. I happened to have a jar of sour plum jam in the fridge that needed to be used up, so I gave it a try. (They were excellent, by the way–I highly recommend the recipe!) Have pre-ordered your new book and can’t wait for it to arrive.
I’m striving mightily to reduce my family’s grocery bill this year, so what’s sparking my culinary creativity lately is figuring out how to turn the forgotten stuff in my pantry into delicious things.
I’m inspired by using up all the food in my freezer and pantry before the next gardening season starts!
I love noodles. Noodles with spicy pork. Noodles with curried veg. Noodles in home made chicken broth. I make chow mien with fine noodles, matchstick carrots & finely shredded cabbage with spicy sauce. Marmalade also goes nicely with noodles. Yummmm
My spring CSA share starts TODAY, which means a whole new season of fresh eating and preserving!
The in-season produce always makes me want to preserve or get creative. Also love to pick up different ideas from recent cookbooks. Lately, I’ve been trying to add more vegetarian options and Asian inspired dishes.
Preserving Meyer lemons for future use!
Looking for new ideas for things to can.
My Mason Tops fermenting jar keep inspiring me to create.
I need to find more recipes, or learn how to reduce/adapt recipes for larger crocks. Not sure if I can just reduce all ingredients proportionately.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I’m getting ready to do my baking for Purim over this coming weekend to have hamentaschen and whatnot to give out. I also just got my email from Amazon that your new book is being prepared for shipment for me to get it later this week.
Still winter here, so the braises are center stage. While I can’t wait for warm weather, I do miss my comfort food when they are gone!
I love canning! But this takes it to a whole new level! I want to try canning some pickled asparagus!!
Looking at a new cookbook would give me new ideas ?
I’ve been garden planning, so fresh little greens and salads are tickling my fancy. And my Moroccan preserved lemons are ready to eat, so I’m looking at some lovely lemony dressings.
I keep seeing recipes served with spiced kraut on the side. It has my fermenting wheels turning, and I’m thinking about making one!
I’ve been inspired lately by finding new ways to use what is already in my pantry. Instead of putting jelly on a biscuit we use a roasted corn and jalapeño jelly on roasted vegetables.
I’ve been pulling out some cookbooks that I loved in past years and haven’t spent much time cooking out of lately. I re-read “Beyond the Great Wall,” which highlights the cuisines of minority peoples from China, and now I’m in the mood to start tinkering with the vegetable-based recipes from that book again.
As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I have to put in a plug for National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme of “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” is encouraging me to experiment with new ingredients and combinations of flavors — a delicious endeavor!
Trying to pickle different things, like kohlrabi.
Our rabbitry has been expanding, so I have been pressed to find more recipes using the meat. I am very pleased to report that rabbit works very well in most recipes calling for chicken!!
Indian food. I follow a couple different Indian food bloggers and I am just fascinated by the use of so many different spices. I’ve only ever had a couple different Indian dishes, so I’m really interested in trying to cook a few recipes at home. I even ordered a bunch of spices that I’ve never used before, and if not for Indian recipes I’d have no idea how to use. Wish me luck.
My culinary creativity has been sparked by the idea of making cocktail-inspired jam lately – After a marmalade class I recently took I made a gorgeous blood orange marmalade with vodka and angostura bitters, and now I’m obsessed with recreating a drink we had in St. Lucia for our honeymoon as some kind of pineapple jam. The idea of capturing places or memories in jams just sounds like a fantastic way to go right now as we wait for spring produce!
I made Beef Bourgonoine the other night. I wanted something warm and hearty to feed the guys after they worked all day converting an old oil tank into a sap boiler. It was well worth the toil!
Working in my garden and dreaming about the goodies that will come out of it — pickles, pepper jelly, dried herbs and more
That wine jelly just sparked my interest! I know just the person to make it for. Thanks!
I’m experimenting with new and different caramel flavors. Goat cheese this week!
I’ve been experimenting with lots of homemade salsas with all kinds of chiles recently!
I’ve been learning how to incorporate more medicinal herbs into my daily diet. I just read the other day about infusing honey with tea blends!
I want to make some no-knead bread… yum!
Starting to see the first hints of spring have been sparking my creativity. I’m patiently waiting for the first of the strawberries, I’ve been out of honey sweetened strawberry jam since December, so I am excited to put more up this year.
Reading Mediterranean cookbooks and absorbing some of the preserving recipes in them (rose petal jelly…can’t wait for June).
I’ve been enjoying good dried beans: I cook a pound in the pressure cooker, freeze some for a later meal and use the rest in a soup or braise.
I’ve been reading cookbooks and finding some new ideas for using what I have in jars and freezers and cupboards. I often find just a good dig through my freezers or standing at my shelves gives me a huge start on meal planning. Also making maple syrup right now and canning beans…the ‘cold weather’ canning is almost done. I should probably do one more big run of stock so I get the bones out of the freezer before spring is here!
Just started getting bimonthly deliveries from Hungry Harvest – this week’s citrus will go towards some refreshing beverages, methinks!
Using up the rest of citrus season with blood orange marmalade and your lemon lavender marmalade, so good! I can’t wait to share it with friends!
Flavored vinegars. Local store sells small-batch flavored vinegars, infused with various fruits (both balsamic and white balsamic), and pairs them with flavored oils. Just got a tangerine vinegar, that will go well with roasted chicken, and a dark cherry vinegar to try with pork.
Making cocktails with apple shrub and fermenting a batch of honey wine!
Reading seed catalogs to see what I can grow for future preserving.
Spending time w/ friends & family has been sparking my culinary creativity lately.
Dinner w/ brother and fam : 3 cheese, chocolate, orange tart – found the recipe in Wall Street Journal. It was amazing!
Babysitting grand-nieces : pull-apart bread w/ walnuts, brown sugar, and ground cardamom.
East Indian potluck with friends next week : can’t wait to see/taste what my friends bring. I’ll do naan and prob a vindaloo.