Oops. I didn’t mean to drop out of sight last week, but I got home from Canada on Monday afternoon and just couldn’t find my way back to the blog. It happens sometimes.
That trip to Toronto though, it was pretty darn terrific. I met so many of my long-time internet canning friends, including Christine from Manning Canning (check out her just-launched commercial kitchen Kickstarter!), Sarah B. Hood (author of We Sure Can!
), and Joel and Dana from Well Preserved. The Kitchen Party at the Harbourfront Centre was incredibly fun and I loved meeting all the dedicated food preservers who came out for it.
I also enjoyed getting to explore a little bit of Toronto and seeing the roof garden and bee hives at the Fairmont Royal York (as a Kitchen Party sponsor, they put me up in a gloriously comfy room).
This week, things will start to return to normal around these parts. Let’s get that started off with links!
- Recently, Sean Timberlake (founder of Punk Domestics) took over the Food Preservation page at About.com. He’s been writing all sorts of useful things and I found his recent piece on how to safely pack oven dried tomatoes in oil really useful. He also recently addressed a question I’ve been getting a lot recently, about whether it’s safe to thicken preserved jams with chia. The short answer? No.
- If you’ve ever considered making your own lacto-fermented hot sauce, look no further than this most excellent tutorial from Alana at Eating From the Ground Up.
- Looking to make the crunchiest pickle possible? Caitlin (The Babbling Botanist) preserved pickles in five different ways, trying to scientifically determine which method would preserve the most snap and texture.
- In another head to head showdown, Eileen pits tomato sauce made with a Victorio strainer again a batch made with an immersion blender.
- Check out the gorgeousness that is Kaela’s Nectarine Plum Butter. It’s the end of the season for both fruits, but I bet you could get your hands on some if you tried.
- Starting to preserve apples? If so, make sure to save the scraps and follow Kate’s advice on how to turn those odds and ends into vinegar.
- Roasted heirloom tomato sauce. Safe for canning and delicious.
- Raspberry plum jam. It’s the end of the season for both, so get on it!
- Smokey tomato jam make with oven roasted tomatoes. Yes.
- If you’re in need of a vehicle for cheese and jam, try these olive oil crackers from Meg at the Joy of Cooking blog.
When I fell off the grid last week, I failed to post the winner of the Roma Deluxe Electric Tomato Strainer Giveaway, sponsored by Blue Kitchen Canning. Oops. Now, without any further ado, the winner is #539/Rebekah Jones.
Oh man, I’m in heaven with all of these scientific comparisons of pickling methods! The thrifty guide to saving apple ends is also up my alley. In my house, I save strawberry ends and plunk them into vodka for a simple infusion; I claim I like the taste, but really, I just hate waste. Thanks!
I covet your pantry.
I’ve got my jars stuffed here and there on shelves in the kitchen wherever there is space. Of course, I don’t really have a formal pantry but I do want to build something like what my parents have in my garage. They have an upright freezer in their garage by the kitchen door and my Dad built some big, sturdy shelving between it and the garage door, along the wall attached to the house. From day one they moved it it has been stocked with stuff they buy in bulk. Decades ago when my Mom used to can it held all sorts of jars, mostly tomatoes and peaches. I have a space in my garage where I can do the same but haven’t yet. So far, only an extra bookcase that is already filled. But I’m hoping within five years my my retirement (June 2015) I will have cleared all the school stuff out of the garage, built my shelving and have my own lovely pantry where I can put everything I’ve been canning.
I used to can when I was younger, but that time was reallocated to advanced degrees, lesson plans, classes, conferences and the like. Now that that is almost over, I am getting back into things I used to do, like canning and making homemade bread, knitting, sewing and as soon as the weather cooperates, gardening.
I can’t wait.
Thank you for all those useful links. I think I’m going to check out the olive oil crackers. I want to make some home made crackers for cheese for my retirement party. I made some awesome jam to go with the cheese so now I want to have some awesome crackers.
Thank you for coming to Toronto, Marisa! Just want to share that I bought Preserving by the Pint and I love it! So many good recipes! I enjoyed the Kitchen Party and picked up some excellent tips from your demo. Thank you for providing a wealth of information (and inspiration), and such delicious recipes!
Yay! Thanks for the link love, and glad to hear you had a great time in Toronto! The kitchen party sounded like such a great event, especially for people new to canning. No intimidation! 🙂
Hey, thanks for the shout out!
You’re welcome!