I have spent the better part of today canning 55 pounds of tomatoes, five pounds of peaches and a few other edible odds and ends. My refrigerator is cleaner than it’s been in weeks and there’s a load of laundry gently chugging away in the other room. This can mean only one thing. I’m getting ready to head out on vacation (I can’t be the only one who feels compelled to finish all pending culinary projects before leaving town). Before I dash out the door, I want to point your attention at something I happen to think you all might like.
Recently, a team of folks over at Drexel University relaunched a website called Table Matters. It’s a daily site dedicated to stories about eating, cooking, drinking and the many delicious things that can happen around a dining table. I’m contributing to this new site on a weekly basis and my pieces are going to be about kitchen skills and from-scratch cooking, which should be a nice compliment to the canning and preserving content I write here.
This week, they’ve been running stories about soda (and who doesn’t like something cool and carbonated, particularly this time of year?). My contribution was about my love for the idea of cocktail hour paired with my unfortunately inability to hold my alcohol. The resolution? A trio of recipes for homemade shrubs, syrups and herbal infusions. You’ll also find stories on root beer floats, a guide to Philadelphia’s tastiest house-made sodas and easy cocktails that use soda as their base published in the name of Soda Week.
Take a little time to check out Table Matters. Though this incarnation of the site is still young, the writing is strong, the topics are fun and the recipes are seasonal and make for mighty good eating. It’s a nice addition to the food conversation and I’m quite pleased to be a part of it.
I was looking at your roasted tomatoes on Table Matters. Could you do the same thing in a dehydrator?
Thanks! I love your blog and your book.
Jane, you’d end up with a very different product in a dehydrator. My tomatoes aren’t leathery, they’re simply concentrated.
I love all of your ideas for fizzy concoctions. I am also a lightweight and cannot even finish a single glass of wine without getting flustered and hot with bloodshot eyes. Needless to say, I’m usually the designated driver whenever alcohol is involved. Your shrubs and syrups will be perfect for me since I have more mint and rosemary than I know what to do with. I also have a father who needs to cut canned sodas out of his diet and this may do the trick.
Can these be canned for usage later in the winter?
I just found your blog courtesy of one of the members of the CSA we belong to and am so happy I did! I do a lot of small batch jam canning, too. This year discovered that adding basil to blueberry jam is *amazing*. May never can plain blueberry jam again!
Just got back from the farmers market with more seconds peaches to can, and tomatoes are right around the corner. When we were on family holiday last week, I taught my in laws’ neighbors how to can tomatoes. Kind of strange to teach folks older than me to do this old fashioned thing. 🙂
Looking forward to reading your cookbook!
Lj
Marisa, I have followed your writing for a while . . .love your site . . and now my daughter Mara is doing a bit of writing at Table Matters . .. . .I was sooooooooooo excited to see your name involved with this, also. The new Table Matters site is beautiful. I am trying to help spread the word about it. Thrilled that Mara is in the company of great food folks like you. mary miller
Thanks Mary!
I have a great story about homemade root beer, it’s too long for a comment, but the essence of it is this: if not done properly you could end up with grenades.
Rumor has it I’m getting a Soda Stream for my birthday in a couple of weeks. I quit drinking commercial soda and switched to seltzer when I realized I missed the bubbles the most. These sound like lovely additions!
ha, I totally try to do ALL my projects before I leave for vacation. Do I think my life is ending or something? I have never delved into the psychology. . .
The new site sounds very cool. I’ll check it out. I adore carbonation, too.
I was so excited to see actual shrub glasses for sale in Colonial Williamsburg, VA this weekend! Didn’t realize that drink actually warranted its own glassware…! Who knew?!
Thanks for sharing this. I’m excited because I’m going to Philly on a trip in a few weeks and have been looking for foodie related things to check out there. I love homemade sodas, so the guide to Philly sodas is perfect.