The eye of the canning season storm is here. I’ve been living in my kitchen for the last few days and still have many more projects to go (and I haven’t even started tomatoes yet!). I’ve done plum chutney, plum butter, a redux of this Italian plum and star anise jam, a multi-colored plum jam (I bought 40 pounds of plum seconds last Saturday), tomato jam (the yield on this year’s batch was just 2 1/2 pints. It gets smaller every year!) and peach jam with crystalized ginger.
Despite all the produce that is begging to be preserved, I still have a number of events and classes on the schedule. My hope is a few of you will be able to take a break from your own canning pots to come out and say hi!
Thursday, August 9 – A dilly bean class at the Glen Mills Whole Foods. It costs $35 and goes from 6-7 pm. Hope to see a few more of you there! Click here to sign up.
Saturday, August 11 – I’m heading up to Syracuse, NY for iCan2012, a day-long canning conference. It says that registration is closed, but if you are just learning about it now, let me know and I’ll connect you up with the organizers! Click here for more information.
Wednesday, August 15 – I’ll be out in Phoenixville, PA, participating in a forum about canning and home food preservation organized by the Community Eco Center. The forum runs from 7 – 9 pm, is held on the 3rd floor at Molly Maguire’s (197 Bridge Street) and is free.
Saturday, August 18 – A massive tomato canning workshop at Blooming Glen Farm in Perkasie, PA. I’m going to set up a bunch of burners and we’ll can enough tomatoes for everyone to take home 2-3 quarts (final yield will depend on how much we’re able to get through that day). It costs $75 and will be a sweaty, fun, productive day. Click here to sign up.
Sunday, August 19 – I’m heading back to New York State for a day of events with the folks from the Troy, NY food swap and the From Scratch Club. Click here for all the details.
Thursday, August 23 – An evening canning class at Saul High School (in conjunction with the folks at Weaver’s Way Co-op and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society). I’ll have more details about registration in a few days.
Tuesday, August 28 – Spiced Plum Jam class at the Plymouth Meeting Whole Foods. Costs $35 and runs from 6:30 – 8 pm. Click here to sign up.
Chicago!
Saturday, August 25:
- 9:30 – 11 am, canning demo and book signing at the Batavia Farmers’ Market. This event is free!
- 12:30 – 2:30 pm, book signing at Morton Arboretum in Lisle. The event is included in the price of admission to the arboretum.
- 5 pm, Jennifer Downing of Nourish Cooking is hosting an informal reception for me at the Yellow House. It’s your chance to get a book signed and ask me canning questions, all while nibbling tasty bits and having a cocktail or two. This event costs $30 if you want to include a copy of the book, or $10 for the reception only. Click here to sign up.
Sunday, August 26:
- 9:30 – 11 am, canning class at Green Home Experts in Oak Park. The class costs $40 and includes a small jar of the jam we made in the class. Click here to sign up.
- 11 am – 2 pm, book signing at Green Home Experts. While there will be books for sale on site, copies may be limited, call ahead to reserve yours.
- 3 – 5 pm, I’ll be participating in the Chicago Food Swap (also being hosted by Green Home Experts). I’m planning on squirreling away some granola in my luggage to swap. The swap is currently sold out, but you can click here to get on the waiting list.
- 12 noon, I’ll be at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest for a lunchtime event. I’ll give a canning talk and answer questions. The event costs $28 and includes a copy of the book. Click here for more information.
- 7 pm, I’ll be giving a talk at Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville. The event is free and books will be available for purchase on site. Click here for more information.
Darn! Just realized you were in Syracuse. I hope you make it back to the upstate region, like maybe Ithaca/Binghamton even Elmira!
I am so excited about the advice on canning. Here in upstate New York we are famous for the most delicious grape pies, I would love to can grape pie filling this year for gifts. I am gonna need to update some of my canning supplies!! so enter me for the give away and I will hope for the best. Thx.
wondering if you are scheduled for New York City, Westchester cty and/or Long island.
Love the website!
Aw shoot! I missed you being in Syracuse by one day! Hope you had fun 🙂
So wanted to see you in Syracuse but was out of town on vacation that very Saturday!! BUMMER!
Am cooking down italian plums for butter but find they are not (sorry) my favorite flavor fruit. Also have chopped peaches (yum) macerating in vanilla and when I had a dish of these together the flavors where lovely. If I can together in 1/2 pints would 10 minutes be ok as the peaches are in chunks? And not sure about head space, either. Any suggestions would be so helpful.
Oh, and love love love you book. Next on my list is tomato jam. Thanks for all the hard work you do for us!
Wish you were coming into Chicago proper! Would have loved to have met you.
So I just discovered Tomato Jam this year, thanks to you — I can’t wait for cold weather days that beg for cheese toast or grilled cheese sandwiches. And yet I notice you mention here that you make less of it each year. Really? Why ?
oh no! you will be so close (on my way home from work even) at the Glen Mills Whole Foods and I won’t be able to make it tomorrow. Good thing I have a batch of your dilly beans waiting for me. Please come out to the western burbs again!!
I’m taking a break from my canning pot as well, and am driving in for that Syracuse class! Can’t wait to see you there. 🙂
I’m signed up for the class in Troy, NY and am very excited. This is my first year of canning, although I’ve thought about trying it for many years. 🙂 Not sure what I was so scared of. I am loving your book – it’s helping me through my first canning season immensely. -Staci
I just made your tomato jam recipe last night and also got 2.5 pints yield. I’m going to have to do another batch so we can get our fix next winter. 🙂
do you ever make it to St. Louis, Missouri?
Fun!
Oh so close to State College-and yet still oh so far. 😀