Bake with abandon!
For those who are coming late to this series on homemade preserves, you might want to read the two previous posts. 1. Essential Tools for Making Preserves and 2. Key Ingredients for Great Homemade Jams and Jellies. For those, like me, who just want to …
So, now that you have all the preserving equipment at hand, what goes into a delicious, properly set — and safe — batch of jam or jelly? Other than a recipe written and tested post-1989? Not all that much. You actually require more equipment than ingredients …
I made my first batch of jam with nothing more specialized than two Dutch ovens and mismatched mason jars that had been collecting dust and dead spiders in the basement. Because I feared spiders more than bacteria, I put all my effort into sterilizing the …
I’d officially like to apologize to apricots. For years now, I’ve been the mean team captain who always calls dibs on her friends and chooses the popular kids first, leaving the smaller classmates kicking the grass with their yet-to-be-broken-in sneakers and pretending that being picked …
Clearly, my tomatoes aren’t getting enough love. When my back was turned, they produced and produced and produced — to the point they toppled over and smothered the Swiss chard. Lying on the ground, they continued the fight. Not only did they produce more fruit, …
I am not to be trusted. I head to the Farmers’ Market with a clearly written list and rock solid resolve. And what do I return with? Way more items than intended and a feeling of panic. Where will I store all these plums? When …
What do you do when you have less-than-perfect peaches squatting on your counter, threatening to dissolve into a mouldy heap before dinner? I usually peel and eat them on the spot, dripping juice over the sink. Okay, then what do you do with the ten …
It’s time to strike another item off my Culinary Bucket List. In an uncharacteristic display of patience, I tackled preserved lemons. They require endurance, not because they are hard to make, but because they take 4 weeks to cure. In the meantime, to scratch my …
I always thought I had a pretty good childhood. Each winter, my father would make a skating rink in the back yard, which we and our friends would use for noisy hours on end. And when we came in bright pink and shivering, Mom defrosted …