Fall

I suppose it goes without say that we are in search of things to be thankful for. It’s been a tough year and a half. Nevertheless, Thanksgiving draws our attention to the harvest, to nature’s perennial gifts and to joining together in celebration. I think Thanksgiving meals are the most wonderful meals. Whatever is left in the garden gets onto the table in some form and the pantry gets raided for many accompaniments.

I buy my turkey from Spirit Walk Farm in Maxwell. Marg is at the Flesherton market on Saturdays. She and her husband are primarily sheep farmers, but they also have turkey, duck and chicken. It’s so nice to support local farmers, to know from where your food comes and to enjoy the freshest products. Marg also makes beautiful wool and is a darn good baker as well!

To season or accompany the bird, my garden is still full of beets, leeks, potatoes, chard, squash, peppers, arugula, lettuce, tomatoes and herbs. What’s not to love about bringing it all together on the Thanksgiving table?

I know there are probably as many stuffing recipes as there are households, but I am a fan of a simple onion-sage bread stuffing. A day-old loaf of bread cubed, lots of butter to sweat a large sweet onion diced and about four tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage or four teaspoons dry sage with salt and pepper to taste. Simple and delicious.

From the pantry, I have gooseberry jelly, apple-cider cinnamon jelly, cranberry sauce and new this fall is a cranberry-apple-pear relish with Grand Marnier! I found this recipe in the preserving book by Canadians Topp & Howard (available through Indigo). It’s a simple combination of the three fruits, raisins, sugar, orange juice & zested rind, cinnamon and nutmeg with the liqueur added at the end. I notice that the Ball preserving book has basically the same recipe but calls it a “pie filling”. They also suggest its use on top of baked brie. For the day-after, cold turkey sandwiches with Cranberry Mostarda are excellent.

This leaves us at dessert. Typical to the Thanksgiving dinner is a pumpkin or apple pie, or possibly a crisp. To be honest, I’m always so full, so I generally don’t enjoy the indulgence. For me, my hands-down favorite fall dessert is Caramelized Pears by Canadian Trish Magwood (2007). Pears are halved and cored and then lightly cooked i(10 Min) in a frying pan with 2 TBSP each or butter and honey, ½ vanilla bean, 2 star anise, 2 cardamon pods and ½ a stick of cinnamon & ¼ tsp nutmeg. Add 2 TBSP brown sugar and 4 tsp lemon juice. It creates a beautiful, flavourful sauce to drizzle of the pears. Trish adds a mascarpone cream but I never do. Simple is good. If you need to, add a small scoop of ice cream in the middle of the pear and ladle the sauce over. Traditional or non-traditional, a little sweet at the end is just so tantalizing.

Thanksgiving is around the corner. Enjoy your traditions, family and friends, and a great walk on the trails to witness the colourful wonders of the Fall season. With thanks.

For recipes and information:

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

Many of us are up to our elbows working with the bounty of garden tomatoes. There are so many ways to preserve tomatoes and even more recipes to enjoy them: Canning, drying, fermenting, and freezing all work well with the mighty tomato. Last Fall I wrote about tomatoes but this year, I’ll add a few more bits of information to inform your preserving efforts.

We start, of course, with an analysis of the tomato. These fruits have been traced back to the Aztecs in 700 BC but it is not until the 16^th century that they were admired by Europeans. At that time many believed they were poisonous as members of the Night Shade family. By the mid 1800s, tomatoes were well ensconced in the culinary habits of Italians which, through migration, became a North American staple.

For food preservers, it is important to understand that tomatoes range between 4.3 and 4.9 depending on variety, growing conditions, age, hybridization. This means, of course, that sometimes tomatoes are acidic and other times they are alkaline. Thus, the acidity level must be considered when choosing a preserving method and recipe.

For drying, freezing, or fermenting, the acidity level of tomatoes isn’t a concern. Tomatoes can be simply cleaned, cored, and processed in a dehydrator or packed away in the freezer. Dried tomatoes are super on pizzas or can be rehydrated in soups or sauces. They also make a great “fruit” leather. Frozen tomatoes, when thawed, will enable a quick slip of the skins making for an easy sauce, soup or addition to chili, stews or braises. And fermented tomatoes or tomato juice are packed with nutrition. Fermented tomatoes are a popular Russian item eaten alone or with potatoes as a condiment.

Where acidity levels play a critical part is when canning. For water-bath canning, tomatoes need to be acidified to make them safe. Modern recipes for salsas, chutneys, chili sauce, or canned tomatoes always add acidity. For example, for canned tomatoes, juice or simple tomato sauce, add 1 TBSP of bottled lemon juice or a ¼ tsp citric acid to each 500ml jar. Double that amount for liter jars. This year I made an oven roasted marinara sauce from the 2016 New Ball book of Canning and Preserving. I’ve made many tomato sauces but this version is superb. Here’s the link:

https://www.healthycanning.com/roasted-marinara-sauce#The_recipe. (Note that Ball doesn’t have much of an online presence but Healthy Canning is an excellent, science-based site.)

For those of us who also pressure can, tomatoes are the base of some great recipes. Stewed tomatoes, tomato and vegetable soups, tomato-meat sauces, stews, chili and so on which are super for quick one jar winter meals. The pressure canner increases the internal temperature to 240 degrees which is necessary for safe canning of foods that are above 4.6 on the pH scale which includes, vegetables, meats, poultry, and fish among others. Pressure canning opens a universe of possibilities.

Tomatoes are abundant right now. Grab the opportunity to freeze, dry, can or ferment. Any way you look at it, tomatoes can fill the bill. They are tasty, flexible, readily available in summer and fall and are filled with lycopene and many vitamins. Enjoy them now and well into the fall and winter.

For more information contact me:

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

Crab apples are everywhere right now. And what a gift they are. They originated in Kazahkstan, Russia and China but found their way to the Continent along the Silk Road resulting in many cultivars before arriving in England. From there they were introduced to North America during the 18^th century. They are hardy, drought resistant and have given us fruits for both culinary and medicinal uses. The malic and tartaric acids in crab apples have been used medicinally to counter the acid effects associated with gout and indigestion. As for culinary uses, they are as bountiful as the trees themselves.

Crab apple bark is often used as an addition to smoking foods adding a sweet, apple flavour. The fruit is sometimes canned whole for use as an accompaniment to roast pork or other meats. Crab apple liqueur is easily made by immersing 30 to 40 washed crab apples cut in halve in a liter of vodka and one cup of sugar. Put the jar in a dark place and stir regularly for 2 months. Voila. A beautiful liqueur to serve neat or over ice cream.

Crab apples are ideal for jelly making. The skins make for a delightful colour. I extracted the juice from crab apples using a jelly bag. Just wash the crab apples, cook in about 1 cup water per cup of apples for about 20 minutes until soft. Place in a jelly bag or sieve lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Let the juice naturally extract. Don’t press the fruit or it will make a cloudy juice. Once the juice is extracted, make the jelly. Crab apples are very high in acid and pectin so no additional pectin is needed. If you are nervous about getting to the proper gel point, you can add one packet liquid pectin to four cups of juice and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Process according to manufacturers instructions. Jelly is water-bath processed for 10 minutes (adjusting for altitude) with an additional 5 minute rest before removing from the canner.

What is left in the jelly bag is the cooked apples. Don’t throw them away. They are excellent as an apple sauce or you can dehydrate to make a good old fashioned fruit leather. If you make the leather, sweeten with 1 – 2 TBSP corn syrup or honey but not sugar as it will crystalize. For 4 cups of pulp which has been put through a food mill to remove skins and seeds, add a tsp of corn starch which makes the leather pliable not brittle. I have a dehydrator so it takes about 12 hours at 125 degrees. Remove the leathers from a non-stick sheet and then put back in the dehydrator for about 2 more hours to remove tackiness. You can make the leathers in a low oven of 200 degrees. Some modern ovens even have a dehydrating setting but most do not so set the oven at the lowest possible warming setting. It will take about 10 0 12 hours. Once leathers are done (no soft or tacky spots), wrap in plastic warp or parchment. They should be stored in in a cool, dry place and will last a year. These are great treats for the pack-packs or for lunch bags.

The crab apples are still plentiful so take advantage of their many uses. Whether drying, canning, smoking or preserving, crab apples are wonderful for both culinary and medicinal uses. When nature provides free fruits, why not jump at the opportunity to enjoy!

For information: preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

Growing up in Niagara, Fall was time for celebrating of all things grape. To this day, the aroma of Concord grapes in their baskets transports me back to my youth. Who doesn’t love grape juice, jelly, jam, pies, or popsicles?

Many people in our area grow or have access to naturally grown Concord grapes or have wild grapes. These deep blue beauties are high in antioxidants and are extremely well suited for juices and jellies. Extracted juice can be slightly sweetened and water-bath canned or used to make jelly. Canadian Living recommends crushing 10 cups of picked over grapes with 1 cup of water and simmering in a Dutch oven for 10 minutes. The mixture is placed in a dampened jelly bag or cheesecloth lined sieved to drip for at least 2 hours. The yield should be 4 cups. For a jelly, you can use a long-boil method (no added pectin), or either crystal or liquid pectin. Follow the directions on the package or tested recipe.

Coronation grapes are Canadian developed seedless hybrids and cousins of the Concord. Simply for ease of preparation, they are preferred for pies, jams, conserves, home canned fruit cocktail or for dehydrating.

Let’s face it, most people end up buying commercially grown grapes at some point during the year. Grapes, like berries and apples are some of the “dirty dozen” fruits and vegetables identified as having large amounts of residual pesticides. However, in recent studies reported by the Test Kitchens of America, swirling these fruits in a bath of 2 tsp of baking soda per 1 quart of water and then rinsing in cold water removes the pesticide residues. This is because the carbonate and organophosphate pesticides break down in the alkaline solution. The method doesn’t work for pesticides that are designed to be absorbed or those that are applied to roots, but it is effective for the two most commonly used pesticides. So, go ahead and buy commercial grapes (and other fruits) to eat or preserve but treat them first to remove pesticide residue.

The mighty grape is a versatile fruit for preserving. Pick your own, gather some up from a friend, buy commercially grown or even stop off at one of your local wineries to pick up a bottle of fermented grapes (aka wine) to make a wine jelly and enjoy the wonders of early Fall.