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Preserving Know-how

Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Summer

Variations on the Rose

Variations on the Rose

Last summer I made Wild Rose Petal Jelly for the first time and loved the gorgeous colour and floral flavour. When recently making another batch, I started thinking about the history, uses and preservation of the glorious rose.

Roses appeared in drawings dating back to 10,000 BC and were described in Sanskrit writings with recipes for use for complexion, eyewash, and digestive aids. Recent research has confirmed that roses have been shown to not only have lovely fragrance, to also have sedative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, digestive and other health benefits.

As food, rose petals and hips have been extensively used throughout history. In Europe today, rose petal jams, jellies, and cordials are common. Tisanes (teas) made with petals or hips are frequently enjoyed. Rose water has long been used as a mild perfume, a skin tonic and as an essential ingredient in Middle Eastern recipes like nougat and Baklava. Adding rose water to puddings, yogurt, drinks, ice cream adds a lovely floral note. Petals added in salads, ice cream, honey or butter are delicious. Candied rose petals are often used for cake decorating. And the list of uses goes on….

If you are using roses for culinary purposes, make sure they are unsprayed, washed and allowed to dry. Let’s explore some variations on the theme of roses.

Drying Rose Petals

Rose petals can be dried in the oven with the door ajar (200 degrees for 3 – 4 hours) or in a dehydrator at 115 for 4-6 hours. The petals can be added to loose tea for a hot drink, mixed into softened butter or a floral butter or added to sugar. Of course, dried rose petals are often used for craft projects.

Rose Petal Tisane

A tisane or tea can be made with 15 petals per mug and 1 cup boiling water. Allow to steep for 4 minutes. Strain and enjoy hot or cold.

Rose Hip Treatment

Rose hips can be harvested, washed, and dried with stem and blossom ends removed. They can be frozen, used as a tisane or the juice may be extracted to make a Rose Hip Jelly. Hips are very high in Vitamin C, A,B,E,K and trace minerals.

Rose Hip Juice Extraction

Combine 3 cups water and 6 cups rose hips stems and blossom ends removed. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Pour through a dampened cheesecloth lined sieve or jelly bag and allow it to drip.

Leo Buscaglia wrote “A single rose can be my garden”. So true. In my exploration of roses, I have come to understand how little attention I had given to the flower that has blessed our gardens, kitchens, medicine cabinets and art for many centuries.

For the recipe on Rose Petal Jelly and references, see my website: www.thevalleypreservery.ca or contact me at:

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

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Rose Hip Jelly

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups rose hip juice
  • 1 package powdered pectin
  • 6 cups sugar

Instructions

1

Measure sugar and set aside. Measure rose hip juice and put in a large pot. Whisk in pectin. Bring to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute. Add sugar all at once. Bring back to the boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Ladle into hot 250ml jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude, plus additional 5 minute resting period.

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Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Summer

Giving Strawberry Jam a Pectin Boost

Strawberries and Apple

When plump strawberries appear, it means summer is here and jam-making is underway! There is no doubt strawberry jam is a favorite and there are countless recipes for “my favorite” strawberry jam. Some prefer traditional long-boil methods, and others prefer to use commercial pectin. There are many ways to approach strawberry jam but let’s look at how to boost pectin content without commercial pectin.

Strawberries are low in pectin which is, of course, responsible for the setting of the jam. The first consideration for boosting pectin is to have ‘just-ripe’ berries which contain the highest levels of pectin. It is not advisable to buy “jam grade” berries as pectin levels dramatically drop in over-ripe berries. So, aim for nicely ripe berries.

If you are a fan of making jams without commercial pectin, the long-boil method is appealing. This means crushed fruit is combined with sugar and lemon juice and boiled until it reaches the set point. The long-boil method is traditional, but the downside is that it requires a lot of fruit, and the long cooking period diminishes the fresh taste of the berries. But there is a way to boost pectin, lower the cooking time and improve the fresh taste and texture of strawberry jam!

Test Kitchens of America provides a recipe that enhances pectin by adding grated Granny Smith apple which is naturally high in pectin. The grated fruit is undetectable in the jam, but it speeds up cooking time and helps to create a nice structure. It still takes a lot of fruit compared to the amount used for recipes with commercial pectin, but if you want to avoid commercial pectin this is a good way of keeping tradition, lowing sugar, and improving taste.

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Strawberry Jam with a Pectin Boost

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Boosting the pectin in your strawberry jam can be done naturally. First, choosing the right fruit and second by adding a higher pectin fruit like grated Granny Smith apple. It’s tradition with a twist!

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds just-ripe strawberries (10 cups) crushed
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups peeled, grated Granny Smith apple
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice (bottled)

Instructions

1

Put 2 saucers in the freezer to check set point after cooking.

2

Crush fruit and measure. Place fruit in a large pot/Dutch oven with sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil stirring. Boil for about 20 to 25 minutes.

3

Check temperature with an instant read or candy thermometer. It should reach about 217. Put a teaspoon on the frozen saucer and wait one minute. Then check the set by running your finger through the jam. If it leaves a clear path, the jam is ready. If not, continue cooking for 1-3 minutes. Check again.

4

Once the set is achieved, skim and ladle jam into 4 250ml hot jars. Clean the rim and attach lids and rings to “finger-tip” tight. Process jars in a water-bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes adjusting for altitude.

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Preserving Know-how/ Preserving Recipes/ Spring/ Summer

The Gift of Rhubarb

Rhubarb

If you have been reading my column for long, you already know rhubarb is probably my favorite spring gift from the garden. It is packed with calcium and Vitamin K, is gorgeous in colour, and can be used in both sweet and savoury recipes. It has also been used for medicinal purposes in cultures around the world for the last 3,000 years. I’m always on the look-out for ways to cook with and preserve rhubarb.

Harvesting: The petioles or stalks are the portion of the plant used for culinary purposes. As you no doubt are aware, the leaves are poisonous due to their high levels of oxalic acid. The stalks are “pulled” not cut which helps keep the plant producing. If you can’t immediately use the stalks, clean, trim and refrigerate.

Canniing: Rhubarb is very acidic (pH 3.1) so it is excellent for water bath or steam canning. Stewed or cooked with a small amount of water, a 500 ml jar with ½ inch headspace should be processed for 15 minutes adjusting for altitude. Rhubarb canning recipes abound. They may include jams, jelly, grilling sauces, chutney, marmalade, conserves, and compotes.

Freezing: Rhubarb freezes very well. It can be cleaned, trimmed, cut into small pieces and frozen raw or blanched and first. Some people enjoy freezing rhubarb in syrup.

Drying: Rhubarb can be dried and later pulverized into powder. The powder adds a punch to sauces, meat preparations, stews, and soups. Rhubarb alone with combined with strawberries make great fruit leathers. You can use the pulp remaining after you extract the juice for jelly or drinks. For each 1 cup pulp add 1 cup honey or sweeten to your taste. The leathers may be dried in a dehydrator or in an oven on warm with the door propped open. When they are dry and leathery, allow them to fully dry, cut into strips and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in a cool, dark place.

This week I stumbled on an interesting recipe on the Bernardin website (not in the book).

This is rhubarb season so jump into the many possibilities of cooking with and preserving this vegetable!

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

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Spring Celebration Jam

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups crushed strawberries (about a quart)
  • ½ cup packed fresh mint leaves
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 ¾ cups finely chopped rhubarb (about ½ lb)
  • 1 TBSP lemon juice (bottled)
  • 7 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 pouch liquid pectin

Instructions

1

Prepare 7 250ml jars (washed and kept hot)

2

Wash strawberries, remove stems and crush one layer at a time to measure 2 cups.

3

In a pot, combine mint leaves and water. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and let the “tea” steep for 10 minutes. Strain, removing the leaves.

4

Finely chop rhubarb or use a food processor get a fine chop. Add the rhubarb to the mint water. Return to the boil and cook about 2 minutes to soften the rhubarb. Add strawberries, lemon juice and sugar. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil for 1 minute. Stir in the liquid pectin, mixing well and skim.

5

Ladle into jars leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean. Affix lids and rings to finger-tip tight. Process in a water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Remove jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours. Check seals.

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Preserving Know-how/ Spring

Sugar and Other Sweeteners in Canning

Role of Sugar

When we preserve foods, the two main goals are safety and quality. Sugar does not play a key role in food safety, but it does play a significant role in preserving quality especially for long-term storage. Sugar helps fruit and vegetables retain colour, taste, and texture. It can enhance flavour or provide balance to acid which is why it is often added in small amounts to pickled products. Sugar, as a carbohydrate, is a thickener. When crushed fruit is left to ‘marinate’ with sugar for 24hrs, the sugar moves into the cells of the fruit removing the air. This prevents ‘floating fruit’ in jam recipes. Sugar plays important roles in canning but many people are interested in reducing or eliminating it altogether. What are the options?

Reducing Sugar

The canning of fruit is generally done in a sugar syrup which may range in sugar content from ‘heavy’ to ‘ultra-light’. It is possible to reduce sugar in syrups or use fruit juice instead. It is even possible to safely can fruit in water, but it will affect quality.

Another way to reduce or eliminate sugar is by using low-methoxyl pectin known as no or low-sugar pectin. Pomona, Ball, Certo, SureJell, and Bernardin all produce this type of pectin. Recipes are developed specifically for use with this type of pectin. For example, check out the Bernardin website (www.bernardin.ca) for a selection of recipes. These recipes use Bernardin’s no/low sugar pectin and unsweetened fruit juice. Many recipes using low-methoxyl pectin refer to  jams as “spreads” because of the difference in texture.

Using Less Processed Sugar

Honey, agave, and maple syrup are also alternatives to processed sugar. Ontariohoney.ca recommends using 1 cup honey to 3 cups water for a light syrup for canning fruit. They also suggest substituting half the amount of sugar in each jam/jelly recipe with honey. If the recipe calls for 4 cups of sugar, use 2 cups of honey. The use of commercial pectin is needed when making this substitution and the set will be softer than you would get with sugar. A small amount of Agave syrup may be added to water when making a syrup for canning fruit. Agave flavour is enhanced through heat processing so using a small amount if advised. Maple syrup may be substituted for ¼ of the sugar if using low/no sugar pectin.

Using Non-Nutritive Sweeteners

Non-nutritive (artificial) sweeteners may be safely used in canning. While aspartame is destroyed by heat and is therefore not used in canning, others like Sucralose (Splenda) and Stevia are heat stable and may be used. On the science-based website “Healthy Canning” (www.healthycanning.com) there are several recipes specifically developed for use with liquid Stevia and Splenda. These recipes all use low-methoxyl pectin.

The Take-Aways

If you want or need to reduce or eliminate processed sugar from your canning efforts, there are alternatives using both nutritive and non-nutritive options. These options are safe but will not offer the same benefits of sugar in terms of preserving quality- taste, texture, and colour. As always, choose recipes from reputable sources that have been developed in test kitchens.

For information:

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

 

 

 

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Preserving Know-how/ Spring

Innovations in Canning Equipment

Are beginning to plan for the canning season? Part of preparing for the season is reviewing your canning equipment. In this article I am going to focus on what’s new in canners.

A Review of Acidity

In the canning world, a distinction is made between high and low acid foods. High acid foods are those that are naturally acidic or have been properly acidified so that the pH is 4.6 or lower. Most fruits and pickled products fall into this category. Low acid foods include meat, fish, poultry, game, and vegetables that have a pH higher than 4.6 on the pH scale. High acid food can be safely processed in either a water-bath or atmospheric steam canner. Low acid foods must be canner in a pressurized environment to ensure the temp reaches 240 degrees which is enough to kill the bacteria associated with botulism. Acidity determines the type of canners that will suit you.

High Acid Canning: Water-Bath and Atmospheric Steam Canner Innovations

While water-bath canning may be done in a large stock pot, people often have dedicated pots, or canners. Some years ago, Ball and FreshTech came out with an electric canner. The new iteration of the electric water-bath canner is a digital version that guides you through the proper steps of canning. Enter the ‘smart’ canner!

Many people are fans of atmospheric steam canners because they require only a small amount of water which makes them light-weight, water efficient and easy to use. Victorio introduced a steam canner with a dial gauge making it simple to assess when the steam is sufficient to begin the processing time. One of the limitations of steam canning is that the small amount of water can evaporate with longer processing times (tomatoes or pickled beets). Addressing this issue, Victorio has come out with a canner that is both an atmospheric steam and water-bath canner! The Harvest brand also produces one. If you’re in the market for a canner, this version is super useful and inexpensive.

Low Acid Canning: Pressure Canner Innovation

If you do pressure canning, you know there are two types of canners: Dial-gauge and weighted gauge. Both require careful attention to the pressure, altitude, and processing times. Companies like All American and Presto have many options from small to large.

One innovation is Presto’s introduction of a pressure canner suitable for use with induction stoves by adding a stainless steel-clad base. Since induction stoves are popular, this is an important addition to pressure canning.

Recently, Presto released a digital pressure canner it claims is USDA approved. In truth, the USDA doesn’t approve appliances, but it does approve of methods of processing. Presto is a reputable company with decades of experience with pressure canners. This canner guides you through each step of the canning process. It determines the venting time, automatically adjusts for altitude, holds the pressure at the desired level, and puts a timer on the cool-down phase. For folks who are nervous about pressure canning, this product could help ease your fears. Bonus, this canner can also be used as a water-bath canner!! The downside is it is very expensive.

More and more people are growing and preserving food at home. This trend is influencing product manufacturers who are introducing innovations unheard of in the past.

 

For more information:

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

 

 

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Fall/ Preserving Know-how

The Grape Harvest

Nothing says approaching autumn more than grapes. We are so fortunate to live in an area where there are lots of wild grapes as well as other domesticated varieties like Concord and Coronation. Wild grapes can be found along riverbanks, beside ponds and growing up trees with their long tendrils. They are edible but eaten off the vine back a mean bitter punch, so they are best used for juicing rather than eating. Whether using foraged wild grapes or domesticated grapes, both are wonderful to preserve as juice or jelly.

Extracting juice: Steam juicers make quick work of extracting juice from fruits including grapes. But if you don’t have one, no problem. For a typical jelly batch, 3.5 lbs of grapes, washed and removed from stems will yield 10 cups of grapes. In a large pot, crush grapes with 1 cup of water and cook gently for 10 minutes. Pour the mash into a dampened jelly bag or cheesecloth lined sieve and allow the juice to naturally drip out (no squeezing!). In about 2 hours, you will have about 4 cups of juice. No interest in extracting your own juice? You can also buy it locally. Check with http://fiddleheadnursery.ca

Grapes are one of the few fruits (technically a berry) that has a natural abundance of tartaric acid. The acid binds with naturally occurring potassium forming crystals that sink to the bottom of the container. You might have seen this phenomenon in a glass of red wine. To ensure the juice you process is clear, it’s recommended that you extract the juice and let it sit refrigerated for at least 2 days. Pour the juice through a dampened jelly bag avoiding the last bits of the juice. Juice can be processed for long-term storage or frozen.

Grape jelly is the quintessential match for peanut butter in the iconic PB&J. The jelly is great with cheese or melted and used as a glaze on seared duck breast. It is also useful in baking like adding a dollop into a muffin mix before baking, topping a thumbprint cookie, or spreading over a genoise cake and rolled into a “Jelly Roll”.

The grape harvest is upon us. Gather up the family and forage along the riversides, collect grapes from friends or purchase them locally. Grapes are a gift of nature with endless possible uses.

Martha Rogers

www.thevalleypreservery.ca

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

 

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Grape Jelly

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Ingredients

  • 4 cups of grape juice
  • 1 package pectin crystals
  • 5 cups sugar

Instructions

1

Mix the pectin into the juice and bring to a hard boil. Add the sugar all at once. Bring back to boil and boil hard 1 minute. Ladle into hot 250ml Mason jars. For long-term storage, process the jars in a water-bath or steam canner for 10 minutes. Allow to rest 5 minutes before removing from the canner. For short-term storage, simply allow the jars to cool, label and store in the fridge for up to 3 months. This makes about 7 jars.

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Preserving Know-how/ Summer

A Rosy Summertime!

Rose Petal Jelly

Recently I was treated to a stroll through my friend’s magnificent rose garden. She mentioned that her neighbor came over to harvest petals for jelly. I hadn’t really thought about the culinary uses of roses. I went home and took another look at my wild and domesticated rose bushes. I was struck by the fact that nature provides so much for us to eat and enjoy if we open our eyes to possibilities. As always, I went on a quest to learn more about roses and their uses in in cooking and preserving.

I recalled old fashioned rose water grandmothers spritzed into the air to freshen a room or on themselves as a rose perfume. I remembered candied rose petals used to decorate special cakes. But they are also used chopped in a floral butter, as a tea (tisane), infused in sugar for baking or to flavour honey. They are used in Middle Eastern dishes most notably in Turkish Delight! Rose petals and hips are typically thought of in sweet recipes, like jellies, puddings, panna cotta, syrups and so on, but they also play a role in savoury ones. For example, a tagine spice blend called ras el hanout combines rose petals with savoury spices like cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, and coriander. Rose petal water is sometimes added to Hyderbabadi Biriyani (Great Chefs of Britain). Sweet or savoury, the beautiful rose offers up some mighty delicious possibilities.

For the preserver, petals (or hips) can be dehydrated for teas or to flavour sugar, crystalized for decoration, infused for waters or syrups or transformed in a stunningly lovely jelly. Use fragrant bright coloured rose petals (wild or domesticated), picked in mid-morning, rinsed, and lightly dried with a tea (paper) towel. From the University of Alaska, here is the recipe for Jelly.

The rose petal jelly makes a wonderful gift. It is so beautiful and a reminder of warm, lush summer days. Try it on scones or biscuits, or with goat cheese.

It is indeed a rosy summer to behold!

Preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

 

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Rose Petal Jelly

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Ingredients

  • 1 ¾ cups rose petal juice
  • 2 TBSP lemon juice (bottled)
  • 3.5 cups sugar
  • 3 oz liquid pectin (one pouch)

Instructions

1

First extract rose juice: Pack cleaned petals tightly into a cup measuring 1.5 cups. Place in a saucepan and add 2 ¼ cups boiling water. Turn off heat, cover and let steep for 15 minutes. Strain through a cheesecloth lined sieve or jelly bag.

2

Measure 1 ¾ cups rose petal juice (freeze extra). Place the juice into a large saucepan and watch what happens when you add lemon juice! The extracted juice will be pale in colour but when the lemon juice is added, BAM!, the colour changes to a deep rosy hue. It’s dramatic and worth doing even once to see this phenomenon.

3

Add sugar and bring to a full rolling boil. Add in the pectin and bring back to a boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Skim.

4

Ladle into 3-4 clean, hot Mason jars leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Clean jar rims and attach lids and rings to finger-tip tight. Process in a water-bath or steam canner for 10 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before removing jars.

5

The rose petal jelly makes a wonderful gift. It is so beautiful and a reminder of warm, lush summer days. Try it on scones or biscuits, or with goat cheese.

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Preserving Know-how/ Summer

Peachy Keen

Peachy Keen Jam

Peaches have an incredible history here in Ontario. According to “tenderfruit.com”, in 1797 peaches were harvested at the mouth of the Niagara. By the mid 1780s, Peter Secord, brother of Laura Secord, was the first Loyalist farmer to accept a grant to grow peaches. Although peaches originated in China and were introduced to Europe 2000 years ago, our history is relatively recent. Today, 81% of peaches are sourced from Niagara and 18% from the Okanagan. This year has been a bang-up year for peaches. And who doesn’t love peaches in everything from fresh salads, baked pies or crisps and the options for preserving are endless!

I confess that I am not as adventurous with peaches as I should be. But I do have some peach favorites. I also have to make and freeze my husband’s favorite peach pie!

In the last two weeks, I’ve made a pure and simple Niagara Peach jam (a few batches) (Canadian Living), a fiery peach salsa and peach-ale mustard (Ball). I have also made peach jam from Test Kitchens of America which uses grated Granny Smith apple as the pectin booster. Reading that recipe changed my approach to peaches entirely!

In the past I would go through the process of blanching and peeling the peaches. It’s a labour-intensive process but I thought it was necessary to create a fine jam or condiment. Well, no longer! It is not necessary to peel peaches for jams or the mustard I made. Anything that has a longer cooking time will allow washed with their skins to dissolve into a wonderfully fine texture that has the benefit of enhanced colour from the skins. The moral of the story is, don’t bother blanching and peeling the peaches. If you have a short cooking time, you can always use your immersion blender to quickly blend the peaches, skins into a smooth and silky texture. But most of the time, this won’t be necessary. It’s amazing how well the skins blend into the flesh, unlike tomatoes.

Compliments of both Canadian Living and Test Kitchens of America, here is the pure and simple Niagara Peach Jam recipe.

This is seriously simple and delicious jam. Enjoying the summer and the bounty from Niagara.

For more about peaches and other preserving topics, see my website: www.thevalleypreservery.ca

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

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Niagara Peach Jam

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Ingredients

  • 6 cups peaches washed and thinly sliced. Then mash to measure 4 cups.
  • 1 package light pectin (like Certo or Bernardin)
  • 2 TBSP bottled lemon juice
  • 3.5 cups sugar

Instructions

1

Prepare peaches and measure 4 cups crushed.

2

Mix peaches with pectin and lemon juice in a large Dutch oven pot. Stir to combine.

3

Bring mixture to a boil stirring often.

4

Once boiling, add sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring back to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute. Turn off heat, skim if necessary.

5

Ladle into 250 jars that have been warmed. Leave a ¼ inch headspace. Clean rims and screw on lids and rings to “finger-tip tight”. Process in a boiling water bath or atmospheric steam canner for 10 minutes. Let rest with the lip off the canner for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and let rest.

 

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Preserving Know-how/ Summer

Be a Savvy Consumer!

It is the time of year when we visit markets and farm-gates in search of local produce and products. I was prompted to write this piece after recently visiting a farm-gate where stewed rhubarb and jam were being sold in Cheese Whiz jars. As a food preserver or a consumer, there are a few things you should keep in mind as a savvy consumer!

In the US, there is an extensive infrastructure to support food preservation research and evidence-based practice. The research is aggregated by the National Centre for Home Food Preservation located at the University of Georgia. The science generated there informs the regulations of the USDA. Equally important is the commitment to disseminate the knowledge throughout the States. This is done though the university cooperative extension programs which offer a Master Food Preserver course. Eighteen universities across the US offer these programs across their respective States. These universities are big-time like UCLA, Cornell, Perdue, the University of Washington etc. The objective is to help people develop knowledge and skills to safely preserve food at home. In some States, like New York and Vermont, a person must have completed the Master Food Preserver program to sell products in a store, market, or farm-gate.

The contrast with Canada is remarkable. We have not one Master Food Preserver program or anything vaguely resembling one. We have no infrastructure to support food preservation at home. We have no regulations about preserved food sales at markets or farm-gates other than no preserved meats or dairy. While I have had to become Public Health approved to sell at a store, and I must have inspections, keep detailed records, comply with labelling requirements and so on, most people simply sell at markets or farm-gates without regulations. In fact, some religious and fraternal organizations are completely exempt from Public Health regulations.

My colleague and I, along with other interested parties, are making an effort to introduce a Master Food Preserver program in Canada. We know there is incredible interest in food preservation and a growing number of people who want to preserve; to know what is in their food, to have a lighter footprint on the planet and to be less dependent on commercial food production. We will continue the effort not only to help people learn, but also to allow consumers to have greater confidence in what is being sold at our markets and farm-gates.

In the meantime, here are some tips for making you a savvy consumer of preserved goods:

Ask vendors how they process their products. All jams, jellies, relishes, pickles, salsas etc must be heat processed using a water bath or atmospheric steam canning process.

Check jars: Mason jars with lids and rings are the only recommended jars for home food preservation. Never buy anything that is in a previously used commercial jar!

Check labels for contents and date of production or best before dates.

Ask about recipes: The vendor should be able to give you a source especially one that is current and reputable (Bernardin, National Centre for Home Food Preservation, Canadian Living). If you hear a response like “we’ve done this for years”, take a pass.

Storing: If you buy something in a Mason jar, when you get home, remove the ring on the jar if you are putting it in your pantry for later use. If anything goes wrong with the contents, the lid will pop. If the ring is off, it will be clearly evident and will indicate the jar should be thrown out.

Enjoy the markets and farm-gates but be a knowledgeable consumer when it comes to home preserved foods. And, please help us advocate for the creation of a Master Food Preserver program in Canada!!!

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com

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Preserving Know-how/ Summer

A Word About Wild Pickling

Ramps (wild leeks) and fiddleheads are just two of the great foraged foods to pickle in spring. Whether you use a quick pickle method or pickling for long-tern storage, here are a few tips for wild pickling.

Wild Leeks

The beautiful wild leeks lie at the bottom of the deciduous forests. Both the leaves and bulbs are edible. They are wonderful to use in cooking as a sauté, in a soup, as a pesto or pickled. As wild leeks are being over-harvested in many areas, my policy is to take a minimalist approach – pick sparingly and never take more than a 1/6th of a clump. For pickling, because I generally have a small amount, I will do a quick pickle using only the bulbs. I use the greens to make and freeze a wild leek pesto.

Quick Pickled Wild Leeks (Test Kitchens of America)

Clean and trim wild leeks saving leaves for another purpose. Prepare a brine of 1.5 cups vinegar (any kind as long as it’s 5%), 1.5 cups water, 3 TBLS sugar, 2.5 tsp pickling salt and herbs or aromatics of your choice. Mix and bring to a boil. Put leeks tightly into clean, hot jars. Ladle brine over top. Leave a ¼ inch headspace. Clean rims and let jars cool on the counter. Once cool, put lids and rings on, label and refrigerate. Leeks will last, refrigerated, for 3 to 4 weeks. PS: If you have excess brine, you can pickle other vegetables!

Fiddleheads

While fiddleheads can be foraged, they are readily available in markets and grocery stores at this time of year. If you forage, check with a reputable foraging site to properly identify the Ostrich fern which is the only edible variety of ferns. Many ferns are toxic so identifying the right ones is critical. Fiddleheads are a bit “fiddley” when it comes to preparation, but the process is important to make them safe for consumption. They should be soaked in water, scrubbed to remove the papery film, and rinsed several times. They should be steamed for 10-12 minutes or boiled for 15minutes. Now they are ready for cooking or pickling.

preservingwithmartha@gmail.com: 

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Dilly Fiddleheads (University of Maine Extension)

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Ingredients

  • 3 lbs raw, trimmed and cleaned fiddleheads
  • 8 cups cider or white vinegar (5%)
  • ½ cup pickling salt
  • 1 tsp dill seed per jar
  • 1 clove peeled garlic per jar
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes per jar (optional)

Instructions

1

Clean and prepare fiddleheads as described. Make the brine: Add vinegar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pack fiddleheads in clean, hot jars. Ladle in the brine to ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace again. Clean rims and place lids and rings on to finger-tip tight. Process in a water-bath or atmospheric steam canner for 15 minutes adjusting for altitude. When complete, let rest for 5 minutes before removing from canner.

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