HOMEMADE PECTIN

Although life can be quite busy, leaving many of us little to no time  in the kitchen, a bit of pre-emptive planning and working in small batches make it possible for just about anyone to do canning of some sort.

Making jams or jellies is relatively easy. With all kinds of fresh fruits becoming available, it is a tasty way to begin your canning career.

There are two main factors involved in the making of jams and jellies, the concentration of sugar versus the concentration of pectin. Too much sugar or pectin in your recipe will produce an unappealing solid lump, which can still be tasty spread on warm toast or bagels, baked into cakes or pies, or used as glazes on meat or poultry.

Conversely, too little of either of these ingredients can result in a runny jar of syrup,  which still may be used to season vinaigrettes, for making smoothies, drizzling over ice cream, even as a base for fruit salads. So truly, do not be afraid to make a mistake, the final product can almost always be used in in some form of delicious advantage!

I often like to use honey in my jams and jellies, often adding little or no sugar, so I add pectin, but in general the chemistry of jelly making without pectin requires sugar.

There are many commercial pectins available, making jamming quick and easy. I have used them for years, as I learned from my mother, but  because homemade pectin is quite easy to make, and can actually add a dimension of flavor to your creations,  I opt for store bought pectin only when I run out of homemade.

Just remember, no matter what happens make the best of your batch and learn for the next round – like anything worthwhile it takes patience and practice to learn how to preserve your own jams and jellies, but I guarantee the results will be well worth your efforts.

 

HOMEMADE PECTIN


Homemade pectin can be made in the early summer if you have direct access to apple trees as I do, or in autumn when apples are in season.

You will need small, green, immature apples: wild crab apples are great for pectin, but any immature apple will do. You may use damaged apples - just cut away all the imperfections first.

If you do not have access to apple trees, purchase 6- 8 tart, green Granny Smith apples. You will also need 2 lemons chopped up, peel and seeds included. Rinds and seeds are where all the pectin is in lemons, the juice is not really necessary, but can be helpful if you are working with low acid fruits or vegetable. You can store lemon and lime skins and seeds in the freezer after they have been juiced for other dishes until you are ready to make pectin. I will often save skins from other citrus fruits for the same purpose - it is quite fun and interesting to mingle the flavor of the citrus with the other ingredients.

Wash the apples, trim the bad parts off and slice them very thinly, seeds, skins and all. Place them in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottom (non-reactive) pan with the chopped up citrus bits. You need a total of 2 pounds per batch. Add 4 cups water.

Over high heat, bring the contents to a boil stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender (should have the consistency of apple sauce). Continue to stir occasionally so the fruit does not stick to the pan.

Remove from the heat and cool. Line a bowl large enough to hold liquid with dampened cheesecloth. Pour the pulp and juice into the cheesecloth. Gather the corners and tie in a knot. Carefully lift over bowl. Suspend from a cabinet knob or handle and allow to drip into a bowl overnight. Do not stir the liquid and do not squeeze the bag.

The next day, measure the juice and pour into a large pot. Discard cheesecloth and its contents. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat stirring contantly, move to low heat, cook until reduced by half.

The pectin should be canned in pint jars and processed in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes with 1/2 inch headspace. You can also freeze for future use.

Using Homemade Pectin

When using homemade pectin, you can’t follow the recipes that are found on the backs of commercially available jelling agents. With homemade pectin you will use equal amounts of pectin to low pectin fruits: 4 cups strawberries to 4 cups homemade pectin. Fruits that are low in pectin include: blueberries, cherries, peaches, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries, follow the one to one formula.

High pectin fruits like apples, cranberries, quinces, currants, Concord grapes, and plums, cut the homemade pectin in half . Overall you will have to experiment a little, but that is half the fun.

Happy Jamming!

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL

Our children learn from us in so many ways. Taking the time to cook not only for them but also with them is just one way to help teach your children well.

Creating and serving a meal does not have to be a chore, returning to the world of slow food should be a celebration. Involving your family in the rituals of food preparation teaches them how to care for themselves, as well as others. Cooking latently involves reading, math, and science, as well as creativity. Time spent cooking together, sharing stories, choosing fresh, healthy options, learning where food comes from, the different ways to prepare a meal, then sitting to down enjoy the rewards together is a wonderful way to keep the family connected in this busy and often impersonal world.

Millions of people feel the same way I do about food, family, and history. The proof is in the pudding as they say, but do not just take my word, turn on the television, you can see this sentiment regularly reflected there. Take Anthony Bourdain for instance. The chef, author and Top Chef judge has been exploring the serious side of ‘food tourism’ through his show, No Reservations, examining how a country’s food expresses their culture.

 In a recent Time Magazine article penned by James Poniewozik, Bourdain tells the journalist, “Many beloved foods (cassoulet, brisket, Hopping John) came from scratch-in-the-dirt poverty –‘trying to take a little and turn it into a lot..What people eat tells a story: what they’re cooking and why they’re cooking it.” Food is history.

 Then there is my 15-year-old stepson Daniel’s favorite chef, Jamie Oliver, and his Food Revolution. The Revolution combines the ambitions of both Jamie's Ministry of Food and Jamie's School Dinners to tackle the obesity epidemic in America, an epidemic I believe is borne from dependence on processed food and ignoring the socio-economic benefits of fresh foods cooked in your own kitchen (along with getting away from computers, televisions and video games and getting ‘hands on’.) The campaign, funded solely by donations made by and for the people of the United States of America, educates both the young and old about the quality of the food served in school lunch programs while striving to inspire food retailers to provide quality, fresh, local food to their customers – our children.

 Think about it, do you believe the education of your child should cease when they enter the cafeteria? Bravo Mr. Oliver and good luck in Los Angeles, we are tuning in and turning on. Please keep up the good work; you have certainly inspired my family!

 The United States Department of Agriculture just announced a new rule to encourage schools to collaborate with nearby farms as a way to get healthier, locally grown fruits, veggies, along with other farm fresh foods into school lunches. The "buy local" rule is just one part of the massive Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act President Obama signed into law last December.

 Per the April 27th announcement, the law encourages schools to bring in more "unprocessed locally grown and locally raised agricultural products" by allowing them to give preference to local providers when bidding on school food contracts. Certainly a step towards teaching healthy eating practices through example.

 I admit, I did not take as much time as I should have with cooking my son, Hunter when he was younger. Instead, we spent time with the horses and haying, publishing a bi-weekly paper, learning about nature and the Native American way of life, which I learned to appreciate as a youngster at the Elliot Pratt Education Center, and playing soccer (Hunter – not me). Most of the food we ate when he was little was take-out or frozen foods from the supermarket, but he cooked with his Nanny, and we cooked together more as he got older.

My grandmothers both cooked and gardened, my mother loves to cook and garden. I have learned cooking is a way to preserve tradition, to educate ourselves in sustaining the family and the earth, which brings me to Preserved and Pickled. This little blog is for all our sons and daughters. It helps to satisfy my desire to preserve a small part of my family history and pass something on. So gather ‘round, bring your children back into the kitchen, because on the foundation of your past you can help create their future, serving it up one plate at a time.

PICKLED CARROTS MEXICAN-STYLE

Any time is a good time to pickle carrots and young fresh baby carrots add an interesting twist to this recipe, but my premiere experience pickling carrots was born of necessity.

On what was arguably one of the coldest nights of the year, my refrigerator decided to stop working. I guess that was good in a way, because the food that hadn’t already defrosted went out in coolers on the porch. Unfortunately, the repairman said that it could be several weeks until he got the part he needed. After clearing out the refrigerator shelves and carefully stowing the coolers on the back porch, I was left with some eggs and a handful of carrots. 
 

They both got pickled. Eggs I have done - regularly (check out my recipe), but pickling carrots was a new idea to me. I did not have enough carrots to justify pulling out the pressure canner and I wasn't in the mood for a Morrocan Salad.

A search through the kitchen cabinets, a look through my pickling and preserving cookbooks, and I realized I had everything I needed for a variation of pickled carrots. Pickled carrots are served at good Mexican restaurants, traditionally placed on the table with the chips and salsa when you sit down. Celery and jalepenos are the usual canning partners for this recipe, but not completely necessary.

My family likes things spicy and since I did not have the traditional jalapeno peppers, I replaced them with some dried red chilies. I also omitted the celery as I had none, and so was born my  'Americanized' version of Mexican Pickled Carrots.

They are tasty as a side dish, add an interesting twist to a Five Bean Salad (and I don't always use the same five beans - makes it so much more interesting), or an Antipasto Salad. I have been contemplating chopping them up and adding them to a Tuna Salad or maybe a Banh Mi  type sandwich.  Oh my, the possibilities are endless!

MEXICAN-STYLE PICKLED CARROTS

INGREDIENTS

6 to 10 Carrots, skin removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick

2  dried Chili Peppers, stem removed, sliced 1/2 long
(or 1 small fresh Jalepeno sliced)

1 tsp whole Black Peppercorns

1 tsp Salt (scant)

1 cup White Vinegar

1/2 cup of Water

4 Bay Leaves

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

1 Quart Canning Jar

DIRECTIONS

Begin by gathering and preparing all of your ingredients as this canning process moves fairly quickly. Do not forget to wear some kind of rubber gloves while cutting up the chilies. 

Put the oil in a heavy bottomed pot with the bay leaves and cook over medium heat for about a minute to infuse the oil with bay flavor – do not burn, they should be fragrant and maybe slightly toasty.

Add the pepper, stir for 30 - 45 seconds.

Add carrots, salt, and water (enough to cover) and bring to a boil. Simmer rapidly until not quite tender (about 5 minutes).

Add peppercorns, vinegar and more water if needed to cover. Stir to mix, return to a boil. Immediately remove from heat.

Carefully transfer carrots and spices (as many peppercorns as you can) while hot into sterilized jar.  Add liquid to 1/4 inch from lip, don't worry if there is a little left over.

Cap. Process in a hot water bath for 20 minutes.

Remove jar, let cool, overnight making sure seal is completed. 

Store in pantry. When serving remove the bay leaves.  

PRESERVING

[pri-zurv-ing]


To prepare food so they can be kept for extended periods without spoiling.


To prepare fruit, vegetables, etc., by cooking for pickling, canning, refrigeration or freezing.

FOOD IS A CELEBRATION

Preserve your recipes, they have historical value.

How boring would food be if it were to become homogenized, if tradition and culture were not infused into our meals?  Preserving your recipes, from the way the food is prepared to the cultural lore of your concoction, in my humble opinion, is ultimately what makes food most pleasurable.

When a meal is prepared, the individual recipes are not only flavored with their origins but have the potential to inspire new memories, create new traditions.

Cook with your family and friends; share the stories of your recipe’s origins, because food is not just for eating, food is a celebration.