Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 15 Sept, 2010. View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.
Cooking, and reading about cooking
As our thoughts turn more and more to the cold weather to come, many start to think about saving the wonderful summer flavors. Poking around in my old canning and preserving books, I came across these interesting-sounding recipes (well, actually, I came across a lot of interesting-sounding recipes, so we may be seeing more from this little collection in the coming weeks).
Yellow Tomato Preserves
2 qt. yellow cherry tomatoes (about 3 lb)
3 c sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 lemon, thinly sliced and seeded
1/4 c thinly sliced candied ginger
After washing and drying tomatoes, cut a thin slice from the blossom end and press out the seeds, keeping tomatoes otherwise whole. Combine tomatoes, sugar, and salt; simmer slowly until sugar dissolves. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring. Boil gently 40 min. until it thickens, then add lemon and ginger. Boil another 10 min, stirring often. Fill about 4 hot, sterilized jars (8 oz. each) and seal immediately.
October butter
8 med. cooking apples, chopped
2 large firm Anjou pears, chopped
3 c orange juice
2 sticks cinnamon
2 c mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
half as much sugar as fruit pulp (see below)
Chop apples and pears into small pieces without peeling or coring. Cook, covered, with orange juice and cinnamon over med. heat until very soft, 45 min.-1 hr. Put through a food mill, discarding skins and seeds. Combine with banana and lemon juice and boil gently, stirring frequently, until thick enough to mound slightly on a spoon. Measure and return to pan; add half as much sugar (e.g. 3 c sugar to 6 c fruit). Continue boiling and stirring another 20-25 min. until thickened. Fill about 5 hot, sterilized jars (8 oz. each) and seal immediately.
Both from: The how-to book : canning, freezing, drying / written and compiled by Anne Borella ; Barbara Bloch, ed. Benjamin Co., 1976.
Books!
One more book on preserving, and a fun one I came across while looking up something else entirely.
Canning & preserving your own harvest : an encyclopedia of country living / Carla Emery & Lorene Edwards Forkner. Sasquatch Books, c2009.
The hungry scientist handbook : electric birthday cakes, edible origami, and Other DIY projects for techies, tinkerers, and foodies / by Patrick Buckley and Lily Binns. Harper, 2008.
