Canning Journal and a Class - Canning for the Holidays!
Ernest Miller
Happy holidays to all ... I hope that Thanksgiving was enjoyed by
everyone. I had a very nice holiday with my family and I am looking
forward to more celebration as the holiday season continues.
Of course, I've remain busy at the Farmer's Kitchen. We're now
selling baked goods for holiday - if you are having an office party or
family feast, what is better than some baked goods featuring local
farmers' market produce?
http://www.hollywoodfarmerskitchen.org/baked-goods
And speaking of holidays, Happy Hanukkah! This Sunday we will be
serving latkes with sour cream and applesauce we canned a couple of
months ago.
Someday I'm going to have to do a newsletter devoted to that pantry
must-have, applesauce. Seriously, applesauce is something everyone
should keep in their pantry - it is extremely versatile - but enough
about applesauce.
I'll finally be getting around to making my turkey stock tonight from
the two turkey carcasses taking up room in my refrigerator. I think
that I'll be freezing the stock, rather than pressure can it, because
I'll probably be using it sooner rather than later, and I won't have
too much.
Of course, I've been doing a lot of canning at the Farmer's Kitchen
(over 60 pints of lemon squash concentrate the last two weeks)! This
has really re-emphasized to me the need to keep a journal of my
canning. When your shelves start to fill up with canned goods, it is
not only important to label the jars, but to keep a good record of
what you did so you can repeat successes and avoid less-than-perfect
results.
What information should you keep? Name, date and ingredients are the
most important. I like to write where I got the key ingredients as
well (i.e., Scattaglia Farms' Arkansas Black Apples for my apple
butter). The recipe is crucial. I'll either write out the entire
recipe or a reference to the recipe in a book with any modifications
I've made. Processing method and time come in handy. Finally, notes
are very important.
For example, last spring I made a raspberry-based jam. One batch I
strained the seeds out, the other I left the seeds in. Needless to
say, the seedless jam required more berries than the one with seeds.
Because I kept notes, next year I'll know how many berries I need to
make either version. When you do a lot of preserving, this is the sort
of detail that you forget the next year.
A journal can save you from making the same mistakes and remind you of
your past triumphs. Canning journals - start one if you haven't
already.
As for me, I'm ready to make the leap from a simple spreadsheet to a
database for my canning journal. Is there anyone on this list
interested in helping me develop a canning journal/database? It would
be an open source project we could share on the internet for all the
canners out there. If you have some database experience and are
interested in helping, email me.
It has been awhile, but I would also like to announce that I'll be
holding two "Canning for the Holidays" classes at the Farmer's
Kitchen. Both classes are the same, so you only need to go to one.
They are both on Saturday, Dec. 4th (in 2 days!) and Dec. 11th, from
9am - 1pm (4 hours). Snacks and beverages will be available, and
you'll take home some of the items we can. From the class
description:
"Learn the basics of jam and jelly making just in time for you to
create homemade gifts for the holidays. This small, hands-on class
covers food safety, elementary canning techniques, and simple, but
delicious recipes for preserves using fresh produce from the farmers
market. Other gift ideas using canning jars and preserved foods will
also be covered. Space is limited."
The cost is $75, paid when you come, so please don't sign up unless
you are certain to attend.
You can sign up here:
http://hollywoodfarmerskitchen.org/events/
That's it for this week - I look forward to seeing some of you at my class.
As usual, if you have any questions about canning, pressure canning,
fermentation, dehydration, freezing, pickling,
curing, smoking or brewing, feel free to email me at
ernest.miller @ gmail.com.
Be sure to check out the blog, which hasn't been updated in awhile,
but I plan to do some updating (probably):
http://preservenation.blogspot.com/
And/or join the Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=280846286958
Thanks,
Ernie