The Fruits of Our Labors

Almost as a cosmic gauntlet thrown at my feet and certainly as a natural follow-up to the last post about preservation, I came into a bushel of apples and 15 lbs of ripe grapes (1/2 and 1/2 green and Concord--both yummy!)  In an attempt to go through all of the fruit before it turns to compost, yet not have a stomach ache from eating it too fast (seriously, the grapes were so delicious, I continued to eat them well beyond a normal man's limitations.  For the next two days, I spent a lot of time"indisposed."  Did you know that grapes were so high in fiber?  Because I forgot,) here's a few thoughts on what we're doing.

Dried Apples

Apple Juice
Apple Peelings and Cores
Water

Place the apple parts in a sauce pot capable of holding them with a few inches of headroom.  Add water to about 1/2 inch below the top of the apple.   Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes.

Pour into a sieve over a bowl and let drain completely, 20 minutes. Take that juice and filer through dampened cheese cloth if you want less incidental pulp. Seal in a sterile jar and store in the refrigerator. Should keep for about 3-4 days.


Apple Butter
4 lbs Apples, washed
2 cups Water
Sugar
1 teaspoon each of Ground Allspice, Ground Cinnamon, Cloves

Remove the stems, leaves, and worm holes with rot around them, then quarter the apples.  Don't bother peeling or coring the apples.  Put the apples and water into a large pot, cover and heat until boiling; then reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer until the apples turn very soft.  Remove from the heat and let cool. 

Press the apples through a sieve, separating the pulp from the seeds, skins and other undesirables.  Measure the pulp, return it to the large pot and add a like measure of sugar (1:1).  Add the spices.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  When it starts to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to stir for two more minutes.  Then stir occasionally until the moisture is mostly evaporated and the butter can be rolled up on a spoon.  The color should have changed from a light blonde to a deep mahogany. 

Pour (spoon) into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Makes about 8 half-pints. 


Apple Syrup
Combine equal parts Apple Juice and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.  Let boil for 10 minutes.  Cool and store in the refrigerator.  Will keep for a month. 


Grape Juice
Grapes
Water

Remove stems from the grapes, but don't bother trying to remove the seeds.  Put them in a sauce pot capable of holding them with a few inches of headroom.  Add water to about 1/2 inch below the top of the grapes.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 15-20 minutes. 

Pour into a sieve over a bowl and let drain completely, 20 minutes.  Take that juice and filer through dampened cheese cloth if you want less incidental pulp.  Seal in a sterile jar and store in the refrigerator.  Should keep for about 3-4 days. 


Grape Turkish Delight
This was a ridiculous endeavour, but Turkish Delight is a childhood treat many of my friends have never tried, yet all remember from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  If you get a wild hair, give this one a whirl. 

4 cups Sugar
4 1/2 cups Grape Juice (in total)
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1 1/4 cups Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 cup Confectioners Sugar

Line a 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside for now.

Place the sugar, lemon juice, and 1 1/2 cups of the grape juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, and bring the mixture to a boil. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming, and insert a candy thermometer.

Continue to boil the sugar mixture, without stirring, until it reaches 240 degrees.  But when the sugar syrup is around 225 degrees, begin to get the rest of the candy ingredients prepared.  Place the remaining 3 cups of grape juice in another, larger, saucepan. Add the cornstarch and cream of tartar and whisk until the starch dissolves and there are no lumps (this is super important). Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring or whisking CONSTANTLY.  The mixture will thicken into a smooth paste.

Once the sugar syrup is at 240 degrees, remove it from the heat. Slowly, carefully, pour it into the cornstarch mixture, whisking until it is fully incorporated.  A friend to help with this part is good.  Gloves and an apron are better.  Friends, gloves and aprons all around is best!

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking it every 8-10 minutes, for about an hour, until the candy has turned a light golden-yellow color and is very thick and gluey.  Again, be careful.  The candy is very hot and very thick and it will pop as it slowly boils.  This will burn when it lands on your skin.  (Children's confections are not for the faint of heart!)

After an hour, remove from the heat and pour the candy into the prepared pan and allow it to set, uncovered, overnight.

The next day, remove the candy from the pan using the foil as handles. Dust your work station with the powdered sugar, and flip the candy onto the powdered sugar. Remove the foil from the back and dust the top with the sugar. Use an oiled chef’s knife to cut the Turkish Delight into small squares. Dust each side of the square with powdered sugar to prevent stickiness.

Turkish Delight is best soon after it is made. It doesn’t keep very well, but if you want to try keeping it, store it in an airtight container with waxed paper between the layers, and dust the sides with powdered sugar again before serving.


Lavender Green
This is a delightful cocktail my beloved created, named for the song Lavender Blue.  She remembers her grandmother singing it to her as a child. 

2 oz Dry Gin
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth
1 oz Grape Juice
1/2 oz Lavender Simple Syrup
2 dashes Vanilla Bitters

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist. 

Enjoy the beverage and listen to Burl Ives singing Lavender Blue.

Preservation

The change of seasons in Colorado.  The mornings have turned crisp and the leaves have just started to turn colors.  Coworkers everywhere are bringing a surplus of end of year zucchini and tomatoes to leave in the break room for some sucker to take home. 

So many tomatoes

So what to do with the last of the veggies as the growing season comes to a close?   Or what do you do if your passion for your garden has flagged and you still have veggies you don't want to get rid of?   Or if you want to be completely ready for the coming Apocalypse? 

Think preservation, baby.

All the cool kids have been doing it for years.  In fact, learning how to grow and preserve your own food is arguably THE transition from nomadic hunter-gatherers to the establishment of civilization.  Your grandmother (or great-grandmother, for you young whipper-snappers) likely spent many hours preparing, canning and freezing vegetables to ensure her family had food through the lean winter months. 

Preservation encompasses three primary methods: canning, freezing and drying.  I love all three and each have their uses, but today we're talking about canning.  Many think it's difficult, expensive, and time consuming.  No, no and yes.  To do it right, that is.  But it's worth it for the ability to experiment. 

Like cooking, canning encourages a development of flavors that you cannot achieve any other way.  Canning demands heat and allows for time--critical elements  for the full benefit of taste.  Cucumbers transform into dill pickles; strawberry-rhubarb jam blends into something greater than either strawberries or rhubarb.  Chutney doesn't become the magic condiment it is until it has rested for a few months inside a jar. 

"So," you say, "I want to get started with canning.  Where do I begin?"  Your local super market or hardware store is ideal.  Here's a basic shopping list:

Boiling Water Canner (AKA water bath canner, $5-$80, and cheap is fine here!);
Jar Lifter ($5)
Canning Funnel ($2)
Mason Jars ($12-$20) (Interesting note: Mason Jars were not invented by the fraternal organization, the Masons, but the most prolific producer of Mason Jars is the Ball Company, founded by the Ball brothers.  Who were Masons.)
2-part Screw-on Lids ($2-$5)
I also recommend a good starter book like the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.  Simple clear instructions and good and delicious recipes. 

The beauty of this list?  Everything but the lid inserts are reusable.  Year after year, and all you need to spend is about $2 for lid inserts.  Not bad.

When canning, think safety.  It's not difficult, but it does take time.  Make sure everything is clean and sterilized.  That means LOTS of hot water.  Anything that touches food must be boiled in water for 10 minutes or more, and make certain you keep your hands clean.  Wash often.  The last thing you want is a case of botulism ruining everyone's dinner.  (Another interesting note: the prescription cosmetic Botox® is made from a variant of the botulinum toxin.) 

OK.  I admit, the possibility of killing everyone who tastes your food adds a little thrill to what would normally be a boring dinner, but that's not why I cherrish canning.  I love it because once you have a little practice, you'll find culinary inspiration everywhere.  Spices and herbs, fruits and vegetables: all of these can be put into a jar and canned to be taken to new gastronomical heights. 

Tonight for dinner:

Carrots Caramelized in Fig and Ginger
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
8 large Carrots, peeled and cut into quarters (in half length-wise, then in half across)
2 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh Ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons Fig Preserves

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat for 60 seconds.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots, garlic and ginger; saute for 3-4 min until the garlic softens and turns aromatic. Add the white wine and bay leaf, cover the pan and simmer for 14-16 minutes. 

When the carrots have softened but still firm (you don't want them mushy!), remove the lid and turn up the heat.  Most of the wine should evaporate, leaving just a little liquid in the bottom of the skillet.  Remove the bay leaf and add the fig preserves.  Stir until the preserves dissolve into a syrup, then reduce the heat.  Keep stirring until the preserves thicken into a caramel-looking goo and all of the carrots are evenly glazed.

Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce
This is arguably my "signature" dish.  It is certainly my wife's favorite.  It takes time, but the results are incredibly worthwhile.
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Onion, chopped
4 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 quart Canned Tomatoes, chopped, liquid included
1/2 teaspoons Crushed Red Chili Flakes (to taste)
2 Anchovies
1 Carrot, peeled and chopped
1 Bell Pepper, seeded and large diced
1/4 cup dry White Wine
1/2 teaspoon Sugar (if needed)
3 tablespoons fresh Oregano, chopped
8-10 Button Mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Heat your oven to 250 degrees.  Combine the tomatoes, chili, carrots, garlic, onions, peppers and pour into a cookie sheet with walled sides.  Pour slowly or you'll make a heck of a mess. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Spread evenly on the pan and bake for two and half to three hours, stirring and turning over the mixture every 30 minutes. Repeat until the liquid no longer pools in the pan and the tomatos appear intense in color. 

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat and add the anchovies.  Stir and mash until the anchovies dissolve.  Add the oven roasted tomato sauce.  Mix well, and using a stick blender, break the sauce down. Stir in the oregano. Add the mushrooms and keep warm over lowest heat.  Serve over fresh pasta with a little cheese. 

Spiced Honey
1 cup Honey
2 quarter-inch slices of Lemon
1 stick Cinnamon
2 pods Green Cardamom
6-8 whole Cloves

In a saucepan, heat the all of the ingredients and boil for 2 minutes.  Pour all of the ingredients into a sterilized 1/2 pint jar.  Seal with a sterile 2 part lid and process in a water bath for 10 minutes.  Let the honey season for at least a week or two.