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Backyardnotes

~ All things botanical in photos and words—in my West Seattle garden and elsewhere; seeing and creating art and assorted musings.

Backyardnotes

Category Archives: Jellies & Preserves

A GIFT OF WINTER APPLES

06 Friday Feb 2015

Posted by backyardnotes in Canning & Preserving, Cooking & Eating, Jellies & Preserves

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Apple Chutney, Apple-cranberry, Apple-Cranberry Jelly, Apple-Cranberry sauce, apples, Applesauce, canning, cranberries, Winter Banana Apples

Winter Banana apples

Winter Banana apples

MY MOTHER’S NEIGHBORS HAVE AN ORCHARD in Sequim, Washington. Apples, plums, pears. 2013 yielded a bounty of Shiro plums and lots of plum jelly and plum butter. In 2014 they picked a bumper crop of apples and I was a lucky recipient of Golden Delicious and Winter Banana apples, a variety new to me. I brought home my first five or so, pounds at the end of October and I still had few pounds of our homegrown Spartan apples (after making Kevin West’s Apple Jam with Honey and dates—my addition, from Saving the Season—and Apple Chutney). I combined the remaining bounty of apples with some beautiful Oregon cranberries, for Cranberry-Apple Jelly.

Apple-cranberry pulp draining for juice

Straining Apple-cranberry pulp for juice

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I washed and quartered (no peeling or coring needed) five pounds of apples and placed them in a large pot with 12 ounces of cranberries, three clementines, 2 cups white wine (rosé will work nicely here), four cups of water, three, three inch cinnamon stick, three bay leaves and one tablespoon of black peppercorns (in a spice bag). Bring to a boil, partially cover and simmer 45 minutes or so until the apples are very soft and falling apart. Remove the spices and bay leaves and transfer to a fine sieve/strainer lined with cheesecloth or a chinois (pictured above) and allow to drain up to 8 hours; do not push on the solids or you will have cloudy juice. This yielded seven cups of juice and three half-pints of jelly—the big drawback to making jelly—a small yield for the effort expended, but it tastes great!

I liked the jelly so much that I asked my mom if her neighbors had more apples. Yes, they did!  How about twenty pounds of Winter Bananas? Please take them! Half of them went into a small fridge and the rest sat in their box in the garage. In early December I made a second batch of apple-cranberry jelly. Ten pounds of winter Banana apples, three pounds of Oregon cranberries, two large pots and two cups of water; this time I ended up with four and a half quarts of juice so I made two batches of jelly. One batch was straight forward and the second included the addition of port and star anise. Yield: 8 half-pints of jelly.

Ten pounds of apples and three pounds of cranberries yielded a fair amount of apple-cranberry pulp that tasted too good to toss out. I put the pulp through the trusty old Foley food mill and I had instant apple-cranberry sauce. These apples were so sweet that even with tart cranberries, no sugar was needed (to suit our taste). For each four cups of pulp, I added back three cups of juice and two tablespoons of lemon juice. I canned 10 pints of it. It is delicious stirred into thick yogurt. Mom’s neighbors received jelly and applesauce and family received apple-cranberry jelly at Christmas.

Apple-Cranberry jelly

Apple-Cranberry jelly

Apple-Cranberry jelly and cran-applesauce

Apple-Cranberry jelly and cran-applesauce

10+ pounds of apples

10+ pounds of apples

January rolled around and we getting ready to take off for the desert. There were still lots of apples in the box and mini-fridge that kept staring at me every time I walked into the garage. I couldn’t bear to toss them so I broke down and made applesauce–16 pints of it to be exact. The apples were still pretty firm, only a few soft or unusable. And by sitting around for a few months, the sugar had concentrated and they were very sweet. This batch of applesauce did not need the addition of sugar either.

Vanilla bean flecked applesauce

Vanilla bean flecked applesauce

Applesaucejars_2

Hmmm…only two of us in the household and a lot of applesauce. Naturally, mom’s neighbors got more applesauce. Mom took a few pints. My neighbors with a baby/toddler received their share too. And two neighboring households. And my two sisters. And there is still plenty to get us through until next fall. I won’t even think about canning until asparagus season begins sometime in April and May here.

 

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A LITTLE PEAR TREE YIELDS BIG

25 Friday Oct 2013

Posted by backyardnotes in Canning & Preserving, Growing, Harvest, Jellies & Preserves

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Bartlett pears, canning, comice pears, Dessert, Pear preserves, Pear Semifreddo, pears, preserving, Rescue pears, vanilla bean

Our espaliered pear tree

Our espaliered pear tree

WE PLANTED THIS PEAR TREE in 1996 or 1997. It has three varieties grafted on dwarf root stock. The tree is supported against a split rail fence, 32 inches tall and 8 feet wide. The varieties are Comice, Rescue and Bartlett. By the fourth year it began producing a reliable crop of pears and this year I harvested a whopping 72 pounds!!!

A cluster of Rescue pears

A cluster of Rescue pears

Some of the branches we so heavy with fruit we had to brace them to keep from breaking under the weight. The groundskeeper thinned the tree twice after fruit was set and the tree still produced a bumper crop.

Bartletts

Bartletts

I started picking the Bartlett’s in early September; a little earlier than usual, but then we had a much warmer than normal summer. Each time I picked pears I weighed the harvest. The last bunch (Comice) were picked last week.

So far, I have processed 6 half-pints of Pear-Thyme Conserve (Well Preserved); 4 half-pints Pear-Ginger Preserves; 6 pints Pears Poached in Wine; 7 pints plain canned pear quarters; 4 half-pints Pear Preserves with dried cherries. I gave pears to friend, neighbors and relatives. Yesterday I put up 5 1/2 half-pints of Pear Preserves with Vanilla and Thyme.

I started with six pounds of pears. I peeled, cored and diced the pears, then layered them in a large saucepan with 17 ounces (2 1/3 cups) sugar, 4 large sprigs of thyme and one six inch vanilla bean cut into four pieces.

Peeled and ready to process

Peeled and ready to process

Sugar, thyme sprigs and vanilla bean

Sugar, thyme sprigs and vanilla bean

Layer one; diced pears, thyme, vanilla, and sugar

Layer one; diced pears, thyme, vanilla, and sugar

Why do I always start with a pan that is too small?

The right sized pot!

The right sized pot!

I let the pears and sugar macerate for six hours to draw out the juices. I brought the fruit and its juice to a gentle boil over medium high heat for five minutes then reduced to a simmer (barely bubbling) and continued cooking for about 4 hours until the pears were soft, translucent and thickened.

Pears after about 2 hours.

Pears after about 2 hours.

After two hours, remove all of the thyme sprigs. Continue cooking until the pears look like this:

After 4 hours–the once full pot is now a quarter full!

After 4 hours–the once full pot is now a quarter full!

At this point when the pears are thickened, taste for sweetness. I found them too sweet for my liking so added 1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice. I removed the vanilla bean pieces and used an immersion blender to slightly puree a small portion to add thickness/texture. If all is to your liking at this point, bring to a boil, turn off heat (Optional add: 1 1/2 tablespoons cognac once heat is turned off) and fill prepared jars; seal and process 10 minutes. Additional Note: Once the pears were substantially reduced and thickened, I removed the pears from the heat and let stand overnight and checked the set next day. The big yield for 6 pounds of pears: 5 1/2 half-pints.

The finished preserves

The finished preserves, flecked with thyme leaves and vanilla bean seeds, were perfect on my morning toast.

I still have about twelve+ pounds left in the refrigerator. At this point they are mostly Rescue and Comice. Still to come is a standout dessert from an October 1998 issue of Gourmet magazine: Pear, Muscat, and Almond Semifreddo; a recipe by Paul Bertolli. Layers of sliced, poached pears, vanilla pastry cream, crushed amaretti cookies and spongecake moistened with the syrup used to poach the pears. Unbelievably delicious. Unfortunately, I cannot locate the recipe online for a link and it is too long to copy here.

Pear, Muscat, and Almond Semifreddo (photo scanned from Gourmet mag)

Pear, Muscat, and Almond Semifreddo (photo scanned from Gourmet mag)

What will next year bring? I have a feeling the tree may have to rest next year and the harvest will be smaller.

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WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH 20 POUNDS OF APRICOTS?

23 Thursday Aug 2012

Posted by backyardnotes in Canning & Preserving, Cooking & Eating, Jellies & Preserves

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apricot chutney, Apricot Jam, Apricot Lavender Jam, Apricots, BBQ sauce, Blueberry Balsamic Jam, Cherry Plum Preserves, cherry plums, lavender

AS WE LEFT WINTHROP ON THE LAST DAY OF THE BIG TRIP, I HAD TO STOP AT THE FRUIT STAND. I bought a twenty pound box of apricots and eight pounds of Rainier cherries. Hmmmmm…twenty pounds, really? What was I thinking?. Seven weeks of missed canning opportunities, perhaps? Thinking was definitely in order now.

Making up for lost time, I went into overdrive. Two days later I had put up 9 half-pints of Apricot Amaretto Jam (Well Preserved, Eugenia Bone);7 half-pints of Apricot Jam w/Lavender & Vanilla; 10, 11 oz. bags of halved apricots into the freezer;

5 pints of Apricot-Mango BBQ sauce. I started to make chutney but the apricots did not hold their shape well enough, so out came the immersion blender and the addition of bourbon and voila–BBQ sauce! 5 half-pints of Rainier Cherry preserves; 4, 8 oz. bags of pitted cherries into the freezer;

Big, beautiful, local blueberries were a good deal the day after we returned so I couldn’t resist them either. 6 half-pints blueberry jam; 4 half-pints of Blueberry-Balsamic w/star anise jam.

On Monday last week I went up to my daughter’s place in Snohomish and picked 17 pounds of Cherry Plums.

7 pounds went to Cherry Plum Preserves ( 11 half-pints). The remaining 9 pounds produced about 10 cups of juice which became two types of jelly: Gingered Cherry Plum Jelly (8 half-pints) and the same base with the addition of red Fresno chiles (9 half-pints). Think I’m done with canning for a week or so — the garden is calling!

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JAM SEASON 2012 NOW UNDERWAY!

07 Monday May 2012

Posted by backyardnotes in Canning & Preserving, Jams, Jellies & Preserves

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canning pot, jam, lavendar, mangoes, Pickled asparagus, pike place market, rhubarb, rhubarb jam

THE LAST WEEK OF APRIL I BOUGHT FIVE POUNDS OF RHUBARB in the Skagit Valley after an afternoon of tulip viewing with my mother and sister. I have never been a big fan of rhubarb and since the groundskeeper does like it, I gave it another try. I did a little searching around and found this recipe for Lavender Rhubarb Jam at Hungry Tigress. This jam is delicious! On Friday I made mango jam (inspired by Mrs. Wheelbarrow) with lime juice, a couple of large mandarins and a minced Fresno chile. Mangoes are cheap and plentiful this last week–88¢-$1.00 apiece!

On Saturday I went to a restaurant supply armed with a quart jar and bought a new, 16qt. stock (Crestware) pot to replace my old enameled canner.

It will comfortably accommodate six quart jars (pints sterilizing in the photo) and tall enough to cover the jars with two inches of water. I also bought a rack that fits perfectly on the bottom.

And then, I proceeded to pickle asparagus purchased at the Pike Place Market earlier in the day. It will take just a bit of getting used to since it is heavier and takes longer to come to a boil with a load full of jars. Happy with the new canner.

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THE TOMATO STATUS REPORT

16 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by backyardnotes in Canning & Preserving, Harvest, Jellies & Preserves, Peppers, Tomatoes, Vegetable garden

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banana peppers, brussels sprouts, canning, canning rack, delicata squash, Italian plums, Japanese eggplant, mangoes, mustard greens, pears, pink icicle tomatoes, red plastic mulch, tomatoes

AS YOU SEE, THERE ARE PLENTY OF TOMATOES. Mostly green yet. I’m not convinced that the red plastic mulch is a big improvement to aid ripening. Seems normal to me, even taking our meager summer weather into consideration. I think Ill skip the red plastic next year. We have had our share or ripe ones to eat, so not a big complaint.

Yellow flame tomatotes

Always a few crazily shaped ones.

Pink Icicle. I may save seed from this one.

THE REST OF THE VEGETABLE GARDEN is humming along.

Delicata Squash

Anaheim peppers

Japanese eggplant

Banana peppers

I planted a section of mixed mustard greens to use up old seeds: Osaka Purple, Gold & Ruby Streaks, Mizuna, and Ho Mi Z. Makes for a zesty salad mix when young and it looks pretty too.

Brussels sprouts are forming nicely and should be ready for Thanksgiving dinner!

THIS WEEK’S CANNING REPORT

Gingered Pear Preserves with a splash of cognac made on Wednesday are the first of the pear larder. They are a mix of Bartletts and Rescue. A little over four pounds yielded seven half-pints.

Daughter #2 has an Italian Plum tree and we picked about 4.4 pounds on Tuesday.

I kept out one pound for eating, split and pitted the remaining plums, and slipped them into freezer bags for later use. Straight out of the freezer and onto cake batter for plum cake. An easy and tasty winter treat.

Today another two pounds of pears teamed up two large mangoes for Pear-Mango Preserves. This one is my own combination. A little sweet and a little tart from the lime juice.

Pear-Mango Preserves Yield about 6-7 half-pints

2 large mangoes cubed to make 3-4 cups

2 lbs. pears, cubed (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

3 c./ 1.5 lbs sugar

8 oz. apple or pear cider (regular, sparkling or hard)

One 4″ cinnamon stick

about 8 basil leaves bundled and tied.

Combine pears, mangoes, lime juice, cider and half the sugar in a large saucepan. Bring to boil, add cinnamon stick and basil. Reduce heat to medium and cook 15 minutes. Add remaining sugar and cook over med-low until thickened. Turn off heat and let stand one hour.

Sterilize jars and heat lids. Check thickness of preserves. If too thick add a bit more cider or water; remove cinnamon stick and basil and reheat. Fill jars and process 10 minutes full rolling boil. Remove canner lid and let jars stand 5 minutes before removing.

ONE LAST thing. I hate the canning rack that comes with the big enameled canners. They are awkward to handle with jars. There are many jars that don’t fit the racks. I have a 12″ diameter cooling rack that fits perfectly and any size or shape jar sits flat without tipping. Additionally, if I flip the rack upside down, I can squeak the quart jars into the canner. I saw this post on Northwest Edible Life and thought it a quite ingenious solution.

Today at Outdoor Emporium I saw a really sweet aluminum stock pot with a nice rack; it would easily accommodate quart jars and was $32.00. It was very  much like this one. It is tempting as my old enamel canner is starting to rust after 35+ years.

Enough canning and harvesting for a while, I hear Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons calling…

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