Adventures in food preservation

Some of you know, others of you are not going to be surprised to learn, that I am one of a slightly contrary personality. Thus, I am prone to making decisions based on 'bucking the system' rather than any other reason. Some of the decisions have landed me in hot water....... Others have blessed me beyond comprehension. Those of you that know my hubby, know that marrying him turned out to be a decision falling in this second category. Another of these decisions was to run as fast as I could from that freakishly happy yellow smiling bouncy ball......

A couple of years ago I decided to start transitioning towards being two things: being much more self-reliant in feeding my family and to eat more seasonably/locally. After all, I reasoned, I'm a college educated idiot, errr I mean horticulturist, and I can grow anything. Right?!?! Hee hee hee.... I realized quickly, that the latter was not going to be possible without learning A LOT of the former!!! And so I set out to learn the art of food preservation.

And let's be clear about one thing; It is an art form. It is not for the faint of heart. I have not had anything spoil or make anybody sick, but I have made a couple of things that, as my mother would say "Taste like butt"!! I have also made a very impressive disaster of my kitchen on a fairly regular basis, as I am not an organized nor a neat cook by nature.

My food drying experiences have not been...welll..um....they just haven't been good experiences. Someday I'll revisit that. But not in the near future, as my ego just can't take that.

However, canning did come to me fairly easily and I LOVE IT!!!! Although to be honest I come from 'Mormon stock' (as someone once put it) and spent many a hot summer and fall day with my depression-era British grandmother, canning everything she saw fit to consume. On that same note, though, I should tell you that like every bratty (insert ungrateful) child, I did NOT pay attention..... Thus my canning 'adventures' as a grown-up!!!

This year, as the season progresses I will post some of my favorite and/or new recipes for you to contemplate. I have also decided, I think, that this will be my last year using store-bought pectin. I believe that making your own jams and stuff, using this pectin, is better than buying commercial. However, through some research I think I've decided to go the agar route in the future. If any of you out there have tried this and have tips that you'd be willing to share I would be an incredibly thankful Manic Girlie Farmer! Thanks in advance!!!!

Your favorite farmer,
jenn

Raspberry Jalapeno Jam

It's berry season. I LOVE berry season!!!! Ok, so strawberry season is over, but Raspberries, Blackberries and Huckleberries, etc. are all in season. Berry season in my house means one thing: JAM. And boy, do we go through a lot. I have a 13 year old son who eats a PB&J sandwich (along with everything else he can get his hands on) every single day!! It's my mom's fault, I'm sure of it. She hooked him on freezer jam when he was 7 or 8 and he's eaten a sandwich a day since then.

This year I decided to make a couple of new jams, along with my old stand-bys..... I don't really care for spicy food, but the following recipe caught me by surprise. It's wonderful!!!

4 3/4 C. crushed Red Raspberries
1/4 C. finely chopped deribbed, seeded, jalapeno peppers
1 T. lemon juice
1 pkg. regular powdered fruit pectin
7 C. granulated sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. unsalted butter (optional)

*Combine raspberries, peppers and lemon juice in stockpot.
*Combine pectin and 1/4 C. sugar is separate bowl, stir into berry/pepper mixture, add butter.
*Stirring constantly, bring to boil, add remaining sugar, return to full rolling boil & boil for 1 continuous minute.
*Remove from heat, skim foam, let set for 5 minutes.
*Pour into hot jars with 1/4" head space. Remove air bubbles, wipe rim & threads clean. Put on lids and bands.
*Put jars in water bath canner, cover with at least 1" water, process at gentle boil: 4-8 oz jars for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes. Adjust for altitude if needed.
*Cool jars on wire rack or cloth towel for 24 hours, check seals, identify & store.

Viola! Wonderfully sweet and spicy jam. I have made this recipe exactly like this and the flavor is excellent with very little heat. I have also made this recipe, seeding the peppers but careful to leave as much ribbing as possible. This results in a MUCH spicier jam, good for giving to hot-headed friends for Christmas... As always, remember to wear protective gloves while preparing your peppers. or OUCH!!

I have also made this recipe by substituting blackberries for the raspberries and cutting the sugar slightly. If you like blackberries, it is wonderful!!

ENJOY!!!!

What's all the buzz about?

It's everywhere. Fliers on my rig, billboards, e-mails, facebook postings; I mean it's EVERYWHERE. And, in my opinion, for good reason. I am totally on board with this concept. Actually, I think I was raised to be on-board with this concept. Except that my poor dad had no idea this was a 'concept'; it's just the way things are done.

That sums up my take on the eat local movement. DUH..... it's just the way it's done -- or should be done. The frustrating thing about this movement is that many people have always eaten/shopped this way. Those who stuck by the 'old ways' haven't gotten credit for it either. So, I'm giving them their due now. My grandmother always told me that she thought there was something odd about eating things like fresh grapes in the dead of winter. As a child I thought she was just cheap. But as a teenager this mantra snuck in & took hold. For there is something creepy about the American NEED to be able to eat whatever, whenever.... just 'cause.

So, as promised, in this post I'll give you a few places to check out. And of course, as you've all gotten to know, I'll include my ever-prolific opinions along the way....

The first site I'll start with is new to me. I got the referral from a county extension agent in Canyon County, Ariel Agenbroad. The site is called http://www.locavorenetwork.com/ and it is pretty cool. They have a lot of informational pages. They even have a "15 Step Guide to Becoming a Locavore". Brilliant!! i may just distribute that one. Lots of information that's presented in a non-pretentious way. The only bummer is that it is not a local site. It's also a pretty young site. Their building a great network and eventually it will be phenomenal.

The second site you might check out is http://www.thinkboisefirst.org/ This is a great organization for those of you who live IN Boise. They're very pro-active, out-going and lovable people. They are organized and efficient in their outreach. I really like this group. My only grievance with this site is that they are VERY limited in their range. The focus of this group is heavy on the shopper side, light on the eater side. They limit their functions and business members to those in Boise. Fantastic concept, but it's pretty hard to get Boise raised beef or poultry because technically it's illegal to have them in city limits. And those that do manage to keep their livestock in town barely have enough to feed their family... Catch my drift?

Next check out http://www.localharvest.org/ This is a fantastic site for farm hook-ups! You can search for public markets, CSA's, farms, etc. There are newsletters that will let you know what is happening in your area too; new farms, events, etc. You can search for specific products or just for farms in a radius from your home/work. Again, my only bummer is that it is not a local site. But this is my favorite national site, by far. You can even rate the farm you buy from or visited. And trust me, farmers love to have their ego's stroked by eaters!!! You can find my farm here: http://www.localharvest.org/farms/M20379

http://www.idahopreferred.com/ is a site run by our own Idaho Department of Agriculture. I like the people in this office. Their hearts and intentions are the purest! The site will help you find what's in season now and where you can most-likely get it. There are great recipes to help you with your garden over-load, too. I do wish that the Dept. of Ag kept it a little more updated, but they're under a budget crunch too.... so, I'm 'being happy with what I can get'!

Finally, my favorite site is http://www.ruralroots.org/ Rural Roots is a fantastic organization based in Moscow, ID. They really do a superb job of connecting eaters to producers, but also in connecting producers with producers. They support small-farm ag in a way and on a level that no one else does. They're always available for referrals and questions. They organize fantastic workshops and put out really great written materials. They even help us little guys keep an eye on the government and they're ever-wayward ideas. This is just a really lovely organization. Their outreach is great. THEY'RE JUST STINKIN' AWESOME!!!! My farmer friend, Mary, turned me on to them and I owe her for that. My only wish would be that they have a searchable internet database for eaters to find us, but I think I heard a rumor that that is coming... I'll let you know when I know more!

BUY LOCAL IT'S MILES FRESHER!!!