Jalapeño Jelly.

With all of my previous batches, I have avoided adding pectin to gel the preserves. While I like to think it is in an effort to keep my ingredients lists as short as possible, the honest truth is, recipes that call for citrus rind instead seem more natural. To be clear, there is nothing wrong with pectin. After all, it is most often extracted from dried citrus peels or apple pomace left over from juice production. Using what would otherwise be considered waste is never a bad thing. This has been my rule for choosing recipes. Until now.

I was drawn to this recipe because it calls for jalapeños - and only jalapeños. Seeds and all. The other "jalapeño" jelly recipes that I came across called for just as much, if not more, bell pepper. I went on adventure to the farmer's market on Airline the other day with my friend Erika, waiting for something to call out to me to be transformed into a tasty jelly. I wandered around mostly in awe of everything going on around me when, finally, I found the most beautiful jalapeños in whole world. Jalapeño jelly came to mind instantly. They are certainly too beautiful and scarred up to be cut down with bell pepper. There was no way I can pass this recipe up - it is going to be fiery.

Jalapeño Jelly:

12- 14 jalapeños.

6 cups sugar.

2 cups cider vinegar, divided.

2 pouches liquid pectin.

Chop up all of the jalapeños and place them in a blender with one cup vinegar and liquify. CAUTION: The oils in peppers can cause burns. Do not touch your eyes or other sensitive areas after handling. Combine the purée with the remaining vinegar and sugar in a dutch oven.

Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Boil for ten minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.

Stir in two pouches of liquid pectin. Return to heat and bring to a hard boil for one minutes more. Remove from heat.

Ladle directly into hot, sterilized jars. Leave a quarter inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and be sure to wipe the rims clean. Lid directly and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Makes about 4 pints.

I was right - I did not try very much, just touching my tongue to the spoon, and my mouth was on fire - I thought for sure I was going to have heartburn instantly. It was so hot and good I had to try more. Later, I tried more with some cream cheese on a fresh jalapeño bagel from Hot Bagel Shop. Pure bliss.

I love making new favorite things.

Pear-athon: Pear Preserves.

A couple days ago I got an email from a friend expressing his interest in learning how to make preserves, and as an incentive he offered to share a large box of pears, which he had collected from his parent's house. I was happy for the opportunity to share my new found passion with a friend for the first time, so I invited him over.

He showed up with a beer box near full to the top with beautiful, fresh green pears. They were beautiful in all their irregularities. They were firm, smelled tart and earthy, and seemed perfect for preserving. Now I have to admit, I do not recall ever having had pear preserves before, but as pears are one of my favorite fruits, we could not possibly go wrong.

Pear Preserves:

6-8 medium pears.

2 1/2 cups water.

3 cups sugar.

1 lemon.

Start by washing and peeling the pears - be careful, they get pretty slippery. Now, quarter and core them. Place them in a large bowl and set aside. As thinly as possible slice a lemon into rounds and remove any seeds; set aside.

Next, pour all of the water and half of the sugar into a dutch oven. Stir to mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. After two minutes, add the pear chunks and return to a boil. Be sure to stir often, it can stick fast. After about 15-20 minutes, add the remaining sugar and the lemon slices. The pears should just be softening at this point. As the pears softened I slowly began to chop them using my handy bamboo stirring spatula.

Return the mixture to boil, this time over medium-high heat. Cook rapidly, stirring often, for another 25 minutes or so. The pears should be soft and fairly translucent and the liquid syrupy. Remove from heat.

If it does not start to gel, you can return the batch to the stove for a hard re-boil. It should only take a few minutes more. This is not ideal but you can thicken your preserves this way.

Ladle directly into hot, sterilized jars, leaving a quarter inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles that might have formed and wipe the rims clean. Lid directly and process in a boiling water bath for ten minutes.

Over a two evening run we made about eight batches, filling about 24 eight ounces and 20 four ounce jars. It was quite the marathon.

We ended up with a substantial amount of variation. The first batch was the most like the preserves I had made previously - soft fruit chunks in a substantial gel. One batch we near completely neglected right at the end - the sugar caramelized into a deep brown gel with a very distinct flavor. The last batch, we went for a double and it never seemed to reduce correctly, ending more like a fruit-in-syrup than preserves. Overall the flavor was sweet and tart and I was reminded of sour apple flavored candies from when I was young, albeit more natural tasting.

These two nights were the busiest and most tiring trials in home preserving I have experienced so far, and I tell you what, I slept like a baby afterwards.

Creamy Cucumber Salad.

I am a big fan of creamy salads, pickled foods, and dill. So, with two pounds of nice hothouse cucumbers looking for something to turn into and some fresh homemade yogurt, I worked up a wonderful, cool summer salad.

Cucumber Salad:

4 hothouse cucumbers.

2 small red onions.

4 cups plain yogurt (I used mine).

1 cup sour cream.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1/2 cup fresh dill.

freshly ground black pepper.

kosher salt.

Thinly slice the cucumbers into rounds and the red onions into half rounds - I used a mandolin. In a bowl, mix the cucumber and red onion slices with 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt. Dump the mixture into a colander and suspend it over the bowl. The salt pulls out some moisture and starts pickling the vegetables.

Pour the yogurt into a cheesecloth lined sieve and suspend over a bowl - this thickens the yogurt by removing some of the liquid.

Cover both and put them in the fridge overnight. Discard any liquid that forms in the bowls.

When the cucumbers and onions are ready, roll them into a clean kitchen towel and press to remove any remaining liquid. Place them in a large bowl and add the yogurt, sour cream, vinegar, and minced dill. Toss together and refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavors mingle. Serve chilled and add salt and pepper to taste.

The resulting salad is a crisp and tangy treat, perfect for a hot summer day. So, make it and enjoy because it is hot out there.

That is all.

jon.

I got big plans. Big.

Jars and jars.

After last weekends trip to the farm and the reminder of just how much I love jarred goods, I began thinking about making my own pickles and preserves. I started researching how-tos and materials and there are so many great resources out there. Even the USDA pitched in:

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

Then, I glanced through my older cookbooks and found that I already had plenty of recipes I could try. Well, I really sold myself the idea, so yesterday I bought some jars, and a lot of white vinegar, and pickling salts, etc.

Saturday, I plan to wake up early and head out to the farm to get the best selection and maybe just rely on that to dictate what I end up making.

I am thinking/hoping:

Dill Pickles (of course).

Spicy Pickled Okra.

Pickled Eggs with Beets (Yes, eggs).

Strawberry Preserves.

...or Raspberry.

Peach Something.

I know what you are thinking, "What are you going to do with all that stuff?" Well I intend to start small, keeping some for myself of course, but I think I could sell some to friends and family - and maybe people I do not know yet...

Go cottage industry! That is all.

jon.

Froberg Vegetable Farm.

It was such a beautiful day, I wanted to get out and do something fun.

I have fond memories of traveling out into the country for fresh watermelon and strawberries when I was young. One farm my mom took me to was Froberg Farm in Alvin.

I did not consider how busy it would be the day before the fourth. Unfortunately for me, they were all out of strawberries - they said it had been a busy morning and they sold out fast. It made me miss the days of pick-your-own berries.

They did have quart cups of tasty sweet cherries, but cherries are not berries, so I did not get any.

Various freshness:

Hot Tomato Peppers

Hot Banana Peppers

Hot Serrano Peppers.

(I love peppers.)

Freshly Harvested Corn.

Just Picked Tomatoes.

When I was really young I was surrounded by freshly jarred fruits and vegetables. Lately, I have found myself strongly attracted to small batch and home jarred goods.

Froberg's offers their own line of preserves and jellies, salsas, and pickled cucumber and beets. They looked amazing and were very reasonably priced, so I picked up strawberry and fig preserves and a huge jar of pickles. The ingredients of the fig preserves include only figs, sugar, and water and I dug in as soon as I got home - all I can say is Amazing!

Jars and jars.

Froberg's also offers local farm raised meats.

Pecan Smoked Pork Sausage "Sandwich."

From the Alvin Convention and Visitors Bureau website:

"Froberg family farm is run by the third generation of Froberg farmer and his wife. In the late 1930's, Fred and Katie Froberg bought the property where the current store sits. Froberg's Farm started as a small strawberry farm where people were allowed to pick their own berries. Now the farm raises not only strawberries, but also blackberries, satsuma oranges, persimmons, figs, and all kinds of vegetable, all are picked fresh everyday. Tours are available by request during May and November, Monday through Friday. The farm is located on Country Road 190. For more information call 281-585-3531."

Map:

View Larger Map

You should check it out. That is all.

jon.