Behind the Seals

The final installment of the stories behind the preserved items from the summer of 2010. Summer of 2011 will be here before we realize it!

Mixed-Berry Currant Jam was a late edition to the recipe roster and fun to make. I couldn't resist the array of currants at the farmer's market so I got some black currants and some white currants. Every recipe I had called for a significant amount more of currants that just wasn't feasible so I sought a way to mix other fruits. At the next farmer's market I bought 1 of every berry they had. I learned the difference between black raspberries and blackberries - but guess what, both of them are in this jam! All I need to say about this jam is that it is classy.

White Currants

Black Currants

Raspberries

Blackberries

Black Raspberries

Summer Solstice Preserves turned out better than anticipated and make one of the THE BEST peanut butter and jelly sandwiches around. It took a little time to pit the cherries but the blueberries required no prep so it came together fast. Cherries and blueberries happen to be my favorite fruits so I definitely kept a jar of this for myself.

Summer Solstice Preserves

Cherry-Berry Fruit spread was an experiment in using apple as the thickener. It was kind of the one I came to hate and wanted nothing to do with. It probably started when I decided to start making it at 8pm on a night I needed to be in bed at 10pm. It required apples to be peeled and cored and chopped and pounds upon pounds of cherries to be pitted. Once that was finally done it had to cook for 40 minutes before adding the rest of the fruit! Since apples contain natural pectin the spread is supposed to thicken as they cook down. This was taking way longer than anticipated and I great quite impatient and in hindsight, removed it from the stove before it was done. A fruit spread is made with less sugar than conventional jams, etc. and people who prefer things not too sweet really liked this one.

Cherry-Berry Fruit Spread

I blogged earlier in the season about making relish with the limited time red corn. Sadly, I missed my window; however, I will not miss the opportunity next year! This recipe is actually a "throw-back" to my Missouri heritage. It came from the Kitchen Klatter cookbook that my grandmother bought for her husband more than 30 years ago. Kitchen Klatter is a household name where I come from but haven't found a single person outside of Missouri who's familiar with the brand. http://crackediceandchrome.com/?p=1029 Here's someone else's blog about that cookbook. Since all of the books I own are currently packed away for the move I cannot reference the book as detailed as I'd like.

The first time I made corn relish using this recipe I was missing some ingredients so I made a couple substitutions. It came out great. The second time I made it I followed the recipe exactly with all the proper ingredients and found it didn't pack as much flavor.

Watch out for the red corn relish next summer!

Corn Relish

This is not my first time at the mustard rodeo, and it certainly won't be my last. Mustard is so incredibly easy to make and is the what makes me want to make all ready-made foods from scratch. It starts with mustard but before long I know I'll be making my own cheese.

Spicy German Mustard

It was interesting to pickle cherries this summer and I'll definitely do it again with a little bit of tweaking. The recipe said to keep the stems on, so I inferred that I should also keep the pits in. I regret doing this and in the next attempt I will carefully pit the cherries while trying to keep the stems attached. Their flavor is not expected, thanks to the cloves and allspice, and they make a great compliment alongside a smoky, grilled meat.

Pickled Cherries