[shroomgirl]

today was preservation day at the kitchen......I'd bought cases of produce for parties last weekend and needed to make sure the remainder was stored well......it's always interesting putting up "fruffy shtuff" most pickling books either overcook or just have recipes that don't sound right to me.

So today I had apricots, made jam with vanilla bean, orange zest and sugar....cooked the apricot quarters for 30 minutes or so until thick then jarred. Anyone remember adding apricot seeds (shelled) to their jam? I'm usually a low sugar Sure Jell fan but didn't have any so winged it.....all the recipes I came across said to peel the apricots. didn't, and it seemed ok.

Rhubarb....again jam, with sugar, orange zest and candied ginger bits....turned out really well, will probably pull the 2 gallons of raw frozen out and turn them into jam tomorrow.

Tomatoes....1/2 cs of plum tomatoes. I halved them then baked on low for 2 hours.....put 1/2 in the freezer the other half I put rosemary twigs and hot olive oil over the top a bit of basalmic and stuck them in the fridge....not sure if they needed more acid for a longer fridge life....thoughts?

baby artichokes....man oh man, they are my weekness and such a pain. $48 a cs, $300 labor ....just kidding, but sure seemed that way. Anyway. I blanched them, froze 1/2 the batch then put lemon slices in the bottom of a jar and then the artichokes alittle salt then hot oil.....again I'm unsure if the 1/2 lemon will be enough to stablize the chokes. thoughts?

Beets...boiled, peeled then fragrant hot vinegar over a couple jars....two others I processed and have a feeling that the beets will be way over cooked.

Several other chefs in town are pickling....it's fun to see what everyone is doing. Josh at American Place pickled white asparagus, he's making mayhaw jelly today (I swear this 29 year old guy has the soul of a grandmother....a southern one at that.) He comes up with old world foraged produce that is rare even where it's found.
Andy White at Balabans is pickling cukes, cauliflower with turimeric, onions that are pink....saurkraut, peppers....he's pickling corn beef.....
Justine Keimon at Franco's is pickling beets and kholrabi....really good spice mix.

Some are mixing a higher percentage of water with viniager.....I usually go the other way. So, who out there is preserving? How are you going about it?

[thetincook]

Artichokes...Don't most commercial canned artichokes use a lot of vitamin C to keep the color?

What are you using for containers? Cambros or the big mason jars? I was thinking of trying out sousvide bags for canning.

I always figured the rule of thumb was 50/50 water to vin, but I use more vin with beets. Funny thing about beets, is that at work we just ended up marinating canned beets in the pickle liquid rather then starting from scratch.

This is just personal stuff, the job just buys kosher dills:

Kimchi...My second ever batch of kimchi is finishing aging a month ago. I used napa cabbage, chile piqun powder, ginger, garlic, kosher salt, rice flour, and a very little water. I goofed, and forgot to rinse the salt off the cabbage after purging, so its salty. I've been using it as a seasoning rather then a side dish.

Cherries...If I can get a good deal on cherries this year, I'm going to make "Cherrybim" cherries preserved in whiskey with sugar.

Onions...I'm also going to to make the pickled onions again from the Zuni Cafe cookbook. very good with sammichs.

Any idea's for malt vinegar? I've got a gallon and a half sitting around.

[lisacutri]

I picked up a great cucumber and carrot pickle recipe when i was in indonesia in Feb. they serve it before meals with beers! YUM YUM! works really well in the summer climate! Peel de-seed and slice the cucumbers and carrots to the same size, then sprinkle liberally with sugar and massage the sugar in till veg starts to bruise and relaese liquid.(give them a good squeeze!) add some very finely sliced red onion, then finish with 2 part water to 1 part vin and a good pinch of salt. That's it! I like to finely slice in some chilli as well. I find them best served cold from the fridge with a large glasss of icy cold beer! They keep for ages but are at they're best eaten when still crispy.

[shroomgirl]

Andy makes malt vinegar aioli to go with his onion rings and fish/chips....pretty yummy.

years ago I got a whole lot of mangos and made chutney....$5 for Major Greys was a whole lot when you whip through a small jar in one dinner.....mine was not close to the commercial verison. Ended up eating some and throwing alot away.

It was tough coming up with a crisp good flavored long pickle cuke. The Ball Jar 7 day pickle is pretty darn good.....fussy to continue messing with but good.

[thetincook]

Have you tried using pickling lime? I hear that makes a very crisp pickle,

[ldzpapa]

Artichoke color: Ascorbic acid, available at most homebrew stores, just vitamin c, and it is amazing, ok maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but I have been adding it to just about anything that loses color from spinach and asparagus soup, to herb oils to pickles. And speaking of pickles, I like to pickle just about anything that will stand up to the acid. Carrots, asparagus, ramps, Herring, cauliflower, you name it. I work with a lot of sous vide, and have found the quick pickle to work quite well, I like to throw a couple slices of red beet in the bag with my cauliflower for brilliant pink florets. Here in Mn. were still a little ways away from cukes, gonna try and make it through the whole winter this year with house made pickles on our charcuterie platter. Yum Yum Yum Summer is fun.

[shroomgirl]

last year I was the recipient of 300 pounds of tomatoes....300 pounds.....tomato season is in the hottest part of the summer.....freezer space is at a premium so tomato jam filled the need. tomatoes, sugar, cider vinegar and ginger. Cooked down for a long time....really good on fresh chevre. The goal is to finish last year's batch prior to this year's starting up.

Normally the only jams I make are frais du bois, black raspberry and if available red/golden raspberry. A jam has to be really good for me to expend the time/exspense and energy.....that's pretty much anything but especially canned goods....then liquors find their way in at the end of cooking.

Thought about preserving lemons.....anyone have luck with them?

I'm still working through last year's pesto/basil and oil......getting near the end though.

[thetincook]

Preserved lemons are pretty easy to make, its just a matter of letting them age long enough. One trick we ended up doing is to juice the lemons and cutting the halves in half. Then you precede as normal. This they are more compact. We also used some spices (bay leaf, black pepper, clove, corriender) and some sugar in the mix.

They really need to age at room temp, and they also need to be submerged or they will mold.

Meyer lemons are supposed to be the best lemon for preserving, but YMMV.

[greyeaglem]

This is the tomato jam recipe that's been in my family for more than 100 years. 7lbs tomatoes, peeled and put into a colander to drain. 7 lbs sugar, 3 lemons, 3 oranges, 2 T. chopped candied ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp ground cloves. Slice the lemons and oranges paper thin, rind and all, no seeds. After the tomatoes have drained for awhile, combine all ingredients and cook until thick. Remove cinnamon sticks. Put in sterilized jars while hot and seal with canning lids, or put in sterile container and refrigerate. You can reduce the sugar by a couple of cups and use gelatin or Sure gel to thicken it some. You can also make this using green tomatoes, but the sugar needs to be increased by 1 cup. Green tomato preserves will turn nearly black when cooked, which is normal.
In response to Shroom Girl's apricot jam, it would be better to leave the peels on like you did because there's pectin in the skin (same with peaches and most other fruits). I usually run the cooked pulp through a colander to remove the skins and then add the sugar and cook down like for apple butter. Somehow though, I had the impression that apricot seeds were poisonous. I know the pit from some kind of common fruit is. Anybody know what I'm trying to think of?

[Psycho Chef]

Those would be apple seeds you're thinking of, they contain an arsnic like compound.

[shroomgirl]

Apricot seeds have some medicinal qualities......and I remember hearring about apple seeds, as a kid we would just eat the whole apple core/seeds and all.

What about egg noodles.....how would you go about drying them?
I've picked up a couple dehydrators at Goodwill through the years.

[Joyfull]

Originally Posted by thetincook

Any idea's for malt vinegar? I've got a gallon and a half sitting around.

Make English style pickled onions with your malt vinegar!
My Mum and Grandmother made them every year. Very very good!
Malt vinegar is the only one for fish and chips too! Really, try it the next time you have some fries, you might be surprised..

You probably don't need a recipe, but here's one to peek at just in case..

English pub-style pickled onions | Learn How To Pickle | Pickle Recipe

[thetincook]

Why must you torture me with thoughts of fish and chips, Joyfull? I can't afford that plane ticket.

English style Pub Onions! That sounds wicked good. I think I might do it with either pearl onions or with rings (hope they stay crisp)

One place I worked at did a similar pickle but with pearl onions and wine vinegar. He'd slice them, toss with cornstarch, and fry them until they were crisp to use as a garnish.

In the mean time, I shall rummage up some chips and maybe a fish stick or two...

[Joyfull]

Originally Posted by thetincook

Why must you torture me with thoughts of fish and chips, Joyfull? I can't afford that plane ticket.

English style Pub Onions! That sounds wicked good. I think I might do it with either pearl onions or with rings (hope they stay crisp)

One place I worked at did a similar pickle but with pearl onions and wine vinegar. He'd slice them, toss with cornstarch, and fry them until they were crisp to use as a garnish.

In the mean time, I shall rummage up some chips and maybe a fish stick or two...

Ahh, fish sticks? No, no fish sticks! Oh my, you need to come visit us if you're lovin fish and chips! We'll take you to Cockney Kings for Halibut and chips and a lovely side of mushy peas instead.. Mmm, can't you just taste it??!!

[shroomgirl]

has anyone pickled watermelon rind?