Critic-Turned-Cook Steels Herself for Canning Season with Canning Across America
Critic Turned Cook follows former Seattle Post-Intelligencer food critic Leslie Kelly on her journey away from the keyboard and into the kitchen. Take it away, Leslie!
If there's a silver lining in losing my dream job as a newspaper restaurant critic, it's that taking the Grand Canyon-size leap from the keyboard to the professional kitchen has made me a better home cook and caused me reconnect with my collection of cookbooks. (Like everyone else who swooned over Julie & Julia, I cracked open my dusty copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking as soon as I got home from the movie. Admittedly, I'm still working up the nerve to try the duck.)
But even though I get a lot of joy out of cooking, one thing still scares me silly: canning. Yes, I tried to learn the basics from my grandmother, but my peaches were dark and soggy and my dill pickles fizzed when I opened them. My results were like a science experiments gone wrong.
However, I'm going to get back in the game again and here's why: I recently got swept up in a "Canvolution," a grass roots movement to encourage the return of this old-fashioned form of putting up foods. A group of food writers and food lovers in Seattle converged and are pushing forward a preserving and pickling agenda boldly called Canning Across America. The kickoff event is this weekend, with demos at farmers markets, classes at community centers and home parties, from coast-to-coast. Check out their website for events—you can also add your own.
I'm hosting a small can-o-rama in my kitchen, but only because I've talked my brainiac buddy Laura (who's this close to getting her PhD in biology) into being our team leader. She's a veteran canner who's going to walk me and some other neophytes through cold packs and hot packs with peaches, jam and pickled green beans.
Of course, this process is nothing new for many dedicated home cooks and a growing number of chefs, too. In Seattle, Jerry Traunfeld (from the lovely Poppy) puts up produce from his pea patch and Renee Erickson from Boat Street Cafe has been crowned the canning queen for capturing the flavors of summer in jars. I'm awful fond of her spicy pickled prunes.
What about you? Are you a serious canner, or is it too much of a hassle?
About the author: Leslie Kelly is the former restaurant critic for the defunct Seattle Post-Intelligencer. She's been cooking around the city and chronicling her journey from pen to pan for Serious Eats. She also blogs at LeslieKellyWhiningandDining.blogspot.com.
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15 Comments:
How brave of you to do this! I haven't canned in over 25 years. The last batch of stewed tomatoes I put up had one bad jar in the lot. I did do some pickled carrots for a bridal shower about 15 years ago, but it was only one or two jars. Since then, nothing. I am always afraid I am going to have something that fizzes or belches when I open it. Or worse, smells really spoiled.
My excuse is that I don't have a big enough kitchen. Also, I don't have the requisite equipment, like the water bath steamer, jars, etc.
Good luck with your project this weekend.
queenbleu at 3:38PM on 08/27/09
Just wait until you have that "taste of summer" in a jar this winter. You'll be glad you invested the time and trouble.
I've been canning for years now, mostly tomatoes, tomato sauce, salsa, bread & butter pickles, chow chow and sometimes dill pickles.
Rarely have I had anything go wrong.
What scares me is pressure canning. I screwed up my courage this summer tried it with green beans and stewed tomatoes and okra. They have exploded on me yet, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Good luck and have fun!
Babzee at 4:11PM on 08/27/09
I love canning. So far this year, I've canned ginger peach nectarine jam, pickled okra, cherries in red wine, Black Catsup, salsa, a few pints of tomatoes, and succotash. I need to do more tomatoes and salsa. I've pretty much given up on the water bath canner and am pressure canning everything. It takes a lot less energy for the same results.
I'm concerned about the photo accompanying this article. That doesn't look like a pressure canner and to do water bath canning properly, the jars should be covered by a couple of inches of boiling water.
Knitter at 4:17PM on 08/27/09
I haven't canned for several years. I used to have a large enough garden to can tomatoes, but have since downsized and don't get enough tomatoes at one time to can. I have been thinking about getting a case (or however they come) at the farmer's market to do that, since we use tomatoes and tomato sauce so frequently. The other problem I have storage room. Haven't figured that one out yet.
pianolady3 at 4:17PM on 08/27/09
I can a lot from my garden & blackberry patch. The hassle is worth it;
-Better taste, fresh
-Organic
I highly recomend a hand crank food mill like the one sold by "Back to basics", find them on Amazon. Using these you do not have to blanch & peel tomatoes; it separates the pulp & sends skins & seeds to a waste hopper. It also separates seeds from berries when you make jams.
Last weekend I made 16 pints off spagetti sauce by myself in 2 hours.
My secret? I add some tomato paste rather than simmering for hours & boiling away half my crop. I have gone the purist route before but it tastes the same & uses a ton more energy.
tinytim at 5:16PM on 08/27/09
HMMMM....my mom used to make pickles all the time and the last couple of years the jars we opened a little early fizzed also! but they were the best pickles ever!!!!!!! so fizzy and bubbly on your tongue.... i dont know if they were dangerous but nobody got sick.
tamariga at 5:19PM on 08/27/09
Good luck with your canning! I just canned my first batch of blackberry jam (thank you, Greenlake!), and am hoping to do applesauce tonight or tomorrow. And while it's not strictly canning, I'd love to learn to make kimchi someday too!
(Is anyone else worried by the fact that in the illustration, the water doesn't cover the tops of the canning jars?)
Judes at 6:40PM on 08/27/09
Jesus people...dont be so dramatic. The photo is OBVIOUSLY for the showing of the jar and the tongs. You can clearly see that the pot is not tall enough to have enough water to cover the lids without overflowing even before the boil. It looks like a regular old Calphalon stock pot...barely holds the 4 quart jars let alone boiling water. Who even processes 4 quart jars? No drama, its just a pic and if some ass really did boil like that, I pity the fool to clean the mess of the ceiling.
ChelleyD01 at 7:44PM on 08/27/09
I made dill pickles from 1 case of cukes I got 53 pints and 9 quarts, it only took about 3 hrs. My next thing is marinated eggplant- yummy!
WSLunch at 9:04PM on 08/27/09
So far this season I've made strawberry, sour cherry, and apricot jam, rhubarb chutney, and full-sour crock pickles (those are in the fridge - I didn't process them). Still to come: peach and nectarine jam, grape jelly, and possibly more pickles, if I can get my hands on enough small Kirbies next week at the market.
producestories at 11:18PM on 08/27/09
i love to pickle and jam so much that this year i've started two blogs about just those two topics.
www.tigressinajam.blogspot.com
www.tigressinapickle.blgospot.com
it's funny, i have been into canning for a few years now, ever since i started growing my own food. now i see that it is catching on everywhere and i think that's a good thing!
tigress at 11:37PM on 08/27/09
Sorry, ChelleyD01, no drama was intended – I'm a canning newbie and wasn't sure if that was a staged photo or some crazy secret technique going against everything I'd read. :P
Judes at 12:49AM on 08/28/09
We started canning a few years ago when we "inherited" my mother-in-law's canning pot & dozens of jars. My husband had seen her make bread & butter pickles, so he started with those, then made the best chunky sweet relish, which has become a favorite of our family. So far this season he's made relish & b-n-b pickles, and I've canned tomatoes, tomato puree, spaghetti sauce, black raspberry jam, red raspberry jam, and peaches. I have lots more tomatoes to can this weekend. I'll make our favorite caramel apple butter soon, too.
amylou61 at 9:50PM on 08/28/09
OMG amylou61! Can we please get the recipe for caramel apple butter??
Love everybody's enthusiasm for canning!
I've got 40 pounds of peaches perfuming my kitchen right now. Tomorrow morning, jammin!!
Leslie Kelly at 11:47PM on 08/28/09
Hey there!
The "Canning Across America" party was some sticky sweet fun. A ton of work, but the results were gorgeous.
Here are a few pics I posted on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=103909&id=603462290&l=e687049635
Leslie Kelly at 11:06AM on 08/30/09