This has been an incredibly busy summer at work. (I know, I know...Do I ever write a blog post where I don't talk about how busy and hectic work is?) I feel like I've just been coming home to sleep most days, and a coin toss determines whether I actually get to take my scheduled days off. One of consequences of this busy, busy time is that I haven't had much time to cook at home.
Hence the blog drought.
Those of you who have been following my ramblings these many months know that since moving to the northeast, I've developed a fondness for canning, and no time to cook at home means that I've missed the season on some of my favorite fruits to jam and pickle. At the beginning of the summer, I had visions of strawberry balsamic jam, blueberry compote, and a new favorite--brandied cherries. I missed the peak seasons for them all. With the end of our summer kids cooking camps in early August, my schedule started to ease a bit, and I found myself back in the kitchen.
Instead of mourning the missed canning opportunities my late start this summer has caused, I took a fresh look around at the markets to see what was in season locally. And I saw stone fruits--too late for cherries, but not too late for plums. I also saw melons, lovely seedless watermelons. And so, I pulled myself out of the jam I was in by diving into pickles.
(Yes, I know. Bad pun. Feel free to groan.)
Those of you on my holiday list, here's a peek at what you can expect in your stockings this year...
Plum Jam
Since I tend to can with gift giving at the holidays in mind, I tend to make very large batches. The following recipe is written as I prepared it (yes, I really cooked down 18 pounds of plums earlier this week), but I've also listed in parenthesis the scaled down measurements I would recommend for making smaller batches.
Makes 32 half-pint jars
18 pounds plums, red or black, pitted and roughly chopped (2 lb)
9 cups granulated sugar (1 cup)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (2 tablespoons)
2 cups water (¼ cup)
Place several small plates in the freezer. These will be needed to check if the jam has reached the gel stage.
Bring a large stock pot of water to the boil. Remove the screw rings and lids from the canning jars. Place the jars into the boiling water in batches and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove the jars and place them upside down on a clean dish towel. Place the screw rings and lids into the boiling water and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove and place them on a clean dish towel.
Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer. Stir regularly--as the plums cook down and the natural moisture evaporates out of the pan, the sugars will concentrate and you run the risk of scorching the jam. (Not only will you taste the burnt flavor in the jam, you'll curse a lot trying to clean the blackened jam off the bottom of the pan.)
Continue to cook and stir until the jam has reached the gel stage. To check for the gel, remove one of the plates from the freezer and put about a teaspoon of the jam on the cold plate. When the jam has completely cooled, check the consistency to see if it has reached your desired thickness/firmness. Since the jam is relying only on the natural pectins found in the plums, it will stay relatively soft and have an apple-butter-like consistency.
Carefully ladle the hot jam into the prepared jars. Be sure to wipe away in drips from the mouth of the jar, and top each with a lid and screw ring. Tighten the ring down until it just feels tight, then tighten it just a bit more. But don't crank down too hard!
Return the large stock pot of water to the boil. Working in batches, transfer the jars into the pot, making sure that the tops of the jars are fully submerged under the surface of the water. When the water returns to the boil, cover the pot with a lid and set the timer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, carefully remove the jars from the pot and place on a dry towel to cool. After a few minutes, you should hear a noticeable "plinking" sounds as the lids contract. If any of the lids have not contracted after about 30 minutes, these jars didn't seal properly. They're still safe to eat, just put them in the refrigerator and enjoy them first.
Watermelon Pickles
Growing up in the South, I'd heard of watermelon pickles, but I'd never tasted them before making them in a canning class. This is my version--the pickles are great as a garnish with cheeses. In fact, one of my pastry instructors a couple of years back borrowed this recipe to use at his restaurant on their cheese plate. Make sure to
trim all the green skin off the rind before pickling.
Makes about 16 4-ounce jars
1 cup kosher or pickling salt
2 gallons water, divided
8 cups 1-inch cubed watermelon rind, white portion only
3
whole (3 inch long) cinnamon sticks
1
tablespoon whole cloves
1
tablespoon whole allspice berries
¼
teaspoon whole mustard seeds
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
7
cups sugar
1 thinly sliced lemon
2
cups apple cider vinegar
Mix 1 gallon of water and the salt in a large bowl to dissolve. Add the watermelon rind and let sit overnight. Drain the rind through a colander and rinse well, then drain again. Place the rind in a large stockpot and cover with the remaining 1 gallon water. Heat over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the rind is tender. Drain the rind through
a colander and place in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
Bring a large stock pot of water to the boil. Remove the screw rings and lids from the canning jars. Place the jars into the boiling water in batches and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove the jars and place them upside down on a clean dish towel. Place the screw rings and lids into the boiling water and submerge for 30 seconds. Remove and place them on a clean dish towel.
Place cinnamon sticks, cloves,
allspice, mustard seeds and peppercorns in the center of a piece of cheesecloth. Roll cheesecloth to
enclose spices and tie ends with kitchen twine to secure. Place the spice pouch in a
large saucepan and add the sugar, lemon slices and vinegar. Heat over high heat until
the mixture boils, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Add the watermelon rind and
simmer until the rind turns translucent. Remove and discard spice pouch.
Carefully ladle the pickles and their liquid into the prepared jars. Be sure to wipe away in drips from the mouth of the jar, and top each with a lid and screw ring. Tighten the ring down until it just feels tight, then tighten it just a bit more. But don't crank down too hard!
