Book Events: Philly! New Jersey! Bucks County!

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Marisa

Hi friends! I’m back home after a whirlwind four days in the Boston area. Thanks to all of you who came out, bought books, attended potlucks and took my classes. It was such a joy to meet so many of you. I was particularly delighted by how packed the audience was for my demo at TAGS in Porter Square.

I promise to have some honest-t0-god canning content up later this week, including a Canning 101 post on sugar, a recipe for apricot chutney, a book review and a post on five different ways to preserve summer squash. Until I finish doing that writing, I wanted to drop in with a quick events reminder.

Today at 5 pm, I’ll be at the Callowhill Whole Foods Market, demonstrating the Nectarine Lime jam from the cookbook (and offering samples, of course).

Tomorrow, I’m teaching a class at Pennypack Farm and Education Center in Horsham, PA. This three-hour class (6 – 9 pm) will be an introduction to boiling water canning and will feature dilly beans and peach chutney. The class costs $40 and there are still a couple spots left. You can sign up by clicking here.

At 2 pm on Wednesday, July 25, I’ll be talking about canning and signing books at the Mercer County, New Jersey’s Lawrence Headquarters Branch Library. Books will be available for purchase and I’ll be bringing a couple of treats from my pantry.

For those of you in Bucks County, I’ll be at the Ottsville Farmers’ Market on Friday, July 27 from 4 – 8 pm, signing books and answering canning questions.

On Sunday, July 29 from 12 noon – 2 pm, I’m teaching a canning class at the very elegantly appointed Cook in Center City Philadelphia. We’re making spiced peach jam, a gingery plum chutney and quick-pickled cucumber pickles. The class costs $85 and is kept small so that students have the opportunity to ask questions and really observe the process. There are just five seats left in that class, so make sure to click here and sign up.

I hope to see some of you in the next few days!

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Guest Post: A First Time Canner Makes Blueberry Jam

Posted on July 19, 2012 by Marisa

I don’t often run guest posts, but I do find that it’s nice to occasionally include a voice other than my own. Today’s guest writer is Todd Van Patter from the blog Foodie’s Arsenal. He is an able cook but a very new canner. This is his account of his first preserving experience (aided by my cookbook!). Thanks so much for making one of my recipes and writing about it, Todd! 

For whatever reason, I’ve never tried canning before. I realize that in our convenience culture it’s more of a niche skill or a hobby for the culinarily ambitious, so I’m not exactly alone in my cluelessness. But I have every reason to be all about canning, and it just hasn’t clicked until now.

I grew up in a family of good cooks and pretty good gardeners; my wife and I care a lot about our food and are always looking for ways to simplify our lifestyle; I have a food blog where I write about such important things as being better foodies and learning skills to get more out of your food on a frequent basis. I even grew up in Central Pennsylvania, come from Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, and have a surprising number of Mennonite friends. But still no jars. So I guess my canning destiny has been a long time coming.

The final push I needed came from Marisa and her awesome book. She didn’t ask me to promote it or anything, but I’ll happily do so because it’s my kind of cookbook. Laid back, thorough explanations, enticing recipes and pictures, and just a little nerdy– it’s exactly the kind of canning book I would have pictured if I knew I wanted one so bad. So I’m really glad to have Marisa’s guidance be my gateway into the canning world.

Anyway, I gave it a shot, and I’m hooked. Right now is the perfect time to learn to can if you’re interested in it, with summer gardens headed toward harvest and farmer’s markets bursting with color and variety. The couple of jams and fruit butters I’ve tried so far have turned out well, and since I’m lucky to have a strong gardening/preserving culture here in Harrisonburg VA, I know that I’ll continue to learn great ways use this new skill in my own food adventures.

I decided to share my debut canning experience with you all using Marisa’s Blueberry Jam recipe from the Food in Jars cookbook, since blueberries are one of my top favorite things on the planet. Thanks to you all for hosting me here and letting me add my voice to the mix, and I hope that you’ll also come follow along at my blog, Foodie’s Arsenal, where there will soon undoubtedly be a lot more canning recipes popping up.

Todd’s annotated version of my blueberry jam recipe is after the jump. Thanks again, Todd! 

Continue reading →

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Boston Events: TAGS! Eat Boutique! Create-a-Cook! Whole Foods!

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Marisa

Hey friends! I’m just dropping in with a reminder that I’m headed to the Boston area bright and early tomorrow morning. Here’s the scoop.

On Thursday, July 19 at 6 pm, I’m doing a blueberry jam canning demo at TAGS Hardware in conjunction with Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA. I’ve also packed a number of preserves from my pantry to serve up at this event, so make sure to come hungry. Click here for more information on that one.

On Friday, July 20, Maggie Battista from Eat Boutique and I are teaming up for a potluck. We’ll be gathering at her place to eat, drink, be merry and sign books from 7 – 9 pm (we’ll have them to sell if you don’t have one). The event is free and we just had a cancellation, so there’s still one spot. Click here to sign up.

I’m teaching two classes at Create-a-Cook on Saturday, July 21. Currently, they’re both sold out, but it never hurts to grab a spot on the waiting list.

Finally, there’s a last-minute addition to the Boston-area line-up. From 11 am – 1 pm on Sunday, July 22, I’m doing an apricot jam canning demonstration at the Woburn Whole Foods Market in Woburn, MA. They’ve got my book in stock, so if you’ve been meaning to pick up a copy, come on buy and get a signed one!

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Winners! Cuppow and Ball Equipment!

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Marisa

As so often is the case, time has gotten away from me a little and I didn’t manage to post the winner of the Cuppow giveaway on Thursday. However, I thought I’d grab the momentum of the two giveaways I ran this week and post both winners right now.

Cuppow initially offered me five sets of their canning-jar-to-travel-mug-converters to giveaway. But then, they sent me a few more. So instead of having just five winners, there will actually be eight people getting them. Pretty exciting, huh?

The winners are:

Commenter #44: Kay
Commenter #215 : Amy
Commenter #503: Beth
Commenter #571: Barb
Commenter #619: Shana Rae Burns
Commenter #779: Laura
Commenter #797: Jeni
Commenter #799: Sheryl

I just have one Ball Canning Home Discovery Kit and case of jars to giveaway, so the winner list isn’t nearly as dramatic. Still, I’m certain it’s just as fun for the winner! And lucky person is commenter #328, Robin W.

She said, “I love this site and all the inspiration you give me, my family and friends have certainly benefited in the belly with delicious goodies. I plan on making some blackberry jam on Saturday.”

Robyn, I’m so pleased to hear you like this site! Blackberry jam is one of my favorites, I hope you enjoy it!

Congratulations to all the winners! I’ll be in touch shortly.

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Preserves in Action: Yogurt Breakfast Bowl

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Marisa

I’ve eaten the same breakfast every day for the last week and I have every intention to continue the streak for as long as I can. It consists of a couple spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, blueberries, a chopped peach, a sprinkling of granola and a generous spoonful of jam. Right now, I’m finishing a jar of peach jam from last summer, but when that’s gone, I plan on moving to apricot.

I realize it’s not a groundbreaking suggestion for how to get your preserves moving from jar to mouth, but sometimes the simple things are best. How are you guys using your preserves these days?

In other news, there are a couple things I’d like to share beyond what I’ve been eating for breakfast. In the last week, I had the surreal experience of having a lifelong dream come true on two separate occasions. Last Friday, I was a guest (along with Sharon Astyk, author of Independence Days) on Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane. Then, earlier today, a segment I recorded about fermented pickles for All Things Considered aired. As devoted an NPR junkie, it’s been something of a thrill.

Last thing to note is that there are a couple of blogs currently hosting giveaways of my book. If you’ve not gotten a copy yet and want to try your luck, click over to Macheesmo and Canning Across America for more details.

 

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National Can-It-Forward Day + Giveaway

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Marisa

This Saturday, July 14 is National Can-It-Forward Day. Organized and hosted by Jarden Home Brands (the owner of Ball and Kerr), it is designed to be a day dedicated to the celebration of home canning. This year, the live events are centered in Minnetrista, a cultural center in East Central Indiana, founded by the Ball family.

Even if you’re not in Indiana, you can still participate in the day’s events. You can watch a series of live canning demonstrations as they’ll be streaming them throughout the day on the Fresh Preserving website. All the recipes they’ll be making are listed here, so you can even can along! It’s also not too late to invite a few friends over and host your own canning party. Pull out the canner, dust off those jars and make something delicious!

In honor of National Can-It-Forward Day, the nice folks at Ball have given me a couple of items to give away to my readers. I have a Home Canning Discovery Kit and a case of jars of your choice for one lucky reader.

  1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me what preserve you’ll be making (or eating!) this Saturday.
  2. Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Friday, July 13. Winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Saturday, July 14, 2012.
  3. Giveaway is open to US residents.
  4. One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
Disclosure: Jarden Home Brands is providing the units for this giveaway. They also provided me with a canning kit, an assortment of pectins and a Home Discovery Kit.  

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Classes and Events: Philly! Horsham! New Jersey! Lancaster!

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Marisa

On Monday, I wrote about some of my upcoming events. In order to round out the balance of the month, here’s the rest of what’s coming up in July. I’m also throwing in a couple of events in early August, since time seems to be passing so quickly these days.

(Click here to see my events July 11 through July 22.)

On Monday, July 23, I’ll be at the Callowhill Whole Foods Market from 5 – 7 pm doing an apricot jam demo in the produce section. They’ll have books on hand for sale and I’ll have samples of fresh, hot apricot jam right around 6 pm.

Tuesday, July 24, I’m teaching a class at Pennypack Farm and Education Center in Horsham, PA. This three-hour class (6 – 9 pm) will be an introduction to boiling water canning and will feature dilly beans and peach chutney. The class costs $40 and you can sign up by clicking here.

At 2 pm on Wednesday, July 25, I’ll be talking about canning and signing books at the Mercer County, New Jersey’s Lawrence Headquarters Branch Library. Books will be available for purchase and I’ll be bringing a couple of treats from my pantry.

For those of you in Bucks County, I’ll be at the Ottsville Farmers’ Market on Friday, July 27 from 4 – 8 pm, signing books and answering canning questions.

On Sunday, July 29 from 12 noon – 2 pm, I’m teaching a canning class at the very elegantly appointed Cook in Center City Philadelphia. We’re making spiced peach jam, a gingery plum chutney and quick-pickled cucumber pickles. The class costs $85 and is kept small so that students have the opportunity to ask questions and really observe the process. Click here to sign up.

On Thursday, August 2, I’ll be at Greensgrow during their CSA pick-up and market hours, selling and signing books and answering canning questions. Stop by from 3 – 7 pm!

Friday, August 3, you’ll find me out in Lancaster, PA for an evening of events. Many thanks to Betsey Gerstein Sterenfeld, owner of Essen Cooking School for helping set up the following events.

  • 4 – 5 pm, I’ll be at DogStar Books (401 W. Lemon Street), signing books and saying hi.
  • 5:30 – 6:30 pm, I’ll be teaching a canning class at Lemon Street Market (241 W. Lemon Street). That class costs $20 and you can sign up by clicking here.
  • 7 – 9 pm, I’ll be at the Essen Cookbook Club at Manheim Township Public Library. Attendees are asked to bring a dish to share from (or inspired by) the Food in Jars cookbook. This event is free, but reservations are required. Click here or call 717-391-8270 to sign up.

On Saturday, August 4, I’m teaching a class at Indy Hall in Philly. This class runs from 11 am – 1 pm and will focus on low sugar canning. I’ll walk students through the steps of using Pomona’s Pectin and offer tips on making a satisfying jam without a lot of sugar. Click here for more information and details on how to sign up.

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Upcoming Events! Scranton! Philly! Hellertown! Boston!

Posted on July 9, 2012 by Marisa

If all those blog posts about book events in Seattle, Portland and points south made you east coasters envious, this post is for you. I have a number of events up and down the eastern seaboard in the next couple weeks. Mark your calendars!

On Wednesday, July 11 at 6 pm, I’ll be in the fine town of Scranton, PA for a food swap with the Northeastern Pennsylvania Swappers and cookbook signing. Click here for more info.

This Saturday, July 14 I’ll be at Fante’s in the Italian Market from 2-4 pm. I’ll be there to sign books, answer canning questions and make sure everyone tries my pickled onions and rhubarb chutney (as well as a few other treats from the book). Click here to RSVP so that we make sure to have enough treats on hand!

On Sunday, July 15, you’ll find me at the Saucon Valley Farmers’ Market in Hellertown, PA from 11 am – 1 pm. I’ll be doing a jam making demonstration and will have books for sale as well. Starting at 1:30 pm, I’ll be at the Upper Bucks County Food Swap, trading my jam for other delicious things. There are still tickets available if you want to join the swap.

Next Tuesday, July 17, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, I’ll be teaching a Dilly Bean class at the Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting, PA. The class costs $35 per and there are still a number of spots available. Click here to sign up.

Then I head to the Boston area. On Thursday, July 19 at 6 pm, I’m doing a canning demo at TAGS Hardware in conjunction with Porter Square Books in Cambridge, MA. Click here for more information on that one.

The next night, Friday, July 20, Maggie Battista from Eat Boutique and I are teaming up for a potluck. We’ll be gathering at her place to eat, drink, be merry and sign books from 7 – 9 pm (we’ll have them to sell if you don’t have one). The event is free, just come with a dish to share. Click here to sign up.

I’m teaching two classes at Create-a-Cook the following day. Currently, they’re both sold out, but it never hurts to grab a spot on the waiting list.

I feel breathless just writing all that down! Hope to see some of you in my travels!

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A Thimbleful of Jam

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Marisa

black raspberries

I’ve been home from my west coast book tour for just over a week now. My suitcases are unpacked but not put away. I’ve nearly made it through the mail and magazines that piled up while I was away. And sleeping in my own bed remains a delightful novelty.

I readjusted to the three-hour time difference fairly quickly, but I’m still experiencing a bit of temporal dislocation. You see, when I left Philadelphia, it was barely summer. We’d had some hot weather, but with peas and baby lettuces in the markets, it still felt more like spring. Once out west, the cool days in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco reinforced the feeling that it was April, not June.

mashed black raspberries

Returning to Philly felt like being thrust forward a month or more. I’m out of sync with the weather and worst yet (particularly for a canner), my understanding of what’s in season is entirely out of whack.

Last Tuesday, in an attempt to refresh my awareness of seasonality, I drove out to Lancaster County with my friend Shay so that we could go to Root’s Country Market. It’s a produce market, food auction and flea market and if something’s in currently in season in PA, you’ll find it there.

cooking

There were mountains of corn, as well as tomatoes, stonefruit and local melon. Summer food, all of it. Sweet cherries could still be had and a single stand had sour cherries for sale. I bought two quarts and counted myself lucky to have found them (it has been a bad year for them all over the country).

I had my eyes peeled for black raspberries and for a great while was convinced that I really had missed them entirely. But then, as we turned a corner, I found a table with a few lone baskets. At $3.95 a half pint, they were pricy and I’d already spent most all the money I’d budgeted for fruit on the cherries and two bunches of red, red rhubarb. So I bought just a single, shallow basket and decided to make the smallest batch of jam ever.

Last year, I had a full flat of black raspberries to work with and this year, just a half pint. Though part of me wishes for the abundance of last June, I’m also tickled by the contrast. I really wanted a little taste of black raspberry jam and that’s exactly what I got.

Providing a recipe for this miniature batch of jam feels a little silly, but nonetheless, here’s what I did.

Rinse the raspberries and pick them over for any moldy bits. Tumble them into a measuring cup and smash them. Once you have pulp, eyeball the measurement and add half as much sugar (I got about 2/3 cup of mashed berries and so added 1/3 cup sugar). Stir to combine. Scrape the sweetened fruit into a small saucepan and cook until it thickens (my batch took all of five minutes).

The final yield was about half a cup. Not enough to bother with canning, but certainly enough to enjoy for awhile.

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Regular Mouth Cuppow Review + Giveaway

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Marisa

Back in the early days of my canning jar obsession, there really weren’t fun accessories for mason jars. We had the regular old two-piece lids, the commercial one-piece lids and those white plastic lids designed for dry goods storage. That was it. There weren’t any reCAPs, leather sleeves and if you had a jar cozy, chances were good that it had been a sock in a previous life.

packaged regular mouth Cuppow

Things have changed rapidly in the last four+ years. Of all the new doo-dads now available for jars, my favorite is the Cuppow. I wrote about the original wide mouth version when it was released back in January and even then had a feeling that I was going to be a rabid fan of this sturdy plastic disk. And I was right. It has rapidly become a favorite in my travel mug world.

Cuppows

About a week ago, I got an email from the creators of the Cuppow. They wanted to let me know that they’d decided to release another lid, this one designed to fit regular mouth jars. What’s more, the new lid was going to feature something they’re calling “Straw-Tek.” That means they’ve designed the sippy hole in such a way that you can also insert a drinking straw into it without entirely crushing the straw.

In addition to really liking the fact that I can fit a straw into this lid, I’m also pleased with its performance as a drinking lid. They’ve made the opposite vent hole slightly bigger on this lid than on my original wide mouth version, and so it doesn’t have that slight whistle that the first one had. Like the original, it’s also easy to clean, entirely free of BPA and doesn’t have any funky, plastic-y scent.

Cuppow with straw

It will come as no surprise to you that I was giddy when my two-pack of regular mouth lids arrived. I popped one open, gave it a rinse and poured myself a jar of iced tea. It was love at first sip.

Because Cuppow creators Joshua and Aaron know that my readers are just as crazy for all things jar as I am, they’ve given me five sets of Cuppows to give away. As in, each winner gets a regular mouth and a wide mouth Cuppow. Pretty nice of them, don’t you think?

If you want a chance to win, here’s what you do.

  1. Leave a comment on this post, telling me about your favorite hot weather beverage.
  2. Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Wednesday, July 11. Winner will be chosen at random (using random.org) and will be posted to the blog on Thursday, July 12, 2012.
  3. Giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents.
  4. One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
Disclosure: Cuppow gave me two review units and are also providing the sets for this giveaway. However, my opinions remain, as always, entirely my own. 

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