alemany farm canning class: recipes and tips

sugar plums at cannard farm :: june 2007

this past sunday, michelle and i taught a basic canning class at la cocina to a fantastic group of apprentices from alemany farm. both are organizations we are thrilled to work with, and i think i can safely say that we canned a crazy amount of stuff and had a lot of fun doing it.

the apprentices have spent all year learning about different aspects of urban farming, and they spent the morning picking the produce we canned, so it was a really meaningful day for all of us.

michelle gave a great talk about the history of canning and canning safety, and i talked a little bit about the different processing methods. then, we all jumped right in and started working.

we had a great variety of produce to work with, so we made several kinds of goods:

•refrigerator pickles with lemon cucumbers

•dilly beans

•blackberry jam

•plum jam

•apple sauce

•long-cooked green beans

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if you're interested, here are the recipes and methods for making these canned goods:

blackberry jam

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freshly picked wild blackberries

sugar

salt

freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

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first, sort through the berries and pick out any stems, moldy bits, debris or worms.

then, weigh the berries. blackberries are low in pectin, and lowish in acid, so the jam is gonna need a little tlc to set. i usually start by adding 25% sugar by weight. this means, if you have 4 pounds of berries, add 1 pound of sugar.

macerate (coat) the berries in sugar and let them sit for a while until they start to give off liquid, about 30 minutes. then, place both the berries and the juice in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot and bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. skim any scum off the top with a ladle.

when the berry mixture has boiled, remove it from the heat and strain out the berries. set them aside, and return the liquid to the stove. return the juice to a boil and cook it over high heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature has reached 225 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until it is the consistency of jam. you can check this using the "scrape the side of the spatula with your finger and see if it drips or not method." taste the jam, and adjust the sugar if needed. you can also balance the flavor with a little salt and a squeeze of lemon or lime. as the fruit cooks, continue to skim scum off the top so that you're left with a glassy jam.

at this point, add the fruit back to the pot and return the mixture to jam consistency. stir a lot, because it will want to stick!!!

when you are satisfied with the consistency and flavor of the jam, you're done! just remember that food tastes sweeter when it's hot, so you'll need to add a tiny bit more sugar than you think if you plan to eat your jam at room temperature, or cold from the fridge.

can away!!

plum jam

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fresh plums (we used some santa rosas, and some other plums)

sugar

salt

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wash the plums and remove any stems or leaves. wedge the fruit into 1/2-inch slices, discarding any rotten or bruised parts, as well as the pits.

weigh the fruit. plums have a lot of pectin, so this jam is gonna be pretty quick and easy to make. i usually start by adding 25% by weight. this means, if you have 4 pounds of plums, add 1 pound of sugar.

macerate (coat) the fruit in sugar and let it sit for a while until it starts to give off liquid, about 30 minutes. then, place both the plums and the juice in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot and bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. skim any scum off the top with a ladle.

when the mixture has boiled, remove it from the heat and strain out the plums. set them aside, and return the liquid to the stove. return the juice to a boil and cook it over high heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature has reached 225 degrees F on a candy thermometer, or until it is the consistency of jam. you can check this using the "scrape the side of the spatula with your finger and see if it drips or not method." taste the jam, and adjust the sugar if needed. you can also balance the flavor with a little salt. as the fruit cooks, continue to skim scum off the top so that you're left with a glassy jam.

at this point, add the fruit back to the pot and return the mixture to jam consistency. stir a lot, because it will want to stick!!!

when you are satisfied with the consistency and flavor of the jam, you're done! just remember that food tastes sweeter when it's hot, so you'll need to add a tiny bit more sugar than you think if you plan to eat your jam at room temperature, or cold from the fridge.

can away!!

applesauce

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apples

sugar

salt

cinnamon

clove

water

blackberry schmutz (optional)

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(note: we didn't can this particular recipe of applesauce, so i didn't bother to measure the sugar. i do not recommend using this recipe for canning, since apples can be pretty finicky if not treated precisely right. if you want to can applesauce, please refer to a tried-and-true recipe or the usda guidelines to prevent unnecessary explosions in your larder. thank you very much.)

wash, peel and core the apples.

sprinkle them with a little sugar, a pinch of cinnamon, a clove, and a pinch of salt.

put it all in a heavy-bottomed, non-reactive pot with some water and start cooking and stirring. cook and stir over medium heat until the apples have broken down completely and no raw chunks remain.

season with sugar and salt as needed.

if you have some leftover blackberry schmutz, you can add that in for a lovely rose colored sauce. if not, it's perfect the way it is.

keep refrigerated.

Pickled Lemon Cucumbers
makes about 2 quarts of pickles

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3 pounds lemon cucumbers

for the brine:
1/3 cup of kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoons mustard seeds
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seeds
7 peppercorns
2 cups water
2 cups apple cider vinegar

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In a non-reactive pot, pour in vinegar and water. Add sugar, salt and spices and bring to a simmer over medium heat. If it suits you, add a chili or two to spice it up. Take care to stir the brine to ensure that the sugar and salt dissolve. After 5 minutes of simmering, remove from heat and cool. Taste it, maybe more salt or sugar to balance?

While brine is cooling, wash and trim ends off of cucumbers. Wedge cucumbers into sixths and pack into quart jars. When brine is fully cool, pour over cucumbers and refrigerate. Pickles should keep for a few weeks.

Feel free to experiment with type of vinegar, spices and salt and sugar.

Due to the delicate nature of these cucumbers, we recommend a cold infusion to preserve the integrity and crunch of the pickle.




Dilled Green Beans
makes about 4 pints

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2 pounds of tender beans
handful of dill sprigs (or tarragon?)
4 cloves of garlic
some cayenne pepper, perhaps?

for the brine:
2 cups of water
2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup kosher salt

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Pack beans tightly and uniformly in sterilized pint jars, stem ends down. To each jar, add a garlic clove, a few sprigs of dill, and a pepper. Layer it, make it look pretty.

Combine water, salt and vinegar in a non-reactive pot and bring to a rolling boil. Pour over beans and leave a 1/2 inch head space. Wipe rims and adjust lids, screwing them finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from water and wait patiently for seals to form. Eat!

Adapted from “Preserving”

Long Cooked Green Beans

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This is what we do with those tough but delicious beans.

Some beans
A lot of extra virgin olive oil
A few chili pods
Some garlic cloves

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Wash and tail the beans. It’s cool even if there are some beans with mature seeds inside because it cooks for so long. Pour a good glug of oil in a pot. Enough to cover the bottom of the pan, maybe even 1/4 inch thick and turn on to medium heat. Add the chilis to the pan, and fry to infuse the oil with chilliness. Put in beans and stir to coat with oil. Cover and lower heat. Add some salt. Every few minutes, check on the beans and stir to make sure that nothing is sticking too intensely. Scrap up any carmelized bits and if necessary, add a splash of water. After about 45 minutes to an hour, when the beans are soft, add some chopped or slivered garlic and sauté for a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning, if necessary. Delicious!

feel free to write with any other questions, guys!

also, check the sidebar ----> for a list of essential canning books and tools!!

--michelle and samin