Paper Palate

About eight years ago I went on a tear because I wanted to learn the dying art of home preserving but couldn’t find any equipment or guides. My ranting about how canning was an art that would die with our grandmothers fell on mostly deaf ears. Why would anyone go to the hot, miserable work of making homemade jam and stewed tomatoes when everything’s available at the nearest grocery store?

Well, things have changed. With the state of the economy and food shipping prices getting higher and higher and the growing focus on eating locally grown, minimally produced foods, all of a sudden, home canning doesn’t seem like such a ridiculous idea. Always at the forefront of home preservation, the Ball Corporation publishes the quintessential guide for beginners, Ball Blue Book of Preserving. This short paperback covers the basics of canning, from how to choose produce to how to keep from blowing up your kitchen with a pressure canner. It also includes enough recipes for a newbie to create a well-stocked pantry.

If you want to delve further into the creative possibilities of home preserving, there’s Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Nearly 500 pages cover all aspects of canning, with over 400 recipes ranging from basic strawberry jam to tamarind chutney and beyond. While the breadth of recipes appeals to experienced home canners, the book still contains all the basics for novices and is an indispensable part of any home canner’s library.

On the left is a jar of the basic strawberry jam, featuring nothing but fresh-picked strawberries, cane sugar, and fruit-based pectin. The jar on the right contains a strawberry-lemonade concentrate, containing only berries, lemons, and sugar. Try finding a lemonade mix on a store shelf with such an ingredient list.

I know I’ll be taking my copy of the book with me every time I visit a farmer’s market or farm stand so I’ll know exactly how much to buy of the pick of the crop. So many items I purchase commercially — canned tomatoes, salsa, jelly, jam, roasted red peppers, and such – can be made in my own kitchen. While it’s time-consuming, as a cook I enjoy the process. As a foodie, I love that the results are almost always better than what’s available commercially.

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate

Makes about seven pint (500 mL) jars

from Ball Complete Book Of Home Preserving

• 6 cups hulled strawberries
• 4 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 25 lemons)
• 6 cups granulated sugar

1. Prepare canner, jars, and lids. (For more information, refer to the book.)
2. In a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade, working in batches, puree strawberries until smooth. Transfer to a large stainless steel saucepan as completed. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Heat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
3. Ladle hot concentrate into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase fingertip-tight.
4. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool, and store.

Wash berries gently in small batches in a colander under cool running water to make sure you remove all dirt and grit and to avoid bruising the soft fruit.

To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water, or ginger ale; adjust concentrate to taste.