Lemon Curd

3 lemons, zested and juiced (1/2 c. juice)
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine zest and sugar in a food processor. Pulse until zest is very finely combined with the sugar.  With a mixer, cream the butter and slowly add the lemon sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, blending well between additions.  Add lemon juice and salt and blend well.

Pour into a sauce pan and cook over low heat until thickened (approximately 10 minutes to reach 170ºF/77ºC).

Cool.  Store in the refrigerator

Piccalilli

Transcribing from RiverCottage.net and grateful to Pam for posting the recipe. Not to take credit for the recipe. But, to make it easy to edit my tweaks as I get familiar with it.

1kg washed, peeled vegetables – select 5 or 6 from the following: cauliflower or romanesco cauliflower; green beans; cucumbers; courgettes; green or yellow tomatoes; tomatilloes; carrots; small silver-skinned onions or shallots; peppers; nasturtium seed pods
50g fine salt
30g cornflour
10g ground turmeric
10g English mustard powder
15g yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp crushed cumin seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
600ml cider vinegar
150g granulated sugar
50g honey

Cut the vegetables into small, even bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Mix well, cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave in a cool place for 24 hours, then rinse the veg with ice-cold water and drain thoroughly.

Blend the cornflour, turmeric, mustard powder, mustard seeds, cumin and coriander to a smooth paste with a little of the vinegar. Put the rest of the vinegar into a saucepan with the sugar and honey and bring to the boil.

Pour a little of the hot vinegar over the blended spice paste, stir well and return to the pan. Bring gently to the boil. Boil for 3–4 minutes to allow the spices to release their flavours into the thickening sauce.

Remove the pan from the heat and carefully fold the well-drained vegetables into the hot, spicy sauce. Pack the pickle into warm, sterilised jars and seal immediately with vinegar-proof lids. Leave (if you can) for 4–6 weeks before opening. Use within a year.

Apple Butter

Original recipe shamelessly stolen from Steve Gordon at Our State magazine.

3 pounds of apples
3 cups water
1 cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cups white granulated sugar, adjusting as needed according to instructions
2 teaspoons cinnamon
0.5 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 lemon, zest plus juice (1/4 c juice, 1.5 Tbsp zest)
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt

Wash the apples in cool water. Slice into quarters, or smaller pieces if using very large apples.

Add 3 cups of water to a large pot, turn stove to medium-high, and bring to a rolling boil. Add apple cider vinegar and the sliced apples. Cover pot, reduce heat, and let apples simmer for about 30 minutes or until soft.

Strain with chinois. Mash through when no longer dripping water and cool enough to handle.

Measure the amount of puree you now have as you place it back into the same large sauce pot. Add ½ cup sugar to each cup of apple puree, adjusting amount as needed, starting with ½ cup of brown sugar and the remainder of white sugar. Add all the flavorings.

Stir well to incorporate all flavors. Place sauce pot over very low heat and let simmer until you get the happy texture. Mixture splatters if the pot is too small and temp is too high.

As it thickens, place a spoonful on a saucer that has been kept in the freezer. Swipe your finger through the butter to see if it will leave a trail or if it runs back together; if it leaves a trail it’s ready.

Note: 3 lbs of apples gave me slightly more than 4 c puree. I have 2.5 FULL pints.

Michelle’s Spiced Peaches

“I don’t know how much canning you have done so I’m going to describe my entire process. That will also give me a reference.

I got most of my info from this leaflet on canning peaches:

“https://food.unl.edu/documents/Peaches%5B1%5D.pdf

My “extra light” syrup was a little heavier than theirs, 6 c water to 1 c sugar. The first time I did this, I used the amount of FruitFresh it says on the package. (The second time, I didn’t, because I had already learned that they are not going to sit around for months and months, they’re going to get eaten.) The juice of one lemon per batch would also work. I had about 5 pounds of peaches, but some had spoiled spots which I carefully cut out. I ended up getting 3 quarts of halves plus one pint of chopped up bits.

I threw a whole cinnamon stick in the syrup and brought it to a boil (checking with a food thermometer) for about a minute, then turned it to lowest heat. As I peeled the peaches, I dropped them in.

I peeled the peaches by blanching in boiling water for about 45 seconds, then dipping in ice water. I scrunched the skin off and halved them and dropped them in the syrup. Occasionally during this process, I pushed the top peaches under so they all got good coverage about the same amount of cooking.

When all the peach halves were in the syrup, I brought them to a boil for a minute, then turned off the heat. In each quart jar, I placed one cinnamon stick, one whole allspice, and three cloves. (I used half a stick of cinnamon and two cloves in the pint jar.)

I used rubber gloves to protect myself against the heat. I cleaned them beforehand by putting them on and then washing my hands thoroughly with soap and hot water. Like ya do.

I used a canning funnel and dropped the peaches in one piece at a time, cut side down. When the jars were full, I filled them with the syrup to within 1/4 inch of the rim.

Then I wiped the top edges and screw threads of the jars with a wet paper towel, put lids on and put them in a bath of hot water. When the water came to a full boil, I set a timer for 25 minutes and processed the jars.

At this point, there was a lot of syrup left. I put it in a jar, covered it and let it cool on the counter. Then I put it in the fridge. I did not process it for canning, because, fridge. When we put it in our unsweet tea, about one part in 6, the peach flavor was rich and complex.

That’s the end of my process. Here’s some speculation:

You could take 4 cups of water and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, a cinnamon stick and a clove or two, and a chopped or mashed peach, boil it for 3-5 minutes, then strain, and you would have a very similar product without the hours of work!”

Deb’s Tomato Jam

“I couldn’t find a recipe I liked (I’ve done the ginger & cumin that’s all over the webs, don’t really care for it), but I do have a tomato tapenade recipe that uses lemon, garlic, capers, & herbes de Provence, so went with that. 4 pints of cherry tomatoes, quartered; 1 cup of sugar, zest & juice of 2 lemons, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp herbes de Provence, 1/2 jar of salt cured capers, and a glut of red wine vinegar. It’s still cooking down to a jam, but it tastes AMAZING!”

Curried Cauliflower

The original recipe was:

Head of cauliflower, cut bite sized
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 Tbsp salt
water

Stuff vegetables and spices in a quart jar. Fill with hot, salty water, leaving about 2″ of space. Top with a fermenting lid. Let it percolate for 5-7 days.

It has been modified to suit us:

Head of cauliflower, cut bite sized
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 heaping Tbsp salt
water

I love this as an aperitif.

Onion Jam

My friend, Sherry, has been using this recipe for ages. I can’t wait to try it. (on a grilled cheese sandwich with thick slices of cheese.)

She uses an Epicurious recipe.  I’ve copied it so I can remember tweaks it I want them, later.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
6 cups thinly sliced red onions (about 3 1/4 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dry Sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup raisins

Preparation

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and dried red pepper. Cover and cook until onions are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add brown sugar, vinegar, Sherry and ginger. Cook uncovered until onions are very tender and mixture is thick, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Add raisins and cook until mixture is very thick and dark, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool completely. (Can be prepared 4 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Pickled Onions

I don’t think this is what Nanny Ogg had in mind.  But, I’m hoping it is similar to what we had at Bucha Brewhouse & Bistro in Princeton, WV.

Recipe stolen shamelessly from https://www.rachelcooks.com/2017/06/12/how-to-pickle-red-onions-in-five-minutes/

Red onions, thinly sliced (use a mandolin if you have one)

1 cup hot or warm water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon salt

Slice the red onions as thin as you can.

Stuff all the red onions in the jar of your choice. A bowl will work too.

In a measuring cup, combine apple cider vinegar, salt, sugar, and warm water. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Pour this pickling mixture over your sliced onions, making sure they are immersed in the liquid, and let them set for an hour.

After an hour, cover and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.

Orange marmalade

Elliott made this while Ann recuperated.

3 lbs. oranges, preferably organic, well scrubbed
2-1/2 quarts water
2 or more large lemons, preferably organic, well scrubbed
13 c. (6.5 lbs.) sugar
14 8-oz canning jars

1. Halve and juice the oranges. You should have 2 c juice. Reserve the
skins.

2. Cut the orange skins into very thin strips. (You can do this in a
food processor, but the results won’t be as good.) Place the orange
peels, the juice, and the water in a large, nonreactive stockpot. Cover
and let sit overnight.

3. Halve and squeeze the lemons (1/2 cup juice). Discard the peels. Stir
the lemon juice into the orange juice.

4. Stir the sugar into the orange mixture and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the mixture is bubbling seriously
and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is thick enough to make a
marmalade that will sit up on a spoon but will not be too solid, 1-1/2
to 1-3/4 hours.

As the marmalade gets close to the correct consistency,
the bubbles will get bigger and will almost pop. (Is it jelly yet? How
can you tell if your jelly is ready? Drizzle some of the jelly liquid on
a cold plate, place it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 minutes, and then
check to see if it has thickened enough that it won’t run all over the
plate. If it is still very runny, continue cooking until it thickens to
your liking. Another test is to drizzle the liquid into a glass of ice
water. If it disappears into the water, continue to cook. If it forms
soft little lumps or a single lump, it is ready.)

5. When the jam is cooked to your liking, remove from heat and ladle
into canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headroom.

Note: The yield will very by as much as 8 oz, depending on how long you
cook the marmalade. The less you cook it, the greater the yield.

Jam notes for Kitty

Because I don’t make it often enough to remember how I messed up last time.

225ºF and take it off the stove immediately.

2c strawberries + 2 c sugar = 3 half pints jam.

Use the pasta pot.  It wants to boil over the saucepan even though it looks like plenty of room when you start.

5 c peaches + equal sugar = slightly less than 3.5 pints of preserves.  Kate said to use slightly green peaches if you want bits.  Ripe peaches dissolve into a lovely mush.