Canning is having a moment and I've been wanting to learn the ins and outs of this old-fashioned and simple method of preserving what's fresh and in season. So I paid a visit to the lovely Jen Smith of Full Moon Pickles and Preserves (do do you know about her Pickle of the Month Club? It's genius) for a quick lesson in the art of making apple butter. The first step was to peel and core five pounds of apples. When she pulled out this nifty little gadget alongside a big bowl of apples, my jaw nearly fell to the floor. You simply attach it to the side of a table and start peeling away.
Jen, who does nearly everything by hand, says this tool saved her culinary life during apple season.
Beautiful, right?
Jen took a quick break to check on persimmons that she's letting ripen completely before putting them up. I wonder what she's going to make with these beauties!
We threw the apples in a pot and added lemon juice, slices of fresh ginger and cardamom pods bundled in cheesecloth. We brought the mixture up to a simmer and stirred frequently to prevent burning. You want the apples to soften. As you can imagine this takes a while.
As the apples were slowly morphing into butter, Jen made us potato pancakes with yogurt and pumpkin butter served alongside her homemade pickles. Such a homey lunch. A reminder that simple food can sometimes be the best.
She also took me on a tour of her favorite spices. Cinnamon is over-used, she says. Interesting! Like we did with this recipe, Jen often bundles up herbs and spices in cheesecloth, adds them to a big pot and then removes them at the end of cooking.
Stirring...
Once it looks like there is almost no moisture remaining, we mashed the apples and added a splash of rose water. Have any of you cooked with rose water before? It's kind of delightful. I made rose water macaroons once and they were heavenly.
The other crucial element to canning is sterilizing the jars and lids. It involves boiling water and a little bit of patience.
I loved Jen's nifty funneling tool. We loaded up the jars, tightened them just so and put them back in the boiling water for a ten minute bath.
And voila! Beautiful jars of apple butter! Many thanks to sweet Jen for sharing her canning process with me. I think this will be my answer to any gift giving dilemmas this holiday season.
Jen Smith's Apple Butter with Lemon, Ginger, Cardomom and Rose Water :
- 5lbs Organic Fuji Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 T lemon juice
- 4 2 inch slices of Ginger
- 20 Cardamom pods in cheese cloth
- 1 T Rose Water
Combine first four ingredients.
Simmer for two hours, stirring regularly to prevent burning, or until almost no moisture is left. Remove ginger slices and cardamom bundle.
Mash or puree the apples.
Add rose water.
Sterilize jars. Fill jars with butter. Process in water bath for 10 minutes.
Makes about 5 half pints.
23 comments:
love everything about this post. love love love.
ps: amazing photos! xo
amazing pictures! and the apple butter, we're going to try it out. now!
I love this post! SO inspiring. Now, when it comes to processing, I don't have one of those nifty wire racks...do you think I can just submerge the jars into boiling water for ten minutes? Or do their heads/ lids need to be above water? Do you know what I'm saying? oyyy, maybe I shouldve picked one up at Surfas! :(
I PIGGED out on the dilly beans that I made with Jen a few months back! So crisp and tangy and spicy and wonderful!
@jeana sohn: so glad you love it. it loves you.
@annton: let me know how it turns out!
@amelia: you def do not need the wire racks. should be totally submerged. however - the funnel seems like a very important tool because you really want to keep things as tidy as possible to avoid exposure to bacteria. got it sister?
Amelia, if you have a medal trivet, you could use that in lieu of the wire rack (though they are on sale at Surfas and Sur le Table, since it is the end of high canning season). Ernest Miller, the long time resident Master Canner at the Hollywood Farmer's Market, told me that you could even place a towel at the bottom of the pot (I tried that and did not like it as you are boiling the cloth that has residual detergent in it, yuck!). I have also used a metal streamer. You just want water to move totally AROUND the jar. But that said, go get one of those racks! You'll love it!
mm i can already imagine how good this smell, just the scent you'd want wafting through your home on a cold day. very much loving your visit series...they're so inspiring!
Tow of my favorite things, La in Bloom and Ful Moon Pickles together at last!!
so last week I made 2 batches of granola inspired by your visit with Lauren and now I have a box of apples in my basement calling out for this recipe - THANKS!!
Wow, that apple tool is INSANE! Thanks for sharing this. I love seeing what creative things people are up to.
I used to can with my grandmother all the time and I hope this post inspires people to get in the kitchen because it is such fun! One of my faves, canned nopales.
i feel like la in bloom is on a roll right now. so many posts of lovely women doing amazing things in lovely spaces. you're so lucky to be let into these homes!
heather and Jen: thank you!! i do kind of need to go to Sur La Table anyway... :)
What is it about getting into the kitchen and taking on a project like this one that is so comforting! What a beautiful post, taking us step by step through her process. Can't wait to make my Christmas cookies this year...
Mmmmmm, YUMMY!!!
Way to go, girls!
Sandz
@girlontheave: so happy you're loving it! come back for more! i have fun things planned.
@tannaz: i love your support!
@Michelle: how did the granola turn out? very curious!
@Fashion Intel: jen made me pickled nopales once and they were out of this world fabulous
@mommy: love you.
oh this is too much!
In the comments I read that you made "Dilly Beans". Is your recipe posted somewhere? I used to have a recipe for these but I can't find it. Thanks!
I would like to know her potato cake recipe. My Grandmother used to make them but she would add corn. I could never seem to get them quite right.
yum and ultra cozy!
@Addie: Here is Jen Smith's recipe for Dilly Beans!
Makes 2-3 pints
1lb tender green beans
2 C vinegar
2 C water
2 T Sea Salt (you can use any kind of salt, but most salts have anti-caking agents that eventually cloud the brine. It doesn't effect the taste.So a sea salt that has NO additives is best.)
3 T Pickling Spice (see below)
Sprigs of Dill (a dill flower is ideal but hard to come by if you don't grow your own)
6 cloves of garlic
3 bay leaves
3 dry hot peppers such as arbol or japone
Pickling Spice:
Use whole spices, only!
Combine
2 T yellow mustard
2 T black mustard
2 T coriander
2 tsp allspice
2 T dill seed
1 T fennel
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp celery seed
3 crushed bay leaves
2 crushed dry hot peppers
3 inch cinnamon broken into smaller pieces
looks so yummy! really beautiful photos!
Just made this and it's beautifully amazing! I added one cup of water to the mix in the beginning to get the pot boiling -- I still ended up with a nice, thick, smooth butter -- yum!
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