The Proper Binge

Back in September, Labor Day week actually, is when it all started. I took a whole week off from work, just because I could, and set off with grand plans to accomplish all the sorts of things one daydreams of doing whilst staring blankly at their Inbox day in and day out. I'd repaint that old French cabinet! Take day trips to discover dusty antique shops or country farms! I'd spend a day writing at a coffee shop, I'd take early morning yoga classes.

Instead, I bought a hot water canner.

See, what happened was my pal Ricardo mentioned that he had mountains of green tomatoes that would be left to languish in his garden when he jetted off on his annual trip to the Azores. My heart broke thinking of letting this bounty of summer fruit being laid to waste, so naturally I volunteered to take them off his hands. Fifteen pounds of green tomatoes was just a bit too much to reasonably be turned into refrigerator pickles, and who could eat fifteen pounds of fried green tomatoes? (Actually, that may be a silly question.) Nevertheless, I needed a more permanent solution, so the opportunity to add canning and preserving to my growing homesteader tendencies could not be ignored.

For a total beginner, one canning project at a time may have been the wise and measured approach. But that's just not how I roll, as they say. It was September, and the local farm and farmer's markets were exploding with late season produce, so once I got that canner boiling, I was determined to stock my pantry with summer in jars. And now here it is, 3 months later, and I've found something or other to put up just about every weekend since.

Right about now, you'd be expecting me to share my recipe for pickled green tomatoes. I shall regretfully decline, until next year, anyway. That fateful first batch of "Hothead Tomatoes" (so-named in honor of their gardener) was actually pretty tasty, but…well, hindsight is 20/20. There will be recipe tweaking.

For the benefit of one faithful (and quite possibly the ONLY) reader, I will however share another experiment for the much beloved, and perhaps somewhat overwrought Red Pepper Jelly. I used this simple and straightforward recipe from (sigh) Gourmet. It was my first foray into the world of pectin, and I think ultimately, my last. The jelly turned out delicious- the exact taste memory I'd been hoping to achieve, but I think the pectin caused it to stiffen up a bit too much*.

I was so young, so green back then. Now that I've been in relentless research mode for several months, I know that a long, slow cook will get to that nice soft-gelled state, or if you'd like some insurance, a diced apple or two in the mix will help it set up.

I have not been deterred.

Local and seasonal cooking is nothing really new to me, and neither is thrift in the kitchen. But these days, I'm inspired and determined to work just a little bit harder to claim ownership over what I eat. Unlike my grandparents or their parents, putting food up for the winter ahead is not by any stretch of the imagination a necessity, though since joining the winter CSA and stocking my pantry, my grocery bill has diminished. Instead, I feel proud and accomplished. I am happy to share homemade goods with friends and family. I am beyond thrilled to be able to pop open a quart of local heirloom tomatoes in February. And I cannot WAIT to experience my first berry season as a canner in the spring! And apparently, I am not the only one. Canning is the new word I've learned that I now hear everyday and everywhere. There is a can-volution going on out there, and I'm happy to join in, one jar at a time.

***If you're curious, here's what I've put up so far***

- 8 quarts of heirloom tomatoes

- 5 pints of pickled green tomatoes

- 5 pints of mixed sweet and sour pickles

- 5 half-pints of red pepper jelly

- 5 quarts and 3 pints of applesauce with cinnamon

- 8 pints of spiced cran-apple butter

- 5 pints of Southeast Asian carrot and daikon pickle

- 5 half pints of cranberry-orange preserves with pomegranate

- 5 half pints of Autumn Harvest jam with quince, apple, pear, fig and Beaujolais nouveau

- 5 jars of Maple-Oat Beer Mustard

*(Here's a little sidenote: To loosen it up, I like to heat a scoop or two of jelly for a few seconds in the microwave before spreading on crackers with cream cheese, my favorite Sunday afternoon snack.)