Kitchen Jam

On Twitter, @GayleneT and I were discussing thumbprint cookies filled with jam. She asked me if I had a recipe, and I tweeted these instructions for a simple cranberry-orange jam:
Tweet #1
To ea 1c whole cranberries, meas. out 1/3c sugar. Cook c-b’s+1/2c orange juice in saucepan ’til they burst.
Tweet #2
When c-bs burst, run through food mill to cut out skins. Stir sugar into pulp & cook until jel point is reached & sugar dissolved

Not bad for 140 char./tweet, huh? I even managed to include the hashtag #qcj (for quick cranberry jam) in each tweet.

Cranberries, because of their high pectin content, not only help other jams gel but make an easy stovetop jam in minutes. By the time this jam cools, it’s firm and spreadable. Small amounts keep safely in the refrigerator for up to three weeks and can be frozen for up to a year. It’s great on vanilla ice cream (and as the jam filling in your favorite thumbprint cookie recipe!)

Quick Cranberry-Orange Jam

1 cup whole cranberries, washed (check for and remove any bits of stems)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

• Mix the cranberries and orange juice in a saucepan, and cook them in a saucepan over medium heat about 10 minutes or until the skins of the cranberries burst.
• When the cranberries burst, run the hot mixture through a food mill to sieve out the skins.
• Measure the pulp, and add more orange juice or water to make 1 cup of fruit and juice.
  Return the berry pulp to the saucepan, stirring in the granulated sugar until it’s dissolved. Cook the mixture an additional 10 minutes or until it begins to jell and will sheet off the back of a cold (frozen) metal spoon.
• Cool, and use as a topping, filling, or on biscuits with butter.

This jam works equally well with fresh or frozen cranberries. Makes about 1 1/4 cup of jam.

We didn’t get many early-season peaches in Central NY this summer. The ones in the local markets never met my buy-me criteria: they never seduced me with their peachy aroma as soon as I entered the stand or market. Yes, I know I could have used nectarines — but they didn’t convince me, either. Now some small harvests of aromatic peaches are finally showing up in the market. While their aroma is calling me to gather enough peaches to make jam, it also makes me crave some sharp, spicy peach salsa.

In 1994, just outside Hilton Head, South Carolina, I picked up my first jar of homemade peach salsa. Since that summer vacation, I’ve improvised on many recipes, attempting to duplicate the sweet-hot spicy goodness I’d found in that farm stand jar of salsa. Here are some internet sources for both fresh and canned peach salsa recipes I’ve tried along the way:

From The Seasonal Chef (www.seasonalchef.com), these five variations of Peach Salsa include a recipe with honey, another with tomatoes, one with mint, and two which use increasingly hot varieties of peppers.

Here are fresh peach (and other fruit) salsa recipes from Great-Salsa.com

You can also find several peach salsa recipes at That’s my Home

Christis’s Corner has a fresh peach salsa that only needs 3 or 4 fresh peaches for those times when you can only get a few peaches at a time. You can also make it with frozen peaches.

My peach salsa recipe combines peaches, sweet and hot peppers, basil, red onions and garlic, along with lime juice and white balsamic vinegar. It’s a bit of work to can from a small harvest, but the taste is such a strong reminder of my summer vacation in Hilton Head that I make it as often as I can.

Peach Salsa

4 cups peaches – peeled and chopped
1 cup red onion – chopped
1 jalapeno pepper – chopped fine (about 1/4 cup)
1 red pepper – chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil – loosely packed*
1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar*
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons honey
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

• The peaches should be chopped in a coarse 1/2 inch dice. The peppers should be in smaller dice. It’s okay to use slightly under-ripe peaches, and to leave under-ripe peaches unpeeled for a bit of contrast.
• * If you prefer, you can use cilantro or Italian flat-leaf parsley instead of the chopped basil. If you can’t get white balsamic vinegar, white wine or white distilled vinegar will be fine.
• Simmer all of the ingredients for 5 minutes. Pack into hot jars, cover with caps and bands and tighten according to direction. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (0-1000 ft.), 15 minutes (1001-6000 ft.), and 20 minutes (above 6000 ft.).

While there’s still a lot of jamming to finish for the season, this week at the market was pepper week.

I make a couple kinds of refrigerator pickles. One of my favorites is a spicy Italian Giardiniera, or ‘pretty pickle.’ Most recipes include a full day of brining the vegetables, and once jarred, they douse each jar in a healthy dose of olive oil. Because it’s almost impossible for the home cook to safely process recipes which contain a lot of oil and low acid vegetables, my refrigerator recipe for Giardiniera is for immediate eating. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator for a week or to, if kept safely in the back away from temperature changes. I’ve got some vegetables brining for a Giardiniera to eat this week; I’ll get them into jars tomorrow. However, 24 hours of brining is a lot of time overhead for pickles that have to be eaten right away.

Kathy Moore’s NY State Fair-winning Red Pepper Relish inspired me to find a good way to can some of the pepper bounty at this week’s farmer’s market. I found a Giardiniera recipe online at a canning recipes site which boils the vegetables in a vinegar-salt-sugar brine and doesn’t add oil. The site suggests adding olive oil after opening a jar of brined and processed vegetables, and then refrigerating the jar. That could mean the best of both worlds — a shelf-stable home-canned pickle which can be enjoyed as it comes out of the jar, and tricked out in a second version with olive oil to taste for a traditional Giardiniera.

Since this is a first-time improv on this pickle recipe, I cut quantities in half to keep the batch small. It makes 6 pints or 3 quarts when doubled. Once the jars cool, I’ll let you know if there’s anything I’d do differently next time.

Once oil is added to a jar of these pickled vegetables, the jar should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a month. Once refrigerated, any giardiniera which contains oil should be kept tightly covered and stored in the back of the refrigerator where it will be less exposed to temperature variations.

—–

Giardiniera (to be canned, water-bath processing)

2 cups white vinegar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 tablespoon pickling salt (1 1/2 teaspoons)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup sliced baby carrots, cut 1/4-inch thick
3 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup red bell peppers, cut in 1-inch pieces
3-6 serrano peppers, diced into 1/2 inch pieces (number used depends on how hot you want the finished Giardiniera)
1 cup celery, rib-strings removed and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups onion slices (sliced about 1/2 inch thick & quartered – not in rounds)

In a 6 to 8 quart saucepot, combine vinegar, sugar, water, salt and turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 4 minutes. Add vegetables, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are hot, about 5 minutes. Immediately fill sterilized hot pint jars with mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Carefully run a nonmetallic utensil down inside of jars to remove trapped air bubbles. Wipe jar tops and threads clean. Place hot lids on jar and screw bands on firmly but not to tight (about finger tip tight) Process pints in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Makes 3 pints.
—–

Giardiniera (for refrigerator pickles)

My ‘refrigerator’ Giardiniera reads like a combination of these two recipes, but mine leans heavily leaning toward the one created by Nick Kindelsperger from the now-based-in-Chicago food blog, The Paupered Chef. Nick’s Giardiniera recipe is a clean-tasting, seriously spicy pickle. In his blog about Giardiniera, he linked to a recipe found in the online October, 2007 Chicago Tribune that is more or less the recipe I learned from the ladies in the Our Lady of Pompeii Church Auxilliary back when I was in college. Nick thought the Trib‘s recipe was too ‘fancy, ‘ and called the olive oil and cider vinegar combination too ‘distracting.’

I completely agree with Nick about using fewer carrots. I have always used white or red wine vinegar, although white distilled vinegar would work, too. But sorry, Nick — the olive oil stays. I’m an olive oil girl (don’t get me started on the nutritive issues with canola oil…!) Refrigerator Giardiniera also safely includes garlic — I often increase the garlic in mine to 4-6 cloves.

Be prepared — refrigerator Giardiniera is a two-day process. But its fresh taste just can’t be beat.

Which kind of Giardiniera do you prefer — one with a splash of olive oil, or one with lots of vinegar? Do you like the refrigerator version, something you’ve made at home or a commercially prepared Giardiniera from a jar? If you’ve got a recipe, please share!

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Judging for the Iowa State Fair C&H Classic jam, jelly and marmalade competions was held August 9, 2009, prior to opening day of one of the largest state fair in the country which ran from August 13-23, 2009. Entries were judged on flavor, consistency, appearance and food safety in preparation.

Jam Results: First Place Overall and the Sweepstakes Award went to jammer Rod Zeitler of Iowa City, IA, who placed or won his class in 14 of the jam categories. Kris Miller of Ankeny, IA was honored as Second Place Overall and Reserve Sweepstakes winner. Third Place Overall went to Patricia A. Morris of Winterset IA. These are the complete official jam competition results from the Iowa State Fair site:

Apricot
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Kris Miller, Ankeny
Blackberry
1) Shelby McCreedy, Atlantic
2) Kris Miller, Ankeny
3) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Honorable Mention) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
Blueberry
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Kris Miller, Ankeny
3) Meg Boulton, Des Moines
Cherry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Meryl A. “Oney” Johnson, Coralville
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Fig
1) Kris Miller, Ankeny
2) Ileen M. Wallace, Council Bluffs
3) Meg Boulton, Des Moines
Gooseberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Mary Burr, Iowa City
3) Kris Rash, Denver
Peach
1) Shelby McCreedy, Atlantic
2) Sharon Crees, Des Moines
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Honorable Mention) Andrea Spencer, Gilbert
Pear
1) Ileen M. Wallace, Council Bluffs
2) Andrew Schmitz, Waukee
3) Linda J. Heiken, Adel
Pineapple
1) Kris Miller, Ankeny
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Ileen M. Wallace, Council Bluffs
Wild Plum
1) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
2) Cathy Stahlman, Ames
Plum (other than wild plum)
1) Kris Miller, Ankeny
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Black Raspberry
1) Mary Burr, Iowa City
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Kris Rash, Denver
Red Raspberry
1) Kris Miller, Ankeny
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Rhubarb
1) Meryl A. “Oney” Johnson, Coralville
2) Karen Heege, Des Moines
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Rhubarb-Raspberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Kris Miller, Ankeny
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Rhubarb-Strawberry
1) Patricia A. Morris, Winterset
2) Mary Burr, Iowa City
3) Linda J. Heiken, Adel
Strawberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Mary Burr, Iowa City
Three or More Fruits
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
3) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Sweet Sauces/Topping (for ice cream and other desserts), half-pint jar
1) Cathy Stahlman, Ames
2) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
3) Linda J. Heiken, Adel
Sugar Free
1) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Ileen M. Wallace, Council Bluffs
Two Fruits Other Than Named Combinations
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Kris Miller, Ankeny
3) Frances Edleman, Webb
Jams Other Than Named (except freezer jams)
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Denise Hiller, Runnells
3) Kris Miller, Ankeny
Youth Entries (ages 12-17)
1) Rachel Hollingsworth, Urbandale

The C&H Canned Marmalades competition judged Tuesday, August 11. Rod Zeitler of Iowa City emerged as both First and Second Place Overall winner, while Robin Tarbell-Thomas of Centerville earned Third Place Overall. Zeitler and Thomas tied for Sweepstakes honors in the marmalade competitons.
Additional official results for the marmalades competition, from the Iowa State Fair website:
Grapefruit
1) Robin Tarbell-Thomas, Centerville
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Darlene Hollingsworth, Urbandale
Orange
1) Robin Tarbell-Thomas, Centerville
2) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
3) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Peach
1) Robin Tarbell-Thomas, Centerville
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
Tomato
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Robin Tarbell-Thomas, Centerville
Three Citrus Fruits
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Robin Tarbell-Thomas, Centerville
Marmalades Other Than Named
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
3) Terri Sinclair, Cumming

Jelly Competition Results: Terri Sinclair of Cumming won First Place Overall in the C&H Classic Iowa Canned Jellies competition judged Monday, August 10 in competition at the 2009 Iowa State Fair. Louis Piper of Garner earned both Second and Third Places Overall.
Rod Zeitler of Iowa City won the Sweepstakes award, and Reserve Sweepstakes was a tie between Louise Piper of Garner and Cumming’s Terri Sinclair.
Additional official results from the Iowa State Fair website:

Apple
1) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
2) Penny Murphy, Des Moines
3) Mary Burr, Iowa City
Blackberry
1) Terri Sinclair, Cummings
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Brenda Becker, Pella
Blueberry
1) Darlene Hollingsworth, Urbandale
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Cherry
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
3) Shelby McCreedy, Atlantic
Cranberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
Elderberry
1) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
2) Sandy Barnard, Cedar Rapids
3) Kathryn Brenneman, Riverside
Grape
1) Mary Burr, Iowa City
2) Darlene Hollingsworth, Urbandale
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Honorable Mention) Patricia A. Morris, Winterset
Pepper (food coloring optional)
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Denise Hiller, Runnells
3) Karen Heege, Des Moines
Herb Jelly Other Than Named (food coloring optional)
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Sally Kilkenny, Granger
3) Mary Burr, Iowa City
Peach
1) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Darlene Hollingsworth, Urbandale
Honorable Mention) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Black Raspberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Penny Murphy, Des Moines
Red Raspberry
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Meryl A. “Oney” Johnson, Coralville
3) Louise Piper, Garner
Honorable Mention) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
Rhubarb
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
3) Linda J. Heiken, Adel
Honorable Mention) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Strawberry
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
3) Kaye Rupprecht, Oskaloosa
Honorable Mention) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Combination of Fruits (two or more)
1) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
2) Louise Piper, Garner
3) Mary Burr, Iowa City
Honorable Mention) Darlene Hollingsworth, Urbandale
Wine
1) Terri Sinclair, Cumming
2) Ileen M. Wallace, Council Bluffs
3) Meryl A. “Oney” Johnson, Coralville
Jellies Other Than Named
1) Louise Piper, Garner
2) Denise Hiller, Runnells
3) Rod Zeitler, Iowa City
Youth Entries (ages 12-17)
1) Rachel Hollingsworth, Urbandale
2) None Awarded
3) None Awarded
Honorable Mention) Emilie Skartvedt, Des Moines

Congratulations to all of the participants and winners in the Iowa State Fairm Jam, Jelly and Marmalade competions!

Did you or someone you know win a ribbon at the county or state fair for their jam, jelly, marmalade, pickles or other canned goods? Contact me, and we’ll give them a shout-out here at Kitchen Jam!

After posting the winners of the classes at New York State Fair’s Canning & Preserving competions, I wondered what kinds of categories other jammers and canners across the country could find at their state fairs — and who was winning these categories in 2009. Thanks to the wide reach of the Internet,  many of the answers to my questions are only a search query away.

Alaska is so large that it has two divisions to its atate fair – one in Fairbanks, and another in Palmer. So without further ado, let’s give a shout-out to these winners of the canning and preserving categories at the Alaska State Fair (Palmer), which ran August 27 – September 7, 2009! These official results were taken from the Alaska State Fair website.

Canning Division Champions
Division 01: Junior, 12 and under: Parker Caldwell of Wasilla, AK
Division 02: Junior, 13 – 17: Kenny Larson of Palmer, AK
Division 03: Jelly: Becky Menefee of Palmer, AK
Division 04: Preserve: Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Division 05: Conserve: Nicole Bendle of Wasilla, AK
Division 06: Jam: Tanya Shanks of Palmer, AK
Division 07: Juice: Cari Lester of Wasilla, AK
Division 08: Syrup, Sauce, Blossom Honey: Sherry Whitstine of Wasilla, AK
Division 09: Sugar-Free: Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Division 10: Chutney, Relish: Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Division 11: Vinegar, Oils: Sharon Horwath of Wasilla, AK
Division 12: Pickles: Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Division 13: Vegetables: Cheri Thomas of Eagle River, AK
Division 14: Fruit: Gloria Gale of Palmer, AK
Division 15: Dried Food: Arthur Mueller of Palmer, AK
Division 17: Seafood: Elaine Martin of Wasilla, AK

Canning Special Awards
Best of Show Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Judge’s Choice Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
Judge’s Choice Gloria Gale of Palmer, AK

Ball Fresh Preserving Special Award
(Fruits, Adult, First Place) Gloria Gale of Palmer, AK
(Fruits, Adult, Second Place) Gloria Gale of Palmer, AK
(Vegetables, Adult, First Place) Cheri Thomas of Eagle River, AK
(Vegetables, Adult, Second Place) Gloria Wilson of Wasilla, AK
(Pickles, Adult, First Place) Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
(Pickles, Adult, Second Place) Judy Lavigne of Anchorage, AK
(Soft Spread, Adult, First Place) Michelle Hamrick of Anchorage, AK
(Soft Spread, Adult, Second Place) Janice L. Anderson of Anchorage, AK
(Fruits, Youth) Kenny Larson of Palmer, AK
(Vegetables, Youth) Kenny Larson of Palmer, AK
(Pickles, Youth) Hayden Scalis of Anchorage, AK
(Soft Spreads, Youth) Angus Shaw of Wasilla, AK

C & H Sugar Special Award (entry using C& H sugar, Judge’s Choice)
(Open, 1st Place) Robbie Johnson of Anchorage, AK
(Open, 2nd Place) Janice C. Anderson of Anchorage, AK
(Open, 3rd Place) Tanya Shanks of Palmer, AK
(Junior, 1st Place) Emma German of Palmer, AK
(Junior, 2nd Place) Kenny Larson of Palmer, AK
(Junior, 3rd Place) Parker Caldwell of Wasilla, AK

Congratulations, Alaska jammers and canners!

Do you know someone who’s won a ribbon at the county or state fair for jams, jellies, relishes, pickles or anything else jammed, preserved or canned? Send me a link to the state site, and I’ll give them a shout-out here at Kitchen Jam. And of course, if anyone would like to share your special state or county fair recipes, please contact me at gaelen2 at yahoo dot com.