Apples - It's Been A Very Good Year!

ABUNDANCE --- It is Fall in Oregon and I'm getting wary of friends that have an apple tree in their backyard.  The apple surplus seems bigger than usual this year, so as with zucchini, I feel like I need to lock my car for fear an over supplied neighbor will sneak in a bag or two.

I have one friend that has a whole orchard. Since the apples have ripened, every visit includes a walk down to the orchard with a couple of gigantic bags in tow, which are so quickly filled and so heavy you can hardly lug them back up the hill.  And you keep saying to your friend, "oh thank you, I think I have enough now" and they keep piling the apples in with a pleading, desperate look in their eyes, "here - just a few more, we haven't even begun to touch the tree".  So you take them home.

And then what?  I've now spent the entire week trying to figure out what to do with all these apples. What applelicious treat can I concoct?  I have to confess, I've not been successful in coming up with any truly blog-worthy recipes for all my kitchen testing.

In fact my apple jelly failed to jell (because I didn't follow the instructions carefully), and the caramel apple jam was a little short of true fabulousness (too sweet for my taste).

I made an apple cake, that I thought was going to knock the socks off of my guests, but it turned out to be pretty ordinary (boring).  I tried apple slaw - eatable, but no pizzaze.   And to my disappointment I've put on 5 pounds just testing (althought I can't entirely blame the apples for that).

Now, as we all know apples are wonderful, there are as many fabulous apple delicacies to be found, and made, and eaten, and fondly remembered, as there are apples.  With this in mind, I settled down, took a look at my most dependable blog sites, and found some true apple winners that I'm now going to focus on this week.

Here are my top winners!

• Apple Jelly - David Lebovitz, Living the Sweet Life in Paris - What was I thinking when I attempted my own version of AJ? This is the way it should be done.
• Membrillo - Simply Recipes - Made this last year with quince (ancient relative to the apple).  Follow the instructions and you've got success. This is a classic Spanish treat served along side Manchego cheese.
• Apple Tarte Tatin - Smitten Kitchen  If you in the mood for a challenge these are the best instructions for this complicated French classic.  I confess that I have always wanted to, but never attempted this intimadating dessert. Maybe I'll give it a try this week.
• French Apple Tarte -  Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network - This one has become a favorite in the family.  Actually it's my daughter's easy go to recipe that she knows like the back of her hand.  Check out the video on the page too!
• Classic American Apple Pie - Food Wishes - This is a video blog by Chef John at Food Wishes. The recipe is almost all filler, but you will notice a recipe for a traditional pie crust at the bottom of the blog. He actually has several apple pie recipes on his blog including a caramel apple pie which is his favorite.  I can do this one, it pretty basic and it is always a hit.  Enjoy the video!

As they say we're just looking at the tip of the ice berg here. You can make juice, cider, crisp, cake, turnover, you can dry or you can stew (oh my!) and on and on.

But there was one recipe I almost passed up - my granddaughter's all time favorite - German Apple Pancakes - truly blog-worthy! 

Life is good!  Bye for now.  Evelyn  

REMEMBER - Bye Local When you Can!

This was shared with Clever Chicks Blog Hop, and It's a Blog Party

August - Favorite Things

Lately I’ve been reading a lot of blogs and notice that publishing lists of things for one reason or another is a useful and effective way of conveying to your audience things you want them to know about.

I kind of liked the idea and have decided to start making a list on a month by month basis of great stuff.  So here is my first list.  Included are links, when available, for additional information about the items. I hope you find some things in the list that you too enjoyed in August.  Let me know what you think.  I'd love to hear from you and know if you have a "favorite" thing about August.

Favorite Things ~ August (it's a short list, I'm just getting started)

~ Queen Anne's Lace ~ Tomato Bread Salad ~ My Antonia ~ Goat Cheese  ~ Cape Kiwanda ~ Blackberry Jam ~ Basil Pesto ~ Perserving Summer's Bounty ~ Rain Valley Soap ~ My Life ~

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Queen Anns Lace ~ Like blackberries, it grows everywhere in Oregon in August - in the city, in the country, on the roadside, and on the hillside.  It's really very beautiful, kind of like a snowflake in the middle of summer.  Makes a nice bouquet too!

Tomato Bread Salad - One of the best of many ways to enjoy summer's homegrown tomatoes.  

My Antonia - A great American novel by Willa Cather first published in 1918 which realistically depicts frontier life and the settling of the American prairie. Great summer re-read. 

Goat Cheese Cookbook  - Authored by Maggie Foard, there are over 60 farm-fresh recipes for appetizers, breakfast, lunch and dinner using various forms of goat cheese.  Each recipe is beautifully photographed and well thought out for perfect results.

Cape Kiwanda - The family favorite.  We never stop climbing the mountain at Cape Kiwanda!

Blackberry Jam - Plan, pick, and process.  My favorite jam always.

Betty the Cat – A loyal companion this month.

Basil Pesto - Perfect August addition to pasta, veggies, pizza.  Yum.

Preserving Summer’s Bounty - A "how to" book authored by the very credible Rondale Food Center. Everything you need to know about preserving food from harvesting, canning, pickling, drying, juicing, to root cellaring.

Rain Valley Soap - Wonderfully luxurious, lubricating soap handcrafted in Portland.

My Life – Ukulele king Jake Shimabukuro released a brief but completely delightful EP of six classic songs by a wide variety of artists (Judy Garland, Cyndi Lauper, two by the Beatles, Sarah McLachlan, even Led Zeppelin).  My favorite "In My Life"  is a wonderful rendition of the Beatles classic.

Life is good - bye for now!  Evelyn

REMEMBER:  Buy Local When You Can!

Blackberries v.2 – Jam!

I’ve been told that making blackberry jam was as easy as making pie (which isn't all that easy either).  Don’t be fooled, it’s a multi-step process that involves some culinary skill and judgment.  And remember the time and fortitude it took for me to pick the berries.

The first thing you need to do is assemble all the equipment (hidden away in the basement to be used exclusively for canning projects) and ingredients (don’t forget the lemons) necessary to make a successful batch.

It is important to make sure you have all the ingredients listed in the recipe (no subsitutions) so that the jam actually sets up (sadly I learned this from a recent experience).  

If not done properly you may get eleven jars of fruity pancake syrup.  Which is OK if you eat a lot of pancakes.

You can find many excellent  blackberry jam recipes on the web.  Below is the recipe I used this week and was very pleased with the outcome.  It should take you most of an afternoon from start to clean up.  There are several steps so it is a little time consuming, but it’s really worth it to see those pretty jewel-like jars sitting on your kitchen counter.

Blackberry Jam

Necessary equipment 

    10 canning jars, lids and rings

    1 water bath canner with rack

    1 large pot for making jam

    1 large funnel for pouring jam into jars

    1 ladle

Ingredients

    10 heaping cups of blackberries

    ¼ cup juice

    1 box pectin

    8 ½ cups sugar

Method

First I started out with approximately 10 heaping cups of fresh blackberries (no moldy ones please).  You will need to wash them carefully in small batches to get off all the dust and plant debris.  I do this by putting them in a medium sized wire strainer, then run water through them in the sink until they look bright and clean.

Because blackberries have lots and lots of seeds I take about 4 cups of berries and using the wire strainer placed over a pan or bowl, smash them to extract all the pulp and juice leaving just the seeds in the strainer. After about 5 minutes of smashing I end of with about 2 cups of berry pulp.

Then I lightly crush the remaining 6 cups of berries which will reduce to 4 cups of crushed berries.  Combine this with the 2 cups of pulp and you will have a total of 6 cups of crushed and smashed berries.

Now that you have the berries prepared there are several things you need to have ready before you get started actually making the jam. 

First you need to have your canning jars (I use 8oz), lids and rings washed and set up ready for the jam to go in them.  I wash mine in the dishwasher just prior to using.

You should have a water bath canning pot with rack filled with water ready for the recommended10 minute hot water bath after the jars have been filled with lids and rings secured.  Some omit this step, but I’ve opened a jar or two of jam several months after canning and found some mold on my jam so I don’t skip it.  Also since I like to give them away to friends I want the jam to be really safe to eat.

Then you need to have ready the above mentioned:

    ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons),

    1 box of pectin, and

    8 ½ cups of sugar 

Now you can start making the jam.  

Put the 6 cups of berries in a much larger pot than you think you’ll need (mine almost boiled over this time).  Mix in the lemon juice and the pectin and bring to boil.

Once the berry mixture starts to boil, pour all the sugar in at once and stir bringing the mixture to a full, rolling boil (one you can’t stir down).  Slightly lower the heat continuing to boil and stir for four minutes bringing the mixture up to 220 degrees F. 

Now remove the pot carefully from the stove burner.  The mixture is extremely hot so be careful.  After you skim most of the foam from the top of the pot you can begin ladling the jam into the jars using a ladle and the large funnel. 

Seal the jars with the clean lids and rings and place them in the water bath canner which should be filled with enough water to cover the jars by one inch.  Bring to boil and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove the jars and set on a towel and leave for 24 hours.  You should hear the jars pop as the lids begin to set a vacuum seal.

Using this recipe you should have about eleven 8 oz. jars of incredibly yummy blackberry jam.





Now that you have the jam you might be interested in taking a look at the “Jam Tart” made by David Lebovitz at http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2008/07/jam-tart/, it could be worth trying.

I'll be sharing mine with my niece Robin and her family.

Enjoy!

Bye for now.  Evelyn

Check Out:
Tastespotting - Excellent site for finding blackberry recipes.