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Posts Tagged ‘kitchen’

  1. Yellow Tomato Basil Jam

    November 14, 2011 by Scooter

    yellow-tomato-basil-jam


    With the abundance of tomatoes and basil we had in the garden this year, I started to do some research as to what to do with it all. This summer, we picked up a pressure canner at the thrift store and suddenly a new hobby was born. Spending time clicking through search engines for different and unique jam recipes, I came across a Yellow Tomato Basil Jam recipe over at Food In Jars… This is a great blog on canning with many recipes!

    yellow_tomato_basil_jam2

    Yellow Tomato and Basil Jam
    makes 3.5 pints or 7 half pints

    4 pounds Sungold or other yellow tomatoes
    3 cups granulated sugar
    1/2 cup lemon juice
    zest of two lemons, divided
    1/4 cup roughly chopped basil

     

    Cut Sungold tomatoes in half, or, if using larger yellow tomatoes, chop them into smallish pieces.

    Combine chopped tomatoes with sugar in a large, non-reactive pot and stir. Let sit for at least one hour, or until the tomatoes release their juice.

    When ready to cook, prep canning pot and jars and place jam pot over high heat. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil.

    Cook at a boil for 30-35, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have softened and the syrup has gotten thick. Check set with plate test. Once you’re satisfied with the set, remove the pot from the heat and stir in half the lemon zest and chopped basil. Taste and add remaining lemon zest only if you feel the jam requires it.

    Pour jam into prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings. Process jars in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

    When time is up, remove jars from pot and let them cool on a kitchen towel. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals. Place any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and use promptly. All sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.



  2. Chocolate Raspberry Jam

    November 7, 2011 by Scooter

    chocolate_raspberry_jam

    This summer, we picked up a pressure canner at the thrift store and suddenly a new hobby was born. Spending time clicking through search engines for different and unique jam recipes, I came across a Chocolate Raspberry Jam recipe over at Epicurious. This jam has been by far our favorite!

    chocolate_raspberry_jam_yum

    Chocolate Raspberry Jam
    makes 6 pints

    6 Cups frozen raspberries or 7 pints of fresh raspberries
    3 (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares
    4 cups granulated sugar
    1 (1 3/4 ounce) box dry pectin for lower sugar recipes
    1/2 teaspoon margarine or butter

    chocolate_raspberry_jam_matty

    1. Crush berries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. If using frozen berries, use both liquid and solids; they were all part of the orginal fresh berry. (sieve 1/2 of the pulp to remove some of the seeds if desired)

    2. Make sure your canning equipment is scrupulously clean, and place 7 pint or half pint jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Fill the canner with water, adding a shot of vinegar to prevent mineral buildup, and bring to a boil while you prepare the jam. Allow it to boil for 10 minutes to sterilize the jars, then turn heat down to keep the jars hot. Remember to keep a kettle of water handy, and a saucepan of boiling water for your lids and rings.

    3. Measure 6 cups of crushed fruit into a 6-8 quart heavy non-reactive saucepan. Break the chocolate squares into smaller pieces and add them to the saucepan.

    4. Measure sugar into a seperate bowl. Mix 1/4 cup of the measured sugar with the pectin powder in another small bowl. Stir pectin-sugar mixture into fruit in a saucepan. Add Butter. Bring quickly to a full rolling boil. Boil for EXACTLY 1 MINUTE, stirring constantly.

    5. Remove pan from heat. Skim off any foam and ladle the jam into hot sterilized pint or half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

    6. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

    7. Remove the jars to a towel, newspaper lined surface, invert for 10 minutes, and allow to cool. Label the jars and store in a coll dry place for up to 1 year.

     


  3. Concord Grape Jam

    October 18, 2011 by Scooter

    Concord Grape Jam_Jars

    This weekend I decided that I wanted to make Concord Grape Jam after reading the tutorial on it over at  The Hungry Moose Blog. As detailed as their recipe was with all the visuals… I still managed to mess this one up. Mine came out way too runny and only managed to make half the amount :(… Though it was still delicious, I may need to invest in a better strainer (this was the part I found to be the most difficult)… or possibly a food mill.

    Concord Grape Jam_Grapes

    Concord Grape Jam
    makes 4 pints

     

    3 lbs. concord grapes
    3 cups sugar
    2 Tbls. lemon juice

     

     

     

     

    1. Skin the Grapes

    Concord Grape Jam_Skinned

    Concord Grape Jam_Seperated

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    2. Puree the Grape Skins
    Put skins and 1 cup of sugar in the food processor and process them on high for a minute or two.

    Concord Grape Jam_Food Processor

    3. Cook the Concord Grape Jam
    Put the pureed skins, peeled grapes, lemon juice and the remaining 2 cups of sugar in a medium pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Stir occasionally.

    Once it reaches boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.

    After 20 minutes, your jam will have thickened and reduced.

    Concord Grape Jam_Boiling
    4. Strain the Jam
    Before you start, grab a plate and put it in the freezer. You’ll need it to test the jam in a few minutes.

    With a spatula, push the jam through a strainer in a large, heat-proof bowl. You should be left with seedy pulp…

    5. Run the Plate Test

    6Jar your Jam!

    Ladle your warm jam into clean, sterilized jars. Let them cool to room temperature, then cover them and pop them in the fridge.

    Concord Grape Jam_Finished


  4. Spoon Mug Wall

    October 3, 2011 by Scooter

    Spoon Mug Wall

    This project was inspired by the Snug Mug Spoon Wall over at ReadyMade!

    COST
    $$ – (Under $45)

    MATERIALS
    scrap cabinet grade plywood – found in alleyway… (free)
    assortment of spoons – thrift store… (under $4)
    Nuts, Bolts, and Washers – price depends on size. we wanted large, so spent a bit more… (under $10)
    2 36″ square steel tubing – $5.57 each… (under $12)
    2 Flat Brackets – depends on size of your board. We went with 48″ brackets @ 6.51 each.. ($13)
    Steel Adhesive – we went with SteelStik… (under $6)
    Burlap Coffee Sack (optional) – had around the house…(free)

    TOOLS
    Drill
    Ratchet
    Tin-snips

    Spoon Wall - Nuts and Bolts

    Spoon Wall- Spoon with fan reflection

    First we arranged the spoons and the steel bars on the board…

    Spoon Wall- Spoon Materials

    Now, take a hacksaw and score the spoons and the steel tubing where they will attach. Next we took SteelStik and adhered the spoons.

    Spoon Wall- Scoring

    Spoon Wall- SteelStik

    Spoon Wall- Adhesive

    Spoon Wall- Placing Spoons

    Spoon Wall w/ Pug looking on...

    Set up the brackets and mark where you would like the bolts to go… We did 4 on each side between each bar.
    Next, drill the holes…

    Spoon Wall- Drill Holes

    Spoon Wall- Trim Brackets

    We then set it up and trimmed the brackets. We had a coffee sack lying around that we thought would make for a nice cover to the board.

    Spoon Wall Mockup w/ coffee sack
    Last we added some mounting wire onto the back and the spoon mug wall has been created!

    Spoon Wall- Mount

    Spoon Wall- Bolting it down

    Spoon Mug Wall