Preserve a taste of summer

(Summer peaches are perfect for making jam)

“Putting up” is a summer tradition I love — canning seasonal fruits and vegetables is a way to ensure you know where your food came from and control what goes into it.

It seems canning is having a resurgence these days. More people are appreciating eating local fare and enjoying high-quality fruits and vegetables. What better way to savor the tastes of the season than “putting up” succulent peaches, ripe berries and fresh vegetables? These homemade preserves, jams and relishes also make the best gifts for sharing with family and friends.

There was a time when I had a larger garden and more time on my hands and was able to can some 100 quarts of homegrown tomatoes. What a joy it was to pop open a few of those jars in winter to make a tomato sauce that tasted like the harvest in August.

Canning is not a trend in my family.
My parents, both Italian immigrants, canned and preserved as much as they could as a necessity in life. I can remember Charlie and Mary setting up a canning operation in the garage during late summer, bottling tomato juice and canning the choicest plum tomatoes for sauce. That steamy, heady aroma of tomatoes cooking down on the stove evokes such warm memories of home.

(Homemade peach jam and zucchini relish preserve a little taste of summer)

Today I do what I can, given the time and space with which I have to work. I hope to get some tomatoes canned this season, that is if we don’t eat them all! This year's bumper crop of zucchini was an impetus to make relish, which is wonderful on sandwiches and veggie burgers. The zesty addition of horseradish to the mix and some hot chili peppers amped up the flavor of this versatile relish.

(A fresh peach bursting with flavor and juices is ready for the jam pot)

Local peaches grabbed my attention during a recent visit to a farmers market. I’ve been dreaming of peach jam and wanted to use the lemon verbena sugar I had made to give it a lemony edge. (Scented sugars are wonderful to use in canning and especially in baked goods. I have lavender sugar tucked away, too, steeping for use in scones, cakes and sauces.)



I hadn’t made jam in a while because I never liked adding so much sugar for it to jell. But since I’ve discovered Pomona’s Pectin, it’s a whole new love affair with jam. This pectin is great because you can control the amount of sugar or sweetener you use. It’s a sugar-free, preservative-free, low-methoxyl citrus pectin that is activated by calcium. The results are impressive and you can get very creative with the spices and sweeteners you add.

And if you're looking for a little inspiration when it comes to canning, there are so many good blogs and websites out there. Some of my favorites are Saving the Season, Anarchy in a Jar, Food in Jars, Fresh Preserving and Tigress in a Jam.

With the abundance of local farmers markets, you don’t have to live on a farm to can or preserve.

Blogger Marisa McClellan At Food in Jars works in her kitchen atop the 20th floor of a Philadelphia high-rise — and draws more than 100,000 hits per month, according to a recent story on canning by McClatchy-Tribune. Likewise, there's Saving the Season, a blog started on a whim by Kevin West to document his efforts to learn to can, jam, pickle and preserve his farmers market finds in his postage-stamp-sized kitchen tucked high above Laurel Canyon. His efforts just earned him a book deal, according to the same story.

Canning is not a daunting task. Go ahead and give it a try. You’ll feel empowered by the experience, knowing you have preserved a healthful bit of summer for your family to enjoy in the dead of winter.

Peach Jam with Lemon Verbena Sugar

Adapted from Pomona’s Universal Pectin

Makes about 8 half-pints

1. 8 cups peaches (I left some of the skin on)
   
2. 1/4 cup lemon
 juice
   
3. 1 1/2 cups lemon verbena sugar
4. 6 teaspoons Pomona’s Universal Pectin powder

5. 8 teaspoons calcium water (included in Pomona’s pectin)

• Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water. Let stand.
• Pit, chop and mash fruit.
• Add calcium water into large pan with mashed fruit, stir well.
• Mix pectin powder with measured sweetener in a separate bowl. Stir very well.
• Bring fruit to a boil.
• Add sweetener/pectin mixture and stir vigorously.
• Return mixture to a full boil, then remove from heat.
• Fill jars to 1/4 inch from the top. Wipe rims clean and screw on two-piece lid.
• Put filled jars in boiling water to cover plus 1 inch. Boil 10 minutes.
• Remove from water and let cool for 4—24 hours.
• Store in a cool dry place. Eat within three weeks of opening, stored in refrigerator.

Zesty Zucchini Relish

Adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Canning

Makes about 8 half pints

1. 12 cups zucchini, finely chopped
2. 4 cups chopped onions
   
3. 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4. 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
5. 1/3 cup pickling salt (or kosher coarse salt)
6. 2 cups sugar
7. 2 1/2 cups white vinegar
8. 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
9. 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
10. 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
11. 1-2 hot chili peppers, including seeds, chopped
    

• In a large glass or stainless steel bowl, combine the zucchini, onions, red and green peppers and salt. Cover and let stand in a cool place (70 to 75 degrees) for 12 hours or overnight. (I added a few trays of ice cubes to the mix.)
• Transfer to a colander in the sink and drain. Rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly. Using clean hands, squeeze out excess liquid.
• In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine drained zucchini mixture, sugar, vinegar, nutmeg, tumeric, horseradish and chili pepper.
• Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until liquid is reduced, about 45 minutes.
• Prepare water-bath canner, jars and lids.
• Ladle hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding a little more relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight.
• Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water.
• Bring to a boil and process for 25 minutes.
• Turn off the heat. Remove canner lid away from you. Wait 5 minutes and then remove jars.
• Cool, clean jars, label and store.

Oh, and the end of this tale about canning and preserves has another phantom tail - one nosy boy cat named Giacomo who always has to be part of the big picture.