Thu 14 Jul 2011
Slowly, slowly normalcy is beginning to return around the edges of our lives. I’ve given up hoping for a return of sanity (at least not until mid-August or so, anyway), but at least things are starting to quiet down again, and there are glimpses of downtime amidst the rush. On Saturday, we went to our new farmer’s market.
It is berry season.
Actually, I almost missed strawberry season altogether this year. This was the last week for strawberries (and they were phenomenal) so we bought a lot. While we were at it, we bought blueberries, too.
If you buy nothing else at the farmer’s market, buy your berries there. They are worlds better than the ones we’ve been getting in the grocery store while we’ve been too busy running around to make it to the market on Saturdays. There is nothing like this flavor, and they freeze beautifully. I’ve been using a lot of frozen fruits lately, and the store bought ones are just never the same as these that come fresh from the farm to my freezer at the height of summer. They are beautiful.
We froze some, and then on Sunday I canned some. I’ve been hankering to try strawberry balsamic black pepper jam since I saw Elizabeth’s pictures on her blog, and so I started with that. I used low-sugar SureJell because that’s what I had, and kind of mushed together the SureJell and Ball book recipes to get what I wanted. The first day, I couldn’t taste the pepper much at all, but it’s beginning to bloom a bit now, and it adds a really interesting warmth to the jam. Definitely a keeper.
I also made blueberry sauce, which thickened up beautifully despite having no added pectin or apple juice, a testament to the berries’ quality and ripeness. It has already become my favorite salad dressing base. A little sauce, some white wine vinegar, fresh herbs from the garden, olive oil and a little salt, and you have instant gourmet dressing. Love it.
We don’t actually eat a lot of jam in our house, so most of the sweet canned goods I make end up turning into sweet-savory sauces of one kind or another. Plum and apricot preserves become sweet and sour sauce for chicken, strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry jams and sauces become salad dressings or pancake syrups. Cherry preserves get worked into muffins or brownie dough as extra moisture and flavor. Of course, the sauces and looser jams also make for amazing ice cream toppers, especially paired with chocolate sauce. Everything finds a use, and seldom on a piece of toast (especially since losing gluten, bread baking is not the same and certainly doesn’t happen as often).
So we added a few more jars to my absolutely favorite cabinet in the whole pantry:
All the remaining jars from last years’ bounty, and a whole row of empties just waiting to be filled. Who could ask for more?
And then, last night I finally sat down to do the finishing on the woven piece that I took off the loom just before the move. It would be nice if it were 6″ longer, but it fits almost perfectly on the dining room table that came with the house. I’m noticing in the picture that last night’s ironing didn’t really get out all the wrinkles, but I think I’m going to ignore that for now. I’m so pleased that it has found a home in the new place.
Tonight is the first night that I am going to take off from unpacking and preparing the house for guests. We’ll be going again full swing tomorrow, but tonight is time for a cease-fire. I’m not honestly sure what I’m going to do; I’ve been going for so long that I’ve kind of forgotten what was queued up before the rush, but I’m sure I’ll find something. Knitting is closest, I have some weaving books to peruse in search of my next project, and the wheel is calling. There’s never a shortage of things to do, is there?
Never a shortage of things to do! I am absolutely LOVING your new home, and green over that pantry! That’s it, this weekend I’m rearranging our breakfast nook built-ins to make room for my jams. They deserve a place of honor, right?
My mom usually goes to a local farm to pick her own berries–it’s a lot cheaper (even than farmer’s market) for those who have time (I know most people don’t). And the berries are just that extra boost of freshness!
The table runner looks lovely–it’s great that you found the perfect spot for it!
The berries looked delicious and your runner is beautiful! Doesn’t it give you a sense of joy to look at your pantry and see all the yummy things you’ve made? I moved my crocheted and knitted afghans to a cupboard this week and it makes my heart do a happy dance to open it up and see the things I made.
Those berries are making my mouth water!
There’s a big part of me that wants to weave, but another part of me says that if you don’t have enough time now to spin and knit, what makes you think you can add weaving?! Your table runner is lovely.
Black pepper balsamic berry jam? Sounds incredible!
One of the best sauces I’ve ever had was a cherry with black pepper, balsamic, and garlic. Alas, it was improvised by my SIL and he didn’t write the recipe down.
The table runner looks equally yummy, BTW.