Lemon Lavender Fig Jam

dorisandjilly — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 19:01:23 +0000

Thank you, thank you, thank you, oh CanJam! All this time I have been pooh-poohing fancy, foodie-oriented artisanal preserves, in favor of my work-a-day, practical, frugal canned goods. I have been a fool. Food in Jar’s announcement of herbs as the starring ingredient for the April canjam practically gave me hives. I found the admonition to stay away from pestos (because they have to be pressure canned) depressing, and the only other practical thing I could think to do was to make a vinegar—and since vinegars are shelf stable, there’s really no point in canning them.

And then I remembered my deep (and deeply repressed) longing for Laundry Etc.’s Lemon, Fig, & Lavender Marmalade. Somewhat ironically, the recipe was posted for the January canjam (citrus)…but since it stars lavender, it counts! An Americanized, simplified version, complete with the Doris and Jilly Lazy Approach To Marmalade Making™ follows. It’s really, really, really good.

And, dear ones, this time I remembered to make a 4-oz jar just for you. Leave a comment by May 1 to enter. As always, the winner will be selected by random number generator.

Lemon Lavender Fig Jam

7 unwaxed lemons
About a pound of dried figs
1/3 c. dried lavender flowers (from last year’s garden, of course)
3 c. sugar

1) The night before you plan to make the jam, slice the lemons thinly and remove the seeds. Chop them. Throw them into a pot with water to cover. Simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Meanwhile, chop up the figs and toss them into the pot. Wrap the lavender up tightly in cheesecloth and toss that in, too. Let everything sit overnight.

2) Remove the cheesecloth from the pot squeezing to remove the extra liquid. Discard. Stir in the sugar and turn up the heat. (Meanwhile, start your boiling water bath and sterilize your jars. I needed 4 half-pint jars and 2 4-oz jars.) Stir frequently until you reach the gelling point.

3) Transfer the hot jam to the hot jars and adjust two piece lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (or not, if you’re British).

A note on reaching the gelling point: I had a hard time find finding it, and I think I may have sailed just past it. Fortunately, it’s a pleasing texture, more like membrillo than gooseberry glue. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go buy some Manchego to eat this with.

February Can Jam: CARROTS!

dorisandjilly — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:58:31 +0000

(Photo from Chris Campbell’s Flickr photostream)

Attention all canjammers! The focus of the February Tigress Can Jam is CARROTS.

Got that?

Yes, carrots.

The Tigress and I made this choice with both excitement and trepidation. The excitement because vegetables are new territory for many water-bath canners; the trepidation because carrots are a low-acid food, and therefore come with certain rules. So. Let’s be clear. No matter what you find on the internets, you absolutely have to add acid to carrots to make them safe to can. In fact, a lot of acid. So much acid, in fact, that the Tigress and I strongly encourage you—nay, insist!—that you start off with a published recipe, and tweak from there. (If you have a home pH meter and/or are a master food preserver, you get a free pass.) Think pickles, relishes, and chutneys. Once you’ve found a recipe you like, feel free to tinker with the spices, the balance of salt and sugar, the exact combination of vegetables, etc. HOWEVER, be sure that you are not reducing the proportion of acid to the food.

Let’s give an entirely hypothetical (as in, don’t try this at home) example. Say you have a recipe that includes 5 cups of carrots, 2 cups of cauliflower, a handful of herbs, 1 T of salt, 1/4 c. of sugar, and 3 cups of vinegar. It would be fine to reduce the cauliflower to 1 cup and add 1 cup of peppers, throw in some mustard seeds, and add more sugar. It would not be OK, though, to just add a cup of peppers without adding more vinegar, because then you’ve lowered the acid content (that is, raised the pH).

Um, if this is at all confusing, that means you should stick with the recipe.

Have fun, be careful, and remember to post your fabulous creations between Sunday, February 14 and midnight, Friday, February 19.

Happy canjamming!

Doris and Jilly Cook » tigresscanjam

Lemon Lavender Fig Jam

Lemon Lavender Fig Jam

February Can Jam: CARROTS!