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     "Jams & Jellies"
August 05, 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 15      
In This Issue
August Special
Cooking Classes!
Fresh Fruit Preserves
Gelling Out!
Prep & Process
Smart Jam & Jelly Making Tips
Q & A's
Cookbook Review
Three Simple Fruit Preserves
Store Hours
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Next Issue: Aug 19, 2010
"Cobbler, Crumbles & Crisps"
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Logan/Cache Valley Visitors
Put Summer in a Jar!
We've hit that time of year when gardens, farmers' markets, and grocers are bursting with fresh produce. Our trugs, baskets, and market bags are filled with colorful choices and healthful inspiration. August is about to fly by as one crop peaks, quickly replaced by the next prize. Strawberry Jam and BreadIt's nearly too much of a good thing! If only we could stretch a bit of summer into the cooler months ahead....

IN THIS ISSUE, we introduce you to how you might stash some of summer away in a jar. Making your own jams and jellies is one of the easiest topics to master in the world of home preserving. We'll acquaint you with some of the options for using August's profusion of fresh fruit, demystify some of the science behind making jams and jellies while advancing you through the key steps. We finish with three simple recipes that will get you started.

  August Special!
Canning Equipment Coupon
Cooking Classes at Love to Cook!
We have a great line-up of classes underway! It's a great way to spend an evening or day!  We look forward to having you in our kitchen soon! Cooking classes make a great date night too! Get all of the details on our website's Cooking Class page or Click the Class Titles below. 

Registration Link


Saturday, August 7 - "Spice" Up Your Cooking - 11:00 a.m.- Oftentimes in our cooking, we get stuck in a routine.  Resident Chef, JaDene Denniston, will reveal how to take your food to the next level and break the cycle of creating the same old dishes.  Properly spicing your food makes all the difference in the world.  Come learn the benefits of fresh ground spices, origins/proper ways to use those spices, and ways to easily use spice rubs to take a simple meal over the toptomato

Tuesday, August 10 - Using your Tasty Tomatoes - 6:30 p.m. - It happens to us every year.  Attack of the summer tomatoes!  This year meet your garden head-on with recipes that your family will love and will use up all your tomatoes.  JaDene Denniston, our Resident Chef has recipes that will save you from any tomatoes going bad with recipes including sauces that freeze beautifully.  Whether or not you grow your own tomatoes, you can't miss this class.

Wednesday, August 11 - Hands On Whole Wheat Bread - 1:00 p.m - Come learn from our in-store instructor how to make delicious wheat bread using freshly ground wheat flour.  Instructor will also demonstrate how to make our cinnamon/currant variation.  Includes pan and one loaf of bread to take home. 

Thursday, August 12 - Whole Grains: Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner - 6:30 p.m.- We all know eating whole grains is beneficial to our health.  Registered Dietician, Michelle Nowak will share how versatile whole grains can be-not to mention delicious!  Whether you're just getting started experimenting with whole grains or you're a seasoned veteran looking for new recipes for your repertoire, this will be a fantastic class.

Saturday, August 14 - Pavlova Perfection - 11:00 a.m.- It's berry season and there is nothing more deliciously sweet than Fresh Berry Pavlova. What's Pavlova? It is a giant bowl made out of meringue filled with vannilla cream and topped with fresh berries! This is a VERY impressive desert that looks much harder to make than it is! Kezia Whitteker has all of the tricks to getting perfect meringue everytime in a high altitude/dry climate! Also tips and tricks for picking the best berries at the fruitstand or grocery store and a family secret for macerating them!sushi

Tuesday, August 17 - Sushi For Everyone - 6:30 p.m - Don't be intimidated by the thought of making sushi at home.  In this class, Chef Robert Sanderson will show how easy and accessible sushi can be to everyone.  Before long, you'll be a pro!

Thursday, August 19 - Grinding All Your Grains in the Nutrimill - 6:30 p.m.- Adding whole grains to your diet is easy with the Nutrimill Wheat Grinder.  Easily grind fresh flour from many types of grains to add a healthy flare to your baking.  Joy Ercanbrack will teach you everything you need to know to successfully use and care for your wheat grinder along with an introduction to using whole grains.

Saturday, August 21 - Fabulous French Cuisine - 11:00 a.m.- Ambre Rampton is a native of France and grew up along-side her mother in the kitchen.  There she learned to make classic, fabulous French cuisine.  Her passion for cooking has only grown as she has gotten older.  Come learn the secret to authentic French cooking and techniques every cook should know!

We have more wonderful classes planned for Summer! Learn more on our website's Cooking Class page.

Fresh Fruit Preserved
Carrying fresh fruit flavor forward takes many forms. Each option allows the fruit's full flavors to be captured and preserved for use on our morning toast, filling pastries, glazing meats, or complementing cheeses. Different terms define specific fruit preserves:
Spoons of Jam
Jam - Crushed fruit along with its sweetened juices comprise jam. Its ideal consistency is a soft spread where a spoonful holds its shape somewhat, though is still easily spread. Jams typically feature one fruit without any spices or other flavor additions.

Jelly - Juice is extracted from fruit, sweetened, and gelled naturally, or with the addition of pectin. The result is a clear product that holds its shape until spread. Good jelly sparkles in color and clarity, free from any cloudiness, and also spreads easily.

Preserves - While often a generic term, "preserves" also has a specific definition when speaking of fruit. Fruit preserves refer to whole or chunks of fruit suspended in a heavy syrup or fruit jelly. In this form, the fruit is often used as a topping or pie filling.

Marmalade- Most common with citrus fruits, marmalade consists of a soft, clear jelly with pieces of fruit expertly suspended throughout. Many marmalades include the citrus peel which yields a desirable bitter taste contrasted with the jelly's sweetness.

Conserves - A bit more complex, conserves are a sweet sauce made from one or more fruits along with a dried fruit, (raisins, dried cherries, etc.), and nuts (almond, walnuts, pecans, etc.). The right conserve mix is a divine accompaniment to meats or as a stand-alone condiment.

Butters- Fruit butters are similar to fruit jams, but have an added dimension. Fruit butters are sieved and pureed into an even consistency, then slowly cooked. The added cooking concentrates the fruit's flavors to a rich depth. Butters often carry less sugar than jams, and may include spices.

Gelling Out!
The science behind successful jams and jellies is relatively simple. Understanding some of what is happening in the process will enable you along the way and build successful results.

MarmaladeJams, jellies, and their cousins, are thickened fruit by definition. The slight gelling of the cooked fruit allows it to be spreadable yet hold its own as opposed to a liquid juice. Achieving the ideal gelled state is the primary trick in mastering the craft of homemade jams and jellies.

Gelling occurs thanks to pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in plants that helps to give them their structure. Pectin is present in every land plant, and especially prevalent in fruits and seeds. Some fruits have a lot of pectin, others a moderate amount, and some very little.

The process of making jam and jelly centers around coaxing the pectin from the fruit. Once released, the pectin will firm up juice or crushed fruit to the desired consistency. Pectin is released from the fruit under three conditions: (1) the right amount of sugar, (2) the proper acidic condition, and (3) with the help of heat.Pectin

Too Little, Too Much - Balance is key when making jellies and jams. The amount of sugar used must match the amount of pectin held in the fruit. The acidic balance must be present. Too little heat, and the sugar will not dissolve, water will not be evaporated, and enzymes that inactivate pectin are not disabled. Too much heat or overcooking, and the natural pectin will be debilitated.

How to Know What's Right - Fortunately, there are generations of cooks before us that have experimented with different fruits and various proportions. Follow their lead! Use a reputable recipe and follow its instructions. Do not improvise on the amount of sugar, the volume of fruit, the quantity of acidic ingredient, or the cooking times. Fido Canning Jar

Is It Ready? - Our featured author recommends testing the pectin content of cooking mixtures by using the spoon test. Dip a clean teaspoon in the cooked fruit, lift, and tip the spoon's contents back into the pan. If the drops are fall slowly and appear thick, the jam or jelly is ready. Better yet, use an instant-read thermometer. When the mixture has reached 230-235°F (soft ball stage), it's ready. Jams and jellies will continue to thicken as they cool.

Prep & Process
Why make your own jam or jelly? There's great satisfaction in mastering a new skill, or reconnecting with an old proficiency. With your own crafted jars you are able to buy or harvest locally, control what goes in your food, and enjoy the flashback to summer available with each bite.
jams
For additional details on preserving jams and jellies, and other foods, check out this USDA website resource on Home Preserving.
Smart Jam & Jelly Making Tips
FunnelTip #1: Fruits that are perfectly ripe, or even under-ripe, gel more easily than fruits that are over-ripe. Our featured cookbook recommends using "three parts just-ripe fruit to one part underripe, avoid overripe fruit altogether." Overripe fruit has less acidity and less pectin.

Tip #2:  Small batches of jam or jelly work better and gel more reliably than larger batches. Larger batches take longer to evaporate and the lengthened cooking time breaks down the pectin.

Tip #3:  What if the fruit is ready, but you aren't.  Freeze the bounty until you're ready to make the jam or jelly. By waiting, there's the added bonus of cooler weather and a more comfortable kitchen.

Jar LifterTip #4: Store canned jams and jellies in a cool, dry, dark place in order to preserve their appearance and flavor. Store opened (or inadequately sealed) jars of jam in the refrigerator.

Tip #5: Seek out the smaller half-pint or half-cup jars; they are just the right size for gift-giving. Be sure to label and date your jars.


Tip #6:  No time or interest in making your own jam or jelly? We have dozens of jars ready to go in our gourmet food section.

Q & A's
Q and A LogoQ:   What is pectin?  Must I buy it?
A:   Pectin is a natural food product extracted and concentrated from rich sources such as apples and citrus fruits, especially their peels. It is generally available in powdered or liquid form. Pectin occurs naturally in many fruits and is not required for jams and jellies, though some find it helpful. It has a shelf life, so check expiration dates.

Q:  What is refrigerator jam? What is freezer jam?
A:  Both refrigerator jam and freezer jam are basically jam without the process of canning in a hot water bath. The preserves are kept fresh through the chilled temperatures instead of through a vacuum process. Both jam methods are ideal for small batches. Use a jar of refrigerator jam within a month.Glass Canning Jar Set

Q: What types of jars should I use for jam and jelly making?
A: If you plan to can your product, use mason jars that are specifically built of the proper glass and have metal lids and rings that match the jar exactly. The jars must withstand boiling water, and the closures must form a strong seal. Jars and rings may be used over and over again, but lids must be new each time.

 Cookbook Review
The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich. Published by Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA. Copyright 2009.

CookbookThis recent publication revives the secrets of making traditional jam, jelly, and many other sweet preserves. There is a whole generation, or maybe two, that missed learning this culinary craft at the side of their grandmother - this book fills in the gap by combining traditionally knowledge with today's ultra-modern kitchens and lifestyles. The author writes in an accessible style and includes over 200 tried, true, and tested recipes for honing jam and jelly making skills. The recipes focus on natural jams and jellies without the need for store-bought pectin or jelly kits. The book is organized logically with a chapter for each type of fruit. After all, as the author points out, contrary to finding a recipe then buying the ingredients, with jams and jellies it's the ingredients that come first with a recipe found secondarily. She patiently details the nuances of assembling the preserves and carefully explains the canning process. A great troubleshooting guide is included. Working with the book, we felt enabled and confident in our abilities for making the most of the jam season ahead.

Three Simple Fruit Preserves
Peach JamPeach
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One of our summer favorites in any form, peaches are very cooperative in transforming into jam. With just three ingredients, peaches, sugar, and lemon juice, the fruit is bubbled into a thick mixture. The taste was bright, full of concentrated peach flavor. We enjoyed it on our English muffin, and look forward to trying it as a seafood glaze sometime soon.


Blackberry JellyBlackberry Jelly
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Blackberries and their cousins arrive in waves throughout the summer. Fortunately, we were ready with this recipe when a flush of berries came our way. The juice was easily extracted from the berries and the jelly easily formed with the berries' natural pectin, sugar, and a little lemon juice for brightness and acidity. Amazingly delicious.


Apple ButterApple Butter

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A bit precocious since apple season is still ahead of us, we experimented with this apple butter recipe because its always one of our fall favorites. The apples are cored, quartered, and cooked; no need to laboriously peel each fruit. The apple puree is gently cooked into a very concentrated form and lightly spiced. The result was a rich, intense flavor experience.


Recipes from The Joy of Jams, Jellies, and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich through permission of Harvard Common Press, Boston, MA. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.

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Take advantage of the seasonal fruit bounty and "put up" some summer for later!
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