Prior to the invention of home refrigeration in 1913, the overflowing bounty of American gardens and orchards was earmarked for pickles, relishes and canned vegetables as well as jams and jellies. These were ritually “put up” in season, then carefully doled out over the post-harvest year to come. A woman’s kitchen would smell heavenly on the days she would make her fruity preserves, the pure essence of berries, fruits and sugar hanging heavy in the summer air. Slathered on a hot homemade biscuit, they must have been swoon-worthy. A blue ribbon at the state fair was considered a badge of honor back then and competition could be fierce. Family visits often ended with Grandma’s special parting gift of a jar of preserves to be enjoyed back home.
The following recipes may inspire you to acquire this skill set for yourself but first take time to familiarize yourself with water bath canning techniques. Shelf-stable canned and preserved foods are processed at high temperatures that will prevent any botulism from forming in properly sealed cans and jars.
Have you ever wondered what is the difference between jelly, jam, and preserves? Jelly is made by crushing a fruit and straining and discarding the solid chunky leftovers. This pure fruit juice is then mixed with a natural coagulant substance called pectin and heated with sugar to form the jelly. Jam incorporates the fruit’s fibers and seeds to give it a more spreadable consistency. A preserve (literally “to make lasting”) uses most of the fruit whole or simply chopped into smaller pieces. Jam, jelly and preserves recipes (and dishes which use them) range from haute cuisine-complicated down to child-friendly simple. The following are on the beginning cook end of the spectrum, starting with classic blackberry preserves.
Technically speaking, blackberries are fruit, not berries. Danish forensic experts first identified them within a woman whose remains dated back 2,500 years. Anyone who has enjoyed the taste of a plump blackberry plucked warm from a bush is grateful this fruit survived the centuries.
EASY BLACKBERRY PRESERVES
Ingredients:
- 1 pound blackberries, as ripe and local as possible
- 1 pound white sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients and let sit, covered, for an hour. Place in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Blackberry seeds contain natural pectin, which thickens the liquid, but you can strain it through a sieve after cooking to remove the seeds if you prefer. Carefully follow manufacturer’s directions for canning, or simply place in clean jars, cover with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to 90 days.
Martha Stewart’s take on a savory preserve is also simple, yet packs a powerful flavor punch. In a recent survey, 18 percent of Americans claimed bacon is their favorite food, while 16 percent said they cannot live without it.
SLOW COOKER BACON JAM
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 medium yellow onions, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee
Instructions:
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned (about 20 minutes). Transfer to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of fat from skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent (about 6 minutes). Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping skillet for about 2 minutes. Add bacon bits and stir to combine.
Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy (3 1/2 to 4 hours). Transfer to a food processor. Pulse just until coarsely chopped. Let cool and then refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 weeks.
Here’s an excellent tip: try adding this bacon and onion conserve to this next recipe for an extra special savory/sweet treat.
Swedish in origin, the recipe for this yummy burger was designed to feed your inner Viking. It calls for moose meat, but feel free to substitute ground venison or grass-fed lean ground beef. (Try Costco’s organic hamburger; you won’t be sorry!)
MOOSE BURGERS
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds of ground meat of choice
- 6 brioche rolls, split
- Romaine lettuce leaves, rinsed and dried
- Sour cream as needed
- 1 tablespoons Trader Joe’s Onion Salt, or to taste
- 6 tablespoons lingonberry preserves
- 6 tablespoons bacon jam (optional)
Instructions:
Form ground meat into six equal patties and sprinkle with onion salt. Grill over medium heat until done (about 4 minutes per side) Assemble on split and toasted rolls that have been spread with sour cream. Arrange the lettuce leaves on the bottom bun half. Add a burger, top with lingonberry preserves, and then a dollop of bacon jam. Lingonberries are said to contain eight times the antioxidants of blueberries, so this is considered health food, right?
For another sweet and savory offering, consider the common crostini. Crostini are a
consisting of small slices of grilled or toasted bread topped with a variety of different cheeses, meats, veggies or condiments. Here we combine sweet, savory, and a satisfying crunch by using cranberry preserves with herbs such as rosemary, plus a sprinkle of goat cheese or feta. Your guests will appreciate the artistic presentation of any jewel-toned fruits on a carefully constructed appetizer. What could be simpler?
CROSTINI APPETIZERS
Ingredients:
- 1 day-old baguette of French or Italian bread, cut in thin slices and toasted in the oven
- 8 ounces Brie cheese, sliced thinly
- Cranberry preserves (or your choice of raspberry, blueberry, fig, etc.)
- Sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 6 ounces goat cheese or feta, crumbled
Instructions:
Toast bread slices in the oven on a cookie sheet and then top with Brie. Place under broiler until cheese melts Remove from oven and top with preserves. Add a perky sprig of fresh rosemary and sprinkle lavishly with crumbles of cheese. Plate on a pretty platter and your guests will think you’re a genius hostess!
What? Kiwi jam? Yes, please! This brightly acidic jam should bring a touch of sunshine to even the dreariest future winter day. Usually thought of as an exotic tropical vine (with fruits that taste a bit like pineapple and banana), they are actually hardy vines we can grow in our own Zone 7 and points south. Happily, this jam recipe is lower in sugar than some others and does not require commercially made pectin, since the fruit is highly acidic and naturally laden with this substance. A tiny bit of lemon juice adds just enough pectin to bring this jam together, with the citrus highlighting the fruit’s tropical flavor notes.
KIWI JAM
Ingredients:
- 4 lbs. ripe kiwis, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions:
Peel and chop kiwis. Place them in a heavy saucepan with sugar and lemon juice. Jam bubbles during cooking, so be sure you are using a deep enough pan. Cook the mixture for about 10-15 minutes until it reaches a gel stage (220 degrees F on a kitchen thermometer). Ladle the finished kiwi jam into jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Debubble the jars by tilting and adjusting headspace. Cap with two-part lids.
For a fridge or freezer jam, allow the jars to cool completely before storing in the refrigerator or freezer. If canning, process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for an additional 5 minutes before removing them to cool.
Store any jars that failed to seal (you should hear a ping as the vacuum forms and lid depresses) in the refrigerator. Properly sealed jars should last 12-18 months in the pantry without losing quality. As long as the lids are still sealed, the jam should be safe to eat for even longer. Refrigerate after opening.
Our final recipe is an homage to the late, great Elvis Presley himself, who once flew his private plane to a distant city just to enjoy a local restaurant’s famous specialty, a recipe with just three ingredients: a split loaf of fresh sourdough bread filled with a jar of creamy peanut butter and a jar of grape jelly. He ate the entire sandwich on the plane, then, as legend has it, ordered 30 more to go. Back home in Memphis, h
is cook tweaked this treat until The Elvis was born: a grilled white bread, peanut butter, jelly, banana and bacon sandwich. A gut-buster! Our version is a little less complicated.
GRILLED PB&J SANDWICH
Ingredients:
- 2 slices hearty white bread
- 1 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons grape jelly
Instructions:
Assemble PB&J in the usual way. Butter bread generously on both sides and place sandwich in a medium-hot frying pan. Grill until bread is toasty, then flip. Continue cooking until bread is golden brown and the peanut butter oozes. Elvis preferred his with a glass of cold buttermilk.
SOMETIMES SIMPLE IS JUST BETTER.