What an exciting class in the Summer Kitchen last night! I walked into the kitchen this morning and was blown away by the fresh smell of citrus!

Last night, I demonstrated how to make a simple Lemon Curd, and then got out of the way fast as the women took over!  As we took turns whisking the butter, eggs, sugar, and lemons into a smooth pudding-like spread over a double boiler, the rest of the team began attacking oranges and eggs.  For once, I just stood to the side and let it happen. 

We were short a few jars, so they decided to whip up one last batch of lemon-orange curd - my favorite!  Served the leftover lemon curd over pound cake, and swirled a little raspberry jam into the curd for a fun presentation.  Wow - what flavor profiles.

How to choose a good curd at the store?  Stay far away from lemon curd that looks tan.  It is usually canned with a lot of shelf-stabilizing additives.  You see, curd should be eaten fairly quickly.  Stabilizers affect the sharp citrus and buttery flavors, but it they are not added, I would advise eating a curd within 3 months after it is canned.  After that, the flavor diminishes.  Or come take a Master's Canning Class and we'll teach you how to make your own fresh curd.  Nothing beats it!

It's been a long, hard week of canning classes and canning!  Taught Beginner's all day Sat., and last night was Curds.  The beginners were wonderful.  What an education I received!  Aileen and Dessie (with multiple degrees in anthropology and biological conservation) work for Vista to bring agribusiness techniques to Clinton County (which REALLY needs an economic boost due to the loss of DHL).  Good luck, ladies, and let me know if you need any help.  Perhaps I could gather some canning jars for some of your charges?

And lovely Alena is a Criminal Justice prof at Miami (not to mention a profiling consultant for local law enforcement), but pours her love and time into operating her own horse rescue!  Wow - forget learning how to can - I could have spent weeks learning from these wonderfully giving women!

But can we did.  Strawberry Jam and Glazed Carrots.  It was a little nippy outside, but in the cannery twas warm and steamy, and quite delicious when we served warm pound cake with fresh Strawberry Jam!

We teach canning classes year-round except for August, Sept., and Dec.   If you would like more information please click on www.jamandjellylady.com.  We'd love to teach you!

The kitchen smells delicious today!  We're getting ready for a big show in Cincinnati this spring: the Cincinnati Fine Food Show on April 17 and 18.  Praline Syrup and  Strawberry Lemonade are already bubbling on the stove.  But we've got a newcomer that certainly tastes pretty good even before I cook it - 

Logan's Irish Whiskey Marmalade!

My mother, Susan Logan, has always cherished her Irish roots.  As a child, I remember wearing orange on St. Patty's Day to celebrate our Protestant roots - boy, was I black and blue from being pinched all day at school!

Mom always wanted a grandchild named after her.  Susan or Logan would do!  But it never happened.  Then, as I've created new jams and named them, she STILL never received a namesake!  I named Grandma Staffan's Pear Honey after my mother-in-law (she DID hand down this recipe), and Betty's Piccalilli is named after my paternal grandmother (not only is this her recipe, but she is responsible for teaching me how to can!) 

Finally, dear Mother, on the 22nd day of February, 2010, you get SOMETHING named after YOU!  An enjoyable way to put Irish whiskey on your toast!  The Logan's will be proud, and I'll make sure to ship some of your marmalade to Uncle Scott, Aunt Sheila, and Aunt Marcy!  Erin Go Bragh!

We received about 9 inches of snow today - kids got a snow day.  

We had a ball making snow men, snow ice cream, snow forts, and snow angels!  And we played with the idea of a new dessert using our delicious Strawberry Lemonade!  The kids and I are planning on experimenting with a Strawberry Lemonshake recipe.  Tune in tomorrow to see the results.  If it works, I'll post the recipe and pictures.  Boy, when we are homebound, our imaginations go crazy!

I think we'll have a snow day tomorrow, too.  I went to Home Depot tonight and the roads were pretty clear.  20 minutes later, I exited into a blinding world of white!  At first I thought it was Home Depot's roof just swirling snow off the top, but it quickly became evident that we were in a white-out.  40 mph winds combined with an unexpected hard snowfall.  Don't think I'll be canning tomorrow - it's getting harder and harder to push through the snow drifts to the cannery out back! 

The Warren County Herbal Guild enjoyed a bit of jam last night as they met in our cannery.  I gave basic canning guidelines, but most women were experienced canners and had great questions:

Q: Can you can with the store-bought pasta sauce jars that look like Mason jars?

A: Yes!  They are really canning jars.  But avoid other jars like mayo and pickle jars.  Their glass walls aren't strong enough to withstand high heat.

Q: What is the shelf-life of canned goods?

A: About 2 years.  Some say only one, but I find that the flavor is good until the 2 year mark.  However, some recipes won't hold long.  I open curds within 4 months, and juice within 1 year.  If the product is dark on top, the acid in the fruit has waned (like sliced apples that haven't been dipped in Fruit Fresh or lemon juice).  Still edible, but some flavor is lost.

Jan Carrier (our favorite Norwegian) gave background on the cheese I served.  Norwegian Gjetost cheese was thick, rich, and caramel in color.  Cheese with warm baguette and fresh jam was wonderful.  Jan said Gjetost is a Norwegian staple.

Not much clean-up because there was no food left!  Not one slice of baguette - and most of the jam jars were scraped dry!  My kind of foodies...  Thanks, ladies, I had a spectacular time...

Thanks to the die-hard canners who braved the arctic cold and made it to the Master's Canning - Valentine's class!  We made a new jam: Sweetheart Jam, and a butter pastry to match!  Sweetheart Jam will be stocked at Butcher Bill's in Mason, and also on our website, www.jamandjellylady.com. 

What is Sweetheart Jam? Strawberries (the fruit of love!), orange zest and juice, cane sugar, organic lemon juice, and (drum roll, please) Grand Marnier! 

This is another of our "SoftSet" jams.  They are very soft, spoonable jams that you can stir into yogurt, drizzle over cheesecake, or pour on ice cream.  We use no pectin, unnatural preservatives, or corn syrup.  Actually, I don't have a problem with corn syrup, used in the right way - just not in everything I eat! 

Here's a picture of a heart-shaped tart that Martha made in class.  Thanks, Siewtin, for taking the photos!  I love when Siewtin signs up for class because she always brings her awesome Blackberry!  See our FaceBook page (Jam and Jelly Lady) for other photos!

Sign up for Beginner's Class - February 6th!  NOW is the time to learn to can - BEFORE canning season! 

Pectin - what is it - how does it play into manufactured jams and home made jams? [Read More]

Really good day for our little cannery today!  Midwest Living Magazine is one of my favorites, mostly for the yummy recipes (my favorite is a marinated shrimp and artichoke appetizer). 

Today I received a request for pictures of our cannery and canning classes in action!  I'm busy all day today and Sunday with girlfriends who are superb canners, digging through archives, trying to figure out what pictures are going to be most likely to look good to the public.  My friend and fabulous photographer, Mary Feie, is coming Sunday to take some new shots of the cannery and some close-ups of food.  I've helped with food styling before, but never with this much at stake!

Between Local Harvest and Midwest Living, our jams and relishes are getting some much-needed publicity.  I've been doing farmer's markets for 14 years, and I'm looking forward to more of an internet-based business where I can ship jams and still make it to all my kids sporting events on Saturday mornings.

Wish us luck! 

What is Lemon Curd? 

Well, probably the most yummy, buttery, slather it all over your body and lick it off gladly spread!  Does that sound good enough?

The ingredients for REALLY good Lemon Curd:

• butter
• farm-fresh egg yolks
• butter
• pure vanilla (you can even use the bean straight)
• butter
• freshly grated lemon zest
• butter
• freshly squeezed lemon juice
• butter
• sugar
• and a little more butter

It is cannable, but the shelf life is less than 4 months.  If you see it separate, that's natural and OK.  Just shake or stir it.  It is often loose until refrigerated.

I'm teaching a class on making curds just before Easter.  The buttery richness is a perfect complement to any holiday buffet, or as a special gift in an Easter basket!  Sign up on our website, www.jamandjellylady.com!

A Christmas canning mystery...  Who left the delicious preserves.  Why did they do it?  And why can't I eat them NOW?![Read More]

Pam, a sweet lady from my last 2009 Beginner Class, called today to order canning jars - for the third time!  It is so very gratifying when I'm able to pass down this delightful hobby to new generations...

Pam took the 2-night course with her daughter, Jamie, who turned out to be my 13-year-old son's writing teacher!  Small world, eh?  They must have enjoyed the course, because Pam purchased a top-of-the-line jam pot and a huge canning kit from me.  Then this past weekend the two of them taught other family members how to can as a part of their Thanksgiving Day celebration!  Now they are planning their Christmas gifts...

I thought it was particularly funny when Jamie told me that their first attempt without me wasn't quite cooked to gel point, so the strawberry jam was runny.  I told her that it wasn't ruined - that they'd created a beautiful strawberry syrup!  The pair appropriately named their creation "Strawberry Drizzle" to convince friends that the concoction was just fine.  It's all in the marketing, right?

I am gearing up for a couple of very hard weeks in the Summer Kitchen.  Making Christmas Jam nearly every day, juggling pick-ups, shipping sometimes twice a day, and taking phone and email orders.  There needs to be three of me!  Can't wait until January - sleep time!

Well, I both sorry and happy to say that I finished the last canning class of the year this week!  It makes for a hard day, canning all day, hustling the children everywhere, cleaning the house, and putting on a good dinner -- only to spend another 3-4 hours in the Summer Kitchen teaching canning.  But a very good day, nevertheless.

Taught two new recipes: Cran-Raspberry Jam and Holiday Chutney.  I think I just fell in love anew with jam and chutney!  The Cran-Raspberry Jam has little chunk of fruit and dried cranberries, plus a little cinnamon.  But the chutney really wowed all of us: pears, apples, brown sugar, cayenne, cider vinegar, etc.  I served it the next day at a small luncheon I put on for our dentist's office, and the staff loved it.  You could argue that everyone loves free food, but this was really tasty!

The pace of canning for the holidays is beginning to wear on me, and it's only the beginning of November!  My neck is horribly sore and stiff and I'm bone-tired.  I actually wrote a few more paragraphs on this blog about speaking at a gathering of health department officials this morning, and I felt my eyes falling asleep!  So that story is for another blog.  Good night!

Had a ball tonight teaching some of my favorite gals how to make Spiced Apples and then an Apple Strudel.  And what a beautiful fall evening!  Our kids just had a harvest party out here in the Summer Kitchen, so I left the orange and white mini lights hanging in the trees and across the porch.  Will, my 12-year old, replaced the white lights in the bathroom with black lights, hung "cobwebs" in the corners, and even attached a fake spider to the bathroom door so it goes up and down as the door opens and shuts!

We cooked plenty of apples, so after we each canned a jar, I showed the gals how to butter up a fresh apple strudel with the remaining apples we'd cooked.  Everyone found phyllo a challenge at first, but they got the technique pretty quickly.

I baked the first strudel for the class, and at the very end we used the rest of the phyllo to make an extra strudel for my very patient husband who, on nights I teach, finishes the supper dishes, helps kids with homework, and tucks everyone in with a prayer!  He is pretty happy, right now, sprawled on the couch in the living room, smelling fresh strudel!

I'm leavin' this mess to clean up until morning!  Lots of sticky pots and pans to clean- but, heck, when you make food with lots of love, there's always going to be a sticky mess!

Canning class last night lasted till the wee hours and I'm a bit weary this morning.  But it's 8:30, kids are on the bus, I've got a great cup of joe, and I'm finally getting the cannery mess cleared up from last night.  Thank goodness for industrial-sized sinks!

The Summer Kitchen was full last night, but the bigger the class the better, to a point.  Lots of great questions and even more laughter at ourselves as first-timers tried to manhandle the long ladles, heavy pots, and lots of heat. 

At the beginning of class, I like to have everyone tell a story as to why they are in class so I know what they're looking for.  Typically, folks say they watched grandma can, and she's passed away.  So they've come to the Summer Kitchen to try to recreate old memories.  Some folks are trying to save money; others want to control where their food comes from.  Last night there was a mom with a child who was allergic to everything.  But the story I enjoyed the most was from a man, Pete, whose brother from CA sent him a jar of homemade catsup.  Pete was crazy about the catsup; said he put it on everything and then started eating it by the spoon!  But when asked, his brother wouldn't share the recipe!!  So Pete was in canning class so that he could come up with a gourmet recipe that would knock his brother's sock off.  I don't think he plans to share his new recipe. Game on, bro!

After canning our jars, we poured the remaining strawberry jam over warm brie and gobbled it up with crusty baguettes.  (Thanks, Farmer Jon, for growing me so many wonderful strawberries this summer.  I'm still in heaven!)  What a way to spend a crisp fall evening...