Canning

I just signed up to take a one-day (four-hour) canning class in mid-October, at the same school where G is going to take his Pastry class every Saturday.  We can carpool! :-)  I am looking forward to the class; here is the description:

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In this hands-on workshop your chef-instructors will teach you how to use both the water-bath and pressure-canning methods. It will cover some essential elements in safety and food preservation and share some history on the canning process.

You will explore making chutney, jams, duck confit, and more. You’ll also learn how to preserve some of the fall harvest bounty to enjoy later by making and then jarring stewed tomatoes, fruits in syrup, and French country pâté.
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It's nice that we'll actually be doing some canning during the class (which is perhaps why it takes four hours...!)  I've done canning myself a couple of times, but it will be nice to see how it's "officially" supposed to be done, as well as get an idea of how and why the pressure-canning approach is taken.  Knowledge is power, and all that.

On a related note, I spent an afternoon hunting for one of those huge (in my memory, but I was smaller then...!) spotted canning pots.  The closest I could find was a really big stock pot.  It seemed like something that could be used for other purposes as well -- perhaps it was just a more expensive / higher quality version of the same thing? -- and what with having a spouse who is liable to need random kitchen objects at the drop of a hat, and because I had a coupon, I bought it.

Said pot was used for the first time, with great success, to make a large quantity of mushroom soup this past Thursday, during a party that we hosted at our place.  Our friend April, who is an excellent cook but whom also lives in a teeny-tiny apartment, came over with a wagonload of ingredients, tupperware and kitchen implements, we offered two pairs of capable (we trust) hands, and off we went.  About eight friendly people arrived at a suitable time, and we all had a very nice dinner, including the following [text adapted from a list sent to me via email]:

corn fritters
    eggs, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, scallions

tomato bread
    butter, garlic, herbs, tomato, cheese



bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with chorizo
    bacon, dates, chorizo

the super duper awesome mushroom soup
    stock, fried mushroom, onion, sherry, truffle foam

a grilled chayote salad
    squash, tomatoes, basil, onions, vinegar, oil

veggie kabobs
    mushroom, zucchini, pepper, pineapples, onion

pomegranate beef kabobs
    meat, zucchini, pepper, pineapples, onion

grilled pineapple

berry panzanella
    croissants, berries, whipped cream

I picked the tomatoes from our garden, made the the tomato bread, helped out with various small tasks, and washed half the dishes!

Anyway, her party more or less used up all of the ripe classic and beefsteak tomatoes that I have, and while I have lots of yellow cherry tomatoes, which are very nice, I haven't quite had the mental 'oomph' yet to can them.  I've found a 'how to can tomatoes' set of directions at pickyourown.org that I thought I might try.  It's interesting, about cherry tomatoes perhaps not having the needed acidity, and being too watery, to perhaps make a good choice for canning.  I did get some calcium citrate (a substitute for lemon juice) to play with.  Hrmm...we'll see.

Oh, and parental units, if you're reading this (*waves*) I've been thinking about the watering-system-attached-to-a-hose thing.  It's simmering in my brain for a bit.  We'll see.  Unfortunately my outdoor taps tend to leak at the base of the turning handle if they're on but pressure is not relieved via an outlet, and I'm not sure yet what it would take to swap out the tap(s); the last time we asked a professional, he said that replacing the tap (our worst one) would involve replacing the plaster around it where the pipe enters the house because of the way it was set up by the previous owner.  I guess we should make a decision before the rainy season hits -- ironic, that, since we're talking about a watering system!