Full Steam Ahead

How to pay for Trump’s tax cuts?  Easy.  A levy on all registered, card-carrying Democrats.

It’s been full steam ahead in the kitchen because there was so much pent up demand for my products that i looked up three weeks ago and saw that the cupboard was nearly bare.  Panic ensued, and i got to work.

Blackberry Vinegar (10-1)  A month ago i had set to steeping in the refrigerator the seeds and pulp from a batch of blackberry jelly.  Today i strained it through a cloth for this vinegar.

SCBB – Scaredy Cat Blackberry Jelly (10-1)  Picked up a flat of blackberries from Sra. Yerena yesterday at the Alemany Farmers’ Market and decided i was going to do something different, a hot pepper blackberry jelly.  So i chopped two of those blindingly hot Thai peppers into it as it cooked, fearful of getting it so hot nobody but the Hmong could eat it.  You can imagine my disappointment when i tasted the finished product and could just barely detect the peppers.  Hell, all they did was just brighten up the other flavors.  Well, see, i was too scared of those peppers to taste one since i bought ’em the week before, and now i don’t know whether a different variety was pawned off on me or whether this particular batch was a throwback.  Not that there’s a problem.  I’ll just use more of ’em.

Frozen Cranberry Beans (10-12, 19, 23) Cranberry beans are my favorite bean, and of course they’re at their best fresh.  They have a fairly long season during summer and fall, and the great blessing is that they are still available at the farmers’ markets well after the last of the stone fruit, so you have time to mess with them.  What you do is buy a bag and spread ’em out on your floor.  Then, the next day, after they’ve had time to relax and are easier to shell, you shell them, blanch them for a couple of minutes in boiling water, bag them, and throw ’em in the freezer, where they will wait for special occasions throughout the following winter and spring.  Taking the trouble to blanch them before freezing kills that enzymatic activity, making the taste virtually indistinguishable from fresh.

PTPJ – Yellow Peach and Thai Pepper Jam.  (10-14)  After the wimpiness of that blackberry jelly above, i went ahead and put in four Thai peppers this time, and then, very near the end of the cooking, i chopped two more in, so you can actually taste ’em this time.  I quite like this jam.

WNT – White Nectarine and Thai Pepper Jam (10-15) The folks at the Hooverville stand at the Alemany Farmers’ Market had nice-looking white nectarines.  The advantage in their being well up into the Sierra foothills is that they can tease out the season longer than the flatlanders.  I again threw in six Thai peppers, which is just about right.  Well, for me.

SAL – Strawberry Jam (10-15) Went ahead and left this one plain for the traditionalists.  I got the strawberries from Yerena.

RB – Raspberry Jelly (10-19)  Just a plain raspberry jelly from Yerena’s raspberries.  I shredded two Granny Goose apples down to the core and juiced three big limes into this one, and it set beautifully.

SBT – Strawberry and Thai Pepper Jam. (10-23).  I backed off to four of the Thai peppers in this jam, chopping two in at the beginning and two more near the end, which brought the capsaicin up to a gentle level.  It takes a beat or two to hit you and then, not hard.  I’m pleased with this one.

Pickled Habaneros. (10-25) Let’s be clear right up front.  I’m not going to even taste these. No no. They’re for friends who like the really hot stuff.  I kinda prettied them up by including in each jar a couple of carrot sticks, a Serrano chile, and a green onion stalk or two.  Not that those additions will impact the piquancy.

And yes, to see what i’ve been canning recently, you can always just go to the Production Report for the current year.

Meanwhile, in my spare time i’ve started taking photos of my new neighborhood.