Home Canning Is Nice

Cherry, White Nectarine, and Rosebud Preserves

I love rose flavored things.  I love that I can eat flowers.  

Yellow Nectarine and Chamomile Preserves

This is what I learned from Christine Ferber: The point of making preserves is to preserve the flavor of fruit, rather than muddling it with sugar.  Therefore, it only makes sense to use in-season organic fruit (preferably locally grown) and to preserve it in large unsmashed chunks that are simply bathing in sugar rather than mixed in with the sugar.  That way when you put your preserves on morning toast or over yogurt, you can remove it from the sugar bath and actually taste the fruit.  

Fantastic.  

The chamomile was wonderful in this.  

Mes Confitures

Today I received "Mes Confitures" by Christine Ferber in the mail today.  I have been wanting this book forever but for what ever reason couldn't justify buying it over other books that I wanted.  I finally gave in.  And I am practically frothing at the mouth.  The book is entirely about making jams and preserves, something that I love to do.  Christine Ferber's recipes are work intensive, I'm talking macerating (nancy, i used the word "macerate") fruit for eight hours in order to keep the shape of the fruit.  And rather than the mushy fruit compote that we are all used to, her jams preserve whole segments of fruit and are worthy of much more than toast.    

Some of her suggestions are a little intense. Like picking the fruit by hand and preserving it within an hour or making my own apple pectin.  I think I will short cut these parts.  

But the recipes are exciting, pretty much as exciting as they get.  

examples: 

Rose Hip with Vanilla

Rhubarb, Apple, and Passion Fruit

Carrot, Orange, and Cardamom 

Pear with Pinot Noir

People in my life, expect jars and jars of love.