For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver. ~Martin Luther Our cabin in Alaska sits at the base of a ridge overlooking a vast stretch of taiga. We always say that we are “going down to…
One of many nice things about spring around here is that Meyer lemons and strawberries share part of the season. We can still pick Meyers when the first local berries are arriving in the markets. If you want to make a preserve that’s solidly spring, Meyer Lemon-Strawberry Marmalade definitely qualifies. This is one of the…
It takes about twenty minutes to make nasturtium pesto, including the picking. Get some tender nasturtium leaves and get going!
A girl can make only so much marmalade. I love the stuff, but last night, as I was facing another bowl heaped high with Meyer lemons, I reached my limit. When that happens, there’s only one thing left to do: Take a bath. In December, I made the Lavender Sea Salt Body Scrub that Kaela…
Aren’t these cute? It’s too bad they suck. I was so excited to attempt my first pâté de fruit. A couple weeks ago, when I was visiting Austin, Texas, I found a clementine pâté at a little place called Antonelli’s Cheese Shop. Borrowing a phrase from Paula Deen: It knocked my socks clean off and…
These candied grapefruit peels don’t look quite the way they should. They are supposed to be white-sugar studded and sparkly. But to me, they look like a whole lot like French fries. That’s why I went down to our local burger joint and got one of those little white French-fry baggies to put them in….
This post could also be called “Experiments with Oranges,” because that’s what’s happening here. The jars above contain orange segments preserved two ways: half in light sugar syrup and half in a light syrup made with organic agave nectar. Trying agave is part of my new interest in preserving fruit without refined sugar. My plan…
Last night was a big night for me. I made jam without added sugar for the very first time. This pear lemon jam is primarily sweetened with white grape juice concentrate; it achieves a set with the help of Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Why did I do it? I am not going to act like the…
This is a basket of Meyer lemons that I boosted from some tree last year. It might have been the tree in front of the foreclosed house near the town library, or they might have come from my favorite tree on an unfenced lot in Berkeley. This year’s harvest is coming in smaller and slower,…
I am a chronic nail biter. I’ve been this way since the fourth grade, when I noticed a classmate biting her nails and thought it looked interesting enough to try it myself. When you’re a kid, a two-second thought can become a thirty-six year habit just like that. Now, the only way I can keep…
A couple of weeks ago I went to a marmalade making class with Rachel Saunders at Blue Chair Fruit. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend an afternoon learning from someone who has been crafting beautiful marmalades for a dozen years. These were my favorite things about the class: It provided a thorough overview of…
One of the most popular recipes I’ve posted on this blog is a tasty, simple Pomegranate Champagne Jelly. In the comments to that post, a couple of folks asked whether it would be okay to include the pomegranate arils — that is, the seeds in their beautiful red, fleshy wrappings. I didn’t think it would…