• Preserves

    Blackberry Mojito Jam

    Shae took off for the Alaskan Interior and left me, Spike, the porcupine, in charge of her blog. When she asked me to do it, I thought she was joking, but then…

  • Travel

    You’ll Have to Ask Spike

    I’ll be away for three weeks and I’ve decided to leave the porcupine in charge. He’s an industrious dude, perfectly capable of watching over the few posts that will appear here while…

  • Preserves

    Roasted Red Pepper Ketchup

    I was thrilled to get this month’s Can Jam assignment — tomatoes all the way, chosen by my buddy Julia — because I knew it would give me a chance to redeem…

  • Food, Travel

    Drink This Beer

    Today is International Beer Day, so I thought I’d tell you a little story about a great beer and a nice guy. The beer is Dacker. It’s a full-bodied, goes-down-easy ale, first…

  • Preserves

    Yellow and White Peach Jam

    If I’ve learned one thing in the few years I’ve been canning, it’s that what you make is only as good as the ingredients you start with. I believe you should taste…

  • Food

    Celery Water

    I thought I’d grown too much celery this year, but now I wish I had more. That’s because our friend Barbara, who happened to be visiting when I was musing on said…

  • Preserves

    Bread & Butter Pickles

    I was cranky about these cucumbers. I can stand at the counter for hours slicing lemons for marmalade, but give me a pile of cukes to cut into 1/4-inch rounds and I’m,…

  • Preserves

    Apricot Amaretto Jam

    Look at these funny little apricots. They’re Royal Blenheims, and I won’t make apricot jam without them. I really have no license to be such a snob. I made my first batch…

  • Preserves

    Tales and Tips from the County Fair

    I came home from the 2010 Marin County Fair with a fistful of ribbons for my preserves. Nine in all, for my seven jars. Did this surprise me? You bet it did.…

  • Preserves

    Boysenberry Jam

    Last week I drove from Fairfax down to Watsonville (six hours round trip) in search of the elusive tayberry. I found one scraggly patch of tays at an organic U-Pick farm —…