FARMcurious » canning

Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It

FARMcurious — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 01:27:16 +0000

An beautifully delicious DIY food gem from SF chef/DIY mistress Karen Solomon.

Have you ever wanted to . . .
Bottle your own soda? Press your own tofu? Smoke your own cheese? Boil your own bagels? Ferment your own miso? Can your own tomatoes? Roast your own coffee?

Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It walks you through a slew of satisfying culinary projects to stock your larder and shower your friends with artisan foods and drinks, kitchen staples, and utterly addictive snacks. Karen Solomon—veteran food writer, kitchen explorer, and author of Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It—brings forth a new collection of 75-plus recipes for condiments (Plum Catsup), cereals (Cornflakes), crunchy snacks (Tortilla Chips), beverages (Soy Milk), and more. Whether you’re a beginning or seasoned home cook, you’ll be inspired to pump up the power of your pantry.

With detailed instruction on essential techniques, time commitments for each project (from 20 minutes to 2 hours to a weekend), and labeling and wrapping tips, Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It will help you get creative in the kitchen. So leave the grocery aisle’s mass-produced packaging and mystery ingredients behind and join the urban homesteading revolution as you whip up a bevy of jars, bottles, and bags full of outstanding hand-labeled eats.

Hardcover.

reCAP Mason Jar Pour Cap

FARMcurious — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 21:06:47 +0000

THE ORIGINAL POUR CAP FOR MASON JARS.

A design inspired by the classic American zinc cap, but enhanced with the practicality of BPA-free recyclable plastic. With reCAP, you can easily shake, pour and store right from your mason jars!

Fits regular mouth jars
Spill-proof
BPA free
Made in USA

Unlike other mason jar lids you may have seen on the market, this one does not leak!

Generally we try to avoid plastic but since this is BPA free, made in America, leak-proof and likely to help you get more mileage out of your canning jars, we feel like it’s totally worth adding to your collection.

Don’t forget to add the stopper and airlock to your order to make this great DIY fermenting vessel!

You can also buy the full DIY fermenting set here for a small discount.

Apple Tool – Peels, slices and cores in one motion!

FARMcurious — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:09:35 +0000

This is one of those kitchen gadgets you really truly need if you get into Fall apple mania like I do. With a turn of the lever, it peels, slices and cores the apple all at once. Just like with the cherry pitter, everyone will want to help when they see how fun this gadget is.

You can also adjust this tool so that it doesn’t slice the apples or peel the apples in case you prefer to preserve your apples whole or unpeeled. It even self adjusts for size so you can prepare many different sizes of apples in one fell swoop.

Buy this – you’ll thank me.

Ultimate Cherry Pitter with Hopper

FARMcurious — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 19:24:31 +0000

Have you ever pitted ten pounds of cherries? Well, we have – and we found the only way to get help is to have the best toys on the block. Everyone will want to help out when they see this cool pitter meant for big jobs. Why bother with single pitters and the sore thumbs they give you when you can crank out pounds of pitted cherries in this baby? Such a great idea that we sold out of them at Sunset Magazine’s Celebration Weekend but we’ve got more now and we’re ready to send them to you!

Includes a hopper to hold cherries, a box to catch the pits and a spring-action plunger that does the pitting. Also includes a clamp to screw it securely onto your countertop or cutting board.

Read our blog about pitting cherries for preserving here.

Read this excerpt about cherry pitters from PunkDomestics if you’re not yet convinced.

Put ‘em Up – A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide

FARMcurious — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 02:17:33 +0000

PRESERVING IS BACK, AND IT’S BETTER THAN EVER. Flavors are brighter, batch sizes are more flexible, and modern methods make the process safer and easier. Eating locally is on everybodys mind, and nothing is more local than Heirloom Salsa made from vine-fresh tomatoes or a quick batch of Ice-Box Berry Jam saved from the seasons last berries. Even beginners who never made peach jam or dill pickles in their grandmothers kitchens are eager to pick up preserving skills as a way to save money, extend the local harvest, and control the quality of preserved ingredients.

The step-by-step instructions in Put ‘em Up will have the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers with the preserved goodness of summer in no time. An extensive Techniques section includes complete how-to for every kind of preserving: refrigerating and freezing, air- and oven-drying, cold- and hot-pack canning, and pickling. And with recipe yields as small as a few pints or as large as several gallons, readers can easily choose recipes that work for the amount of produce and time at hand.

Real food advocate Sherri Brooks Vinton offers recipes with exciting flavor combinations to please contemporary palates and put preserved fruits and vegetables on dinner-party menus everywhere. Pickled Asparagus and Wasabi Beans are delicious additions to holiday relish trays; Sweet Pepper Marmalade perks up cool-weather roasts; and Berry Bourbon is an unexpected base for a warming cocktail.

The best versions of tried-and-true favorites are all here too. Bushels of fresh-picked apples are easily turned into applesauce, dried fruit rings, jelly, butter, or even brandy. Falling-off-the-vine tomatoes can be frozen whole, oven dried, canned, or made into a tangy marinara. Options for pickling cucumbers range from Bread and Butter Chips and Dill Spears to Asian Ice-Box Pickles. Something delicious for every pantry!

Recipes Include:

Pickled Asparagus Wasabi Beans Beet Relish
Berry Bourbon Grannys Chow-Chow Agua Fresca Cantaloupe Rum Asian Carrot Slaw Curried Cauliflower Drunken Cherries Cherry and Black Pepper Preserves Pickled Jalapenos Three-Chili Hot Sauce Preserved Lemons Candied Citrus Rind Oven-Dried Sweet Corn Bread and Butter Chips Pickled Fennel Figs in Honey Syrup Roasted Garlic Butter Grape Leather Dill Pesto with Feta Martini Onions Ginger and Peach Jam Dried Pear Chips Sugar Plums Pickled Ramps Classic Strawberry Jam Sweet Pepper Marmalade Salsa Verde Oven-Dried Tomatoes Pickled Watermelon Rind

5-Piece Basic Canning Starter Kit

FARMcurious — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 01:30:09 +0000

Yeah, sure you can preserve without the appropriate tools. Never mind the scalding hot water, liquid magma-filled 3-lb jars waiting to slip out of your grip onto your toes.

On second thought, buy the damn tools and start out right. Set includes a vinyl coated jar wrench, vinyl coated jar lifter, extra wide mouth funnel, tongs with vinyl coated handles and a magnetic lid lifter.

Endurance Skimmer

FARMcurious — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:55:17 +0000

Very fine mesh is ideal for skimming residue or straining food from hot liquids. This oval skimmer has a gently curved front and sloped sides to keep food contained, and it navigates easily into the corners and sides of cookware. The skimmer measures 5″ x 4-1/2″ and has a 7-3/4″ handle. Dishwasher safe 18/8 stainless... more

Magnetic Lid Lifter

FARMcurious — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:44:10 +0000

Our Magnetic Lid Lifter provides the best way to handle jar lids for either hot or cold pack canning methods. It features a magnetic tip at the end of a 7″ handle which allows you to safely and easily pick up sterilized lids from boiling hot water. Hand washing recommended.

Wide Mouth Canning Funnel

FARMcurious — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:49:38 +0000

The wide neck opening on this funnel allows large food items to pass through easily when packing wide mouth canning jars. The flat rim with handles provide stability and an easy, secure grip. This funnel also functions great for filling canisters. Made of non-reactive, dishwasher safe 18/8 stainless steel. 70mm (2-3/4″) diameter neck opening.

Canning Jar Lifter

FARMcurious — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:04:26 +0000

An essential tool to safely remove canning jars from hot water. Stay-cool plastic handles protect your hands while moving hot jars.
Chromed steel tongs are PVC coated to provide a solid, secure grip while grabbing the lid or sides of a hot jar. Hand washing
recommended.