If you have extra rosemary in the garden–if you have rosemary there’s always extra–or you want to make jelly but don’t have pectin, this simple jelly will work well for you. I used young, mild rosemary so if you’re using older, woodier rosemary you’ll want to use less. If you’ve never made a jelly before, [...]

Categories: condiments, preserving
Tagged: condiments, preserving

It’s June already. Time to start putting up the harvest, beginning with herbal jellies. You’ll need some basic equipment to make jellies that you’ll be able to use for other preservation projects. If you don’t already have a large stockpot that is more than 12″ in diameter, you’ll need a water-bath canner; if you do, [...]

Categories: condiments, mother recipe, preserving
Tagged: condiments, mother recipe, preserving

I wanted a nice Spring afternoon snack today, and when I spotted some lovely blueberries, I knew that a simple blueberry scone with lemon curd would go really well with a cup of coffee and a healthy dose of lazing about. Fortunately, I had lemon curd already made, so I could start on the lazing [...]

Categories: baking, dessert, eggs, mother recipe, preserving, vegetarian
Tagged: baking, dessert, eggs, fruit, mother recipe, preserving, technique, vegetarian

Opening day of the Portland Farmers Market was a beautiful, warm Spring day. When I came across the Cherry Country booth I thought about how nice it would be to have venison or some other game, then remembered that I have a dinner class coming up where I’ll be serving lamb. Cherries are a classic sauce base for wild game, [...]

Categories: condiments, fruit, gluten-free, sauce, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, fruit, gluten-free, preserving, vegan, vegetarian

I want to make meatloaf, and for me a meatloaf has a bacon wrapping and a ketchup glaze. I could buy the bacon and ketchup, I suppose, but really, where’s the fun in that? Chipotle Ketchup 1 onion, chopped 1½ tablespoons oil from garlic confit or extra-virgin olive oil Put the onion and oil into [...]

Categories: condiments, dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: condiments, dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian

Sitting under all that cheese is a simple marinara sauce. By itself it’s an excellent sauce for pasta, polenta, and that Italian-American standby Chicken Parmigiana (or it’s vegetarian/vegan version, Eggplant Parmigiana). It makes a great pizza sauce. I even used some as part of a seafood stew whipped up in just a few minutes. As [...]

Categories: gluten-free, mother recipe, pantry, preserving, sauce, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: dairy-free, gluten-free, mother recipe, pantry, preserving, sauce, vegan, vegetarian

Whether you’re serving a nice pâté or are putting together a charcuterie platter, want some crunch in your sandwich or just need a quick burst of flavor, a sweet pickle chip is just right! Michael Ruhlman published a recipe for a delightfully simple, wonderfully flavored sweet pickle chip in Charcuterie, a book I highly recommend [...]

Categories: charcuterie, condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, side dish, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: charcuterie, condiments, dairy-free, entertaining, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, side dish, vegan, vegetarian

Mmm, bacon. I need some bacon for the BLT From Scratch Challenge, and I’ve never cured meat before, so it’s time to do a test. For this first bacon I used the recipe and method in Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It. There are excellent recipes in Michael Ruhlman’s Charcuterie and The Paley’s Place Cookbook [...]

Categories: breakfast, charcuterie, dairy-free, gluten-free, mother recipe, preserving, technique
Tagged: charcuterie, dairy-free, gluten-free, mother recipe, preserving, salume, technique

In the garden, the beets are beginning to look like they’re ready to eat. If I have a large crop, I’ll want to pickle some of them. There are three steps required for good pickled beets, and all three take some time. First you need to make a good picking vinegar, then the beets need [...]

Categories: dairy-free, gluten-free, pantry, preserving, vegan, vegetarian
Tagged: pantry, preserving