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Preserving The Season’s Best with

Sarah Copeland Welcome to summer, and the rewards that come with a weekly trip to your local farmers’ market. It’s the time when a peach is so tender its sticky juices run down your chin, and sun-ripened tomatoes burst with sweetness and acidity.

Re Photo: Sara

mington

Your grandmother may have pickled, preserved and canned her garden haul because she had to (facing the bleak winters); thanks to easy-to-use home canning equipment, you can do it i less than an hour—whether you want to be closer to your food sources or you simply take pride in a jar of homemade jam. Using fruit picked when it’s at its peak flavor and nutrient quality, and free of additives and preservatives, home canning is an art worth preserving.

advertisement Who Is Sarah Copeland?

Can it Forward Day.

Ball supports Canning Across America with “Can It Forward” Day on August 13. If you want to start canning or want to encourage your friends to get started, learn more at http:// www.canningacrossamerica.com.

Sarah Copeland finds joy in creating full bellies and full lives through her Edible Living philosophy. Sarah has developed a catalog of over 1,000 recipes over the past 6 years, and as a spokesperson for good living has appeared on “Good Morning America”, “Good Morning America Health” and more.

Jam it!

It’s easy to create your own summer jams from

Pickle it! There’s no more personal a way to entertain than to serve your own spicy, homemade pickles with sliced charcuterie and artisanal cheese. In-season fruits and veggies perfect for pickling include: beets, cherries, okra, fennel, asparagus, peaches, radishes, rhubarb, cucumbers (pickles!), summer squash, spring onions and shallots.

Can it!

Imagine opening your cabinet this winter to find it lined with healthful peak-season canned tomatoes, ready to simmer into a spicy marinara. You’ll be patting yourself on the back for also putting up this season’s best beets, green beans, tomatoes, corn, peaches and sour cherries. Since buying produce in bulk is a better deal, spin your preserving ambitions into a Pickle Your Fancy party. Get creative with a stick of cinnamon stirred into sweet preserves and red pepper flakes sprinkle into your pickles. One final word of advice—buy, pick or grow extra, since you’re sure to discover the very best jam is the one you made yourself.

IN SEASON NOW: Preserving that peak summer flavor has gotten easier thanks to easy-to-use home canning equipment, and a wide variety of local, seasonal produce available all across the country. Here’s what to look for this month:

My grandmother pickled green beans and canned corn for the bleak winters when veggies would be hard to come by.

Apricots Asparagus Beets Blackberries Blueberries

Cherries Corn Cucumbers Fennel Okra

Peppers Peaches Plums Radishes Raspberries

Rhubarb Strawberries Summer squash Watermelon

Berries photo: Sarah Copeland

For more on shopping at farmers’ markets, growing, picking and storing produce, and making ingredients shine (with more than 130 recipes!), watch for Sarah’s forthcoming title,The Newlywed Cookbook: Recipes For Cooking With and For Each Other (Chronicle Books 2012)

Photo: Sara Remington

the season’s ripe blackberries, raspberries, rhubarb, apricots and plums, you can control the amount of sugar and added ingredients— and let the flavor of your favorite fruit shine through. Add a sprig of fresh thyme or lemon verbena to apricots, lime zest to strawberries or a plump vanilla bean to your preserved plums to create a custom jam you’ll be proud to serve and give all year round.

Get Canning Smart Properly preserved canned goods can be stored and enjoyed for up to a year. 1. Start Fresh: Carefully select fresh, ripe produce free of blemishes and bruises, and preserve it quickly after picking to maximize nutrient quality and flavor.

Summer’s Best Strawberry Jam Give your Summer’s Best Strawberry Jam an elegant twist with these five variations: Add: • 1 sprig lemon verbena • 1 sprig fresh sage

2. Prepare your Gear: Use clean, sterilized jars, lids and seals.

• 1 plump vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

3. Prepare the Food: Wash and prep (peel or cook) the produce. Add an acid, like lemon juice or vinegar, where appropriate.

• 1 sprig lavender

4. Fill the Jars: Pack the jars according to the USDA instructions, leaving the proper headspace for a strong seal. 5. Process the Jars: Use boiling water or a pressure canner to seal jars following USDA standards. Properly sterilized jars are best stored at 50 to 70 degrees for maximum quality.

• 1 sachet black peppercorns Stir into the strawberries while cooking. Remove before adding the jam to the jars.

“Good Morning America Health” and more.

Summer’s Best Strawberry Jam ®

using Ball RealFruit™ Classic Flex Batch Pectin Makes about 2 (8 oz) half pints 1 1/3 cups crushed strawberries (about 1 1/2 lbs—wash, hull, then crush one layer at a time using potato masher) 1 1/2 tablespoons Ball® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar 2 (8 oz) half-pint glass Ball® or Kerr® preserving jars with lids and bands 1. PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. 2. PLACE strawberries in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, stirring constantly. 3. ADD entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. 4. LADLE hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip-tight. 5. PROCESS in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed. More recipes are available from Ball at www.easytocan.com