Ahh, summer’s bounty. Between the Farmer’s Market, roadside
stands, community-supported agriculture and the supermarket, we are
at the high point of availability and flavor of wonderful things:
sweet corn, strawberries and basil, to name a few of my
favorites.
Ahh, summer’s bounty. Between the Farmer’s Market, roadside stands, community-supported agriculture and the supermarket, we are at the high point of availability and flavor of wonderful things: sweet corn, strawberries and basil, to name a few of my favorites.
Tomatoes and apricots should be coming along any week now.
And, of course, there’s always zucchini: the petite to the giant, the tender to the tough; if you or someone you know are growing it, chances are you are wondering what to do with it all.
Preserving food is a practice that families used to depend on. Way back, before refrigeration of any kind was available, households knew how to salt meat and dry grains and vegetables so their slaughtered animals, captured beasts and fish and crop harvests would last through the months when nothing grew at all.
Salt cod, beef jerky, ham and prosciutto, sausages, corned beef, smoked salmon and pickled herring are vestiges of this kind of preservation. Using a combination of salt and other spices and dry heat, householders would put aside a store of basic foods, which we now regard as delicacies, to last until spring.
Raisins, dried apricots and dried tomatoes are examples of early methods of preserving fruits and vegetables. In addition, think of pickled cucumbers and other pickles, roasted red peppers preserved in oil, and pesto, that concoction of leaves, garlic and oil that turns basil from an herb into a versatile sauce.
Preserves, jam and jelly are ways to preserve the goodness of fruit with sugar. They probably originated in the Middle East, where cane sugar grew naturally.
Many families, especially in agricultural areas like ours, still “put up” or can a good supply of produce every summer.
In our household, we are fortunate that my husband is an experienced and expert canner. Having learned how in his mom’s kitchen on their farm in Illinois, he makes it seem as natural as making a peanut butter sandwich, albeit lengthier and hotter. Every summer he cans many quarts of tomatoes, plus strawberry jam, apricots and peaches as available.
I tried it once when a friend and I decided grapefruit marmalade would make a perfect Christmas gift for a few dozen of our closest friends. Being neither experienced nor expert, we did not start with a manageable half dozen pints, but bought enough grapefruit to fill two cases of pint jars.
Hours later, encased in grapefruity sugar crystals, hot and flushed, we proudly tightened the lid on our last slightly runny pint. I was still giving them away years later.
Based on that experience, I’m not going to venture into canning recipes here. It’s fun but it’s something best approached with a knowledgeable mentor, at least the first time out. I do feel comfortable suggesting that you start small.
There are several preservation methods that I use comfortably so I can have some of my favorite flavors all year around. They mainly rely on the freezer, but as you know, you can’t just stick a ripe berry in the freezer and expect it to be much of a treat when you pull it out.
While many foods need to be blanched first (see below), strawberries respond well to an even simpler method:
Frozen strawberry puree
Fresh, ripe strawberries
2 Tbs. white sugar per pint of berries
lemon juice (1 Tbs. per pint)
Step 1: Wash and hull the strawberries and halve them if they are large.
Step 2: Working one pint at a time, put the prepared strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in the blender and puree.
Step 3: Put in clean plastic container and freeze.
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The strawberries can be eaten plain, almost like a sorbet, or thawed and added to ice cream or used in sauces, or used for midwinter strawberry shortcake.
Thanks to Gordon Machado of Hollister for this tip.
Frozen abundance
Many vegetables can be frozen successfully by simply blanching them in a large quantity of boiling, lightly salted water. Cook them slightly less well than you would if serving immediately.
Frozen sweet corn
Step 1: Remove husks and silk and cook in boiling water for about 4 minutes.
Step 2: As soon as cool enough to handle, cut off the kernels about 2/3 of the way to the cob.
Step 3: Fill plastic bags or containers about 2/3 full. If using bags, squeeze out excess air. Seal and label with date. ( You think you’ll remember but you won’t).
Broccoli and green beans can be processed in the same way.
Zucchini poses a special challenge. If you are too quick to use it up, people will just give you more. Some of the really big specimens are too pithy and full of seeds to make good eating, no matter what you do.
Besides cooking and eating it (steam or blanch it, serve with butter and salt and pepper, or use in ratatouille, or blanch thick slices very slightly and grill them on skewers) one of the best things to do with zucchini is grate it and use it in a quick bread. Most recipes call for two cups, so you can also shred extra, salt it very slightly and let it sit in a colander in the sink for a few hours to drain excess moisture, and freeze two-cup portions for winter baking projects.
Spicy Pineapple-Zucchini Bread
Adapted from the Sunset Cook Book of Breads
For 2 loaves
3 eggs
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups coarsely shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1 can (8 1/4 oz.) well-drained crushed pineapple
3 cups flour, unsifted
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp. grown nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and dust with flour two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans.
Step 2: In a large bowl, beat eggs until frothy; add oil, sugar and vanilla; continue beating until mixture is thick and foamy.
Step 3: Stir in zucchini and pineapple.
Step 4: In separate bowl, stir together flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts until thoroughly blended.
Step 5: Stir gently into zucchini mixture until just blended. Do not overmix.
Step 6: Spoon batter equally into loaf pans.
Step 7: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until breads begin to pull away from sides of pan and a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes; then turn out onto racks to cool completely.
