I know it's just the middle of May, but aren't you getting excited about summer? I know I am. The grass and trees have burst into all of their verdant glory, and my perennials are shooting up from the ground. I can't wait until my yard is in full bloom. Better yet, I can't wait until all of the glorious produce is in season. My favourite farmer has been supplying me with just-picked asparagus, so for the past week I've been eating it daily. And I figure I will be doing so for the next month or so. This is also the time to think about what I want to preserve this year. Sure, apple butter and plum jam are a given, using the fruit from my backyard, but a new cookbook has landed on my doorstep recently and it has made me want to preserve all of the things. I have a feeling my canner is going to be busy!!
Many of you may already know the blogging duo Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison from Well Preserved, a Toronto-based blog devoted to preserving. They've recently launched Batch: Over 200 Recipes, Tips & Techniques For a Well Preserved Kitchen from Appetite by Random House and if any of you have any inclination to preserve anything this summer and fall, this is a must-have for your kitchen. With beautiful photographs and well-written recipes, plus loads of tips and instructions, the cookbook covers 7 methods of preserving: dehydrating, cellaring, fermenting, canning, salting, smoking and infusing. So many options for so many things. I'm dying to try the Charred Pickled Beets and the Chili Infused Vodka. Roasted Apricot Vanilla Jam sounds like it would be absolutely divine on scones, and I've always wanted to make Kimchi, and now I have the recipe at my fingertips. The variety of recipes in this cookbook is impressive, and I know it will be a wonderful resource for many years to come. Congratulations Joel and Dana on an impressive achievement. You should be very proud!
My love of breakfast, brunch and pancakes is no secret, so my first recipe selection from Batch is Fermented Pancakes with Maple Syrup with Dried Blueberries on page 140. You might be like, what? And I'm like, trust me, these are killer. I first stirred together buttermilk and flour, let it rest on the counter for about 24 hours, then I stirred in some egg yolks and the usual suspects into the batter. The beaten egg whites at the end gave them a nice lift, but these aren't your traditional pancakes. With their slight tang and light, almost bubbly texture, they remind me a little bit of the Ethiopian bread injera. Smothered in a blueberry-infused maple syrup and topped with fresh fruit, I loved every bite. This may just be my new go-to pancake recipe. I made them bigger than the recipe called for - partly to save time and partly because I wanted nice, round pancakes. The batter is quite thin, so the small ones ran into each other. But, who doesn't like big pancakes!
I'm so happy that Joel, Dana and Appetite by Random House have generously offered one copy of Batch to a lucky reader. Simply leave a comment below telling me what you plan on preserving this year and a winner will be chosen randomly.
Other wonderful food bloggers are also participating in the giveaway, so be sure to stop by the following for another chance to win! My lucky winner will be chosen on Monday May 16th, so enter soon! And happy preserving!
Getty at GettyStewart.com
Mardi at eat. live. travel. write.
Jan at Family Bites
Kelly at KellyNeil.com
Amy at Family Feedbag
Valeria at A Canadian Foodie
Isabelle at Crumb
Food Bloggers of Canada
I am interested in dehydrating food Cook book sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI would love to preserve cucumbers (pickles) and strawberries (jam) :D
ReplyDeleteRenee those pancakes sound fantastic!
ReplyDeleteFor the past month I have been learning how to cure and smoke bacon! It first started with regular pork belly bacon and has now moved on to back bacon. It has been a lot of fun and I am only just beginning to learn and will continue for the foreseeable future (I have two chunks of pork belly in brine this morning!)
As for fruit, I moved in the New Year and my new year has 2 plum trees out back. The bees were a buzz out there for a good week so fingers crosses I have a bump crop! I would love to make some plum jam!
Thank you for the opportunity!
Have a great weekend!
Those pancakes look wonderful! I would love to try that recipe!! I plan on preserving anything and everything! I am most looking forward to the many varieties of pickles 😀 My favorite!! Thanks so much for the chance to win, looks like a great book!
ReplyDeleteI am interested in dehydrating food.
ReplyDeleteLast year was my first attempt at garlic dill pickles, and I'm happy to report they were a crunchy success! This year I'm dying to attempt relish, tomatoes, and peaches!
ReplyDeleteI will be preserving raspberries and blackberries this year.
ReplyDeleteI love your site and your recipes, Renée. This year, I hope to preserve my usual, strawberries and tomatoes. I also hope to grow enough in my city backyard to have extra bell peppers. In five years, I hope to have enough sour cherries and blueberries to preserve. Until then, I'll need to get those from a farmer's market or directly from the harvester. Your book looks and sounds just lovely.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite on yogurt this winter was the apricot compote I made last fall. I am looking forward to mixing it up this summer and finding compote recipes that are just a little bit different. Apricot combos? Apricot and cherry? Yum.
ReplyDeleteI'm just making my preserving plans for this year, all the usual suspects of jams, salsas, pickles, hot peppers, oven-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers... I also like to add a few new recipes each year to find new favourites.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of fermented pancakes - I'm intrigued! Thanks for the chance to win this book - sounds like a great resource!
Pumpkin marmalade
ReplyDeletei work at the farmers' market - so the question is not 'what do i want to preserve' but 'what WON'T i preserve'! (except the asparagus...it just gets eaten up tooooo fast to pickle!)
ReplyDeleteI love randomly! And I need lots of help with preservation. Thanks for being the conduit.
ReplyDeletePlum jam, as always, but I want to make kimchi. I want to eat more fermented foods.
ReplyDeleteI likely will be making bread and butter pickles again this year as it is a favourite with my family. I am also hoping that this is the year that our sour cherry bushes will produce fruit and I would like to preserve the cherries.
ReplyDeleteHi Renee, I learned to can last year and I hope to make more BBQ sauce this year. I made one last year with peaches and well, there are countless recipes one needs to experiment with. Bring it on! :)
ReplyDeleteI've never preserved anything in my life because I've never been lucky enough to have a garden, but maybe I could convince my mom to let me have a few of her tomatoes this summer ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping to preserving strawberries and carrots this year.
ReplyDelete- amber y
I make jams every summer, but this year I'd like to try pickled asparagus and some chutneys.
ReplyDeleteWow! This book looks gorgeous - and really amazing! I would love to learn all of these techniques - especially canning! I'm a beginner preserver ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to preserve summer berries in jam this year, and also try my hand at making relish for the first time! So many options! Thank you for the opportunity to win a copy of this beautiful book.
ReplyDeleteOn my list for preserves this summer are the usual suspected of corn, peaches, pears, peppers and tomatoes. This book would help me put a new spin on some of my favourite produce.
ReplyDeleteThose pancakes look great! The book sounds absolutely wonderful. I will be doing crabapple jelly, plum jelly, rhubarb, raspberries, strawberries, crabapple liqueur, and some infused vinegars again.
ReplyDeleteI Plan to preserve tomatoes and pickling cucumbers this year!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the chance to win. I plan to freeze a bunch of fruit again this year. I use them throughout the winter for smoothies and pancakes. I also want to learn to pickle as I am trying to grow cucumelons this year and they supposedly set hundreds of cukes per plant, and I have 4 plants! :)
ReplyDeleteI am planning to do grape jelly and perhaps raspberry or blackberry jam. I did beets last year so not those but maybe tomato sauce.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to learn how to make my own dill pickles at home.
ReplyDelete