By the Spoonful

Legalize it!

2011-11-19T09:18:00.001-08:00

This holiday season By the Spoonful is going legit! ALL PROCEEDS from jam sales through the end of December will benefit the Cottage Food for California campaign!

If you have been bugging me to ship my jam, accept money through paypal, or expand my operation, now's your chance to make it happen! Sign the petition and order some jam for the cause.

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

What are cottage food laws, you ask? They simply allow small producers to sell their homemade jams, baked goods, and other artisan products. Currently California requires the use of a commercial kitchen, which is prohibitively expensive for most people, including yours truly. Cottage food laws are now on the books in at least 28 states. The California initiative is sponsored by The Sustainable Economies Law Center (SELC), which "facilitates the growth of sustainable, localized, and just economies, through legal research, professional training, resource development, and education."

Farm Focus: Cherries from Enos Family Farms

2011-06-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been putting up fruit from trusty sources I've already featured on the blog, mostly strawberries from Medina. And there ain't nothing wrong with that! But last week I was talked into a trip to Brentwood for some good old fashioned cherry picking. We headed to a newly organic orchard, Enos Family Farms.

I think for every kind of fruit picking, I have an idyllic scene from a children's book indelibly associated. For apples, it's Prince Caspian. For cherries, it's The Boxcar Children!

"Eat all you want," said Mrs. Moore. "The cherries are beautiful this year."
The children didn't eat all they wanted, but every now and then a big red cherry went into someone's mouth. Henry and the girls went up the ladders and began to pick cherries. Watch barked for awhile. He did not like to have Jessie climbing the ladder. Then he sat down and looked at her up in the tree. Benny hurried here and there, carrying baskets to the pickers and eating all the cherries he wanted. Everyone in the orchard liked Benny. The doctor laughed delightedly at him, and sweet Mrs. Moore fell in love with him at once. By and by he sat down beside her and carefully filled small baskets with cherries from the big baskets.

Well, the cherries are also beautiful in this non-fictional year, if late due to the rain. My dad and I didn't get to climb any ladders and we surely didn't get paid $4 and all the cherries we could carry. But it was a perfect summer day out in the orchard and you can bet that every now and then a big red cherry did go into our mouths. And into the pockets of my cherry-picking apron (pictured above.)

We hauled away buckets with 2 kinds of cherries and paid the attendant, who turned out to be something like the nephew-in-law of the owner (who is himself a fifth generation farmer in the area.) The nephew said he's there all day, 6 days a week. When asked if he was sick of cherries yet he fondly pointed out the closest tree - "no one wants to pick the one up front, so it's my snack tree!"

The bounty of plump, juicy Lapin cherries I have been pushing on everyone I know as eatin' cherries. Some website I have now misplaced calls the extra large Lapins "a mouthful in themselves."

Yesterday I pitted 8 pounds of Sweetheart cherries. Sweethearts (also pictured above) are your basic big red storybook cherries. They look like a slightly smaller version of the Lapins but are more intense in flavor, so I saved them for canning. I put up regular old cherry jam for the very first time, and then got daring with raspberry-cherry-balsamic. YUM. Apparently my littlest housemate got some in a PB&J this morning and kept signing for "more!"

Farm Focus: Four Sisters' Kiwis

2011-02-07T16:26:00.000-08:00

"Plain and brown on the outside, emerald green on the inside, kiwis are the geodes of the fruit world. The sweet gems make their appearance at California farmers’ markets just in the nick of time –- right when the pomegranate and persimmon seasons have faded and committed locavores have prepared themselves for several puckered months of citrus eating."

I love that ode to the kiwi, courtesy of CUESA (they run the Ferry Building farmers' markets.) They wrote a nice feature about kiwis and the folks around here that grow them.

Before I ever thought of making kiwi-lime jam, Four Sisters Farm made me a kiwi lover. Until I moved to California, I could take them or leave them. But much like Ecuador totally redefined my definition of a good banana, I found that local kiwis are another (miraculous) thing altogether.

And they taught me the secret of the long kiwi season, which came in handy when a friend gave us some rock-hard kiwis recently!

Nancy and Robin Gammons of Four Sisters Farm, who have been growing organic kiwis since 1978, also benefit from the ability to store kiwis or ripen them at will. Before bringing a batch to the market, the Gammonses move them to a special storage unit that also contains their farm’s apples, a natural source of a ripening agent called ethylene gas. (Conventional kiwi farms use synthetic ethylene.)”

Farm Focus: Backyard apples

2011-01-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

After the corn had been cut and wrapped in shocks, pumpkins gathered into heaps, and the grapes were all picked, the people's minds turned to making apple butter. It was an exciting time of the year. The excitement of seeing the landscape change to the beautiful colors of autumn made people think about the spirit of parties and along with parties came apple butter making.

What other preserve can so evoke the pioneer spirit? Apple butter is still celebrated and made in the old-fashioned way at autumn festivals around the country. I feel a strong sense of kinship with generations of apple-preservers every time I give an entire day over to stirring my pot of sauce.

In the old days, there was usually a group standing around the kettle humming, singing, or talking. Stirring the apple butter was an important job and somebody had to be doing it all the time. The old method for doing it was "twice around the outside and through the middle once" with a long paddle. Of course people had to stir right on through the meal times, and they took turns eating.

I've quoted extensively from this site, where you can read all about the traditional recipe. I guarantee it will fill your nostalgia quota for at least a month. You'll notice that I've strayed a bit from the letter, but not the spirit. And certainly not the main ingredient!

Men hitched up their light spring wagons and drove over the fields and hills collecting sweet apples because on early farms not all the apple trees were planted near one another. In fact, before 1775, apple trees were not confined to orderly orchards at all, but likely to be anywhere on thousands of acres and even in the middle of a woods. The men had to gather the apples wherever they were.

It occurs to me that I could probably collect apples from thousands of acres around the bay area, but mine always come from one backyard in Orinda. Thanks, Sue!

Jam Thumbprints

2010-12-21T01:19:00.000-08:00

(Remember back in August when I promised to share that apricot cookie recipe? Well, 'tis the season for Christmas cookies to flow like water!)

I found this recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book and I make it exactly as directed, because those people know what they're talking about. (Though I have used whole wheat pastry flour with success.) Is it just me, or are sugar cookies usually terrible? I looove these cookies because they're not dried out sugar bombs. They're chewy and not too sweet, letting the jam shine.

Jam Thumbprints

Ingredients:
1/2 cup jam
2 1/4 cup (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Fill small zipper-lock bag with jam. Whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
2. Using hand mixer or stand mixer, beat butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 6 minutes. Beat in cream cheese, egg, and vanilla until combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down bowl and beaters as needed.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about 30 seconds.
4. Working with 1 1/2 teaspoons of dough at a time, roll dough into balls and lay them on prepared baking sheets, spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart. Use wet thumb to make indentation in center of each cookie.
5. Bake until cookies are lightly browned around the edges and just beginning to set, about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and, working quickly, gently reshape indentations with bottom of teaspoon. Snip small corner off bag of jam and carefully fill each indentation with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam. Rotate baking sheet and continue to bake until lightly golden, 12-14 minutes.
6. Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and let them cool completely, about 30 minutes, before serving.

Gift boxes with a few of my favorite things...

2010-12-14T01:48:00.000-08:00

Gift boxes are here! It couldn't be easier to put a little sunshine in someone's holiday. A sampler with your choice of 3 jars, ready to put under the tree. (Above are half pints of blackberry jam, 3-way marmalade, and kiwi lime jam.) Wrapping not pictured, but think brown paper packages tied up with string...

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Cranberry Sauce x2

2010-11-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

Can-Berries was a blast. My industrious guests made two kinds of sauce, survived floods AND hail, and had way too much fun with kitchen-aid attachments. We ended with a homemade feast - sauce, my favorite local cheese, pickles, and carolyn's apple galette!)

Even if you missed out on the fun, it's not too late to make your own sauce for the holidays! I love a classic sauce with a very traditional sweetener. This year I was excited to also try a more locally-influenced recipe. The pears and honey gave the sauce a jam-like consistency and milder flavor - not what I would choose to serve with all the trimmings, but delicious, and perfect for winning over cranberry holdouts.

Rebecca’s Decadent Cranberry Sauce
16 oz fresh cranberries
zest and juice of a large orange
1 cup water
1 cup maple syrup

Put everything in a pot and boil the crap out of it for 40 minutes or so, until thick and saucy, adding water and squishing as needed. Let cool. (Or process in jars for 10 minutes.)

Cranberry Sauce with Pears and Honey
Adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup water
2 pears - peeled, cored and diced
1 (12 ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup honey, or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in pears, cranberries and honey. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until cranberries pop and the mixture thickens, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Cool to room temperature, then store covered in the refrigerator for up to one week. (Or process in jars for 10 minutes.)

Can-Berries, the flyer

2010-11-12T23:21:00.001-08:00

8 days til Can-Berries! The flyer doesn't lie!

If you want to invite someone the old-fashioned way, and I know you like to do things the old-fashioned way, you can actually download and print the flyer here. (Why is there a maze on the back, you ask? Because SOMEONE has to help the cranberry find his way to the rake!)

Can-Berries!

2010-11-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

OK, I'm the first to admit that can-shaped cranberries are a beautiful thing. But canning them yourself is tastier and more fun!

Can-Berries: By the Spoonful brings you a seasonal canning workshop, complete with punny name. Cranberry sauce itself is very low-maintenance, so this is a perfect introduction to water-bath canning. We'll make a traditional sauce and a locally-influenced sauce with pears and honey. Take a jar home for your Thanksgiving feast!
•Sat, November 20, 3-4:30ish
•My kitchen (please inquire for the address if you don't know)
•$5 to cover costs
•Please RSVP (email or facebook)

Farm Focus: Lavender love

2010-09-06T23:21:00.000-07:00

Take a deep breath - this month's focus is lavender from Gabriel Farm. Honestly, I'm kind of embarrassed to be buying lavender at all. I'm probably the only person around here who doesn't have some growing in their yard. And no, I'm not venturing into aromatherapy, although you might think so if you were in my kitchen tonight. It's all about strawberry lavender jam! Served plain, the flavor a bit floral for my taste, but I love to bake with it. And you can't argue with popular demand - it's my most requested flavor!

Gabriel Farm is a 14 acre Organic farm located in the ideal fruit growing climate of Sebastopol, California. The Farm features 8 varieties of Asian Pears, several varieties of Apples, Fuyu Persimmons, Lavender, Plums and many sorts of berries. Gabriel Farm is the definition of a traditional “family farm”. This is where we live, work and raise our family. As organic farmers, we are devoted to the idea of sharing the process of raising our fruit with the folks who ultimately will eat our fruit. With this in mind, we encourage everyone who eats our fruit to come visit our farm, at least once, to see how we go about raising what we hope is a most delicious piece of fruit.

Plus they make a mean jar of lavender jam themselves! You can sample their Asian Pear and Blackberry Lavender Conserve at the Thursday/Saturday Berkeley farmers market.

Farm Focus: Happy Girl and Van Dyke, enablers of apricot appreciation

2010-08-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to offer apricot jam for the first time! I always seem to blink and miss the short apricot season. Thanks to Linda for turning me on to the Food Preservationists, a project from Happy Girl Kitchen that promotes home canning and offers weekly deals on bulk produce! I tried their service for the first time last month. I ordered online and a few days later picked up 20 pounds of beautiful Blenheim apricots. The apricots are sourced from Van Dyke Ranch, a 5 generation family farm in Gilroy specializing in organic dried fruits. Van Dyke's apricot sales pitch:

After they finish harvesting and packing cherries they move on to their signature crop, Blenheim apricots. Their farm has great southern exposure which increases the sweetness and flavor of their fruit. The Blenheim apricot is one of the best tasting apricot varieties, very sweet with true apricot flavor.

Southern exposure or not, they melt perfectly into a luscious jam with a heady summer perfume.

Hungry yet?

How about now? (Stay tuned for the recipe!)

Farm Focus: The obscure, the oblong, the one and only olallieberry

2010-07-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

Farm Focus for July: Olallieberry

You locals are no stranger to the olallieberry. You've heard the hype. You've eaten the pie. When visitors asked you, "What the heck is an olallieberry?" you checked wikipedia, so you know it's a modern cross between a youngberry and a loganberry. Which is to say it's a delicate, skinny blackberry with a pedigree.

(Thanks to edrabbit on flickr for the photo)

By the Spoonful's picks for local olallieberry flavor:

Swanton is the only organic u-pick around. The last time my dad and I tried to pick there, it was closed due to wildfires! So we turned to nearby Phipps, known for their heirloom beans but also a great spot to pick berries.

Someday I'll get over jam fever enough to bake with olallieberries, because yummmm. Check out the gorgeous photos and recipes (Olallieberry Orange Shortbread Napoleons, anyone?) at Dessert First.

Olallies are king in Santa Cruz. You can even drink them in your beer!

Last but not least, my tower of olallieberry jam! I was lucky enough to get my hands on a flat from Medina Farms (previously featured on Farm Focus) just in time to send a few jars home with my own visitors.

Curd by the spoonful!

2010-06-24T16:02:00.000-07:00

Our citrus all died last year, but like everyone around these parts we have more than one friend happy to donate bagfuls of their own lemons. What to do with a windfall of lemons? Housemate jarred some preserved lemons and I made lemon curd.

We have such ugly flourescent lighting in our kitchen I got fed up and stuck the jars next to the window. Here I give you: still life with lemon curd, houseplants and random cat figurine.

Sadly, curd is not safe to preserve in a hot water bath, so I can't make it part of my jamshares, but it will last forever in the fridge. Now... what to do with all that curd? I made a lemon tart for a picnic. In the morning it compliments my berry jam nicely on toast. Or you can always eat it... you guessed it... by the spoonful!

By the way, I use a recipe that prevents curdling by mixing the ingredients like a cake batter before cooking. Warning: If you've never made curd and want to retain any illusion that something so fruit based must be a health food, do not click on that link!

Farm Focus: Strawberry Days

2010-06-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

Farm Focus for June: Strawberries from Eatwell Farm

Last year I invited my friend C down to Swanton to pick berries. This year she invited me up to Dixon to Eatwell Farm's Strawberry Days! Eatwell is one of the biggest CSAs around the bay area - C not only subscribes but hosts a pickup site at her home. Every summer they welcome their members up to check out the farm and get their hands directly on some strawberries!

We picked loads of dead-ripe strawberries in under half an hour - the joys of picking from a reserved field, not a u-pick site that gets picked over every day. Lots of cute kids eating their weight in berries and fellow jammakers loading up. Unfortunately this was at the height of my miserable allergy season, so we didn't linger for a farm tour. Next time!

Our pollinating friend

C, A, and hay

Farm Focus: Virtual berries!

2010-05-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Every month I find the story of a farm whose fruit is featured and share it with subscribers. This month I'm taking it paperless!

Mmmm, it's finally berry season. Whenever I need strawberries but don't have time to pick them myself at Swanton, I rely on Medina Berry Farm at the Jack London Square Farmer's Market. They're nice people who always make me a great deal on a flat of berries, and ask after my jam.

Pacific Coast Farmer's Markets, who run the JLS market on Sundays, has put together a lovely virtual farm tour. Pedro Medina, Jr. thanks his customers, talks about why he went organic, and hopes the farm will pass on to the 4th generation. I love the music and the family photos!

And, speaking of paperless, I should also mention that the Jack London Square market has a really effective presence on facebook these days. They offer weekly updates on special events and what crops are coming out. Plus facebook exclusive contests and giveaways! I'm a fan!

I didn't make it!

2010-03-18T00:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but my spring fever comes on in the form of reorganizing my pantry and eating my way through last year's preserves. This week I've broken into all the odd jars I've gathered from friends along the way. Let's take a moment to celebrate some jams made by hands not my own.

Rhubarb jam from a dear friend in Vermont. Rather than pectin, she uses the long-boil method, and in this case it had set extra hard, into a jewel like candy. No great sacrifice here, I ate it by the forkful!

(By the way, I'm sure she would hasten to mention that she tried to offer me a more successful batch. But I had my heart set on rhubarb, which is one of the few things that doesn't thrive in California. My dad used to make strawberry rhubarb sauce every year out of our backyard, where it grew like a weed.)

I didn't get any blackberries of my own last year, so I'm treasuring this small jar, mostly in PB&Js on homemade bread. (Again, don't look at me! Inder's the only breadmaker in this household!) Part of my haul from the "Yes, We Can" canning exchange at the Eat Real fest. I traded jars with some lovely kindred souls whose idea of a good night out on the town involved sitting on hay bales in Jack London Square conversing about jam. This was made by Stefani of the Alameda Fruit Exchange, if I recall correctly.

This year I'd love to try your jam, yes yours!

Wanted: marmalade lovers!

2010-03-05T00:44:00.000-08:00

By the Spoonful presents
MARMALADE: An open house
Saturday, March 20th 3-6 pm
my house

Come one, come all! Drop by to sample at least 3 varieties and give me some feedback so that I can perfect my recipes. I'll provide tea and snacks. Plus, one lucky taster will win a free jamshare subscription! Let's kick off the first day of spring in citrus style.

(Find my address and RSVP on Facebook)

What's in this spring? Jamshares!

2010-03-03T15:30:00.000-08:00

Sign up for jamshares - Spring 2010 quarter! April, May, and June will feature marmalade, kiwi, and the start of the strawberry season. This quarter I'll only be offering subscriptions at the 1 and 2 jar levels. Details and ordering here.

A huge thank you goes out to my fabulous BtS jamshare subscribers! I hope you've had as much fun as I've had over the past 6 months.

You've inspired me to make small batches more often and to experiment with new recipes. So far I've been able to provide a round dozen flavors, many of them jamshare exclusives! Which is your favorite?
Strawberry • Strawberry Lavender • Raspberry • Fig Cardamom • Nectarine • Ginger Loquat • Cranberry • Kiwi Lime • Apple Butter • Pear Butter • Blood Orange Marmalade • Pucker Orange Marmalade

You've helped connect me with the organic farmers that supply my fruit. Every time I research my monthly Farm Focus feature, I learn something new. Behold the power of google!

Just this week I discovered that Blossom Bluff Orchards (Parlier) is run by fourth generation family farmers who grow over 170 varieties of fruit. Plus, you can find them on facebook! (I hope they don't mind me borrowing the photo above, which they posted in January as "the first peach blossom of the season.")

Did you know...
Kaki Farm (Gridley) specializes in persimmons, and takes its name from the Japanese word for that fruit?
Four Sisters Farm (Aromas) ripens their kiwifruit in small batches using the natural ethylene gas from their storage apples?
Swanton Berry Farm (Davenport) was the first organic farm in America to unionize?
The owner of Guru Ram Das Orchards (Esparto) supplies Chez Panisse and gets an adrenaline rush from his trees?

Giving the perfect gift, 4/4

2009-12-21T13:07:00.000-08:00

#4: Bake the jam right in! Here's a fresh recipe perfect for giving at the holidays. California seasonal favorites are kiwi (pictured above) and marmalade.

Jam Squares

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup spelt flour
1⁄2 cup sucanat (unrefined sugar)
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup applesauce
1⁄4 cup butter, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup good jam

Mix together dry ingredients. Add applesauce, butter, and vanilla. Press half into a 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper, Spread jam in a thin layer. Press remaining mixture onto a separate piece of parchment and carefully transfer on top of jam. Bake at 350° for about 25 minutes, until brown. Let cool completely and cut into squares. Store in freezer.

Giving the perfect gift, 3/4

2009-12-14T23:52:00.000-08:00

#3: Eight nights of applesauce - Trust me, you haven't had a latke until you've had one topped with homemade applesauce.

As much as I'd love for you to procure some By the Spoonful 100% applesauce, it's so easy to make yourself!

Ask your friendly local apple purveyor to recommend a mix of sweet apples for sauce. (The batch pictured above features seasonal favorites King Davids and Christmas Grannies!) Roughly chop them, peels, cores and all. Simmer with a little water until soft. Pass through a food mill.

Now you're ready to invite your friends over and fry up those latkes! We like the Cook's Illustrated recipe and cast iron.

Giving the perfect gift, 2/4

2009-12-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

#2 Monthly Jam Shares

When one jar just isn't enough! Give a selection of flavors to sample each month of the new year. Comes with a handmade gift card to open at the holidays.

Giving the perfect gift, 1/4

2009-12-11T22:20:00.000-08:00

Now, it probably comes as no surprise that at this time of year I'm more interested in putting up persimmons, pomegranates, and citrus than hitting the malls. I'm barely exaggerating when I say I haven't bought a present since I started preserving, and no one has complained yet. You too can have a holiday season 100% free of crowds, carols, and commercialism!

How does By the Spoonful make the perfect gift? This week I'll be counting the ways.

#1: Individual jars of jam. Preserves are a classic holiday gift for a reason. Who doesn't love a taste of summer on a cold winter morning?

Stay tuned for 3 more ways.

Run free, little jams!

2009-10-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

The first shares of jam have been released. Many thanks to my founding members!

(Free spoon with every order! To, you know, eat it By the Spoonful! I couldn't resist.)

Free gift cards!

2009-09-25T22:25:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, treat someone special to a jam share. I hear it's the gift that keeps on giving. Plus, I'll have an excuse to get crafty and whip up a personalized gift card! To order a gift just fill out the pertinent info in the comments section of the order form.

Order Shares

2009-09-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Order by the Jar

2009-09-01T23:37:00.000-07:00

Mailing List

2009-09-01T23:33:00.000-07:00

Jamiversary!

2009-08-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

So, as I was recording this veritable tower of apple butter in my trusty jam log tonight, I noticed that 8/15 happens to be my jam anniversary!

(also pictured: heirloom beans, sharpie, Israeli peanut snacks... Jessica Simpson?)

(That historic batch of strawberry jam, long digested, can still be viewed in the banner above.)

Putting the J in CSA

2009-08-08T20:17:00.000-07:00

BtS is now available by subscription!

Buying a share of my jam harvest works like Community Supported Agriculture. You'll make a connection with local food while you perk up your pantry with fresh, healthy fruit and try new flavors. Meanwhile, I get to stay busy in the kitchen, knowing each jar will go to a good home. I'm already scheming exciting extracurriculars for members like picking parties and jam classes!

Get your monthly dose of freshly preserved fruit delivered FREE to your door! (Oakland / Berkeley / Alameda... if you live elsewhere in the bay area contact me and we'll work something out.)

I know, commitment is scary! I'll be taking new orders every quarter, so you only need sign up for 3 months at a time.

3 options depending on your level of jam consumption:
Dabbler - 1 jar x 3 mo = 3 jars / $18
Daily Toaster - 2 jars x 3 mo = 6 jars / $36
Connoisseur - 4 jars x 3 mo = 12 jars / $60
(Jams and butters come in 1/2 pint jars, 100% fruitsauces in pint jars.)

Place your order by 9/27.
I'll deliver the first week of Oct / Nov / Dec.
Pay by cash or check on first delivery.

Got fruit? Let's talk bartering!

Place your order now!

Or contact me with any questions.