Tomato....butter?

Living in a frigid wasteland does strange things to your head.  At least that's what I thought when my friend Martin (from frigid Regina Saskatchewan) was ecstatically describing tomato butter.

Fruit butters are preserved fruits that are sweetened, spiced, pureed and cooked to a thick buttery consistency.  I make apple and pear butter every year, but had never heard of the tomato variety.

Crazy and violent!

Crazy Canucks.

Of course, tomatoes are a fruit.  And I have a lot of tomatoes from the garden this summer--many more that can be eaten fresh or even given away.
So tomato butter it is.


The basis for this recipe is from Martin's Great-Granny Stewart:

Thanks to Martin's mom for sharing

.

You will need:

10# ripe tomatoes skinned and cut up
6 C malt vinegar
 1T whole allspice
1T whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
2 T coarse salt
1T red pepper flakes

Cover skinned and diced tomatoes with 2 C malt vinegar and stand [covered] overnight.  Drain and reserve liquid.

To the drained tomatoes add 4 C malt vinegar and 1 C reserved liquid and boil for 10 minutes [in a non-reactive pot].  Place spices in a mesh bag and add to pot.  Boil [gently?] for 3 hours the add sugar.  Boil [gently?] for 30 minutes and bottle [fill sterilized hot jars with the hot tomato butter, place warmed lids and rings.  Tighten rings gently and process.]

I have modified the recipe to accommodate the pear tomatoes I have in overabundance.  Some of the changes are gleaned from a tomato jam recipe I found(1), some from my 20 years of making pear and apple butter(2), and some from sheer laziness(3).

The modified recipe is as follows:

You will need:

This is gonna be great.

5# ripe whole tomatoes (pear or grape preferred)(1,3)
3 1/2 C  granulated sugar
6 T freshly squeezed lime juice (1,2)
2 T balsamic vinegar (1,2)
2 t finely grated ginger root (1)
1 t ground (2) cinnamon
1/2 t ground (2) cloves
1 T kosher salt
2 T finely minced hot peppers (I used Anaheim peppers fresh from the garden)(2)
This yielded 2&1/2 pints of butter.  Yield will vary with the liquid in the tomatoes.

This looks great.

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot(2,3).

This smells great!

Using a hand blender, puree until chunky(2,3).  Cook uncovered on high, stirring when you think of it(2,3), for at least 6 hours.  Reduce heat to low and continue overnight (~10-12 hours)(2).

Use the hand blender again to puree to a smooth consistency(2).   Cook until the butter mounds up when dripped from a spoon(2).

Pour cooked tomato butter into sterilized and heated jars.  Wipe off jar top, place sterilized and heated lids and jars.  Place heated rings and tighten gently.
Process as for a cooked jam (15 minutes for me).  Let cool, listen for the pop! and store in a cool dark place for up to a year.

As always, if a canned product smells off or has any mold or growth when opened, DO NOT EAT IT!



Fruit butters are delicious as a spread for toast, over cream cheese, as a glaze for meats and even on ice cream.

This tastes great!!11eleventy!!!

I think it tastes pretty darn good.  A jar is winging its way to Martin right now and I will ask for a report and let you know (or maybe he'll let you know himself...)



And speaking of tomatoes...

Brandywine heirloom tomato in my garden

Corn Relish

Corn in my urban garden

You will need:

~15 large ears of sweet corn (I used white, but yellow and bicolor are also ok)
2 C water
3 C chopped celery (~6 stalks)
1 1/2 C chopped red bell peppers (2 large)
1 1/2 C chopped green bell peppers (2 large)
1 C chopped onion (1 large)
2 1/2 C white vinegar
1 3/4 C granulated sugar
4 t dry mustard
2 t pickling or kosher salt
2 t celery seed
2 t turmeric (you can use less--I like the underflavor it provides)
3 T cornstarch
3 T water additional
**I was able to use red peppers, corn and onions from my own garden for this relish.  Very satisfying.

To can the relish, you will need:

A large nonreactive pot to cook the relish. (8-10 qt)
A large canning pot with a canning rack to process the filled jars. (I use my pressure cooker without the lid ~17qt)
Enough jars with lids and rings to accomodate 6 pints (I used a mixture of pints and half pints).
(refer back to this entry for more detail on canning equipment and sources).

Shuck and wash the ears of corn vigorously to remove any corn silk.  Cut the kernels from the cob--do not scrape the cob, you want niblets, not mush.  Measure out 8 cups of kernels and put into the nonreactive pot with the 2 C water.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for ~5 minutes or until corn is nearly tender.  Drain and then plunge corn into ice water to stop the cooking.    Once cooled, drain corn again and replace into cooking pot.

To the pot, add the celery, sweet peppers and onion.  Stir in vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, celery seen and turmeric.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved then reduce heat.  Simmer uncovered for ~5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix cornstarch and 3T water in a small jar or plastic container.  Shake vigorously until smooth. (This is a tip I learned from the Lord of the Manor who did time as a short order cook back in the day.)  A recycled baby food jar is perfect.

Now add the cornstarch liquid to the corn mixture and cook. Stir until relish is slightly thickened and bubble.  Now cook for ~2 minutes more stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, ladel hot relish into hot sterilized jars leaving about 1/4" headspace.  Wipe jar rims and place lids and rings.

I almost always end up with more relish than the liquid component will easily cover.  This extra relish can be stored in the refrigerator for immediate use.  Do NOT can dry--it will not keep and you will see bacterial growth in the mixture above the fluid line.  Do NOT eat this!

At this time the water in the canner should be at a boil.  Place the sealed jars of relish in the canner (Careful!  Don't burn yourself!)  and process for 15 minutes (again, I process for 20 minutes as I am at ~2100' above sea level--see the charts here for more information about processing times.)

Carefully lift the finished jars out of the boiling water and allow to cool, listening for the "pop" of the seal.

Some notes on corn:

In the US, corn refers to maize (Zea mays).  In other countries, corn frequently refers to the staple crop of the region.

Look! Corn DNA!

 Corn genetics have been widely studied and have advanced genetic theory significantly.  The most famous example is of course the work done by Barbara McClintock which resulted in her Nobel Prize for her work using Zea mays to study transposons.

Although corn was the staple cereal of the indigenous Americas, it must be eaten with other foods, or soaked in alkali water to avoid nutritional deficits like pellagra (niacin deficiency).  Of course, eating corn and beans together is also delicious!

Maize is widely farmed in the US, to the point where it is not only being eaten by humans, but is also a staple of livestock production and can be made into ethanol which is used as a gasoline additive/substitute.  Corn agriculture has become politicized far beyond the scope, and definitely beyond the point of this blog.   Please keep any comments to the effect that corn is the Antichrist to yourself.

Fig Preserves

Fig Preserves

Figs: not just in cookies any more

Figs are delicious, and at least here in the Mediterranean climate of the desert, exceedingly easy to grow.  My parents planted this tree 4 years ago; it was about 3 feet high.  

About 15 foot high this tree has produced about 2 bushels of figs this year.  The trick is to pick them before the grackles discover them.

What to do with this bounty?  One easy answer is to make fig preserves.  You find little tiny 4 oz jars of fig preserves in the market for anywhere from 5-20$

I made 4 pints (that's 64 oz) for the cost of a lemon, 6 cups of sugar and the jars, lids and rings~10$ all told.

You will need:
4 # of ripe figs (~50 figs of small-medium size)
6 c granulated (white) sugar
1 lemon or 1/4 c lemon juice
2 cups water
8 half pint canning jars, lids and rings
large nonreactive pot
even larger heavy pot and water rack for processing (see the earlier entry:   See this earlier post for canning supplies and basics)

Wash the figs and place them in a bowl covering them in cool water for about 20 minutes.  Because of my limited counter space I like to use a large pitcher for this (as well as for brining some cuts of meat) because of its small footprint.

While they are soaking, take the water and sugar and heat in the non reactive pot until the mixture bubbles.  Simmer for about 15 minutes; this syrup should be thick and clear.
Place the figs carefully into the bubbling syrup--it is HOT!.  Add the lemon slices or the lemon juice.  Bring to a hard boil and cook for 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Use a wooden spoon--it is non reactive and won't heat up.

After 30 minutes the figs (and lemon slices if you have used them) should become somewhat translucent.

 Remove from the heat and puree to desired texture.  I use a hand blender--again, be very careful--this stuff is like lava and if it spatters on skin it sticks and severe burns will result.

After you have pureed the figs (and possibly, lemons) you can cook the mixture further if it needs thickening.  I recommend using a mesh spatter guard if you do this--it saves mess and pain.  If you don't, well, as they say about frying bacon--don't do it in the nude.

However, if you can get this guy to fry bacon, or can figs, by all means let him do it nude!

At this point, your previously washed jars, lids and rings should be heating in the water bath (I just use the canning pot--the water needs to be boiling anyway).  Remove the jars draining the water.  Fill the jars with the preserves leaving ~1/4" headspace.  Wipe down the jars and carefully place the lids and gently screw on the rings until hand tight.  Don't crank the lids down too much, you can tighten them further after the jars have been processed.

Place in the boiling water bath and process for 10 minutes.  I processed mine for 15 minutes due to the altitude here--You will need to determine the appropriate processing time for your altitude.

 

Isn't it pretty?

 These preserve can be eaten with toast, with goat cheese and can be used in recipes for home made newtons!

Some notes on figs

Figs are referenced in most Western religions, including but not limited to the Greco-Roman pantheons, Christianity, Judaism and Islam.  They are also spoken of in many Hindu texts.

In some Christian sects, the fig is believed to be the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge that got Adam and Eve kicked out of Eden. 

I don't want this apple, get me some more figs!

Fig leaves have also been used as genital shrouds (frequently aftermarket) in classical painting, drawing and sculpture.  

And now for something completely different

Until next time...

Kale Chips

 When I first heard about kale chips I was all, like:

+

Then I finally put on my big girl pants and tried them and I was all, like:

So...here's how you make 'em.

You will need:  

Fresh Kale (as much as you can stand)

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

any other savory spices you might like:  turmeric, garlic powder, cumin, soy sauce, chili powder et cetera

Wash the kale thoroughly, drain and then pat dry:  the drier, the better.  Cut out the ribs and tear into smallish pieces.   Toss with a small amount of olive oil (~2t/bunch of kale), salt and pepper to taste.  Place on an ungreased nonstick baking sheet in a single layer.  Add any other spices at this time.  Bake until crisp.  This will vary from oven to oven.  I have had the best luck at 275F on the convection bake setting for 16 minutes.  I think ~300F for 18-20 minutes in a conventional bake cycle would work as well.  

Tossing....

Single layer on the baking sheet

Crispy and ready for crunching

Yum!

One bunch of kale took 3 baking sheet batches and made enough for a movie snack for the lord of the manor and I.  Or it would have if Thing 1 hadn't eaten most of the "green potato chips" as I was cooking them. 

BACON BACON BACON!

Just a brief entry on the fifth food group in preparation for tomato talk. 

FWIW, I love bacon:  the taste, the smell, the taste, the aftertaste...you get the idea. 

However, I hate cooking bacon.  The grease and pop all over the stove and the smell hanging in the air for hours post meal aggravate me and gross me out in turn. 

I have found a solution, I bake my bacon.  Yes, I too was skeptical at first, but it works really really well.

You will need:
1# bacon
aluminum foil
shallow baking pan

Line the pan with aluminum--this makes cleanup much easier.  Lay the bacon out in the pan, layering just enough to fit the pound on the pan.  Place this in a cold oven then turn on at 375oF.  In about 20 minutes the bacon will be crisp and ready. 

Bacon Before

Bacon After

The odor is minimal; most ovens vent to the outside air, and once the bacon grease is congealed, the aluminum can be pulled and disposed of and the pan then cleaned with minimal effort. 

And what does bacon go best with?  Tomatoes of course!  Tune in next time for:  The Care and Feeding of the Domestic Urban Tomato!

**Of note, The Master of the House cooks bacon on the grill using the non stick variety of aluminum foil.  I find it harder to control the crispness, but he prefers the bacon a little extra sizzled.