The reality of fruit math

This seasons bounty of stone fruit here in the Bay is one of the largest bumper crops I have ever witnessed in my cooking career. From little French plums with the bright yellow interiors, to Santa Rosa plums big sweet and crimson. I have been traveling to backyards, road sides and orchards with bucket in hand and dreams of sugar plum fairies helping me process all this fruit. Before this year BFIC(before friend in cheeses)I had no idea how much fruit it takes to create a jar of jelly,so lets do the math .

Yesterday ten a.m. drove to Willow Glen to a private home to pick about 65 to 70 lb of amazing plums. done by noon with a tub full of near perfect aubergine orbs. Then off to the kitchen. In a stock pot(big enough to fit a ten year old boy) rinsed the fruit de leaved and added zest of three lemons ,split a vanilla bean and added two gallons of water and a good toss of sea salt. 12:30pm. Cooked the plum slurry for about an hour to soften and let the color of the skins bring its bit to the plum party. Take off heat and strain three times with smaller mesh each time for fining. One p.m. Now 65-70 lbs of fruit yielded me as you see in photo only 21 gallons of juice that still needs one more strain after completely chilled so solids fall to bottom. Four hours later not one jar of finished product......

LAVENDER PLUM JELLY

Ball canning recipe with my twist.(use Ball recipes for the formula then color outside of the lines from there)

Have 8 80z jars sterilized and lids ready to go. Keep jars warm in low heat 150 in oven so when adding molten jelly your jars won't explode.FYI.

5cups of strained fined Plum juice

1cup unfiltered cold press apple juice(I do Mac apples from my tree)

pinch of salt

split of 1/4 vanilla bean scrape seeds good visual in the finished product

6T of prepared crystal pectin (dextrose,fruit pectin. citric acid)

Big non reactive pot please

add above ingredients and whisk the pectin til completely dissolved. 

Bring to a full roiling boil . boiling like it is about to crawl up side of pot and spill over.

Now for every cup of sugar have a t. of Lavender let sugar/lavender infuse at least six hours..

7.5C of Lavender infused sugar.

Add to the boiling plum party whisking constantly till all sugar is fully dissolved. Important for no lumpy bumpy jelly.

Bring back to the full roiling boil and set timer for one minute. No more no less ONE MINUTE. so don't got pour a drink or feed the Squirrel stay put and watch this pot.

Pull pot after the minute is up.

Remove jars from oven and do not place directly on counter temp can explode the jars. Keep on sheet pan or sil pat. Get your canning funnel (of course its sterilized) and pour the jelly into a tempered glass measuring cup with a pouring lip.

fill your jars leave an air gap  then  with a spoon skim the top of jelly to remove scum and the lavender heads. I lets a few float on top for a very pretty visual when the jelly is opened. Lid . Then off to the steam bath they go. 10 min please.

Pull from steam pot. Let cool and set 24 hour and don't move them til they completely set.

Viola 10 hours later 65-70 lbs of fruit is now in jars with a crystalline shimmer and unlimited possibilities in the world of pairing. So when you raise your eye at my $8.00price tag for 8 oz do remember all the love, care, time and labour it took to bring you this jar of summer from your own "backyard"it really is an investment in your community, culinary happiness and the preservation of American food traditions. Not ofter such importance passes your lips.

 Literally a jar of self harvested local small batch jelly takes over 24 hours before one jar is ready. From picking, processing, fining, producing, setting it takes time alot of time to make sure you have access to a product only time can give. If I cut corners and shaved time you could tell and tell me an earful of why it is just not the same....I refuse to short cut. For me this is the time very well spent for you for me and for food in general. Respect. 

with cheese, french toast, salumi , foie gras or on your fingers this sexy little minx will be a favorite for sure.

Thank you and this is my story and I'm stickin to it.

Mama has purple fingers,sore feet and smile....wink

Pick a peck of......



If you were wondering about the devil thingy. Boy Racer collects vintage Radiator caps and the devil is from
England circa 1920s was on his Morgan for years. I love it so he pops up here and there. He is snubbing our suck ass
Spring.

Ahhhh the crock is out and its pickle time on the Ghetto. Spring being so freaking elusive this year I had to do something rather than pine for berries that kinda suck so far. Alas my friends there is always something else Mother Nature will put you to task and this week it was me getting Pickled. Not a far stretch in my world.....

This is from an event last night that I catered  for a Kitchen N Bath showroom in Santa Cruz. There's the Smoked Tomato jam from last week. Visual feast is the first step to a beautiful eating adventure.

The mighty crock with all its history of pickles past ,this vessel brings me right into the sweet spot of pickling. The process of making the pickle, watching the crock on the shelf while it does its magic and then the love love love moment of opening her up stabbing a long pickle fork in the middle and popping open some beers. The cars start arriving for the spring pick nick and the pickle is the center piece for certain. Well I guess that Boston Butt in the smoker is no second fiddle .....


So what to do what to do? Crock or not to crock. Space is an issue this is a small crock compared to the ten ,twenty and thirty gallon crocks that I have and a standard refrigerator won't accommodate, yet can be stored in a cool dry space. Plastic...ehhh. off gassing always brings on a funk that tastes and smells gross if the pickle is left to its own devices too long. Glass ohh glass a great way to store das pickle. I just do my pickle thang in a big way. Glass that big this girl will break. I don't sell my pickle through my Jam Co. it's (don't)laugh too personal and I'm greedy don't wanna share with the faceless masses. Just me,Boy racer and the people we love.

Let's do this simple recipe to get you all good n Pickled.

This is a recipe for all things green, just like spring.


Handful of and bush or pole bean I like the little Hari Coverts ,great for Bloody Mary Sundays or in a good pilsner beer ya know?
Handful of peeled garlic right now spring garlic is all over the Farmers Markets check it.
Handful of young asparagus with the butts hacked off (too woody)
Handful of baby Zucchini halved lengthwise
A few very young leeks sliced lengthwise or RAMPS if you can find them toss em in one; of my all time favorites this time of year.
Handful of Persian Cukes(little guys very tender skin and small seeds)Slice any way turns you on .I did chips to balance out all the shapes going on.
Handful of Spring onion halved lengthwise and keep the green tops very yumm on a smoked Brisked sammy.

Wash all yer veg and toss together to get a nice mix o rama.
Toss in crock,glass or what ever you have to store this pups.

2C. White Vinegar 6%acidity please
2C Aged Sherry Vinegar
1T Honey (local is best)
1T Mustard Seed
1T Fengreek seed
1 handful of fresh thyme
1T peppercorn
2bay leaves
1T toasted fennel seed
1T Chili flake or more....
1t.Cardomon seed
four cloves
1t. Corriandar seed

whip out the mortar and pestle
rough grind all the herbs minus the thyme.

Bring vinegar honey and herbs to a boil.
Pour  over the veg(if it isn't covering the veg add some more aged sherry vin) and let her sit for a day. taste ,stir, assess the situation. If it feels right and the perfect crunch to sour ratio is hit, drain the veggies. then drizzle some Extra Cold Press Olive oil just to coat and there you have it. Pickle heaven in a crock.

From a Bloody Mary ,to a Charcuterie plate you are gonna be one happy pickle lover.

Ok I gotta run I have an order for my Spring Onion Jam that I got to get on......

SAVOUR THE JOURNEY- FREIND IN CHEESES xoxoxo

Mmmmm Asian Red meat!

May just never warmed up here in Santa Cruz and Winter veggies are still reigning supreme.I jumped to the opportunity to serve up some of my favorite roots. Radishes. Now in general most Americans think of radishes as these red things to avoid on a bland sad veggie tray from the Mega Super. Alas America you are once again missing the boat to simplicity. This vibrant little love is a cousin to the Daikon and at first glance looks like any other Turnip. Then you break open this beauty and a rainbow winks back from deep ruby to a faded Irish moss the colors says so much to the eyes when anticipating the mouths adventure.

       In Mexico the classic red radish is a perfect mate to some spicy fare to cool the palate yet leave a bite. Where as in France ,Spain and throughout the Mediterranean little Breakfast Radishes (small long half white half pink)eaten as a late afternoon snack with sweet cream butter and sea salt is simple perfection.

       The Watermelon Radish or Rose Heart or Shinrimei,Xin li Mei and my favorite the Asian Red Meat Radish. Is very common in Asian cuisine world wide and the almost sweet quality of this radish goes so well with salty fatty foods. Not only is the Meat Radishes Colors an amazing addition to any plate it is a stand alone beauty that signifies a lazy afternoon enjoying the simplicities of life.

      The plate above is a combo of classic red radish to give a spicy bite with some local Watermelon radish, Pork Salumi, my very own sweet cream cultured butter and a small dish of dried Porcini sea salt. If memory serves we drank a wonderful tank fermented SCM Chardonnay and a Mendocino Malbec Rose.........Thank you my little Red Meat..........