Saturday, April 3, 2010

preserving herbs in jars



for those of you following along with the great can jam of 2010 you know that the food in focus for this month is herbs.

you know what that means?

that means in just a couple of weeks from now there will be a bushel full of links right here pointing you to a myriad of ways to preserve herbs in jars!




there are so many different types of culinary herbs and i think i'm in love with every last one of them. they are used in every culture around the world and growing herbs is one of the great pleasures of a kitchen garden.

these are three of my all time favorite herb books:
(i know, i know, more books - i can't help it!)



the herbfarm cookbook by jerry traunfeld
this book was a turning point for me. it's when i realized that herbs don't have to be wallflowers - they can dance in the middle of the plate. jerry's extensive experience on growing and cooking with herbs is pretty much unmatched imo.






your backyard herb garden by miranda smith
a great resource for growing your own herbs. it's a little book with a lot of info. i used it when i first started growing herbs 5 years ago, and i continue to refer to it each year.







herbs & spices: the cook's reference by jill norman
this is a cook's bible on using herbs and spices. i refer to the 'good with' and 'combines well with' suggestions often. in addition to the culinary uses there's helpful info on growing, buying & storing.




there were a couple of questions that came up surrounding the specifics of this month's entry that i would like to answer here:

the rules state that the food in focus must be integral to the canned product. in the first few months when canning citrus, carrots and alliums it was easy to consider the chosen produce to be the main ingredient. this month's herbs are a little different and i would interpret integral as being essential to the flavor of the preserve but not necessarily the main ingredient.

this will open up a world of possibilities and i hope will allow those in zones where things are beginning to burst from the ground and jump off the trees to take advantage of what's springing in tandem with the essential herb. and for those of us who are still anticipating spring's abundance it may offer an opportunity to use up the last of the root-cellared produce.

finally, herbs are generally considered the leafy green parts of a plant (i would include flowers in here too) while spices are derived from other parts of the plant, particularly the seeds, berries, bark and roots. so while spices are certainly welcome in this month's entry they are not considered the food in focus and must be in addition to the integral herb.

let's meet below with questions, comments, ideas, excitements, frustrations, inspirations, grumblings, gremlins...anything!

...and let's hear some thoughts on favorite herbs.

herb talk! :)

14 comments:

  1. I still can't figure out what I am going to make yet - a quick garden check indicates oregano and chives are up...that's it.

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  2. Just came back from the Hollywood Farmers' Market. My word. Herbs in abundance.

    Thank you for the post. I was struggling a teensy bit.

    Just got Herbfarm from the library. Flipped through and in love.

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  3. I'll need to buy some potted herbs at the nursery. No farmers markets open yet near Boston. I have currants and gooseberries in the freezer waiting to be used - something bright for the red currants and gooseberries and something deeper for the black currants. Looking forward to it !

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  4. I can not wait to try this month's challenge.

    BTW, you are such an enabler. Herb books have been ordered.

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  5. Did something somewhere say nothing with vinegar so nothing pickled? Or did you just mean no herb vinegar? And it must be water bath, not fermented or pressure canned, right?

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  6. melanie - i'm sorry! ;)

    sustainable eats - yes, the can jam is all about hot water bath canning. using vinegar is fine for this month too - pickles are good! :(

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  7. Hi, I'm not signed up for the Can Jam but want to play along just at home, as I'm trying to learn how to can stuff. Would something like a strawberry & chocolate mint jam fit under your rules? I have a mint plant, but not sure if it's "herby" enough :)

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  8. lovemeknot creations - mint is herby enough for sure!

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  9. The peppermint in my garden is about 1/4" high right now. My chives and parsley are just a wee bit taller. I'm hoping for a growth spurt in the next week - it will just kill me to have to go buy something that is almost ready in my garden.

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  10. Are we posting next week, with a deadline of the 23rd?

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  11. http://mimisbooks.blogspot.com/2010/04/lavenders-blue-dilly-dilly-aprils.html

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  12. Finally got mine up, it's been a rough couple weeks for me: http://put-a-lid-on-it.blogspot.com/2010/04/strawberry-rhubarb-and-lavender-jam.html
    Looking forward to the round up, as usual!

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  13. Lemon, Pineapple and Rosemary Marmalade. The citrus Can Jam got me going on marmalade and I haven't stopped yet!
    http://susan-susancancook.blogspot.com/

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