Good morning sugar pops!
There are some traditions we could stand to lose - witch burning, paying for medical care, exclusively heterosexual marriage...
But then there are some that we need to fervently grab onto.
One of these, is preserving food.
It's something many of our parents, their parents, and their parents before that have done for centuries but in a pro-mass produced, anti-think consumer culture it seems to have fallen by the way side. After all, why would we go to all that trouble to collect an abundance of one particular food stuff, process it ourselves and make space to keep it in when the big chain grocery store down the street has everything we could possibly ever want or need?
For me there are three reasons.
First, it's a well known fact that Vancouver Island has only about 3 days worth of food available to us, should all shipments cease due to natural or man made disaster. That's not very long. And when people get hungry, they get scary. It only makes good food sense to make sure we have our own back ups in case of emergency. And if you don't believe me, ask the folks at Doomsday Preppers.
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Second, all that handy-dandy-ready food at the grocery store? Most of it's filled with shit you don't wanna eat. From GMO corn and soy, to artificial "natural" flavors and colors, to preservatives, to who the ef knows what else. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. In other words, everything you eat effects how you feel, look, and do. What do you think those additives, fillers, replacements, etc... affect you?
And third, it's fucking fun. And if it isn't, it should be. Preserving food - whether it's curing, canning, pickling or otherwise - is a fundamental knowledge to our survival as a species. That's pretty neat. And the more we embrace that, the more bourbon soaked cherries we'll have for the year. Now that's fun.
For this week's recipe from another blog, I decided to opt less for boozy fruit and more for citrusy fennel - if for no other reason than because I got a shit ton of fennel from our CSA over the past 2 weeks. ¡DPM! Does - a Brooklyn based duo creating recipes from Clara's Abuelita in Argentina - make a damned good batch of pickled fennel. So I'm sharing it with you...
Pickled Fennel with Orange
(printable recipe) - makes 1 500ml Jar.
Ingredients:
4 Medium Sized Bulbs of fennel, very thinly sliced (a mandoline is useful here).
4 Medium Sized Bulbs of fennel, very thinly sliced (a mandoline is useful here).
1 Tsp Fine Sea Salt.
1 Orange for zest cut into thin strips.
6 Tbsp white wine vinegar.
6 Tbsp orange juice.
2 Tbsp sugar.
4 Whole black peppercorns, cracked.
A Couple Sprigs of Fennel Tops (optional).
What to Do:
A Couple Sprigs of Fennel Tops (optional).
What to Do:
Toss the sliced fennel in a shallow bowl with the salt. Let them stand for one hour.
Meanwhile, sterilize your jar(s), lid(s), and ring(s). You can do this in a water bath canner if you have one or if you don't just use a very deep wide stock pot with one of those old fashioned metal steamers laid out in the bottom. This will keep the jars off the bottom of the pot so they don't break. Fill the pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. Using a pair of tongs with rubber bands wrapped around the ends to prevent slippage, carefully place the jars, lids and rings in the water in batches so they fit comfortably with 1 to 2" of water above the jars and boil/sterilize for about 15 minutes. Carefully lift jars, lids and rings out of the water and set aside on a clean, dry surface. Sterilized!
If any brine exists in the bowl after this time, drain and toss the slices with the orange zest. Pack them into a sterilized pint jar, placing a fennel sprig or two against the side of the jar is using.
In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, orange juice, sugar and
peppercorns over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Pour the
hot liquid over the fennel, leaving 3/4" of head space at the top of the jar.
Secure rims and lids on the jars and place back in the boiling water to
ensure seal for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from the water and allow to
set and cool to room temperature. You may hear a "ping" noise coming from the jars - this is an
excellent sign. Once cool, check to make sure the rings have in fact
sealed and refrigerate any that don't.
Those that are sealed can be stored for many weeks while any open jars should be used within a week or two.
Eat.
Do you know how to preserve food? How about small rodents? Do you think "preserving" this kind of knowledge is important?
