The “farm to fork” and slow food movement are the latest foodie crazes to consume print headlines. Before there were trendy expensive restaurants that served local farm flavor, home kitchens prepared, preserved and canned the collage of tastes, aromas and colors from the local garden. While that might be painting the food preservation process with large brush of romanticism, a local “farm to jar” food canning and preservation party I recently attended blended community, education and craft in the spirit of the recent foodie focus.
Facebook starts Farm to Jar
Grated lemon zest waiting for the blueberries and basil below.
Can a pot of boiling water be the center piece for a party? Sure it can, especially if that water holds part of the mystery. Just as one can be baptized and transformed, so must our garden bounty in order to yield their delicate and subtle flavors far into the future. It was only by accident that I saw the Facebook post inviting folks to a preservation party. As I have a penchant for history, learning about canning was a natural fit for someone like me who wants to know how the past is blended with the present.
Master food preserver with humor
Master food preserver Rachel Davis led a kitchen full of canning novices on a short course on food preservation. What I particularly enjoyed was Rachel’s depth of knowledge not only about the history of food preservation but also the micro-biology, chemistry and physics. All of those subjects intertwine to create the discipline of food science.
Laughter is an important ingredient
A farm to jar party is not the science class you dreaded in high school. This is a hands on slice, dice, blanch, measure, taste, share,
Master food preserver Rachel Davis demonstrates filling and sealing jars…Not too tight!
learn, and laugh sort of afternoon. Not only is the process fascinating to watch, the aromas created by veggies, fruits and other ingredients as they mingle and cook is matched only by the fragrances from the blossoms from whence they originated. I’m thoroughly convinced after attending my first farm to jar party that laughter is an important ingredient for the best tasting preserves.
Each farm to jar party will be a little different depending on the fruits and veggies in season. On this Saturday afternoon we were busy making:
- Zesty Red Onion Jelly
- Blueberry-Basil Vinegar
- Fruit Ketchup
If a blog post could only incorporate the smells, you would get a better sense of how the kitchen was filled with heavenly aromatherapy.
Let’s get this party started
Rachel brought all the important, yet simple and inexpensive, tools for the preserving that afternoon. With the novice’s labor, she gently guided us through the process of preparing all the ingredients for the different items. Along the way Rachel dispensed helpful tips, suggestions, and answered questions. Bonus was having lots of hands to stay on top of the cleaning.
Food preservation is relative new
Arabella getting ready to help can some fruit.
The advent of the inexpensive glass jar helped propel food canning and preservation into virtually every rural kitchen in America. Whereas food preservation had been the domain of large factories canning meat and high caloric meals for military campaigns, mason jars and home canning supplies allowed every family to extend tasty summer produce into the winter months. Every time you pop the seal on your favorite Smucker’s Jam, you are paying homage to the early pioneers of kitchen canning.
What’s my shelf life?
Let there be no illusions that I will shortly dedicate my life to canning food as much as I might find it fruitful. Nor am I advocating a wholesale return to households that put a premium on home economics and less on Walmartnomics by preserving every tomato grown in their garden. However, it never hurts to have a deeper understanding of the science of food preservation. After all, when we shop at the supermarket we are acknowledging the importance of “shelf life” for each canned, bottled and packaged food we buy.
Party in an apartment
Even if you have never canned nor have a garden, you can still have a farm to jar party. Farmer’s markets are your local garden for
Garden fresh onion waiting to be sliced and diced.
seasonal veggies and fruits ripe for canning. Contact a master food preserver like Rachel, set a date and invite your friends over for a great afternoon of cooking and learning. It will add a whole new dimension to your next visit to one of the special farm to fork restaurants and the meal they prepare for you.
Gretchen, Keith and Arabella Etzold deserve a special “Thank you” for opening up their home and kitchen for this wonderful little event.
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