We got jamming!

alexandra — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 23:56:06 +0000

Have I mentioned how much I love my CSA? Well, a lot comes close. One of the beauties of becoming a CSA member is having access to the freshest produce available, grown locally. Getting a share at a farmers’ co-op (which is what my CSA is) has also taught me a great deal about eating seasonally. And let me tell you, when it comes to taste and nutrients, nothing can replace fresh, local, seasonal produce. Here in Toronto we are quite spoiled since southern Ontario has some of the richest farm land in North America. The only problem with eating seasonally is that whatever is in season can be found in abundance at farmers’ market but we can only eat so much of it before the season for a given produce ends. I always wanted to can some the summer and fall bounty for the long winter months. Preserving, however, is not quite like cooking where you put some ingredients together and be reasonably confident that it would turn out. And if it doesnt turn out, no harm done. Preserving is more of a science – if the chemistry inside the jar is not done right, you can get very very sick or even die. With that in mind, I waited until I could find a knowledgeable friend who agreed to can with me and teach me the skills.

Turns out I’m not the only urbanite with less than ideal food preservation skills so KEG decided to organize a workshop on the basics of canning and since strawberry season is nearly over they decided that the class would be about making jam. I jumped at the opportunity, of course! That the class was held a block away from home only added to its attractiveness. So last saturday, 12 of us met for this workshop and it was a LOT of fun. Betsy, the instructor, had a degree on food preservation from the University of Wisconsin and gave us a thorough introduction to the science behind home canning. She brought along about ten different version of strawberry jams, canned using slightly different methods for us to taste. Afterward we turned to the boxes of strawberries KEG provided and began preparing our jams. We made two different kinds: an old fashioned sugar-based strawberry jam which we seasoned with lemon and lavender. It was exquisite! Stay tuned for the recipe! The second jam was a strawberry jam sweetened with wild honey, requiring a very quick cooking method since we thickened it with pectin. I found that second jam to be ideal on plain yogurt or creme fraiche.

I’ll be definitely buying a canning book and preparing more jams throughout the summer. I guess that’ll make me popular among my friends, who will no doubt get homemade jam as gifts on a regular basis. Raspberry season is around the corner and I saw a recipe for a raspberry mint and lavender jam in one of the books that sounds too irresistible!

On Food and Civilization

alexandra — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:19:22 +0000

The academic year of 2004/2005 was a busy one for me. I took five graduate courses in the Fall and four in the Spring (the normal workload in my program is 2-2, some people do 3-3). I wasn’t sure I could do it – or whether I should do it but in the end, it turned out to be my most successful year. Towards the end of that year, an opportunity came up to take a photography class. It met once a week, in the evening, for two hours. I really wanted to take the class but I had to four essays to write and an insane schedule because of my other classes. But part of me felt that indulging in a creative pursuit, or learning for the sake of learning in my spare time, would only enhance my performance in my academic life. That turned out to be true in the end.

I’m now at the end of another academic year and face a similar choice. For the next five months I am supposed to finish off my PhD dissertation. That will be my day job. But browsing through George Brown College’s Continuing Ed site today, I came across this. How could I say no?? The description alone was enough to hook me:

Study food on a historical basis by reviewing its origins in the ancient kitchens of Egypt, Greece and Rome. Then discuss significant historical developments and cultural effects in food and food culture. Gain insight and reflect on current and future food issues.

I’ve put my name down and will report on what I learn here.

Mató & Maple Syrup » Education

We got jamming!

On Food and Civilization