California Hiking

So in an attempt to keep my blog current and up to date on my endeavors I give to you a post about hiking in California. 

My husband and I have been making it a point to hike on the weekends.  We live near Laguna Beach and typically hike in the Nature preserve near our home. I gives us time to be together, no screens.  We talk, observe our surroundings, make jokes, and get sunburned.  I have dreams of one day hiking all day and then camping at night and hiking back.  It's the wanderlust of not knowing whats behind the next bend or whet kind of view you are gonna get once you reach the top of the mountain, it's that wanderlust, that keeps you walking. Yeeehaaaw!

Jamming at the Fair

Howdy Jamsters,

I have been thinking a lot about what to can next...and whilst pondering my next great creation I stumbled upon the jam entries at my local fair.  Needless to say I was quite excited and began snapping pictures of the jams that sounded interesting.

The best of show was a very interesting combination of Orange Marmalade and Jack Daniels.  Woooweee, that would be a great way to get you day started!  That would put a zip...or sway in my step! 

It was so neat seeing all of these jamsters and inspired me to enter next year.  As of now I would probably enter the carrot cake or monkey butter jams.  The carrot cake it my favorite jam!  As far as my next jamming expedition, it's soon! Everything is unpacked and the kitchen it put together, now...to find a new recipe...

So much can change in 1 month

Hi all,

I just wanted to let everyone know I haven't abandoned this blog but I am in a bit of a limbo right now.  A little over a month ago my husband was laid off (he worked for 38 Studios, a huge game company in RI). 

Since then there have been so many highs and lows but to get to the point I am sitting in a hotel room in Laguna Hills California.  Within the past month I completed my first masters class, cleaned and reorganized the ceramics room I was teaching at and packed up our whole house to be shipped across the country. Whew.  And this week I have been hiking the Laguna Hills Ridge and tanning, talk about going from 100 mph to 0!

So, all my canning stuff, including my 40+ jars of canned jams/jellies/pickles are traveling across the country as we speak.  I don't think the packer was thrilled with boxing up so many...breakables. Anyways I am looking forward to getting settled in our new place and getting my mofo pot out! Till then, jam on!

Bloggy love letter

Dear Bloggy,

I miss you so much and I really need to spend some time with you but I have been extra busy lately.  Please forgive me as I have just started my Masters AND teaching high school ceramics. What about the weekends, you ask? Well, those have been fairly busy too.

Look, I am hankering for some apple butter, how about you? Yes? Okay so let's meet next week to make some smooth and sensual apple butter.

Miss and Love you lots!
K

# 12 Carrot Jalapeno "Risky" Relish and was it worth the burning of my hands?

When I was a little girl I would always call jalapenos "jap-a-lan-o's". Yea, yea that is sooooo cute but I am pretty sure I was well into my teens before my mom corrected me.  "Karly, it's 'Ha-lo-peen-no's' HA HA-lo-peen-no's." I like to imagine what it was like going food shopping with me when I was a little girl, it must have sounded something like this:

Me: Hey ma, how many of des here jap-a-lan-o's do you want? How come deem der people are talking dat funny lanwidge, ma?  MA?

So FUN FACT EVERYONE! Jalapeno's burn the shiza out of your hands! If you are like me and think you have strong hands, you don't. Not when it comes to jalapenos and habaneros. IT. WILL. BURN. FOR. HOURS! At first it lightly burned and then it got sooo bad that I thought some lotion would help, nope.  Hydrogen peroxide, nope. Milk, nope. As I sit here typing I still have a mild burning sensation on my fingers! So wear gloves!

So after that...fiasco I was contemplating the risk verse the reward, that being the relish. So when my husband came home we sat down to delicious Kayem hotdogs and we hereby declared that the Carrot Jalapeno Relish was.....a success!!! My husband described the relish as "surprisingly delightful edition to a hot dog" and rightfully so! The relish is unique since the base is carrots, so it is slightly sweet and spicy.  I could see this being added to potato salad, deviled eggs, or a grilled cheese sammie!


Recipe from Tart and Sweet
Alls you need:
3 lbs of carrots, cut into coins and then pulverized in a blender
2 red onions diced
2 tbsp of minced garlic
5 jalapenos, seeds removed and thinly sliced
4 habaneros, seeds removed and thinly sliced

Brine:
4 cups of water
8 cups of apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 bay leaves

Satchel:
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp coriander seed
1 tbsp ground black pepper

I know it looks like a lot but once the carrots are pulverized in a blender the recipe goes smoothly, added that you are wearing gloves while cutting the hot peppers.

Combine carrots, hot peppers, onions, and garlic into a large bowl and mix so everything is evenly distributed.

Create a satchel from cheesecloth and add in the cinnamon stick, mustard seed, coriander seed, and ground black pepper.

In a big ole pot combine the water, vinegar, brown sugar, and bay leaves to create the brine.  Add the satchel into the brine and bring to a boil.

Take your sanitized hot jars out of the canner and pack in the dry ingredients, this being the carrot/hot pepper mix. Shove everything down real good.  Then ladle the boiling brine into the jars. Seal and process for 10 minutes or according to altitude.

This weekend

Hi Jamsters,

I know, I know...I'm due for another jam session, but last week but I just started a new job teaching high school ceramics.  Since moving to Rhode Island from Florida finding a art teacher job has proved difficult to say the least so I was ecstatic when I was offered the position.

To make up for my lack of posts here is a picture of some "Georgia Moonshine" purchased from our local liquor store.  It has a kind of "corny taste" but it's not bad and I enjoyed the unique jar packaging.  New Jam post, this weekend!  

Good stuff!

Hey Jamsters!

Have any of you heard of kickstarter?  It's this fabulous website that allows you to "back" a specific project. I came across Homesweet Homegrown. These gals know whats up! I had to donate because this is something I believe in so deeply and I hope that our younger generation explores preservation methods and actually growing their own food!




Here is the link, check it out!  Donate whatever you can afford to get this project going AND if you donate $20 you get a book with awesome illustrations and information about growing your own food, canning and pickling! It's a win win situation dudes!