Year-Round Maine Produce

In the summer, our kitchen is filled with fresh fruit and veggies. From cukes, onions, corn, and herbs, to an abundance of all kinds of locally picked berries and tree fruits, we have plenty of what we need for eating and canning. This time of year, however, individual "commercial" preservers like me have to search a bit harder for local produce, as our freezers are suddenly emptying of the masses we felt were enough for the year in the heat of last summer.

The truth of it is, to make a living (ha!), this time of year we jam-makers and picklers often succumb to buying bulk products from distributors, including fruit and veggies from far-away places, to supplement what we don't have or can't get locally in the winter and spring. I too supplement with far-away fruit but try to use as much as I can of these Maine-grown items year-round in our jam and pickles: Tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, apples, blackberries, rhubarb, some raspberries (never enough), herbs, corn (thanks bro!), and eggs. I have three freezers quickly dwindling of my summer and fall berry, veggie, and rhubarb supply. We also always use local Maine honey and a bit of local cider vinegar. Seasonal favorites pop up soon, including dandelions (who doesn't have enough of those?) and fiddleheads, along with never-enough Maine-grown asparagus.  It's tough growing cukes in the winter and spring, and I even begged Kate of Tibbetts Family Farm to help me out with that, to which she laughed and offered to grow some in big planters for me. She must have felt my desperation. I'll wait on those until true summer comes along. Sometimes it's better to wait for something good in order to get it from Maine.

Here are some examples of Maine-grown items I used this week with which to make jam and relish.

Keeping tomatoes local in April means opting for these
hot-house yummies from Backyard Farms.  These were for the Spiced Tomato Jam.

Utilities from Giles Family Farm.  Apple Sauce and Apple Pie Jam.

Anderson Farms, of course. Quickly running out!  Corn Relish.

With about 50 pounds left, I hoarded these cranberries from
Old Grey Beaver Bog in Kennebunk.  Cranberry Hinkle Hatz Jam and Cranberry Sauce.

Bradybury Farm, Hollis.  Blueberry Jam, Pickled Blueberries,
and Black & Blue Honey Pie Jam (low sugar/high honey favorite).

We picked up this local vinegar right at Hannaford.
Supplies are limited. 

Typically I use a combination of wild and cultivated blueberries from Maine, which are easy to come by year-round. Still, Bradbury Farm in Hollis called me yesterday to see if I needed some, as they were going to unplug their freezer. I drove up the road to the farm (just a few miles), where Mrs. Bradbury GAVE me a 30 pound bag. She carried it out of the house, brought it to the car and put it in my trunk. Think I'll be making her some Black & Blue Honey Pie Jam.

Having children changes everything.

In the United States, in Maine, where our children can go outside and play freely, where we have the space and patience to stand in a spot long enough for a chickadee to land on our hands for a snack, there is very little fear for tragedy.  The difficulty in parenting is balancing that ideal with the reality of a bigger picture, including bad people who do bad things.

When a horrible thing happens in the world, several questions pop into my head, invading the fluidity of a regular worry-free day, and causing truly sleepless nights.

What kind of person am I to have brought children into this awful world?  How am I going to help these girls grow up and steer clear of this madness?  What are the things I can do to continue to make them feel safe and yet make sure they understand how to protect themselves in every situation-- I mean, Every situation.  My mind goes nuts thinking about all of the ungodly things that could happen.  And then I think about what they are learning in their first years of school.  The basics.  Be kind to each other.  Don't dwell on the little things.  Help someone when you can.  Watch where you're going.  Take risks, but don't hurt anyone, including yourself.  Remember that everyone has a story.  Trust the adults in your life.  Stranger danger.  Ask questions.  Keep going.  These are the things I ought to be focusing on too.  And hugs.  More hugs.  Appreciate the simple things. 

New and Hipper

Yeah, I know it's been a while, but I really do have some good excuses.  The jam business has turned into more of a jam and peanut butter business, with orders-a-plenty busying up the holidays and the farmers' markets.  We've also gotten quite a few local wholesale requests from coffee shops, bakeries, and produce markets.  I'm happy to have my PB&J wherever the local foodies frequent.  Also, you can't blame a girl for taking care of herself more than her blog, right?  Enough said about all that.  The point is, the jamming is good, thanks to all of our awesome customers.

Now, more about me.  You'll see over on the right of my blog that I am a self-classified "runner."  I sort of think that once a person has been running for a good while, technically speaking, no matter how fast or slow, how short or long the distance, one is a runner.  However, I have not been actually running for over a year due to a bum hip.  Suddenly after I turned 40, I felt pain in my hip.  It was drastic and sharp.  I could barely walk, forget about run.  It happened abruptly while running one day.  And I run slow, so seriously, I was not pushing it.  I just couldn't run or walk without severe shooting pain in my hip.  That pain spread all around the hip joint and led me eventually to see a doc to have it checked out.  The short version is, after some physical therapy, a couple of cortisone shots, and some chiropractic care, I was told I needed a new hip.  Actually, I was told that from the beginning of the doctor's visits, but because of my age, doctors wanted to take other measures to see if we could make the pain go away without replacing body parts.  Bad from birth I was told, with the ball just not fitting the socket properly.  Thus the socket was chipping away where the ball was running into it in all the wrong places.  In the x-rays you could actually see one of the little chips floating around my hip joint.  Gross, I know.  Anyway, last week I got a new hip, and here's what it looks like, except this one's about double the size of the one in my body now.  And yes, the new hip is pink.  How cool is that?

So now, one week later, I'm up walking with a cane, driving my kids to local Maple Syrup Weekend events, getting over it.  They say that people who have had this Anterolateral Hip Replacement surgery can look forward to resuming ALL regular activities within three months.  Does this mean I'll go back to running?  Already, although I am still bruised and swollen, exhausted after being up for a couple of hours, and it's obvious I am growing into parts that are not originally mine, I feel the running itch.  It would probably not be the smartest idea to take it up again, but we'll see...  I think I'm a runner.  

Having said all that, I do love hiking too, and it's probably better on the joints.  See you out there soon.  

    

Big Batch Cranberry Sauce

It's that time of year, and I've hoarded all I can manage of local cranberries.  Last year I did well, making it to August with one last gallon of cranberries sitting lonely in the freezer.  I'm already worried this year that I won't have enough for my own basic survival needs.  I have obsessive thoughts of cranberries pouring into every fall recipe, and, no kidding, I've had recent dreams about that cranberry-simmering moment when the first berry pops in the pot.  In the fall, that little pop is as satisfying as hearing a jam jar lid seal.  That pop is precious.  I told you I'm obsessed.

If you've not tried making your own cranberry sauce, you must do so right this second.  It's fall and the cranberries are plentiful.  Don't worry about messing it up.  It'll either under-gel or over-gel if you do-- either way it'll still taste good.  Oh, and the sauce I make includes whole and chopped cranberries and gels rather solid.  Stop reading now if what you want is the jelly you can see through with no chunks.  I'm a fan of the chunks.  Please don't quote me out of context on that one.

The recipe here is for a relatively large batch of sauce.  You'll end up with about a dozen pint-sized jars.  If you decide to make a smaller batch, lessen the boiling time.  Half a batch of the recipe below should be boiled for about 15 minutes.

Here's what you'll need:

5 Lbs of whole cranberries (fresh or frozen)
10 cups of water
15 cups of sugar

Place half of your cranberries in a large stock pot with the water and turn on the heat.  While you're letting that heat up, chop the rest of your berries in a food processor.  How much you chop them is up to you.  Pour those berries into the pot.  Stir berries in with the water occasionally until it comes to a boil.  Boil, while stirring, for 6 minutes.  Add the sugar and stir it in thoroughly.  If you're like me, you'll be impatient about watching the pot until it boils, so you might as well get another batch of jam or pickles started, or make some coffee while you wait.  Still, keep an eye on the pot so nothing burns to the bottom.

Once your sauce comes to a boil, stir it regularly for about 20 - 25 minutes.  The 20-minute-mark is crucial in terms of waiting for that gelling point.  If you feel better using a thermometer, make sure it reaches 220F and stays there for a few minutes.  I also have several small plates in the fridge upon which I administer is "gelling test," which I am famously terrible at.  When I feel most confident that the sauce has created a "sheet" on the plate, rather than several "drips," I call it good and turn off the heat.  Much like jam, use a large spoon or skimmer to remove whatever foam might have appeared on the top of your sauce.  Fill hot jars with the sauce to about 1/8th inch from the top, cover them with hot lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.  Great for your Thanksgiving turkey or as a condiment to your turkey sandwich all year long.      

Fantastic Fryeburg

This year's Fryeburg Fair was amazing for both Above the Dam Jam and me personally.  I met so many new friends, reunited with many old friends and family members, and reminisced with several former students and colleagues from all over New England.  I talked canning with hundreds of foodies, connected with other local jammy businesses, and created new business relationships along with way with individuals, New England kitchens, and local specialty shops.  I can't say enough about how awesome the week was.  Having said all of that, by far the best part of the week was sharing it with so many family members who also spent time at the fair.  Hope to see you all again next year!

These beef cows were raised by my brother Ed and our cousin Ron, with most of the work load resting on the shoulders of my niece Sage and our cousin Cory, both who showed cows all week.

Sage:  The Cow Whisperer.  She won like a zillion awards showing cows, as well as they even made up a special award for her overall participation and helpfulness as a 4H member and farm kid.  This one's heading to college for agriculture next fall.

My cousin Allison hung out at the barn, working through the week at the fair, as well as keeping up with her own school work.  Don't worry, I checked.  She was getting it done!

Make sure you pick up this year's Christmas tree from our Meserve cousins at Boiling Spring Tree Farm in Dayton.  This tree was raised up onto its own platform to show it off as a winner at Fryeburg.  

Joe took time off from work to be up in Fryeburg with me.  He loved every second of it and was super supportive.  Lucky to be in love with a man like this one!

Every day I had relief from family members who stopped by to let me take a break for a bit.  When Aunt Carol and my mom showed up, Auntie took the money, while my mom "worked the floor" (her words!).  Those ladies can sell pickles!  Also note the amazing set up Joe spent hours-into-days building for me out of planed wood that came from farm trees our cousins cut down years ago.  Our. Display. Rocked.  I can say so since I really had little to do with it.



These girls were so incredibly patient throughout what ended up being a crazy week mostly spent without their mother.  They traveled back and forth to Fryeburg quite a few times, and of course we toured the fair scene, experienced fair food, and even had one or two fair meltdowns.  All in all they were terrific.  This pic is actually taken on our last trip home from Fryeburg after an apple picking stop on the way.  Glad to be home with them now!

Maine Market Season

When the spring rolls around, it's full paddle ahead around here.  The kids are out of school, and I'm feeling the pressure and excitement of a busy market season and restaurant demands.  I am a working and playing fool and having the best time being one.  Here's some proof that actual work is getting done, if you can call it work at all.  

Work?  LOVING the Kennebunk Market!

Thanks, Auntie Carol, for the excess rhubarb.  My favorite veggie.

It's a rough life sampling chocolate jams all day...

The favorite part of my job, by far, although it did take a little effort to force these three into the middle of a field of lupins.  Good sports, they are!

Magnetic Scrabble Boards: Home Made!

Before Charlie's and Ruby's birthdays, I had an idea about creating big magnetic wall boards for each of them.  In my head, the boards were painted funky colors and would be covered with scrabble pieces so the girls could spell words, create sentences, just have fun with them-- oh and maybe learn a little something too.  The inspiration came from this awesome-yet-slightly-above-their-skill-level exhibit at the Children's Museum of NH in Dover.  It's a series of paragraphs from The Cats of Mrs. Calamari, by John Stadler.  A young reader can literally fit together the pieces to create the story in full:

So off I went to the local Home Depot and picked up the biggest piece of sheet metal available and enough trim board to frame it.  I accosted the nice man in the lumber section, who walked me through the easiest way to get the trim to stick to the sheet metal.  He suggested I use thin plywood as a backing for the sheet metal, and he happened to have it pre-cut to the exact size of the metal.  He threw a tube of Liquid Nails in my cart too, saying I wouldn't need any other tools.  He also brought me to the paint aisle, where I picked up a couple cans of good-for-everything (and no need to prime) spray paint. 

Paint the sheet metal, then glue it to the plywood with Liquid Nails.

Paint the trim, then glue it to the sheet metal.

Next I stopped at (ANY department store that carries games) to grab a game of Scrabble, which happened to be on sale for 14 bucks.  Oh, and I grabbed a bunch of magnetic tape at Michael's too. 

Magnetic tape can be cut with scissors and sticks to the back of
anything, including scrabble pieces.

And Voila!

Now, with  Charlie's I got a little lazy and found (again, at Michael's) a 50% off large frame that the same-sized sheet metal fit into.  I painted the metal a different color, and the result is a cleaner, less home-made looking magnetic board.  Oh, I also found wooden letters at Michael's too, so Charlie's board has slightly different looking pieces on it to play with.  This is important, as the two girls are very much into ownership right now.  I can already hear them arguing over e's and s's.  The different-styled letters saves me from that little hassle.  Happy Birthday, my girls!