Peach Jam!

I finally picked up peaches from the farmers market to make and can jam this week. Sure, I've been buying peaches pretty much every week this season, but they've been too good for breakfast and snacks and dinner. So I haven't gotten around to making jam yet. Usually by this time of summer, I've put up jar after jar of blackberries, strawberries, blueberries and peaches. This year? The blackberries are in the freezer, I did manage to get a few jars of blueberries in, but no strawberries at all this year. And now I'm running behind on peaches.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a demonstration and book signing with Marisa McClellan of Food in Jars. I tend to can like I'm the food supply depot for a small army, so it was a switch for me to think a few jars at a time is really okay. Marisa made an amazing Italian plum with vanilla jam. Two jars: start to finish it was less than an hour.

Cue the inspiration (not so much the time, but that's another story). I've done the plum jam, a tomato jam (which is also another story) and tonight I did two peach jams (pages 60 and 61 in Preserving by the Pint). Another tip from Marissa is that you can make small batches of jam in a large skillet, instead of a massive pot. And that made all the difference in my night: dishes, heat, stove top space.

I'm already planning a second batch of the peach jam with sriracha for gifts.

The Beautiful Sandwich

Can sandwiches be pretty? I did remember to take a picture of the farmers market sandwich I'm having for lunches this week, and here it is in all its summer glory.

It was also a very messy sandwich, as evidenced by sliding tomatoes. And the extra cucumbers would have made the sandwich virtually impossible to eat, but a little goat cheese made them a nice appetizer. 

This might be my favorite farmers market sandwich. What's yours?

Farmers Market in July (an ode to planning)

I'm a big fan of our local farmers markets year round (especially those that are open year round). But the bounty of good stuff available in the summer sometimes makes it hard to plan for a week of meals. Everything looks good, and doubly so at the end of the day between work and dinner.

This week I had planned to try and recreate a veggie-stacked sandwich that is my new favorite at my cheese and wine bar haunt. But I got to the market too late to get the right kind of bread. You go to lunch with the bread they have left, not with the bread you planned for...

So the bread turned into a whole different kind of veggie sandwich, after this lovely carrot/ginger/mustard seed kraut caught my eye, along with seriously good garlic & herb goat cheese. Toss in some cucumbers and tomatoes, and lunch is a happy time. I got so many compliments on the sandwich as I walked down the hall at work today headed outside to eat in the lovely weather. (and argh - picture. tomorrow, I promise to remember the picture of the actual sandwich.)

I do try to plan my meals out. And I do try not to buy so much I won't be able to use or freeze it. But it's really hard when it's July at the farmers market.

New blog! If you've stumbled across me, welcome! There's not much to see just yet, but come back and visit some time. We'll talk about food and beer and pop culture and food and history and wine and food and travel and food and... I sense a theme here.