Just when I felt the need to confess my lack of jar filling over the past few weeks over here I had an epiphany in the kitchen. Well, not quite an epiphany but you get the point – I put something in jars.

We’ve been making a lot of quick stir-fries over the last couple of weeks, having found ourselves with a lot of greens and a desire to cook them up as fast as possible and get outta the kitchen (yes, ’cause we can’t stand the heat). On one such night I saw M searching around the refrigerator shelves exclaiming, “this stir-fry needs a crunchy pickle, what do we have?”

I was like (ahem) ”nada.” Peeps, I have a reputation to uphold, and even though you dear readers are the forgiving type (and M is too, of course) there is just something wrong in my world if my husband comes out of the fridge or larder pickleless!

So you know, I went out to the garden and deftly slayed 3 pounds of kohlrabi. Then went down into the cellar and got my paws on an empty half gallon jar. This is what I did:

Quick Kohlrabi Pickles

I can’t possibly go through a citrus season without making a batch of these.

And you shouldn’t either. I know everybody does the kind with just salt. maybe a bay leaf or a clove or something. Boring.

It may look like a lot of spices but they mellow during the preserving process. The spices sink into the background and form the perfect basis for a salty citrus pop.

And you’re left with a preserved lemon that is going to send you over the moon, and go perfectly with everything that you could possibly imagine using a preserved lemon for.

Trust me. Do this.

My Favorite Preserved Lemons

adapted from World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey

2 pounds organic lemons (preferably not Meyer)
juice of 3 lemons
9 tablespoons sea salt
1/2 teaspoon seeds of brown cardamom (you can substitute green)
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon cayenne (or paprika, or half of each)
16 whole cloves
1 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar (i use raw)
1 half gallon jar with screw cap, washed with hot soapy water & dried completely

Directions

1. Wipe lemons with a damp cloth or paper towels, then wipe dry. Leave to dry completely for an hour or so. To prevent mold there must be no water on lemons or inside of jar.

2. Grind peppercorns, brown cardamom seeds and cloves in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Note: only the seeds of the cardamom should be used. To extract seeds from pods, crush pods with end of pestle, discard shells.

Stir the ground spices with salt, sugar and cayenne. I advise using the whole 1 teaspoon of cayenne even if you are not a heat lover as it is such a small amount, the lemons will not taste hot. But if you really do not like even the slightest bit of cayenne than go for the paprika. Set aside.

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3. Thinly slice off the button end of each lemon. Slice each lemon into quarters. If you are working with very large lemons you may want to cut some of the quarters in half again. Remove seeds.

4. Place quartered lemons in a large bowl, add spice mixture and toss to coat. Fill 1/2 gallon jar with lemons, add the juice of 3 lemons and screw cap on.

5. Place on a sunny windowsill for 4-6 weeks. Shake once a day, or turn upside down, and right side up again once a day if you are confident the lid won’t leak. For the first couple of weeks unscrew the top gently every two days or so to release fermentation gases.

Depending on how thick your lemon peels are, the preserved lemons will be ready to eat within 4 to 6 weeks. Begin to test at the 4 week mark; lemons are ready when peels are still slightly firm but soft enough to sink your teeth into. When you deem them soft enough, store in the fridge for up to a year or more.

To eat, scoop out a lemon quarter or two, rinse under cold water and discard the lemon flesh. Chop to use in soups, stews, tangines, salads, and all manner of bean or rice dishes. Once you get a taste for these, there is nowhere you won’t want to use them.

What can I do to insure that the carrots’ hot water bath process does not kill me or my loved ones?

There’s exactly two things that will prevent this from happening:

1) You will boil the jars long enough to kill the clostridium botulinum vegetative cells.
2) The food in the jars is acidic enough to prevent the clostridium botulinum spores from germinating into cells.

Clostridium botulinum bacteria has two forms: vegetative cells – these produce the killer toxin, and protective structures called spores. When we boil the jars for the properly allotted time, we kill the cells, but the spores survive. In a favorable environment, the spores will germinate into the vegetative cells that produce the deadly botulinum toxin.

Here, let me break it down for you: clostridium botulinum is a common microorganism in soil all over the world. There’s no problem with it when it is exposed to oxygen. But when conditions are favorable for it to thrive, it can become deadly. What are the conditions?

No air and low acidity.

Since we are forcing the air out of the jars when we hot water bath can (i.e. creating a very favorable environment for germination), it is imperative that the acid level is high enough to prevent this from happening.

Got it?

So when hot water bath canning low-acid foods (veggies not fruit), you will most likely be making pickles or chutneys and this is my advice to you:

1) Use a reputable source written or updated 1995 or later – or check with the USDA.
2) Never vary the amount of vinegar, water or vegetables in the recipe (herbs, spices, salt & sugar are okay).

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3) Use vinegar that is 5% acidity or higher (it’s marked on the label). Homemade vinegars are not ok because acidity level is unknown.
4) Never boil the vinegar mixture longer than the recipe states.

If you are a newbie pickler, I would also caution against switching out types of vegetables in the recipe because boiling time differs for different veggies. In mixed pickles, you should set the boiling time for the vegetable that requires the longest amount of boiling time.

I would also not be in a rush to purchase a pH meter. A pH level of 4.6 or lower prevents the germination of spores, and pickling recipes from reputable sources fall way within the realm of safety, usually within the 2.6 – 4.0 range. So if you follow the recipe exactly as outlined above, you got nothin’ to worry about. Plus you’ll either have to wait 3 weeks after canning the pickles, or puree one whole jar of food before you can it to test accurately.

I wanted to preserve the wonderfully alluring nature of quince to enjoy throughout the year without a whole heck-of-a-lot of embellishment. I looked to quince’s native home for inspiration: Persia, Turkey and their surrounds.

Quince in Rose Syrup

Yield: 4 pints

4 lbs. quince
juice of 2 lemons
2 & 1/2 cups sugar
approximately 20 black peppercorns
1/4 cup rose water
pint mason jars

1. Prepare the canner and jars for hot water bath processing. No need to sterilize as you will be processing for over 10 minutes. Just make sure they are hot when you fill them.

2. Prepare a large bowl with cold water. Place 4 cups water in a large saucepan and add the quince whole. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Take quince out with slotted spoon and drop in cold water. Reserve the 4 cups water in the saucepan.

3. Remove quince from the bowl, and refill with fresh cold water; add juice of two lemons.  Peel, core and cut quinces into eighths. Drop directly into lemon-water to avoid discoloration.

4. Add sugar to the reserved 4 cups of water in pan and heat on low until sugar is dissolved. Add quince slices and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 12 minutes, partially covered. Turn off heat.

5. Remove all 4 pint jars from canning pot. Add 5 whole black peppercorns to each. Remove quince from syrup with a slotted spoon and fill each jar with quince to 1/2 inch headspace. Tap the jars on a towel covered counter to create more space and release air.

6. Add 1/4 cup rose water and return syrup to a boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and pour over fruit into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use a plastic chopstick or plastic knife to gently remove air bubbles.

7. Hot water bath process for 20 minutes.

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Though I know that rose water is heavily used in Persian and Turkish sweets, there was a moment when I thought it may be too sweetly perfumed for the quince’s heady scent. Alas, the rose and quince do not compete; rather they marry together to form a harmonious bouquet of exotica. On ice cream this is a no-brainer, but I have something else in mind: a rose n’ quince tarte tatin or custard tart will most definitely find its way out of a couple of these jars sometime in the cold winter months.

With this recipe I came away with about 3/4 of a pint of syrup left. The scent is incredible alone, and I cannot wait to use this rose n’ quince syrup in a holiday cocktail.

If you were hanging around here last weekend, then you may know that I harvested a lot of Napa cabbage, for what has become my yearly kimchi making session.

As excited as I was about making my season 2011 kimchi, I must tell you that I debated on writing this post. This, because it’s not like we haven’t talked about it before, made it with of-the-moment ingredients, or put it in steamed buns even.

And yes this year I’ve added a few new ingredients (we’ll get to that) but then I thought, why not discuss the basic elements of kimchi-making so you can feel confident to experiment on your own?

Sound good?

The basic ingredients for a vegetarian cabbage based kimchi are:

• Curly cabbage – two of the most common varieties are Napa and savoy.

• Root vegetable – daikan is the most traditional, but other types of radish, carrots, turnips, jicama, or the honorary root, kohlrabi, are great variations that afford the same crunch and additional flavor.

• Aromatics – garlic, ginger, scallion, and a semi-hot dried chili pepper. Korean pepper is the most common of course, but I have found aleppo pepper to be a perfect substitute and since it’s ubiquitous in my kitchen that is what I use. If either are hard to find for you, mix Hungarian (sweet) paprika equally with cayenne and you’ll approximate the level of heat. Sugar is also added along with the aromatics.

• Brine – water and sea salt.

Kimchi-making does not have to be exact. It’s best to taste as you go. Here are the approximate ratios that I have found work best for me.

• 1 part root vegetable(s) for every 5 parts cabbage

• For every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots, I add the following:

1 bunch scallions – white and green parts
2 tablespoons dried chile pepper
2 large cloves garlic
1 & 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger
1 & 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• 1/4 cup sea salt per quart of water for brine. (I use course sea salt, if yours is fine, it should be a scant 1/4 cup). Note on water: chlorinated water can inhibit fermentation. It’s best to use spring or distilled water. Approximately 3 quarts of brine are needed for every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots.

Your special equipment doesn’t really need to be that special:

• For every 5 pounds of cabbage & roots you will need a 1 gallon vessel (or 2 half gallons/4 quarts) for the fermentation process. I mostly use these 5 or 10 liter fermentation pots. Also convenient to use and priced right are gallon or 1/2 gallon jars.

• You’ll also need a few large bowls or containers to soak the vegetables overnight.

Sometimes there’s a lot of hoopla around kimchi-making and fermentation in general. I don’t think it’s at all hard or mysterious. This is the basic technique:

• Clean and core cabbage, chop into approximately 1 to 1 & 1/2 inch pieces. Clean roots and slice very thin. I like to use a mandolin for this.

• Make brine by combining salt and water. I make it in 1/2 gallon jars, shaking the jar until the salt dissolves.

• Soak the cabbage & roots overnight in brine (I usually need to use every big bowl in the house for this). fill the containers with cabbage & roots and press down. Add some brine, cover with a plate and press down some more. Add more brine as needed to submerge completely. Keep plate on top overnight and let the whole lot sit out at room temperature. After 8-12 hours drain the cabbage & roots, reserving most of the brine.

• Chop up all of the aromatics and add sugar, mix together. combine this mixture with the drained cabbage and roots. If you are doing a large batch it is better to break it up into a few bowls to evenly combine.

• Fill your fermentation vessel/s with the mixture. Do not pack it too high or too tight. 3/4 full is perfect. Add some of the leftover brine to cover completely. You will not need all of the brine.

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• If you are using a crock with weights, place the weights on top of the mixture to submerge. If you are using glass jars, just cap the lid. Here’s the caveat with that though: as long as you check the kimchi once a day and push the vegetables back in the brine, or better yet give it a little stir, it will be good. If you cannot remember to do this daily then you better weight it down to keep everything submerged. I use the crocks now, with the weights, but pieces of cabbage always float to the top, so when making kimchi I give it a stir once a day and push the floaters back in. Whenever small batching in a jar, I use a wooden spoon to stir once daily and forgo the plastic bag.

• Ideally the fermentation vessel will be in a moderately warm environment, low 70’s are perfect. at that temperature it will take approximately 3-6 days to complete fermentation. I just made my 2011 batch in this 90+ heatwave we are having here in the northeast. All was fine, and to my surprise it took a full 6 days to reach full fermentation. Normally the hotter the temp, the faster the ferment.

• Taste! don’t be afraid to taste everyday! 2 or 3 days into it you will notice the bite of raw vegetable has dissipated. A day or two after, when you open the lid, you’ll smell the sweetest, most delicious smell. Then you’ll know your nearing the end of the fermentation process. It’s really up to you and your taste buds to decide on when it is ‘done’. Note: if something has gone wrong there is usually no question, your nose will know. It will smell bad. But this has never happened to me, and if you make sure your utensils, vessels and hands are clean it shouldn’t happen to you either.

• Transfer to storage jars and store in the fridge for up to a year or even more. Technically speaking the fermentation process is still happening only at a much slower rate due to the lower temperature in your refrigerator. I keep my fridge at 38 degrees and I do not notice a change in my kimchi even after many months of storage.
  

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Water bath canning kimchi? I would never do it because those healthy little probiotic beasties inside a jar of kimchi are much better for us when they are alive. Plus, the acidity is not high enough to safely hot water bath can, as in the case of sauerkraut which is fermented for a longer period.

Every time I make kimchi it varies a bit. I use what I grow or what my neighboring farmers grow, that’s the fun of it! a little something different every time, but always delicious. Here’s the ingredient list for my 2011 batch:

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Kimchi with Kohlrabi and Garlic Scapes

13 pounds Napa cabbage
5 kohlrabi – about 2 & 1/2 pounds (if you are following along, make sure you peel them)
3 bunches scallions – about 20
10 very large garlic scapes (heads only)
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Aleppo pepper
1/2 cup minced ginger
2 & 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 gallons of brine

…see, BIG, bursting at the seams, garlic scape heads!

For the past two weeks I can’t say I haven’t thought about you. I have been eating a lot. Turkey, hell, probably the entire eastern Mediterranean knows how to eat. Fresh and local, seasonal, it’s in their bones. There is nothing new-fangled or trendy about it. It’s a way of eating that is so embedded in their culture, I imagine that had I been traveling through a couple hundred years ago, or more, I would have been eating much the same as I did last week.

And so what better way to come back to you from one of the most culturally rich areas in the world than with a little delicious culture of our own?

Yogurt! It’s ubiquitous in Turkey and in fact all over that side of the Med, and it’s definitely almost always included in some way as part of a meze. Yes it was – and still is – a way of preserving milk. Perhaps more important to us now, is that we can enjoy fresh yogurt made easily and just the way we like it because it is is the simplest thing in the world to make, and with a little experimentation you can produce exactly the kind of yogurt you like – on a regular basis. Trust me -it’s as easy as 1-2-3 (ok and 4).

Homemade Yogurt

You will need- Half gallon milk, pasteurized, cream on top, or raw, not ultra pasteurized and preferably organic 4 tablespoons plain yogurt, preferably organic and most definitely with no fillers, thickeners, additives, etc., just live cultures one large thermos (or 2 small)

1. Place milk in a stainless steel pan and bring to an almost boil on medium high heat. If you have a thermometer handy stick it on the side of the pot and let the milk get to 180-185. If not you’ll know it’s ready when you see small bubbles on the sides.

Like this:

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Let it hang out here for a few seconds. The longer you stay at this point, the thicker the yogurt. You can even keep it here for a few minutes. I like mine thinner so I pretty much turn the heat off when it hits this point.

2. Let the milk cool in the pan until warm, which means warmer than lukewarm but definitely no heat left in it. If you’re using a thermometer, let it cool to somewhere between 100 and 110 degrees. While waiting for the milk to cool, drop the tablespoons of yogurt in the thermos, or if you are using two, split it in half. You do not have to be exact here.

3. When the milk has cooled to between 100 to 110, pour a little in the thermos over the tablespoons of yogurt and mix or whisk. Pour the rest in and mix or whisk. Cover tightly.

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4. Here’s the trick; it has to stay warm for 6-8 hours. That’s why a thermos is ideal, but you can use any way you’d like to keep it warm. I use this ingenious and electric free yogurt maker. (But when I started I used two coffee ‘travel mugs’ and did it by cutting the recipe in half). After 6 or so hours check to see if it has ‘set’ or thickened. Occasionally it could take a bit longer than 8 but most times by 8 hours it’s done. If you like your yogurt on the sour side (I do!) you can let it sit out at room temperature a little while longer before putting in fridge; otherwise put directly into fridge.

That’s it!

Now what better way to celebrate summer? Fresh custom-made yogurt to serve with summer fresh fruits and berries, to have on hand to mix in garlic and fresh summer cukes, and some dill or mint from your kitchen garden or the farmers market?

And trust me, once you realize how ridiculously fast and easy this is you will be making it weekly – all year. So when it is time to indulge in all those wonderful jams or lemon pickles that we’ve been making all summer you will have just the thing to go with it!

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And lastly, you know that strained yogurt that is all the rage now? That’s right, been in Turkey for years. I know, I know, Greeks get all the credit, and who am I to argue? But take your homemade yogurt and put some in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and place in fridge for a couple of hours. There you have it! Keep it in there a couple hours more and it’s yogurt cheese. I do this so often I use this handy little gadget.

And the liquid that acquires in the bowl when making strained yogurt or yogurt cheese is called whey and you will see later on that whey can be used in place of salt when making fermented pickles. -more on that later. There’s just too much to talk about! so for now, I leave you to digest this. (I had to!)

Oh and one last thing: for consecutive batches just use tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to make more. My absolute all time favorite yogurt is made using this culture.  Use the packet instead of the tablespoons of yogurt for that first round and then carry on from there.