Waiter! There's something in my... savoury preserve!

Another round of "Waiter! There's something in my...", this year's must-have in the world of foodblogging events created and hosted alternately by Jeanne of Cook Sister!, Andrew of SpittoonExtra and your humble servant. If you haven't yet, do check out the round-up for last month's theme, meatless BBQ options. But before you do, let me introduce this month's challenge:

It's the end of summer and for me, 'tis the time to get homely. And before you picture me running around with fluffy dusters on my feet and pin curlers in my hair, I am talking about cooking, of course. Preserving, to be more precise! Mankind has been trying to make the goodness of food last longer since the beginning of time and even nowadays, when super-size fridge/freezers and supermarkets the size of a small village enable us to enjoy pretty much every food item all year round, I bet I am not the only one who finds pleasure in filling up jars and jars of good food and stacking them up neatly in your pantry to be enjoyed at a later date. I wouldn't go as far as dusting them off twice a day, but I do cherish these little treasures immensely.

Chances are that last August's SHF, hosted by the brilliant Nicky of delicious:days, is still fresh in your mind, when she asked us "Can you can?" - Well, I am begging you to do it again for me, but this time, we're not jammin', we're talking SAVOURY PRESERVES only.

Whether it is crunchy cornichons or feisty chillies that take your fancy, whether you want to pack away a glass of tomatoes bursting with summer sun or prepare an aromatic oil as a Christmas present, whether you are finally jumping on the bandwagon of Northafrican food by preserving some lemons or trying that coveted recipe for a chutney your Mum always used to make, I will gladly sum up all your contributions, provided you are tempting me with a savoury (at the most sweet & sour) creation in some sort of jar/bottle. Typically, something that is preserved in a liquid, be that oil, vinegar or brine, not vaccuum-sealed, freezer-dried or flat-packed.
Your entry must be a new post, published between now and the 28th of September and I will do my best to have a round-up ready for you before we ring in the new month.

So, in a nutshell:

• Criteria: savoury concoction (pickles, chutney, relish, sauce etc) - preserved as or in some sort of liquid in a glass/jar/bottle - new post

• Due date: anytime before or on Friday the 28th of September

• Post must include link to this announcement and it would be great if you could add a link to the round-up as and when

• Send me: your name, blog's name, name of preserve, permalink to post, photograph (and only if it's in a weird format like slideshow etc and only of the preserve, one of yourself is entirely optional!) in an email to

Happy preserving and whatever you do, just don't get yourself in a pickle!

Comments

[african vanielje]

Fab, I have to 'fess up to the same hausfrau urge. I'm not sure why because we never eat as much as I make. Really looking forward to this one

[katrina]

wow that is sooo funny!!! i just gone done canning around 30 cans!!! (just this weekend!) not bad for being the first tiem ive ever canned! i caint wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

[joey]

You've chosen a terrific theme! There have been a lot of savory preserves I've been wanting to try...now's the time :)

[Mansi]

wow, looks interesting!! i'll have to ask my mom for one of her pickle recipes:)

[Jeanne]

Great challenge :) I have been kicking around a couple of ideas lately, but I'll keep you in suspense till the end of the month!

[Kit]

I'm going to have to go looking for recipes - I've always been a sweet preserver! Marmalade and strawberry jam and lemon curd.

[Hippolyra]

Fab idea I am passionate about preserving - both sweet and savoury, I actually measured and weighed when making an old favourite the other day. I shall write it up in the next few days.

[Nikki Richards]

AMBER PEAR PRESERVES

This recipe is over 125 yrs old (I've had it for 30 of those yrs).

Makes 4 half-pint jars

4 cups under-ripe pears
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice

1. Peel and chop pears. Let stand overnight with the sugar and lemon juice.
2. Put into a large, heavy pot and simmer for approx. 2 hours until pears have turned an amber color. Go by the color more than the cooking time. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
3. Pour into 4 half pint sterilized jars and seal with lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
Remove and place on rack until cool.

You're in for a wonderful taste treat!

[Nikki Richards]

SWEET AND CHUNKY APPLESAUCE
*If you want to make the Peachy Applesauce that everyone here seems to love, then here is what you can do.
Add chopped peaches to this recipe in whatever proportion suits you. I would increase the lemon juice to 1/3 cup, add 2-1/2 lbs of fresh, canned or frozen peaches, stir, and then add extra sugar to taste.
You may also add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to taste.

Makes approx. 3 quarts (6 pints)

4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 in. pieces.
4 lbs McIntosh's peeled, cored, and cut into 1 in. pieces.
2 cups unsweetened apple juice
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg if desired

1. In a large heavy pot, Place apples and apple juice and bring to a boil; cover and lower heat to a simmer, skimming occasionally, until reduced by half; about 20 minutes.
2. Stir in sugar and lemon juice; continue to simmer until dotted with tender chunks; about 25 min. longer.
3. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
4. Ladle into hot, sterilized jars and process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
5. Place on a towel and let sit overnight to cool.

CONVERSION CHART:
Dry (Weight) Measurements (approximate):
1 ounce 30 grams (28.35 g)
2 ounces 55 grams
3 ounces 85 grams
4 ounces 1/4 pound 125 grams
8 ounces 1/2 pound 240 grams
12 ounces 3/4 pound 375 grams
16 ounces 1 pound 454 grams
32 ounces 2 pounds 907 grams
1 kilogram 2.2 pounds/ 35.2 ounces 1000 gram
Temperature Conversion:
Fahrenheit to Celsius: Celsius to Fahrenheit:
Subtract 32
Multiply by 5
Divide by 9 Multiply by 9
Divide by 5
Add 32

A note about kitchen measurements:
Not all tablespoons are the same. The Australian tablespoon is 20 ml; the British tablespoon is 17.7 ml. In most Canadian recipes, the tablespoon is 15 ml., while the American tablespoon is 14.2 ml.
In British, Australian and sometimes Canadian recipes, the "imperial pint" is used which is 20 fluid ounces. American and sometimes Canadian recipes use the American pint of 16 fluid ounces.

METRIC TO U.S. CONVERSIONS
(LIQUID)
1 ml = 0.033814 fluid ounces
1 ml = 0.061024 cubic inches
1 ml = 0.2029 teaspoons
1 ml = 0.0676 tablespoons
1 deciliter = 3.3814 fluid ounces
1 deciliter = 6.1024 cubic inches
1 deciliter = 20.29 teaspoons
1 deciliter = 6.76 tablespoons
1 deciliter = 27.05 drams
1 deciliter = 0.423 cups
1 deciliter = 0.845 gills
1 deciliter = 0.21134 pints
1 deciliter = 0.10567 quarts
1 liter = 33.814 fluid ounces
1 liter = 61.024 cubic inches
1 liter = 67.6 tablespoons
1 liter = 270.5 drams
1 liter = 4.23 cups
1 liter = 8.45 gills
1 liter = 2.1134 pints
1 liter = 1.0567 quarts
1 liter = 0.26417 gallons
1 liter = 0.029353 firkins

(DRY)

1 liter = 1.8162 pints
1 liter = 0.9081 quarts

(WEIGHTS)

1 gram = 0.035274 ounces
1 gram = 0.0022046 pounds
1 kg = 35.274 ounces
1 kg = 2.2046 pounds

(LENGTH)

1 millimeter = 0.03937 inches
1 cm = 0.3937 inches
1 meter = 39.37 inches
1 meter = 3.281 feet
1 meter = 1.0936 yards

U.S. TO METRIC CONVERSIONS
(LIQUID)

1 teaspoon = 4.929 ml (milliliters)
1 tablespoon = 14.787 ml
1 dram = 3.6967 ml
1 fluid ounce = 29.57353 ml
1 cup = 236.59 ml
1 cup = 2.366 deciliters
1 cup = 0.2366 liters
1 gill = 118.294 ml
1 gill = 1.18294 deciliters
1 gill = 0.118294 liters
1 pint = 473.1765 ml
1 pint = 4.731765 deciliters
1 pint = 0.4731765 liters
1 quart = 9.4635 deciliters
1 quart = 0.94635 liters
1 gallon = 37.854 deciliters
1 gallon = 3.7854 liters
1 firkin = 34.069 liters
1 hogshead = 238.48 liters

(DRY)

1 pint = 0.551 liters
1 quart = 1.101 liters
1 peck = 8.81 liters
1 bushel = 35.25 liters

(WEIGHT)

1 ounce = 28.35 grams
1 pound = 453.59 grams
1 pound = 0.454 kg

(LENGTH)