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With peaches, tomatoes and plums in season right now, you’re probably preparing to do some serious canning and preserving. But, what to do about those pesky thin skins that can add a bitter taste to your food and are so difficult to remove? An experienced canner or pie maker will be able to give you the answer right away: Blanching. It’s the sure fire way to get those skins off without driving yourself crazy.

Trying to scrape off the skins with a traditional peeler can end up removing a lot of the fruit along with the skin or worse, leave you with a hand full squashed, mushy fruit. Blanching can also be used to remove the tough skins from nuts and even prepare certain vegetables, like green beans, for freezing. In this case, the blanching stops the action of the enzymes and bacteria present in the vegetables that can eventually sap their nutrients and noticeably modify the color, taste and texture of your frozen produce.

While blanching isn’t an exact science as the processing times can vary fruit to fruit, there are some very important steps you want to be sure to remember. Here is a breakdown of the blanching process for easy fruit skin removal.Read More >

Photo credit: Gudlyf, on Flickr Read More >

Looking to further explore the world of preserving and canning (and in particular, fermentation) I sat down with a copy of "Preserving With Friends," a DVD that covers pretty much everything you ever wanted to know about preserving food. Host Harriet Fasenfest ("A Householder’s Guide to the Universe") takes you through the basics of water bath canning and making a few jam recipes before hauling out the big guns: Her friends. Harriet has hand-picked her friends who are experts on various subjects ranging from pressure canning to pickling to fermentation. All of her guests (and Harriet herself) are very knowledgeable and I learned quite a bit more than I originally bargained for.

Several chapters really jumped out at me, including "The Alchemy of Jam Making," in which Harriet explains all the elements of making a really good jam and how they work together. She follows this up with a great recipe for homemade pectin using crabapples. She further explains how to can whole fruits and vegetables and the different methods for each.Read More >

Photo: Thrift Store Sign by pixeljones via Flickr

While canning can be an efficient, money-saving task if you’ve got all the equipment, the initial cost of getting what you need can seem daunting for a first-timer. However, I’m here to tell you that there is a better, cheaper way: The thrift store!

Really amazing kitchen implements end up at the thrift store all the time, and an eagle-eyed shopper can find some amazing deals. I was able to get my entire initial canning setup from the thrift store (including jars) for less than $25. Here’s a small list of some of the things I’ve found and their comparative prices at retail outlets.Read More >

Having relatively recently come to the world of canning, I wish I had had a book like "Tart and Sweet" from the beginning. The internet is full of wildly varying information, and the Ball Blue Book  is great if not a bit clinically matter-of-fact, but it's nice to have a resource that both informs and inspires.

Authors Kelly Geary (Sweet Deliverance, NYC) and Jessie Knadler waste no time getting right to the basics: The first four chapters are devoted specifically to subjects like a Step by Step Water Bath Canning Guide and a Pickle Primer. Everything you need to know to get started is here, from tools to an acidity chart, an explanation of head space and much more. Plus, it’s explained in an easy, conversational tone and accompanied by some really beautiful pictures by photographer Ellen Silverman. Read More >

Credit: WPA Posters, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, LC-USZC2-5601

During the '30s, the government created the Works Project Administration (WPA) which provided thousands of jobs under "The New Deal." The arts were highly encouraged as was supporting the war effort through farming, victory gardens and preserving food for the troops.

The distinctive art style of the WPA posters makes them instantly recognizable, and I think they make terrific decoration for any vintage kitchen. I’ve perused the Library of Congress' files and pulled some of my (rights-free) favorites which I will post here once in a while for you to peruse. I hope you enjoy this little glimpse into the past as much as I do.

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Editor's note: I'm thrilled to introduce my pal Flynn De Marco as a contributor to the site. Flynn comes with a wealth of community management and writing experience, having founded and run Gay Gamer, and written for Kotaku, Gawker's gaming news site. In recent years, Flynn has also been bitten by the DIY food bug, as have we all, and has become a devotee of Punk Domestics. He'll be contributing as Fruit Brute, focusing on tool roundups (such as this one), community profiles and more, and with his amply tatted arms, will be helping to keep the punk in Punk Domestics. Welcome, Flynn! --Sean

Ah, the cherry pitter. That oft-neglected kitchen gadget that takes up room in your already full kitchen drawer. But if you are a canner and faced with 20 pounds of cherries that need to be pitted in a hurry, this little gadget can be your best friend.

Like most kitchen gadgets, there are plenty of styles across a broad price range. Which one is right for you is really a matter of personal preference, but here are a few choices to get you pointed in the right direction if you are considering a purchase.Read More >