Why? Because you can! And pickle, and jam, or otherwise celebrate the resurgence of the domestic arts our forebears held so dear. Put on your best apron and step into our kitchen, won't you?
This pickle is the Indian kind, which is really a spicy condiment that you eat with hot rice and yogurt, but it's really good on almost anything - sandwiches, noodles, curry, etc.
One hears of England's abundance of gooseberries time and again, but how often does one come across this elusive fruit here in America? Yet if one is in luck, one might find them at more progressive farm stands and this lovely jam is sure to follow.
Gooseberry pectin stock will help thicken low pectin fruits like cherries and peaches, coming into season now. (Also, a recipe for raspberry violette preserves.)
My rhubarb discoveries, sweet, savory and wonderful: Strawberry-rhubarb sauce; rhubarb, lavender, honey preserves; rhubarb chutney; rhubarb gooseberry strawberry rose petal (RGSR) preserves; Asian style rhubarb pickle and more.
A version of this gooseberry jam, with a few tablespoons of chopped, preserved ginger added to it, won me a ribbon at Canada's Royal Winter Agricultural Fair. Photo by Niamh Malcolm.
Tart-sweet blueberries, as it turns out, are the perfect complement to unique gooseberries. Together, they make a sweet, flavorful and simply stunning magenta jam that'll knock your Crocs off.
