Cherry Plum Preserves on Homemade English Muffins (Canning Project No. 1)

 

I began canning about ten years ago. Literally "jumped" into it. My first canning exploit took me down the apple butter road. Fun but really, really messy. And truth be told, I was scared silly over the possibility of poisoning my husband with botulism. It was an intense first experiment. But all turned out well.

 I remember my grandmother making homemade grape jelly from her OWN grape vines in her tiny backyard. Jelly making in a skirt and pearls no less! (Grandmother was very proper. She ran with the country club types.) After she'd spend all day canning, she'd sit down with a good book and a martini--still in full regalia of dress. I couldn't resist standing right next to her while she canned, waiting anxiously for a spoon taste of the grape concoction. She'd have all these tiny jars lined up against the wall, steam filling the kitchen, then carefully ladle the hot syrup into each jar, then topping them with a layer of wax. Whenever you'd open a fresh jar of jelly, the underside of the wax had this irresistable coating of the grape jelly stuck to it. I loved that part and always ask to have the wax lid whenever a new jar was opened. 

I've got two grape plants in my yard. To say they've not performed well for me would be an understatement. But maybe that has something to do with the fact that I am really not into plants needing too much "babying". My roses have finally figured this out: You're on your own--either you live, or you don't! They've actually shaped up quite nicely as a result of my hands-off approach. I remember during my Master Gardener training class we had this Rose Expert give a presentation. She seemed, oh, I don't know. . . a little Over. The. Top. with the rose business. But one thing I took away from the class was this: You can mow those roses right down to the ground and they'll come right back up--no question. Well now, that's my kind of plant. And true to her word, my roses get pruned right down to the ground evey March, and without question, they come right back up. But regarding my grapes. It's a no-go this year. But I'm patient. Maybe next year.

Meantime, I have a lovely cookbook called: Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours by Sarabeth Levine. Such a beautiful book. One reason I HAD to have this particular cookbook was for the chapter she devotes to making preserves or Spreadable Fruits. In fact it was the art of making preserves (actually it was orange marmalade) with her own grandmother that launched her career in the baking business. I just could not resist owning this book. Another thing I love is that her preserves do not depend upon the use of pectin. I'd rather work without adding pectin to my preserves. As Sara points out, most fruits have enough natural pectin to form a nice preserve or jam.

I was in a bit of a panic last week when I realized August was nearly over!  I had not canned one single thing. And even worse, every single tomato I'd harvested from my garden so far had found its way into our dinner. . . or snack. . . or lunch. Usually I've canned salsa three ways by now!

The possibilities are endless when it comes to canning fruits. However, it is not an easy business when you consider the trouble you could encounter were you not to process according to specific measurements outlined in given recipes. I settled on Sarabeth's recipe for Cherry-Plum Preserves. Five ingredients! But followed the directions she gives to a "T"! I was so pleased with the outcome, I am on to making my second batch this morning. (We are eating an average of a half pint per day!) Sarabeth explains how her preserves are more on the "runny" side because she prefers her spreads to seep into as many cracks and crevices in the bread as possible. I could not agree with her more!  

Absolutely essential: homemade English Muffins. I made my favorite recipe--Rose Levy Beranbaum's English Muffins from her cookbook: The Bread Bible. The best, best muffins ever!