Fiber Fool

Just as we were tiring of all the spinach and other various greens in the CSA box, we got a gem of a surprise - 3 cups of rhubarb! It was already cut up and stuffed into a sandwich sized ziploc so I would have never guessed it was 3 cups worth. Which meant I eliminated most of my usual rhubarb recipes I enjoy like an apple rhubarb crisp. I was also pretty sure grandma’s rhubarb dessert that is topped with meringue required more than what we had, plus I couldn’t readily put my hands on it to check. I was also convinced it was not enough for a batch of rhubarb liqueur that so many of our friends enjoy. Though I am hoping to still source enough rhubarb to make a good size batch of that this year.

So we bought some organic strawberries (we got none again this year from our strawberry bed and I’m thoroughly perplexed) and I made some strawberry rhubarb jam. Because I hadn’t measured out the rhubarb yet we had kind of figured we’d have a small batch and wouldn’t can the jam but instead just refrigerate and use promptly. But, I quickly discovered with the strawberries we had enough for a full recipe which then seemed worth canning. Fortunately, this was just before the heatwave struck so hot water canning for 20 minutes (thanks to our altitude) wasn’t as horrible as it could have been.

I did a 50/50 mix of strawberry and rhubarb - 3 cups each and I stepped down the sugar by 1 cup from the recipe given in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. I like a fairly strong rhubarb flavor and prefer my jams to be a little less sweet. I have struggled in the past with the low and no-sugar pectins so I stuck with the regular; otherwise I would have reduced the sugar a bit more. I still got a good set with the regular pectin and my sugar reduction so it all worked out.

I am wondering what can be done to keep the fruit evenly distributed throughout the jar. If you look closely you can see there is clear jelly at the bottom of the jars and all the fruit at the top. I believe I had read somewhere something about turning the jars upside down at some point in the process, though I’ve also heard that compromises the seal. Do any of you have some wisdom you can share?

I also got a lot of foaming. I noticed that the pectin instructions suggested adding a 1/2 tsp of butter to reduce that. I think I will have to give that a try next time. Not being ones to waste anything, and because the canning took longer than originally anticipated and we were hungry and anxious to get a taste, we spread the skimmed foam onto a couple slices of homemade bread Drew had baked. There is just something extra special about eating 100% homemade, especially when both of us contributed.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

makes six 8oz jars

Ingredients

• 3 c Strawberries, washed and quartered
• 3 C Rhubarb, washed and cut into 1/2 pieces
• 1/4 C Lemon Juice
• 4 1/2 C Sugar, divided
• 1 Box Pectin

Instructions
1. Using a potato masher, mash the strawberries in 1/2 C of the sugar. Add strawberries, rhubarb, pectin and lemon juice to a large sauce pan on medium-high heat and bring to a boil.
2. Add remaining 4 C of sugar and stir. Bring back to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly and boil for 1 minute.
3. Fill sterilized and warm jars, leaving 1/8″ head room. Wipe tops and threads of jar and close with a two-piece lid as directed. Process in a slow boil hot water bath for length of time indicated for your altitude remove from canner and place on towel to cool and set for a full 24 hours before moving.

You can use it as you would any jam and have on toast or scones or crumpets etc. You’ll notice I say the recipes makes six jars and I only photographed 5. That wasn’t just because odd numbers tend to look better. It is because that very same day we used a jar of it! I’ll share that recipe that used the jam soon. It is a favorite around these parts and a specialty of Drew’s. In fact, we hadn’t had it in a long time, but I started a monster and we made that recipe again this week but used a store bought fig ginger jam that we had in the pantry.

Well, it has been close to a decade since I last went camping and I haven’t camped all that frequently. But here we go…

1. Guitar, lyric and chord sheets for campfire singing.
2. A couple decks of playing cards.
3. A book.
4. Plenty of water.
5. The campfire pocket sandwich maker, bread and some pie filling for fun dessert.
6. S’more fixings of course!
7. First aid kit.
8. Tarp and some line to string it up for shade and/or rain protection.
9. Camera and spare batteries.
10 Your knitting of course! I’m kind of partial to socks as travel projects.

Remember back a few weeks when 10 on Tuesday was sharing ten books on your summer reading list? Well, I had a slow week between then and now, but I’ve been back in high volume knitting mode this past week so a few books got checked off the list, plus a few that weren’t on there. I’ve completed 2, 3, 5 and 8 and am very nearly done with 7 as well! 10 is up next for print books to be read. Anyway, I thought I’d give an update on recent reads.

In audio format, I finished Beguiled by Lori Foster. This was a download from Audible.com that was narrated by Zoe Winslow who did a very good job of differentiating the different characters. This book was what I’ve come to expect from a Foster book. Some stubborn protagonists who are passionate, a bit of mystery about who the real bad guy is and it is all tied up in a nice pretty bow at the end. Great escapist fluff perfect to knit to.

I jumped from romantic fluff to a cozy mystery by Joanne Fluke, Fudge Cupcake Murder, for my audible knitting company. I think I listened to it over two or three days of knitting (and a little bit of cooking and cleaning). It was a download from NetLibrary. If you read Diane Mott Davidson’s Goldy Bear series of mysteries you’ll likely enjoy this series as well. The only regret I have about listening to them is not having print versions of some of the unique cookie recipes that are included!

In print, I read Hothouse Orchid by Stuart Woods which I checked out from the library over a weekend. It was a very easy and fast read. I’m not sure if this plot was nearly as intricate or developed as prior books in the Orchid series. But I did enjoy revisiting the characters and seeing where life had taken them since the last book.

Following that, I read my own copy of Indigo Dying by Susan Wittig Albert which I found totally enjoyable. The best part of this one to me though was that in the chapter introductions she was quoting books I had read on natural dyeing! She kept mentioning her herbal bug spray and I had wished that was one of the recipes included at the back of the book and it wasn’t, but that was my only disappointment.

Then, because I can’t seem to go work at the library (where they thankfully have AC) without leaving with a new book or three in hand to read I read Madelyn Alt’s second in her Bewitching Series, A Charmed Death. Maggie O’Neil is a psychic and only just starting to learn about her powers, but ends up relying on them to help her solve yet another murder in her small town. The element of supernatural phenomenon and the pagan/wiccan aspects are kind of interesting and different from the other cozies I’ve read.

In e-books, I finished Quinn’s Woman by Susan Mallery which is straight up fluff romance. Typical romance fare again, but enjoyable and quite steamy.

In non-fiction, I got sucked into EcoBeauty by Lauren Cox while browsing the shelves at Old Firehouse Books recently and ended up buying it. Inside are recipes for homemade face, skin and body care all made with pretty accessible ingredients. I’ll probably do a proper review once I’ve tried more than just the yogurt-honey face mask. The author is a college student and lots of the introductions to the recipes are geared to that audience which I hadn’t expected, but I don’t think it makes the recipes any less valuable. Though I am intrigued now to see what her mom and co-author, Janice Cox has written on the subject.

Currently Being Read
- Ebook - Unravel Me by Christie Ridgway, downloaded through iBook
- AudioBook - A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris, downloaded through NetLibrary
- Print - The Memory Collector by Meg Gardiner, checked out from the library

Some Linkity

Crafty:

• Brenna’s Pinhole Artwork - I love the subtlety and the cleanliness of this all white artwork. It also reminds me of my brief exploration of pergamano.
• Knitting with Ramen Noodles? - I had an unfortunate typo a couple weeks ago that I fortunately caught before it was released, but I typed “wash and fried swatch” and it sparked a conversation on how one could fry their knitting and knitting with noodles was suggested. Now I know how to do so!
• Have you seen the Brits’ public art installation inspired by spool knitting?
• How about a 2-Minute t-shirt modification to breathe new life into a tired tee?
• I’m loving these Upcycled Potholders and am thinking I’m gonna have to find some time to make some.

Foodie:

• Buttermilk Pie Bars - these sound like a fantastic summer dessert I’m going to want to try soon (via a caffeinated yarn)
• Grilled Salt & Vinegar Potatoes - I love salt and vinegar anything, but especially chips so I’d really like to give this a try
• Make Your Own Black Garlic - I think this is one we’ll have to try too since we enjoy the process of fermenting things
• A review of Grill Cookware from Cook’s Illustrated

Photography:

• Pioneer Woman’s iPhone Photography - if you were both inspired and frustrated by the iPhone fashion shoot last week with all the pro lighting gear, check out this post for some tips on photographing with your iPhone
• How about some filters for your iPhone (or any camera phone really)? (via my sister) - and there are additional ones available elsewhere
• Leaving your camera behind to take better photos? - seems counter intuitive, but it does make sense since I know I often use my camera as a way to hide
• Heading out on vacation soon? Try these tips for better landscape photos!
• Check out these great book-related photos!

If you’d prefer to just have a link to check out every once in a while, I’m starting to keep track of the links that interest me each week on a Tumblr account which you can find at http://fiber-fool.tumblr.com/.
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The past couple of days the heat has been brutal and the usual night cooling off period has been dampened by clouds. Not getting to cool off my brain at all (one of the disadvantages of working at home means no air conditioned office) has me cranky and crabby. Throw on top of that a few things going wrong and I’m exceptionally cranky and crabby and even more easily frustrated than normal. So, I’m going to cop out on the rest of the week and hopefully be back in a better frame of mind on Monday.

The photo above is a teaser for one of next week’s posts.

This is another Wednesday post dedicated to Drew and his prowess in the kitchen. A few years ago when he was heavy into the cheesemaking he purchased Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz. The book has recipes to make all manner of fermented foods, from kimchi and sauerkraut to kombucha and kefir to miso and tempeh. He lent the book to a grad school friend of his who really got bit by the bug and has since shared many different starters with us. He spoke highly of the ginger ale he made from the book so Drew decided to give it a go.

The basic process was to create what is called a “bug” by placing ginger, sugar and water in a jar that is covered with a breathable lid such as cheese cloth or a coffee filter. It is open to exchange air and pick up any naturally occurring yeasts in the air and begin fermenting. Each day you feed the bug a little and you watch for the bug to form bubbles. Once the bug appears to be active you brew up a ginger tea and then inoculate it with the bug and bottle it. It is suppose to take 10-14 days or so to carbonate at room temp and then it should be placed in the fridge.

Drew kept a very close eye on the bottles (reused from some sparkling lemonade I stock up on when they are on sale). After just a few days he noticed the head room on a few of the bottles had shrunk. Either we have an abundance of potent yeast in our home (not a surprise really given our fairly regular bread baking) or the warmer room temperatures during the late afternoon aided the carbonation process. Not wanting to have an explosion of ginger ale all over our kitchen he popped one open and determined it carbonated and put the rest in the fridge.

My first taste of the ginger ale I disliked. It seemed super dry to me. But, it was served room temp and poured over ice. Later I tried it after chilling in the fridge for a few days and the flavor profile rounded out and it seemed less dry. Because it is fermented to form the natural carbonation it has a bit of a tang that commercial ginger ales do not have, but it matches nicely with the fresh ginger flavor that is also stronger and more forward than your standard grocery store variety.

I thought that ginger and vanilla are a nice flavor combo and that the homemade soda might make a really good float. I was wrong. No, let me restate that - I was WRONG! It was good to be put in my place though. I hadn’t had a spectacular kitchen failure in a while. It was that fermented tang that threw it off balance. It now has me wondering if the taste was in the direction of the stout floats I’ve seen on a few brew pub dessert menus. I’m not sure I’m brave enough to try one to compare though.

Ultimately, we were both pleased enough with the outcome of this ginger ale to pick up Homemade Root Beer, Soda & Pop by Stephen Edward Cresswell. I’ve only had a cursory glance at it, but it looks quite good. It even shares a lot of historical recipes along with modern adaptations. Now we’re just wondering if we can actually buy appropriate roots around here for some of the recipes or if we will be forced to use extracts.