Wild Fermentation and Art of Fermentation author Sandor Katz visited Columbus briefly last week. He taught two classes to the ever-growing population of people who keep jars of ferments brewing in their homes. Our family ferments sauerkraut, sour cream, kefir, beer, charcuterie and more on a regular basis. I don’t write about it here...
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Oh, lard. Mention the word and some people turn up their noses, remembering days of eating cookies that tasted like pork. Others are curious, having never eaten lard to their knowledge. And then there are those of us whose faces break into knowing smiles. All About Lard High quality lard is a pure-white fat....
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Jerky. This unattractive but nutritionally dense snack is something my family often neglects for months at a time. Then we’ll remember and binge on homemade meat treats again. Jerky appeals to the current paleo, low-carb, and low-fat diets. It’s also free of most allergens and simple to make without extra equipment; we made it...
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Here’s a quick tip to use at home and share with recipients of home-canned gifts: Yes, this video was recorded way back in July at our old house and I did cut the video short at the end because a certain little girl and her little dog interrupted the last sentence during the umpteenth...
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Cocktail drinkers know that a Manhattan isn’t a traditional Manhattan without Angostura bitters and one can’t make a Sazerac without Peychod’s. But home mixologists might not know how simple and fun it is to make bitters and home. What are Bitters? Bitters are strong herb and spice alcohol infusions including at least one bittering...
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Some preserves are easy, some are drastically cheaper than store-bought, and some are tastier than anything you can buy. Alas, homemade ketchup is none of these things. So I can’t exactly explain why I make it every year. I suppose I can ketchup because processing all the jars of regular sauce becomes boring. And...
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I finally did it. I bit the bullet and tried pressure canning. I chose canning corn for my first project because it is abundant right now and I generally like store-bought canned corn. To begin, Alex and I husked 4 dozen ears of fresh, non-GMO corn from Bird’s Haven Farms. I cut kernels off...
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My grandmother gifted my mother her small collection of vintage canning booklets kept in perfect condition. These three illustrations come from a pamphlet published by the General Foods Corporation in 1945. Do you like these? If so, I’ll post more vintage cooking images in the coming weeks.