Canning Greenmarket Bounty Today Brings Smiles in Winter

Posted in Exhibitions, The Edible Garden on July 29 2009, by Plant Talk

Trish Sebben-Krupka is Corporate Chef for the Viking Culinary Center, based in Fairfield, New Jersey, as well as a caterer and food writer specializing in plant-based cuisine. She hosts her own blog, Local Girl Makes Food, and is a contributor to the recently published The Best of Vegan Cooking. Viking is a supporting sponsor of The Edible Garden. Trish will present at the Conservatory Kitchen on August 8.

I entered the Garden through the Mosholu Gate on a beautiful July morning, with my refrigerated bag and freshly chilled ice blanket waiting in the trunk. My mission was to spend no more than $20 on fresh produce at the Greenmarket and head back to the Viking kitchen to preserve what I found. As I walked through the market stalls, I wished I had set a higher budget; cabbages, fresh berries, gorgeous tomatoes, greens of all sorts, and the season’s earliest apples all called out to me.

Eleven dollars bought me three pounds of amazingly sweet heirloom cherry tomatoes in all shapes and sizes. Another $9 was spent on plump, fresh blueberries and four crisp Empire apples. I did not count the delicious cinnamon-apple scone I purchased toward my budget—it was a necessary luxury.

All told, I spent about three hours cooking and canning. I find this work to be meditative and pleasant, and I’m always pleased to open a jar of something out of season when mid-winter comes around.

I hope that you will try this recipe below and stop by The Edible Garden Conservatory Kitchen on August 8 to see my home canning presentations at 1 and 3 p.m. I’ll teach you how to make your own fruit preserves and tomato sauce, and you can taste some of the fruits of my labor putting up this summer’s amazing local produce. On a dark and snowy February day, you’ll open a jar of something special that you made with love, and you’ll be glad you did!

For more recipes, see The Edible Garden recipe pages. For additional recipes and to find out what I did with the blueberries and Empire apples, visit me online.

Spiced Tomato Pickles

When choosing tomatoes, look for firm, under-ripe fruit. Carefully pick over your tomatoes, gently pressing each one—if it seems soft or if the indentation from your fingertip remains, eat it immediately. Three pounds made four pints of pickles and a very nice salad as well.

I use organic cane sugar in all of my canning recipes. As a vegetarian, I prefer sugar that has not been processed with bone char. I used the 365 Organic brand from Edible Garden sponsor Whole Foods and was very happy with the results.

Gather the following:
3 pounds firm, slightly under-ripe cherry tomatoes
1 ½ cups cider vinegar
1 ½ cups white vinegar
1 cup water (preferably filtered—do not use distilled!)
¼ cup organic cane sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 peeled garlic cloves
2 teaspoons pink peppercorns, divided
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, divided

Wash four pint jars, bands, and lids. Boil jars to sterilize. Simmer lids and bands until needed.

Wash and pick over cherry tomatoes as directed above. Prick the bottom of each with a sterilized sewing needle (this will allow the brine to penetrate). Pack the tomatoes into the sterilized jars, leaving a generous half-inch headspace. Add one clove of garlic, one bay leaf � teaspoon pink peppercorns, and ¼ teaspoon cardamom seeds to each jar.

Combine vinegars, water, turmeric, and ginger in a small saucepan. Boil for five minutes then pour into jars, leaving half-inch headspace at the top of each jar. Place lids on jars, and screw bands “fingertip tight.”

Process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Once the jars have cooled, tighten bands, label, and store. Allow tomatoes to pickle in the brine for at least seven days before eating. These pickles will keep in a cool, dark cupboard for up to six months.