another post about food? ummm yup.

Yesterday my friend and I did some canning, or if you like, 'putting up food'. That's what they call it in the southern novel I am reading at the moment. Any Lee Smith fans out there? Can I get an Amen?

Canning is not necessarily for everyone, it is not cost effective unless you have your own fruit trees, or know someone who does, and it takes a long time. But there is something beautiful about this slowness of it all, and I, being a bit of a romantic, am completely wooed by the whole process. It makes me think about generations of woman who have done this careful work out of necessity, and to nourish those they love.

Today, woman's work is sometimes frowned upon (which considering the feminist movement and how hard people had to work/are still working to get equal choice and opportunity, I can kinda understand) but if a woman CHOOSES to do traditional 'woman's work' and is looked down on for it, well that is just the most misogynistic of all.

Okay, okay less talk, more rock. Let me take you through my day of canning, and I will do a general overview of the process for those who have never done it before.

1. GATHER THYSELF FRUITS OF THE EARTH

Mayana, my canning buddy, has a generous friend with some organic fruit trees.

Some Grannysmiths for applesauce.

Feijoas to star in our chutney

2. PEEL, CORE, SLICE, SCOOP, DICE
repeat
repeat
repeat

do this until you develop blisters, which I did.

The humble feijoa, which Lies talked about in her last post, is one of the best NZ fruits. I've heard that the feijoa tree is quite common in other countries but the climate in NZ is uniquely suited to make this tree bear fruit. I also think the inside of the feijoa resembles native Maori artwork. my contacts help block onion fumes, (I am IMMUNE! sorta) so chopping onions for the chutney was my job. (Glasses TRAP the fumes, has anyone else ever notice this?)

3) COOK!

THE APPLESAUCE: add a little water to the pot, and simmer until all the fruit breaks down. then add your sweeteners and spices. we just used honey and cinnamon.

don't forget to stir

when it looks like this, you are almost done!

time to concentrate on the chutney. We used a recipe, kinda. Feijoas, onion, apple cider vinegar, ground peppers, spicy green chilies, salt, lemon juice, green capsicum, diced apples, and raisins. all in varying amounts.

I'm very lucky to have a friend who cooks like me and thinks of recipes as loose guides. A sprinkle of this, a dash of that, then do a taste test and adjust accordingly. And for a change, I wasn't in charge of anything, I was just sous chef taking orders from the one who knows what she is doing.

keep stirring that applesauce


4)CHECK ON THE CHILDREN

(I put this as step number four but it's really step number 1-6 because you do it the whole time. unless you don't have kids. which I don't usually, but I did this day!)

Happy, check!

happy, Check!

5) SANITIZE

Wash your jars, even if they seem clean. You don't want bacteria growing in your canned goods.

boil your lids!

heat at about 150 C to kill more bacteria


6) CAN AND SEAL

NOTE: If you have children and they are old enough to understand, you might want to say something like this before you start this step "I m going to be very busy for the next little while and I won't be able to look at what you are doing/ get you a drink of anything/ respond to you in anyway. just for 10 mintues. but I still love you. And please stay out of the kitchen "

set them up with a nice activity, or just go ahead and put on a dvd. because IT'S GO TIME!

ok this is such an intense step that I had no free hands for taking photos. just imagine the ponies are hot jars being filled with applesauce and chutney. I know you have a good imagination.

a)take the hot jars out of the oven and fill jars pretty much to the top with your mixture.
b) tap them on the bench top several times to get the air out because air bubbles are canning's number two enemy (number one is bacteria, remember?).
c) take the very hot lids out of the water, wipe clean the rim of your jar, and screw the lids on.
some people then put the jars back into the oven to seal, but we didn't. They self seal from the heat and pressure of mixture. You know the jars are sealed when the lids concave in.

6) ADMIRE

yes you did it! now good gracious go put your feet up, the kitchen can clean it's self! (ok it can't but wouldn't that be lovely?)

I'm off to eat applesauce!
-k

*UPDATE: Vivianne has let me know that I actually mean preserving, not canning, since I am using jars. but of course! what an armateur I am.