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Market.Watch | 26feb10 + March TCJ Selection

a little late and lacking in market posts. sorry about that.

I have a confession.  I think I’ve got a tangelo problem.  I mean, really.  I’m having a hard time going a day without one.  You wouldn’t even know that I bought, umm, 3 from the photo, but I did.  And I ate them.  Not slowly.

They’ve kinda bumped the blood oranges out of the sweet spot in my citrus loving heart.  They’ve been making me forget about the Meyer lemons I buy every week.  I’ve even let a few go bad.  (♥: Wasteful much?)

Thankfully, I decided to experiment with a new marm, instead of letting everything else rot.  It was filled with aging limes, meyer lemons, blood oranges and a tangelo that I wouldn’t allow myself to eat.  I spiked it with a bit of Korean Black Raspberry wine.

It was one of those ‘let’s just do it’ kind of things.  No pen, paper or keyboard in sight.  I think I was trying to trust my memory.  It was spec-freakin-tacular.  And I still can’t remember what I did.  Great.

So, I’m trying again.  This time I’ve written everything down.  Okay, I just wrote everything down.  Time for the overnight soak.

Small Measure‘s Ashley English announced the March produce selection for Tigress’ Can Jam.  It’s the Allium family.  There’s lots to choose from.  I can play with garlic, scallions, shallots, onions, leeks and more.  Low acid, again.  That’s cool.  Much less anxiety than last month’s carrots.

I love that the green onions from the Farmers’ Market were super dirty.  I’ve already used some in a bit of soup.  I was hungry and they were good.  Mild.  Liked them.  The others are about to join some carrots in a good sweet peppery brine.

Not sure what I’m doing for TCJ, yet.  So, I guess it’s off to the books, again.

Nikki♥

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In Pursuit of | A Weck Resource Guide

i like them. i REALLY like them.

Whether you decide to use the amazing Weck jars for canning or storage, finding them seems to be a question that keeps popping up.  These are the few sites and shops I’ve found, heard of or used to purchase Weck.

Weck Canning – The online home with Weck specific canning info.  In the point/click/buy online shopping sphere, the process seems a little complicated, but this is where you can get it all.

Heath Ceramics – I♥Heath Ceramics, hardcore.  I bought my Weck from Heath.  Selection is limited, but they tend to have good shipping deals.

Lehman’s – Carries “European Glass Canning Jars” made in Germany.  They aren’t called Weck on the site, but it looks like them in the product images.  Has anyone gotten them from Lehman’s recently?  Are they Weck? Update: Kaela confirms Weck on her recent Lehman’s order.  Comment below.

terrain – As well as the  individual jars, they even carry bath salts, bath teas and candles poured into Weck.

New* Canoe – The Portland, Oregon home of wonderfully curated objects carries .25L, .2L, .5L (tall) and the .75L jars individually.

Where did you buy your Weck?  Is there a site or store that you go back to to covet the loveliness that is Weck? Let me know where to find more and I’ll update.

Nikki♥

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tigress’ can jam | sweet pickled baby carrots

i heed warnings. i really do.

I’m cutting it close I know, but I’ve been feeling my special brand of melancholy that comes with following the rules.  I want to not, but alas, I must.  I’ve got to live to see another month of canning.  Blasted low acid carrots!  They are the Feb Produce star of the Tigress’ Can Jam.

I just had to bring home lots of carrots.  What’s a girl to do without options?  I couldn’t decide.  For a minute there, it was so going to be a 3 way.  Carrots, 3 ways.  I was going to get fancy.  I guess I’ll have to leave that to Tigress.

This month in particular,  I wanted to use my inexperience as a tool to really learn.  I went looking for recipes.  The ones in books.  They felt a little more vetted and I wanted to be safe.  I’m may not be sure if I’m going to want to inject botulism in my face, but I am sure I don’t want to ingest it.

Because I need to stick as close to the letter as possible,  I went back to what is becoming my favorite little book, The New Preserves.  I decided the Sweet Pickled Baby Carrots below were the easiest for me to do without having to take too many risks.

Sweet Pickled Baby Carrots
adapted from Anne V. Nelson’s The New Preserves: Pickles, Jams and Jellies

1 – 1 1/4 pound baby carrots
3/4 c water
3/4 c cider vinegar
1/2 c sugar
1 tablespoon kosher/pickling salt
3/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
6 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
3 dried red peppers
1 sm knob of ginger

The Nikki Bits: I had to do something.  I brought the heat.  I added a little spicy with the red pepper and a little depth with the ginger.

The Making: Super simple.  Wash and sterilize 3 half pint/3 quarter liter Weck jars in the water bath.  Divide the carrots and spices between the jars, breaking the cinnamon lengthwise.  Bring vinegar, salt, sugar and water to a boil.  Cover the carrots with the liquid, leaving 1/2 in head space.  Wipe rim.  Place seal and top.  Screw closed or add clamps.  Using jar lifter, place jars into water bath.  Return the water to a boil.  Process for 30minutes.

What’s Next: While I happily will wait the two weeks needed for time to bring the sweet pickled heat, I’m going to get to those other carrots.  Sans water bath processing, this could get interesting.

Savoring India did just come in from the library.  I could make a pickle to go with the Aloo Gobhi that’s been on my mind since the cauliflower called my name at the Farmers’ Market today.  And I’ve got to do something fresh tarragon in the fridge.  Options, gotta love ’em.

This is fun.

Nikki♥

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The Walk | In Color, Vibrant

it’s become habit, routine and ritual.

It started out as a walk I took a few days a week.  It was mapped and marked down to the tenth.  Thankfully, it’s turned into something I, just, do.  I go hunting for hills, delightfully out of breath.  Every day is a neighborhood adventure.  Miles are involved, just not counted.

I’ve thought it might be fun to bring the old point and shoot and record some of the things I see along the way.

So, this is just a study in color.

N♥

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Question | Inspiration Overload?

looking for answers to the question shouting over everything else in my head.

So, I’m going through my daily blogroll adventure and realized that time was just laughing at me as it walked away.  I wondered if I spent too much of it taking it all in.  Looking for inspiration in someone else’s reality and not enough time creating my own.

Is there such a thing as Inspiration Overload?

I look at these images, these ideas and the questions just ask themselves.  Am I at a saturation point for a particular curated aesthetic? Am I coveting more than appreciating?  Am I bored?  I know I get something from everything I take in, but could I spend more time away and not feel like I’m missing something?

Maybe I’m inspirationally congested.  Stuck at the point where I should be using some of it, instead I’m creating a bottleneck checking out what everyone else is doing.

Information overload is a given with everything coming so fast from so many places.  Can you feel that way by things that are meant to get you going? Things at are supposed to motivate  you in some way?

I don’t know.

What inspires you and how do you keep moving?

Nikki♥

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So Loving You | Reda

we haven’t talked about my skate thing, yet, have we? okay, maybe later…

So, I kinda love Reda.  It started a couple of years ago.  He makes me laugh.  I’m easy like that.

I could seriously watch him all day.  He kills me.  He’s adorable and stupid, in the best way possible.  He reminds me of one of reasons why I always wanted to live in New York.

It, also, doesn’t hurt that he’s being absolutely foolish with guys who are HOT.  Yes, I said it.  I’m honest with my ogling.  Nothing is more fascinating than watching menfolk do what they love to do.  Well, watching MKoH* guys doing what the love to do is.

Wednesdays With Reda at The Berrics.

the clip is crazy old, but it’s got Marc in it.  My Word.

Nikki♥

*MKoH – My Kind of HOT!

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brings it all back | gil scott-heron’s i’m new here

there’s a gsh story. it’s from the 70s. it only really matters to me, though.

The sound of Gil’s voice is like a window opening on my childhood that makes me want to scream from the rafters that MyMomRocks.  She exposed me to art in its many forms.  It wasn’t what I might’ve liked at the time, but it has stayed with me for life.

I saw her enjoying herself.  I watched her in dance class.  It may have been an African dance class, but they got down to the original Lady Marmalade, too.  She took me to plays I couldn’t quite understand about apartheid.  I sat in her lap at poetry readings.  Paintings, framed prints and maps lined the walls at home.  We read to each other, too.

The sound of his voice reminds me of how fortunate I was, am and will always be.  Thank you, Gil.

And, I’ll Take Care Of You is on repeat.

Nikki♥

(♥:You are thanking her, too, right?) But, of course!

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Market.Watch | 29Jan10

my sunday mornings are begging to be for sleep, not for shopping.

those lemons really are that orange

I thought that it would be too much to go to both my local Farmers’ Market on Fridays and the Hollywood one on Sundays.  I thought there wouldn’t be enough space to put everything.  I thought that there would be too much and I would start wasting food by going to two Farmers’ Markets so close together.

Now, I’m kinda thinking I thought wrong.  I haven’t been bringing home as much on Fridays as I did before the holidays.  I guess it really is about what’s in season, what’s available and what looks good, even in LA.  Thankfully, I’m still getting my citrus fix.

You know the blood oranges are gone, right?

So, you would think since I’m not pulling in as much, that I would be excited to head to Hollywood to see all the amazingness there is on offer.  Well, there’s a bit of a problem with getting out and getting more.  I went to sleep at 4 this morning.  I might have gotten up around 11ish, I don’t know.  Hollywood, let’s try this again next week.

So, in this week’s Market.Watch, I’ve got Blood Oranges, Onions, Meyer Lemons, Swiss Chard and Flowers.

The flowers help keep me happy.  Pretty, pretty flowers.

I just remembered that it’s about time to taste/attack my preserved lemons.  For dinner, I’m seeing tilapia with onions, tomatoes and those lemons.  Maybe a bit of steamed chard and some couscous. Hmmmm, it’s still hazy.  Not sure yet, but can’t wait to figure it out.

Nikki♥

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Tigress’ Can Jam | The Ballad of The Blood Orange Marmalade

consider me your cautionary tale.

It all started with massive performance anxiety.  I was feeling a bit intimidated.  Before I’d even begun, I was feeling like whatever I was going to do wouldn’t to be good enough or interesting enough.  Uggghhhhh!!!!! Where did the giddy go?  These self-inflicted wounds are BOOOORRiNnnnggg.

Wallflowers at the Organic Blood Orange Dance
Someone else's trash is my What? Really? Thx!

I took the Just Go approach.  Every single cookbook owned and borrowed was perused for tips, tricks and ideas.  Why not just go trad with my ’53 edition of The Joy of Cooking?  From there it was pretty easy to decide to do plain ol’ Blood Orange Marmalade.  Simple.  Simple.  Wait.  Irma and I are going to make this crazy complicated, aren’t we?

I adapted the recipe, scroll all the way down...

Follow directions?  I pretty much followed Irma S. Rombaur’s recipe for Orange, Lemon And Grapefruit Marmalade up until the point it said cook the fruit mix in batches.  Really, I did the whole soaking fruit thing.  Overnight.  For Real.

Remember up there I said up til the point… Well, I cooked it.  And kept cooking it because there was so much of it and it wouldn’t spoon or saucer test well.  At some point, I know it was hours later, I said to heck with it and thought it might set up if I went ahead and processed it.

I’m a bit of a Weck person.  I’m a Weck person and this was my first time with the water bath.  Oh, bubbles, how you scared me.  I did lose a jar midway through.  I was kinda wild to see pulp just appear in the water.

Instead of getting weepy,  I took out the offending jar and stuck in a spoon and almost cried.  It was good.  Loose and syrupy, but good.

I finished processing the other jars.  Let them cool.  I just waited to see what the next day would bring.  The next day brought just as much movement in the jar.

I looked around for ways to save my marmalade.  There it was on p.85 of Anne V. Nelson’s The New Preserves.  For every 2 cups of fruit goo add 1 tablespoon of commercial lemon juice.

I pulled the seal on all the jars. Measured and dumped back in the pot.  Added the lemon juice.  Cooked until the spoon test looked right.  Processed and waited.

Oh, what a good morning can bring.  Blood Orange Marmalade and plain yogurt.  Bliss. That simple.

It was sweet and tart.  Smooth, with hints of texture.  The bits of rind really were a candied surprise.  I enjoyed the Blood Orange Marmalade with yogurt a bit more than the pita.  The fresh, cool tang of the yogurt lifted the marmalade and tempered the sweetness.  Twas quite good.

ahhh, exclamation point eating!

So where’s the adapted recipe?  I could just say since I didn’t do it right, why would you want it?  Well, the truth is… I forgot to write it down.  Next month, I promise?

♥

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Market.Watch.2010 | 15Jan

i’m liking this.  i’m hoping to like it enough to get me to hollywood early on a sunday.  we’ll see.

Going to my local Farmers’ Market was kinda fun this week, even though, I didn’t really get very much.  I think Tigress’ Can Jam has me in a citrus haze.  And, I’m, apparently,  buying things I grow in my window.  Hey, Cilantro.  I forgot to buy tomatoes and forgot to shoot the onions.  I didn’t realize they were still in the tote until post-orange attack.

Alas, gone already from this week’s haul are ALL of the Blood Oranges and the Cilantro.

I’m into using an entire bunch of Cilantro like greens.  I had a lovely fish/cilantro/coconut curry this afternoon.  No recipe.  Just tilapia, a huge onion, garlic, cilantro, a bit of tomato paste, coconut milk, water, curry powder, salt and crushed red pepper.  It’s really whatever I have on hand.  And I’m brand specific when it comes to the curry powder.  I was raised eating mostly West Indian curries, so I get antsy if I don’t have any Blue Mountain in the house.

I’m staring at the huge container of my beloved Jamaican curry powder and thinking about the broccoli.  Ahhh, dinner just popped into my head.

N♥