Life as a Master Food Preserver

It’s been a while since I’ve written about my preserving experiences. Life’s been keeping me busy and I haven’t jammed in a few months. Actually, I haven’t jammed since I made that amazing peach marmalade and then the equally delicious strawberry-balsamic black pepper jam, which reminds me of a funny story I’ll share with you.

I’ve been so proud of both slow-cook jams with their perfect lustrous color, uniform distribution of fruit (no fruit float!), and complex taste, that I knew they were definitely blue-ribbon jams. Not that winning a ribbon has been high on my priority list, but after months of family urging me to enter my jams in the county fair, I finally felt like I had a couple of winners. What better way to test the waters than to have a jam judge take them for a test drive? I’d learned in early February that El Dorado County had a jam judge in their MFP program and sent her an email requesting a meeting. My plan was to interview her and at the end of our conversation bring out my jams for her to evaluate. Well, I set up the meeting and all went as planned. We talked not for my estimated one-hour, but 2-1/2 hours, and during that time learned about each others backgrounds, likes and dislikes as related to jam making, and some of the key considerations of judging. As planned, I whipped out my jars of jam as we were winding down the meeting. I’d carried them in old (clean) socks to protect the jars. Mary (the judge) loved the idea and since it has been shared with several other MFP’s. After getting past my idea (not particularly original as I used to carry my paints in old socks), she admired my labels and wanted more information on how I’d created them. Again, not original as I just went on to the Avery website and downloaded them. But, we were on a roll and all of this was very positive feedback. Mary held up my jam to the light looking closely at the headspace. Yep, it was right on at ¼”. Then she tipped the jar sideways and watched the jam slowly flow in the direction of the lid. She set the jar down and shoved it towards me saying, “I wouldn’t even open this jam!” What???

At first I thought she was teasing me. After all, we’d just spent 2-1/2 hours together and (I thought) we were best buds. No, there was no humor in her voice. She said, “It’s too soft and would never make it to the final round, so there’s no point in opening it.” Looking at my crestfallen face, she then said, “Do you like it this way?” My response: “It’s perfect!” Her response was just what I would have said, “That’s all that’s important.” I still like Mary in spite of her disdain for my jam. In fact, in retrospect I found the entire event hilarious. I was so certain I had a winner (and I do) and contests and ribbons have never been important to me. Not until she told me that I (my jam) was the big loser. Me, the jam expert, can’t even win a blue ribbon at the county fair. Did I mention I’m talking about the very small Amador County Fair? Pathetic! Now here’s the question…do I remake the jam in an effort to please the judges? Am I just another people-pleaser? Or, do I just accept my jam as it is, which prior to my meeting with Mary, was perfect? The jury’s out (pun intended), but I’ll keep you posted. To be continued…

My jamming all came to an abrupt halt a few weeks ago when I began drying. Yes, I’m a dryer. Actually, I’d been calling myself a “dehydrator,” but that’s also the name of the equipment, which can get a bit confusing for some (my sous chef). People who are passionate about dehydrating food are called dryers. And that’s me! You remember my Christmas present…an Excalibur Dehydrator, the Cadillac of dehydrators. Well, I hadn’t used it yet. You also remember that I’m the Public Class Coordinator for the MFP program? My greatest fear when I accepted the position was realized when the person who’d agreed to teach the April class on dehydrating found herself too busy to be the “lead” presenter. Twice I sent out a round of emails looking for a replacement…no response. Well, the buck stops with me and I realized that I’d have to step up and do it. Always having a positive outlook (hmm…is that true? I have a vague recollection of calling myself a big loser not too long ago…), I decided this was not all bad, as it might just be the impetus I needed to use my Excalibur. So, with little to no experience drying, I accepted the position of lead for the class. Now you understand why I’ve not been jamming, found little time to return emails or play Words With Friends, and basically been incommunicado. The Excalibur has been running 24-7 for the past few weeks as the class nears (this Saturday).

I’ve dried strawberries, pineapple (the best!), peppers, sweet potatoes (not so good), mushrooms, and carrots; I’ve made energy bars and power bars (not sure of the difference); granola and trail mix; fruit leathers (we know them by the name “fruit rollups”, but dryers call them “leathers”); and, I’ve made tomato powder, which can be used for tomato juice, sauce, or soup. The best and most successful product is my One-Pot Spaghetti. I’d made a beautiful example of it to take to class (in the dried form) and then Verne and I decided that I shouldn’t be handing out recipes for something I’d not eaten, so we made it last night for dinner. It was incredibly good. I never expected my jar of dehydrated, powdered tomatoes, dried spices and herbs, and dried mushrooms to reconstitute into anything quite so delicious. I’m a believer! And, Verne is no longer questioning the big price tag on “just another appliance that won’t get used.” He’s even become used to the kitchen counter being covered with dehydrating paraphernalia and the constant purr of the dehydrator’s fan. He’s a good man (and yes, Sally, I’ll be kind to him)!

As for the MFP program, I’m spending a lot of hours on the program. If this were a paying job I’d be into overtime hours at this point.