With winter approaching, one of the best things to do with BC fruits is to pickle and preserve them to prolong their lifespan. Apples and pears work exceptionally well for chutney and jam. I love to make them an addition to my meat and cheese plates during holidays.
One of my favourite places to get my produce is Real Canadian Superstore as they carry about 40% local BC produce. A few weeks ago, Jackie Ellis and Real Canadian Superstore taught me the basics of canning and how to do it safely. Apparently, a majority of people will have fears of canning because they are afraid of accidentally doing in incorrectly.
Here are three recipes to begin canning.
Spicy Pear Pickles
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Makes about 10 x 220mL jars
Ingredients:
- 14 local BC pears, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/8” inch slices
- 0.5 cup lemon juice
- 1-2 tbsp gochu garu (Korean red pepper flake) depending on how spicy you like it
- 2 cup daikon, small diced
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp minced ginger + 10 slices
- 3 green onion cut into 3” strips
- 10 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp peppercorn
- 10 strips lemon peel
- 5 cups rice vinegar
- 1 cup mirin
- ½ cup fish sauce
- 0.3 cup salt
- 1.5 cup sugar
Directions:
- Gently mix pears, gochu garu, lemon juice, daikon, sesame oil and minced ginger in a large bowl.
- Place a few strips of green onion in sterilized jars and fill snugly with the pear mixture until they are about 1 to 1 ½” from the rim.
- Boil the slices of ginger, garlic cloves peppercorns, lemon peel, vinegar, mirin, fish sauce, salt and sugar in a large pot until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved and the mixture is at a rolling boil.
- Pour the vinegar mixture evenly into the jars so they cover the pears, making sure that one slice of ginger, one clove of garlic and one lemon peel are in each jar.
- Cover the jars and refrigerate, allow ferment and eat within 2 weeks. The flavour will intensify as time passes so you can eat the pears immediately or after a week and a half to get more intensity.
- Eat with Asian dishes like soba noodles, on top of fried eggs and rice, in beef and lettuce wraps or in rice bowls.
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Cranberry Pear Chutney
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Makes about 10 x 220mL jars.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp cup olive oil
- 225g shallots
- 10g thyme sprigs, tied with twine
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp salt
- 250mL balsamic vinegar
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 1.3kg fresh cranberries
- 5 pears cut into ½” cubes
Directions:
- Add oil, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper in a large, heavy bottom pot on medium heat.
- Sautee until the shallots are softened slightly.
- Add the vinegar, sugar and cranberries and bring to a boil.
- Cook until about ½ of the cranberries are popped and become sauce-like.
- Add the pears and bring to a boil.
- Place the mixture into sterilized jars and can the jars to hold in a pantry.
- Freeze as a freezer jam for up to 3 months or refrigerate and eat within 2 weeks.
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Spiced Apple Butter
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Makes about 10 x 220mL jars
Ingredients:
- 12-13 local BC apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1” chunks. (Use sauce apples)
- 1 cup water
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Peels of 2 lemons, cut in strips and wrapped in cheesecloth
- 375g golden brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cardamom
- 0.25 tsp allspice
- 0.25 tsp cloves
- 0.5 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 vanilla beans
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300F.
- Place all ingredients into a large, oven-safe pot and bring to boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the apples break down into a sauce.
- Turn off the heat and place the entire pot, uncovered into the oven to cook down for about 4-5 hours, or until the applesauce is thick and dark.
- Remove from the oven and blend using an immersion blender until very smooth.
- Place the mixture into sterilized jars and can the jars to hold in a pantry.
- Freeze as a freezer jam for up to 3 months or refrigerate and eat within 2 weeks.
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