Preservation Link Roundup 2/2/10

It is marmalade season, if you hadn't notice and the gals at Anarchy in a Jar publish a very simple, but delicious sounding recipe for using marmalade on toast with a poached egg (How to Jam #2: Sweet & Punchy Poached Eggs). Sweet and savory.

Speaking of breakfast. The Frugal Canning blog notes that February is National Hot Breakfast Month and provides some tips on making your own instant oatmeal packs and a cranberry syrup great on pancakes or French toast (February is National Hot Breakfast Month). September is National Breakfast Month, and National School Breakfast Week is in March. These aren't Congressionally-approved food holidays, but they're still worth considering.

Food in Jars not only canned some clementine segments in a light syrup for the January Can Jam, but also posted about a taste test of the results a week later (Canned Clementines for the Can Jam and Canned Clementines: A Report). This is very useful way of approaching canned fruit. Often the flavor will change and develop a bit over two weeks or so. Also, she points out that you can flavor the syrup used for the fruit ... gingered canned clementines sounds wonderful.

My friend Nina Corbett of Put Up or Shut Up has another use for tangerines ... as a flavoring for pickled beets (Pickled Golden Beets). The color and flavor variation is brilliant. This isn't a canning recipe, but not all pickles have to be canned ... refrigeration is just fine.

You may have missed Kevin West's marmalade demo at Surfas this past Saturday (I had to work, unfortunately), but he has posted a report as well as a recipe on his blog, Saving the Season (Surfas Demo: Time-to-Kill Marmalade). Hopefully, for his next demo, Kevin will arrange for some video of the event so us poor slobs with jobs can virtually participate.

The Canning Doctor has a short post that gives at least two reasons canning is a great thing to do (Helping Hand). First, when you take food to people who are ill, dealing with a newborn, or otherwise in need of food, home canned goods don't have to be eaten right away - they can be put aside until the recipient needs them - which is the point of the post. But, the Canning Doctor also throws out how quick and easy it is to put together a pickle tray for guests (when you've got plenty of homecanned pickles). Not only is this convenient, it is also pretty darn cool. Pickle trays are a classic way to whet peoples' appetites. They need to come back.