Cherry preserves packed with orange, brandy, and spices brings a taste of Wisconsin's signature cocktail to the breakfast table or dessert bar. On toast or poured over pound cake, it's sure to be a hit this holiday season.
When it's hot and I don't want to touch the stove, I reach for my canning jars and make marinated chèvre and pickled … well, everything. Add bread from my favorite bakery and a glass of wine and I'm set until the heat breaks.
Begin your day with the flavor of spring anytime of the year. Rhubarb gets paired with apple, lemon, and strawberries for an out of this world marmalade that will have grabbing an extra slice of toast, bagel, or scone in the morning.
Strong flavors like lemon and ginger are natural companions when it comes to preserves like marmalade. What's more, a simple marmalade is actually quite easy to make when you have some summer squash on hand to act as a foundation.
Drinking vinegars, also known as shrubs, have experienced a recent rise in popularity but it's hardly the first time. Colonial times saw them everywhere from tea rooms to saloons. Make sure they make an appearance in your home with this festive, simple option.
Summer is a great time for enjoying shrubs. No, not the little bushes in your front yard … a delightful range of drinking vinegars seasoned with summer's best fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Get started with one of my favorites: Blackberry-Sage!
Continuing our theme of keeping cool in summer, a super main dish salad gets a special kick from super simple, super fast pickled red onions. You'll be keeping a jar on hand for everything from tacos to salads to grilled steaks after you realize how easy they are to put together!
If preserving the bounty of your garden has you thinking you need to slave over a hot stove and pull out a pressure canner, it's time to introduce yourself to the joys of refrigerator pickles. No cooking, no hot kitchen, no sterilizing jars. Simply mix the ingredients and pour over your jarred pickle wedges and put in the refrigerator for a day. Easy!
The best way to save your food budget is by avoiding wasted food. By most estimates, a quarter to half of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten - left in fields, spoiled in transport, thrown out at the grocery store, scraped into the garbage or forgotten until it spoils. If the average American household wastes just 25% of the food they buy, that's $2275 per year directly into the garbage!
