Our Worst Canning Accident Yet

My students at canning classes frequently express concern about botulism. I ease their fears about that rare occurrence by assuring them they should worry about burns instead. Hanging around boiling water, hot jars, and simmering sauces is a recipe for a brush with hot stuff, one I experienced today.

My friend Kate of Kate On The Way and I were canning sauced tomatoes in quarts. During the water bath phase, one of the lids loosened and tomato sauce seeped into the boil. No problem, we kept the other jars in there to finish processing.

Kate removed a jar after the finished time. As she went to tighten the ring a bit (a necessary step for Tattler lids), the lid flew off, creating an explosion of tomato. We both were covered in the spray of boiling sugary puree.

We ran for cool water and eventually made our way outside to harvest, chew, and apply plantain poultice. Our left arms have a series of first and second degree* burns with Kate suffering more than me.

Alex was kind enough to pull the remaining jars from the canner after they cooled a little. By then, three of the remaining jars had also lost their lids, the contents mingling with the water bath.

Learning From A Canning Accident

Since neither of us were hurt badly, we moved pretty quickly into the "how did this happen?" phase. Kate and I have each canned hundreds of jars of food before, if not thousands.

We referenced a canning book and filled the jars to the right head space. We heated the canning bath to a simmer so the jars weren't rattling in a raging boil. We used a proper canner with a  rack on the bottom. We have done all of these things many times.

We concluded that the lids must have been the issue. Although they were tightened according to directions, and Kate and I both have used them before, the Tattler process failed this time. Will we ever use Tattlers again? Kate says yes, I'm less sure.

Additionally, I experienced why it isn't a good idea to hover when someone else is pulling jars out of the water bath. I can't remember exactly why I was near - I might have been getting ready to grab something out of the fridge - but I shouldn't have been so close. While the Tattlers might be responsible in this case, glass failures and drops can also occur when jars are moved from the water bath to the cooling place. Someone standing nearby can be in the line of fire.

Finally, we were reminded that even experienced canners must remain vigilant to the risks at hand. We feel fortunate that the liquid exploded onto our bodies and not our faces, and that no pets or children were caught in the splatter. We lost some home-grown goodness and in a little bit of pain, but ultimately realize this could have been much worse.

We'll continue to put up food using water bath and pressure canning, with these lessons learned:

• Use caution if you use Tattler lids with liquidy sauces
• Stand back when removing hot jars from the hot water bath
• Keep children and pets at a distance when canning
• Have a plan in place for treating burns
• *Identify some plantain in your yard. By all accounts, we should have blistered burns but thanks to plantain we don't. Kate details a little more about using plantain to heal.

What's your worst canning disaster? What did you learn from it?

Warning: Don't Cook Distracted

If you were busy last week with volunteer work, house showings, and homeschooling,

and a family you know loses a child to SIDS,

and you're powering through pounds of tomatoes because they're ready for canning,

while also baking cookies for said family,

watch out for immersion blender blades and

hot stove racks.

You just might cut and burn yourself.

Don't Cook Distracted.

This message brought to you by Agent P.

Sews Like She Cooks

I realized when seaming Lil's Halloween costume (she is Super Kitten, a hero of her own creation) that the way I approach sewing is much like I cook. Here's how: 1) I eschew patterns and recipes. Patterns are expensive, I don't like to be told what to do, and I rarely follow the rules precisely.

2) I rely on prior experience and existing garments to guide my designs. I spend a lot of time staring and thinking about what pieces need to go inside out and curve in 3d. Likewise, my mind is constantly trying to recreate restaurant dishes.

3) I measure as I go, just like I taste as I cook. This is a tedious habit but it ensures that the fit or saltiness is perfect.

4) I make do with what I have. So the tail has light pink thread instead of a matching white - I grabbed the closest match in my stash instead of running out for new thread. I am always more likely to substitute an ingredient in a dish than go to the store for a single item.

5) I make mistakes. The shimmery sheer fabric Lil chose was a huge pain to work with but now I know that for the future. In cooking, I don't always achieve what I had in mind, but again every failure teaches me something new.

Do you sew like you cook? Or am I the only one sewing costumes at all anymore?

added to Simple Lives Thursdays

We Love Garlic Scapes

What is it? Garlic scapes are the magical-wand-like flower shoots of the garlic plant. They emerge in late spring and contain a small bud that will become a flower if left on the plant.

Many farmers, including me, prefer to cut the scapes away. The theory is that instead of the garlic spending energy growing the allium blossom, it will focus on the bulb.

The scape is edible at this early age. Many farmers include them in June CSA shares. Others sell them at the farmer's markets.

Eating Garlic Scapes

As with all vegetables, I encourage cooks to taste the garlic scape raw as a first step to using it in recipes. I find it has a mild garlic and onion flavor. The texture is dense and stringy in wider parts of the scape but palatable raw in the thin ends.

Young scapes are very curly. Choose these for the most tender bite. The flower bud can also be eaten and tastes like the rest of the scape with a hint of bitterness.

If you enjoy the scape raw, toss it in salads or use as a garnish. You can also blend it with basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper to make a delightful pesto sauce. We'll be eating scapes that way at least once this week.

If you aren't a fan of raw garlic flavor, try cooking with the scapes. Chop finely and use as you would use garlic or chives. In larger chunks, a garlic scape is a savory addition to stir fry, frittata, or quiche. They can flavor rice or quinoa dishes.

If you find yourself unable to fit them into your menu, freeze the scapes whole with the rest of your vegetable scraps for the next time you make stock.

Our family <3s garlic scapes, does yours?

PS. I asked Lil to arrange the scapes for me to photograph and she came up with the heart. How cute!

Added to Hearth and Soul First Year Anniversary.

Friday Five: Loving Home

It has been one strange week here. On Sunday I was awash with disappointment as the chance to travel to California with Alex slipped from our hands. On Monday, I made no plans. Good thing, because the next three days were spent nursing an ill Lillian and surviving the ice storm. She tested positive for strep and has a viral cough on top of that. Today she is still home from play dates and school recovering with a low fever and icky cough.

Amazingly, I am not stir crazy. Instead, this week gave me five new reasons to appreciate my simple life and home:

1) Chickens: Our girls and their need for care in the winter motivated me to step outside the house each day, something I admit I might not have done otherwise. I slip-slided my way to their coop to refill water and give treats at least twice a day, absorbing sunlight and breathing fresh air as I went.

2) Real Chores: To keep the fire going, I moved wood in the house. I washed dishes, did laundry, and cooked real food. Though they may seem like simple tasks, when addressed mindfully, keeping house was rewarding for me.

3) Food stores: We have a lot of food in this house. Dozens of jars of home canned fruits and vegetables sit in the basement alongside pounds of flour and a freezer full of meat. Though icy branches creaked and breakers burst, I knew we could stay inside and eat well for many days, probably even weeks.

4) Warmth: In the afternoon each day this week I started a fire in our wood stove. It wasn't easy because our most recent delivery of wood is entirely big pieces and the ice prevents me from splitting it. But I did get fires going, leaving me confident that even if the electric power failed in the ice storm I could keep Lil and I warm.

5) Support: Friends and family overwhelmed me with offers of assistance this week. There were phone calls, facebook and twitter conversations, and food delivered. I am so grateful for the virtual and in person encouragement.

Alex was the only thing missing this week and he returns this evening to complete our loving home.

PS. Are you on the Hounds in the Kitchen newsletter list? There's a simple sign up form to the right. I'm making a big announcement there next week!

A Day in the Slow Life

Annette of Sustainable Eats recently shared a day in her life and challenged others in the slow food lifestyle to do the same.

It is an interesting idea to compare our individual days. What chores do we share? What aspects of our routine are unique? What can we learn from each other? Why call it 'slow life' when we are so busy?

At any rate, here's what I did this Tuesday October 19, 2010:

7:45 am Wake up and get dressed with yesterday's clothes 8 Drop off Devie at the vet for surgery to address an eye ulcer 8:15 Return home, shower, dress in clean clothes (Lil and Alex still sleeping) 8:45 Eat half a Pattycake sticky bun and cup of coffee while posting pumpkin seeds recipe 9:15 Drive to Franklin Park Conservatory 9:30 Meet with Julia Hansel, education director, to brainstorm topics of kids and family cooking classes for 2010-2011 11:15 Return home, greet Lil and Alex for the day, start re-arranging basement to make a play area for Lil and better storage of home canned goods 12:15 Reheat homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch, pack Lil's preschool snack with crackers, apple, and kefir 12:45 Preschool drop off 1:15 Come home, begin making pumpkin puree from homegrown pie pumpkins 2:00 Take pictures of our tandem bike for sale 2:15 Finish pureeing and packaging 11 cups of pumpkin puree. 2:30 List Franklin Park events on the events calendar 3:00 Preschool pick up, play/chat with friends at playground 4:15 Return home, stopping at Clintonville Community Market for produce 4:30 Move a few more things in the basement 5:45 Pickup drugged Devie and meds from the vet 6:30 Return home, cook and eat polenta with roasted beets and goat cheese inspired by my friend Vanessa's recipe. Lil cries during dinner because she doesn't want to eat or get herself an alternative 7:30 Bedtime routine, including extra cuddles with healing Devie 8:15 Watch a little TV and drink wine while reading blogs, checking in to facebook and twitter 9:30 Realize I can barely keep my eyes open (seriously, this sinus infection or whatever it is WILL NOT GO AWAY) but continue to surf 10:30 Finally go upstairs, brush teeth, and settle in to bed with a short chapter of The Cook and the Gardener

What goes on in a day of your life?

This post added to Simple Lives Thursday.

Tips to Save Time Cooking

I recently revealed that on a fairly average week, we spend a little less than 13 hours cooking.  That's a lot for some families, but there are ways to spend your time in the kitchen efficiently and still prepare whole food driven meals.  Here are some tips:

• Prepare or pack lunch the night before, ideally as you are cleaning up dinner leftovers.
• Prep veggies for the week on a single day.  Cut apples can be kept fresh in the fridge with a splash of lemon juice, carrot sticks can be kept upright in a little water, washed dry greens will keep for a few days in a barely closed container.
• Build bread baking into your weekend routine.  Maybe start it before brunch, allow to rise during, and bake after.  Or, start on saturday night, rise overnight in the fridge, and bake on Sunday morning.
• Unload or load the dishwasher as breakfast is cooking.  I typically put a pot of oatmeal on the stove, heat up water for french press, and then unload the dishwasher as those are cooking.  By the time I sit down five minutes later, the kitchen is ready for the day.
• Keep knives sharp.  Sharp knives cut better, saving you time and making the task more satisfying.
• Plan simple meals.  Home made cooking need not be complicated.  Soups are great simple meals often made in one pot.  Vegetables can be roasted alongside a simply seasoned serving of meat or tofu and served with a salad.
• Use leftovers.  Eat them as is for lunch or transform into the next night's meal.
• Eat fresh raw foods.  Sides at dinner are often cut fruit or veggies.  Lunch usually includes a whole piece of fruit.  Snacks are nuts, dried fruit, or veggie sticks.  Not only are raw foods easy to prepare, they are great ways to get vitamins and fiber in your diet.
• Use high heat quick cooking methods.  Trim foods into bite sized portions and cook over high heat for a stir fry.  Invest in a pressure cooker to cut roasting and bean cooking times by half or more.  Use a hot pan and sauté individual servings of meat or tofu.
• Try quick cooking grains.  Pasta, quinoa, and couscous can all be made in under 30 minutes.  Look for whole grain varieties to get a little more fiber in your diet.
• Double your recipes.  Freeze the extra portion for a quick heat and eat dinner sometime later.  This works especially well for soups, stews, and casseroles.
• Practice.  The more often you trim carrots, peel potatoes, or bone chicken, the faster you become.  As you become more proficient at cooking, it will also become more fun.

What helps you save time cooking?

Time in the Kitchen

We aim to make most things from scratch.  To that end, we spend plenty of time cooking.  Because we love to eat, cooking does not feel like a chore.  Still, I was curious exactly how much time we spend in the kitchen. Like last year's gardening time study, I recorded every person hour in the kitchen this week.  This was a fairly typical week for our three person family with one lunch at a conference, one dinner at friends', one dinner at family, two dinners hosted here, and breakfast and lunch at home every day where not noted. Our menu for last week is here. There were also two 'special' events: sausage making and stock making.  In sum, we spent 12 hours 40 minutes cooking this week.

The breakdown is as such:

Sunday - 10 min. breakfast, 2 hours sausage grinding and stuffing, 15 min. prep dinner at friends.  (We snacked our way through lunch.)

Monday - 10 min. breakfast, 10 min. lunch, 30 min. beans, 20 min. dinner

Tuesday - 20 min. active bread mixing, 60 min. bread baking, 10 min. breakfast, 15 min. lunch prep, 20 min. food saving, 30 min. dinner prep., 15 min. dinner serving.

Wednesday - 10 min. breakfast, 10 min. lunch packing, 30 min. dinner prep, 30 min. making stock, 10 min. loading stock in freezer

Thursday - 10 min. breakfast, 5 min. knife sharpening, 15 min. cookie prep, 20 min. cookies baking, 10 min. lunch prep, 30 min. dinner prep, 30 min. dinner cook

Friday - 10 min. breakfast, 5 min. lunch prep, 5 min. afternoon snack, 30 min. pizza prep, 15 min. bread prep, 15 min. pizza baking, 60 min. bread baking

Saturday - 10 min. breakfast, lunch at volunteer event, 15 min. dinner salad prep (communal dinner with Rachel's parents)

I know that nearly 13 hours sounds like a lot.  For us it is time well spent because we enjoy cooking and eating simple made-from-scratch foods.  We also know that home cooking is healthier than processed food and cheaper than dining at quality restaurants.

Coming later this week: Tips to Save Time Cooking