BOGI Fair

Last Sunday Kate, Mel and I headed out to Albion for the annual Brisbane Organic Growers Fair. This is our third fair. I really look forward to these events. They're a great opportunity to talk to people who are all involved in really interesting aspects of food production, education or community development. And it's also the perfect time to pick up some new plants and tasty things to eat.

Mel and I made some preserves (Strawberry Balsamic Jam, Tomato Jam and Old Fashioned Zucchini Pickles) and organic potato and onion soup with home made bread to sell. Kate was a baking demon and put my little loaf to shame with a massive bag of her own bread. 

Because she's so hardcore, Kate also brought her popular Rosemary Crackers (they always sell out fast...maybe she'll post her recipe here one day...and some time saving pointers she learnt the hard way) plus her home grown herbs. 

Kate also brought along some dried culinary lavender. This stuff is very useful. She discusses it here.

Everything sold really well. I love how the community comes along to these days to learn something new and support local growers and makers. I always leave with new ideas and a big grin, definitely an inspiring day. I'll post again soon about some of the people I spoke to and the amazing things they're doing.

Can it like your grammy did.

Can, preserve, jam...whatever your choice of word, it's an old skill that has a sense of nostalgia. It brings to mind images of heavy laden trees, abundant harvests, kitchens full of people, long days of work and a glowing sense of satisfaction at the end of it.

I didn't grow up with my grammy's around. But I did inherit their names. Maybe this connection with the past is what compels me towards everything old. I hear stories from friends about their grandma's old canning gear and I wonder how I can find me one of those ladies to adopt and convince to pass me on such treasures. I also hear about various grandma-canning-techniques that leave me wondering how many other old school (sometimes questionable) methods are out there.

In my endeavour to learn more about canning, my two most overused resources have been 1. the internet, and 2. those who are further along this canning journey. As a person who likes to research well before doing and have a clear handle on what's involved, such resources have been invaluable.

As I've clicked along online, I have found American based sites to be the most useful. There is a long and rich history of canning in a country where the seasons are more distinct than my home, as well the ever-present guidelines around canning methods courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

As I've collected jars and inspected old lids, googled places to buy new ones and started experimenting it has been great to have others around with their recipe books and useful insights (thanks Lucy!).

So, while there are a number of steps involved with 'canning', there is plenty of good information out there. Recently, the Kitchn posted a list of 5 great canning websites, including Food in Jars, Punk Domestics and National Center for Home Food Preservation (we don't have anything like that do we?!).

It pays to have your basics down pat though because there are many books and online 'recipes' that will lead you astray in your canning technique if you don't know better. Some of the basics include: Sterilising equipment (in boiling water for 10 minutes); using new or very good condition lids* (that means no odours, stains or damage to the seal); making sure you are using the right ingredients to make it safe (i.e. following a trusted recipe); water bathing your preserves for the right amount of time (this varies according to ingredients) and ensuring that your lids have sealed properly.

In the end, I think it's about making informed decisions and having a basic yet solid understanding of the concepts and principles around how canning works. If you are after local information, resources, equipment and people to ask questions of, Green Living Australia are based in Underwood, Logan City. They sell new lids, fancy canning tongs (that save you from scalding yourself with boiling water) and lots of other DIY things for your urban homestead.

As there are a few steps to the canning process, I'm thinking that I will do a series of posts on the finer details. What do you think?

How have your canning experiments gone? Do you have a favourite thing to can?


*Some people would say to never re-use lids. This is where we all make varying choices. The frugal and quite safe response is to inspect these lids VERY carefully then make your decision. I would never sell preserves with lids that have been re-used. Others would say just to keep such lids for storing non-preserved or dry goods...fair call when jars are one of the most versatile objects in your kitchen!

Strawberry and balsamic jam

I've made this jam twice now. It is just so lovely. My partner loves it on toast...and he's not usually a jam man. When strawberries are so cheap and tasty (now!), it's hard to resist them. 


I found the recipe in Eugenia Bone's book Well Preserved. I like my jam quite thick so while this recipe is for more of a conserve with chunks of strawberries, I cook the jam longer to make it more 'jammy'. You could always adjust to suit your tastes. 

Strawberry Balsamic Jam from Eugenia Bone’s Well-Preserved

8 cups washed and hulled strawberries, halved if large

5 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon unsalted butter
5 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Pour the strawberries into a large, deep, heavy pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Once the strawberries are boiling, add the sugar and stir until it is dissolved. The sugar tends to burn on the bottom, so keep it moving until it is thoroughly dissolved. Bring to a boil and then add the butter (this helps keeps the foam volume down). Turn the heat down to medium low and boil the jam gently for 40 minutes, until thickened to a loose, soft conserve. Here you can choose to cook the jam another 20 minutes to make it more jammy or just stop here. Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Fill the sterilised jars with hot jam and put the lids on. Treat the jars for a 10 minute boiling water bath. Remove the jars. Allow them to rest on a dish towel until cool. Check the seals and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year. Refrigerate after opening.

Markets and Preserves

On the weekend Lucy and I took a quick trip to the Mt Gravatt market to see what was on offer.

Tomatoes are a bit of a staple for both of us but ripe ones were a rarity, so we decided to see what was abundant and economical. A few things caught our eyes but we ended spending a very affordable bit of pocket change on mandarins, small brown onions and bendy, dark green cucumbers.

What followed was a very satisfying few hours of kitchen time, with some lovely looking and tasting results. Have a guess what we made and we'll be back with more photos and the run down very soon.