— Sandra Mitchell, UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteer The Last of Winter: Cooking from What Remains By the time April rolls around, the rhythm of the kitchen begins to shift. The bins of stored vegetables—once full in the fall—are noticeably lighter. The onions have softened, a few potatoes have begun to sprout, and the […]
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— Kate McCarty I typically buy canned beans from the grocery store. They’re inexpensive and ready in a pinch. But with so many great varieties of dried beans available from local farmers in Maine, I decided to challenge myself to a new food preservation project and try my hand at making my own canned beans […]
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— By Kate McCarty UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteers recently attended Flowering in the North, a conference for flower growers in New England. We shared a rose petal jelly made from dried rose petals with attendees and it was a hit! The resulting jelly smelled very floral, like you’d expect, and had a subtle […]
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— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension The scent of cranberries, citrus, and spice signals the start of the holiday season, and what better way to get into the festive mood than by making homemade jam? Jamming for the holidays transforms your kitchen into a sweet-smelling workshop and lets you […]
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— Mary Kate Reny, UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteer We have officially turned the corner into comfort season, bringing with it the seasonal shift in food preferences and a whole different set of recipes to try. Wait! Too soon? Are your counters and garden still bursting with summer harvest that you need to preserve […]
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— By Lali Constantino, UMaine Extension Master Food Preserver Volunteer Drying is one of the most ancient and cost-effective methods for preserving food. This simple technique relies on the natural energy of the sun or the dry heat of a hot summer day. You can easily do it by hanging herbs in a warm, shady […]
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— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension It’s green bean and cucumber season here in Maine, and pickling is my favorite way to preserve these vegetables. I always can a batch of crunchy dilly beans and sweet bread-and-butter pickles to enjoy throughout the year. But every year, I hear from […]
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— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension During the summer I usually get a few calls from frustrated preservers asking why their jam or jelly didn’t come out right. It’s annoying to try and make a nice, spreadable jam and instead end up with something that’s too runny or too […]
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— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Strawberry jam season is right around the corner in Maine, and one of my favorite fruit jams is strawberry jam (strawberry-rhubarb is a close runner up). I love to go to my local pick-your-own strawberry field, and then come home and make strawberry […]
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— By Kate McCarty, Food Systems Professional, University of Maine Cooperative Extension Springtime in Maine makes me want to sit outside and enjoy the sun on my face with a cool drink in my hand. I love looking to my garden for inspiration for making drinks like sodas, cocktails, and mocktails at home. While the […]
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