Saturday, September 20, 2014

Apples, Lavender, and Oak Jam

Hey All,

So today was supposed to be lazy.  Obviously that didn't happen.  Husbear had a friend and colleague over to work on the Whorse and I took the time to do something with the apples that have been copious again this year.

I scoured the web for recipes.  I found one for an apple and green tomato chutney, but the ingredients would have cost me an arm and a leg.  Continued digging and I found a recipe for a simple apple jam that I decided to doctor up and rebrand as Lavender, Appples, and Oak.

The base recipe:

3.5 lbs of apples, cored, cleaned of bug damage, and diced
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract (the original called for 1 vanilla bean sliced and scoured, but I don't have such things)

I added a healthy handful of lavender buds and a bit of leftover red wine rich in oak to get the oak thing going.

I boiled all that together, macerated a bit, and sampled.  Husbear, company, and I all agreed, let's add something more.  Basil or bay leaf was the initial recommendation.  I ran out to the garden, cut a bit off my basil trees, yes they are that big right now, and mixed it in.  I hmmm'd for a minute and added a sprinkle of cinnamon, a sprinkle of cumin, and some salt.

The end product is amazing.  It's processing now.  Most recipes call for a 10 minute process, but I have found my jars seal better if I go for 20 min.

So into the pantries (company, neighbors, my own) to enjoy in the upcoming winter!

Lotsa Love,

3Day

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