DIY SUMMER PRODUCE GIFTS
When food prices are on the rise, the wise thing is to start taking stock of what’s available and how to preserve and/or repurpose it to your best advantage, often as gourmet produce gifts. Done well, these gifts are unique, better than commercial renditions and have a deeply personal touch. However, you also have to be objective in what to choose and what to pass.
For example, my-Mother-in-Law, lived in the midst of Southern New Jersey farm country, had a knack for freezing, and sharing, the wonderful local corn, paying only a few cents an ear. Now most farms are gone, the nearest farm market is miles away and corn is 50 cents an ear. Between its price and the gas, freezing corn is an indulgence compared to the cost of commercially packaged.
On the other hand, even at the increased price, I can buy a watermelon, serve my family the meat and pickle the rind, which would have been discarded. I have fruit for a few meals and several jars of a gourmet condiment for guests and gifts. That’s a win-win on value.
End of season produce is not as pretty, but it preserves and cooks as well as, if not better than prime and it’s, usually, greatly reduced. There are lots of ways to transform these items into unique, gourmet gifts for the upcoming holidays at a huge saving, with people actually flattered to receive them.
One word of advice, avoid any item which is widely available commercially, jams, jellies, pickles, unless you have a tryed and true ‘special’ recipe. It’s also safer to work with recipes which include a natural preservative such as vinegar or alcohol. You never know how long your ‘gift is going to wait to be used.
In a passing note, because I’m going to deal with this subject in a later post, the items with the widest return margin as gifts are home roasted or candied nuts. Though they should be done closer to the holidays, they’re included here because now is the time to buy raw nuts and store them until ready for use. If you want to try them sooner click on Dec. 2, 2021.
The beauty of the following recipes is that they all began as manual creations, not products from automated kitchens and therefore are best when handmade, rather than commercially produced. This places them in the ‘gourmet’ category, enhancing the value and in truth, prepared properly, making them superior to commercial renditions. Singularly or combined they’re ideal solutions to the question of what to choose for many gifts, and how much to spend, clients, co-workers, teachers, hostess and ‘holiday greetings’. They are bright additions to your holiday menus and, in the depth of winter, memories of sunny days and a promise of summer’s return.
Packaging is important, however. Several containers you may have on hand. Olive jars are good for chutney, glass salad dressing bottles for mint sauce, pickle jars for watermelon pickle and shaped mustard and jelly jars are great for several things. Other container sources are Dollar stores, antique stores, Target, flea markets, even Goodwill. Wrapping is easy with gift bags and tissue. For grouped items, Dollar store usually have a selection of baskets. Perception is paramount.
RECIPES
Nuts: Roasted salted, herb favored, candied and glaceed
As stated above, I will post on these nearer the holidays, but nuts have the largest return on your investment. Raw nuts are quite reasonable, but gourmet finished nuts, which yours will be, can be expensive. Unlike the other items below, however, nuts have definite shelf lives. For freshness and price, the best time to buy raw nuts is late summer- early fall, especially if shopping in a market, as opposed to online. Keep them unopened until ready to work with them and then gift them within a week.
Since these contain no preservatives, you can mention to the recipient to “Enjoy them while they’re fresh”. The upside is that with no preservatives or artificial ingredients, home processed nuts are fresher, brighter tasting and more visually appealing than even the priciest gourmet boutique offerings. Presentation is everything with nuts. They’re cute casually packaged in mugs, but a decorative tin or box is worth it, just be sure it’s airtight and re-sealable. To make them sooner go to Dec. 2, 2021.
Watermelon Pickle: To see more watermelon recipes go to Aug.30, 2018
1 Watermelon- Green rind peeled and meat removed. White rind cut in 1 inch cubes.
1 cup cider vinegar per pound
1 cup water per pound
1 ½ cup sugar per pound
3 inches stick cinnamon per pound
4 cloves per pound
1 Tbs. sliced ginger root per pound
Cover melon cubes with salted water and soak for 2 hrs. Drain and rinse well. Boil in fresh water until half tender, about 10 min. Drain again and rinse in cool water. Weigh melon and measure the other ingredients into a pot accordingly and boil them for about ½ hr. until a syrup forms. Add drained melon rind and boil for another 10 min. or until rind is crisp-tender. Allow to cool and pack cubes with syrup, including spices, to cover, into glass jars with secure fitting lids. Store refrigerated. Keeps for a year easily.
Peach Brandy: For more peach recipes go to Aug. 16, 2018
Peaches –Alberta suggested
Sugar
Peel the peaches and place them in quart jars. Cover with sugar and allow to stand until sugar is dissolved and peaches render juice. Continue adding sugar and allowing it to dissolve until juice covers peaches. Seal jars with tight lids, wrap them in heavy paper to insulate them and keep out light. Store in a cool, dark place and after 3 months, strain off the juice to serve as a liqueur and slice the peaches as a topping or garnish. Store as any liqueur.
Mint Sauce:
4 cups fresh mint –tough stems removed
Cider vinegar to cover
Sugar or substitute such as Splenda to taste
Simmer the mint and vinegar in a pot until the leaves are cooked, about 8 min. Add sweetener to taste as the mint cooks. Do not over do. This should be sweet-sour when finished. Remove from heat, cool and process or blend until the mint is finely ground. Correct seasoning and pour into clean bottles. Let stand, uncapped until completely cool, cap and store in a dark, dry, cool place. Keeps for two years or more.
Use in salads, on cooked vegetables and to marinate or baste meat.
NOTE: I use sterilized salad dressing bottles—but only glass ones.
Apricot Chutney: Yield 3cups- Adapted from Food.Com*
2 cups apricots-pitted and roughly chopped
1 large red onion-diced
1 cup raisins
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1>2 tsp. salt-to taste
½ tsp., curry powder
¼ tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. allspice or cinnamon
1 Tbs. minced Serrano chili-optional
Place all ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed, pot. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer. Let it simmer away for about an hour until it’s nice and thick. Keep an eye on the heat and stir often so it doesn’t burn. Fill sterilized canning jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Screw on sterilized bands and lids securely. Store in a cool, dark place, refrigerate after opening.
*For more apricot recipes go to: Aug.9, 2018
Fruit Leather: Yield = I sheet or 10 servings-From – https://www.simplyrecipes.com
Home-made, with less sweeteners and the addition of optional spices, this becomes an adult treat-especially for diabetic and those on diets
Fresh fruit (apricots, peaches, plums, berries, apples, pears)*
Water
Lemon juice
Sugar, optional
Spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, optional
Rinse the fruit and remove any pits. Chop the fruit If you’re working with apples or pears, peel and core them, then chop. Taste the fruit to gage sweetness. If very sweet you won’t need to add any sugar. If still a little tart, you may need to add some.
Place the fruit in a large saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of water for every 4 cups of chopped fruit. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let cook on a low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fruit is cooked through. Uncover and stir. Use a potato masher to mash up the fruit in the pan. Season with sugar and spices, if desired: Taste the fruit and determine how much sugar, lemon juice, or spices to add. If needed, add the sugar in small amounts (1 tablespoon at a time), to your desired level of sweetness. Add lemon juice 1 teaspoon at a time to help brighten the flavor of the fruit. Add a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to augment the flavor, if you’d like. Continue to simmer and stir until any added sugar is completely dissolved and the fruit mash thickens, another 5 or 10 (or more) minutes.
Put the mashed fruit through a food mill or purée the fruit thoroughly in a blender or food processor until very smooth and adjust the sugar/lemon/spices, if necessary. Pour the purée onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with a sturdy, heat-proof plastic wrap (the kind that is microwave safe) or parchment to about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.
Heat the oven to 140°F.
Place the baking sheet in the oven. Try to keep any plastic wrap from touching the sides of the oven or the oven racks. Also, try to make sure the plastic wrap hasn’t folded back over on top of the purée. If this happens, the purée won’t dry out. If you have a convection setting, use it. It will speed up the drying process. Let dry in the oven for as long as it takes for the purée to form fruit leather. We usually keep it in the oven overnight, about 8 to 12 hours. The fruit leather is ready when it is no longer sticky to the touch.
When the fruit leather is ready, you can easily peel it up from the plastic wrap. To store it, roll it in its plastic wrap, put it in an airtight container, and store at room temperature for 1 month,in the refrigerator for 6 months or freezer for 1 year.
NOTE: Grapes need a slightly different treatment – See-https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_fruit_leather/
