Butter … one of the finest words in the English language. Despite its unfortunate first syllable, the word “butter” conjures up images of richness, of flavor, of decadence. And while delicious concoctions like apple butter and this pumpkin butter recipe don’t contain actual butter, they still give you that feel-good feeling.

Pumpkin butter sort of tastes like spreadable pumpkin pie, except it’s good pumpkin pie (despite my love for most all things pumpkin, I have an aversion to most pumpkin pie). It tastes like chilly fall mornings and Sundays and warm hugs. Or maybe it just tastes like pumpkin and delicious spices like cinnamon and ginger. Either way, I think you’ll like it.

So what do you do with your pumpkin butter after you make it (and you want to make it)? Spread it on a nice warm toasted slice of rustic bread. Stir it into your oatmeal. Add some to vanilla yogurt and top with granola for a nice autumn-y parfait. Include some in your next batch of homemade muffins. Use it in place of jam in your next PB & J sandwich. Eat it by the spoonful. Or if you’re feeling particularly generous, screw on a little square of fabric, tie on a simple label and give some away to your favorite people.

Here’s the recipe!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter

Makes approx. 5 cups

Ingredients:

• 5 cups pumpkin puree (canned or make your own – instructions here)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup apple juice or cider
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• Healthy pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:

1. Pour all ingredients in your Crock Pot and combine.
2. Cook on high for 4 – 5 hours with the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, stirring every 20-30 minutes to prevent burning, until the pumpkin butter is a nice, thick spreading consistency.
3. Add to jars and refrigerate. Keeps for about one week.

More goodies like this:

• Pumpkin Pancakes with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup and Toasted Hazelnuts
• Pumpkin Dog Biscuits
• Sweet, Spicy, and Savory Pumpkin Seeds
• Maple Pumpkin Oat Muffins with Cinnamon-Maple Glaze
• A Few Favorite Fall Recipes

There seems to come a time in many bloggers’ careers where they have a lapse between posts, then a bigger lapse, then a huge lapse… and then comes The Post. The Post, drenched in guilt, apologizes for the absence. It explains what the heck is going on. It promises to do better.

This is kind of The Post. Though I don’t think an apology is in order, because I’m not delusional enough to think that any of you wonderful readers have been on pins and needles waiting for my next post … but if that happens to be the case, my gosh, I love you – and indeed, I am sorry.

So what the heck is going on? Well, first of all, over the summer The Hazel Bloom got hacked. Not implant-a-virus-on-all-readers hacked, thank goodness, but the site’s been pretty messed up. We had to do some upgrades and restores and even though we’re clean as a whistle now, things are still not quite as they were (see: lack of navigation options above; still working on that). Second, in far less annoying news, my guy and I are expecting a bun! As in, I’ve got a bun in the oven, and I’m nearly six months gone by now. Predictions are it’s a girl in there, and we’re over the moon. But I’d be lying if I said I was a champ at pregnancy. It’s been a bit of a rough road and, frankly, I’m just not myself. Exhibit A: The lack of blog posts.

So! That’s the deal. I am going to try to post more, but I will probably stop short of promising to do so … just not sure how everything is going to go down … but I really, really want to try. I miss this!

And now! On to the Caramel Apple Dip. Because seriously, that’s what it’s really all about.

This is one of those recipes that’s so simple and easy, you wonder what you forgot or what you did wrong. And then you have a taste and you think, if this is the result of me doing something wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Honeycrisp apples are insanely delicious right now, and I got it in my head that I needed to dip a few of those crunchy, sweet wedges into some caramel dip. And if you have been a pregnant lady, or know one, you know how urgent such a thought can be. And so a little frantic Googling turned up this terrific recipe on a neat blog, An Oregon Cottage.

This dip isn’t only shockingly easy, it’s absolutely delicious. It inspired “YUM!” texts from my guy, happy murmers from my niece, a recipe request from my sis and admittedly a little gorging from me (hey, I’m eating for two, after all).

It makes quite a bit of dip, enough for several servings. It hardens a bit in the fridge, but just zap it for 30 seconds or so and it transforms back into delicious dippable perfection.

Here’s the recipe.

Oh, and thanks for sticking with me, dear readers. I love ya!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Caramel Apple Dip

From An Oregon Cottage

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup brown sugar (light, golden or dark – whichever you prefer)
• 1/2 cup honey

Directions:

1. Place the butter in a medium-sized saucepan, and melt over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sweetened condensed milk, brown sugar and honey.
3. Increase heat to medium high and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
4. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and stir constantly for three minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Serve with apple wedges and enjoy!
7. Store leftovers in the fridge and nuke for 30 seconds or so to soften before serving.

More goodies like this:

• Pumpkin Pancakes with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup and Toasted Hazelnuts
• A Few Favorite Fall Recipes
• Spiced Apple Cider, Crock Pot Style
• Crock Pot Pumpkin Butter
• Christmas Muffins

As a person with pets for most of my life, I feel as though I can share a secret fear of pet owners everywhere.

We are really, really, really worried our houses reek – especially because we usually have no idea if they actually do.

See, we’ve totally been there. We’ve stepped inside the cat lady’s house and felt our noses sting. We’ve been next door where the big stinky dog lives, and we lived the telltale eye-watering stench.

Heck, my dear sweet departed Angel was a big stinky dog, especially toward the end when I was afraid to bathe her because of her bad hips. When my friend’s adorable four-year-old exclaimed last summer, “She smells like hair!” I was pretty sure my fear of the reeking house had likely become a reality. Even before that, I’d take measures far beyond lighting candles and Arm & Hammer Pet Fresh. I’d be lying if I said I never sprinkled my beloved rose-scented Lush body powder all over Angel and frantically rubbed it into her gnarly hair right before company was due.

What does this have to do with Apple Cranberry Sauce, you ask? Well, Apple Cranberry Sauce simmering on the stove has a beautiful side effect. It makes your house smell like heaven. Like a freshly-baked apple pie served on fine linen with Brad Pitt by your side in heaven.

So light your candles, sprinkle the Pet Fresh, and for God’s sake bathe the dogs if you can. And then whip up some Apple Cranberry Sauce right before company arrives, just as your extra insurance against worry and stealth stench.

And have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Here’s the recipe!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Apple Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 apple – a tart variety like Granny Smith or McIntosh is best, peeled, cored, and diced
• 3 cups fresh cranberries, washed
• 2/3 cup sugar (plus possibly a little more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• Zest of one small lemon (about 1 teaspoon)

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the temp to medium-low and simmer until the berries have burst and the mixture has thickened, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Let cool, and then enjoy!

More goodies like this:

• Christmas Muffins
• Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie
• Cranberry-Tangerine Scones
• Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins
• Caramel Apple Dip + A Little News

Other than my most recent pumpkin seeds recipe, it’s been a little while since my guy’s given any of my kitchen creations a grunt, let alone two. I know he tends to be a bit stingy with his grunts – they’re reserved for only what his dude-ly palate finds the best of the best. Still, I was starting to get a little pouty – give something a grunt already, man!

So when he gave Applesauce Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup not just one, but two grunts up, I felt like I’d won a little prize.

Hey, it’s the little things.

These surprisingly fluffy little pancakes have a nice subtle apple flavor enhanced by cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. The syrup, on the other hand, packs a serious apple wallop with caramel-like overtones. Together: Apple breakfast nirvana, worth a coveted Two Grunts Up. Victory is mine, and I didn’t even have to put bacon in it!

Here’s the recipe.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Applesauce Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

Yield: About 15 4-inch pancakes

Ingredients:

Syrup

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups apple cider
• 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks

Pancakes

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (substitute another cup of all-purpose flour if you want)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon (or a hefty pinch) ground nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup applesauce
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Make the syrup. Over medium heat in a medium saucepan, combine the cider and brown sugar, then add the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes until the mixture is reduced by about 2/3. Remove from heat and let cool (it will thicken as it cools).
2. Make the pancakes. In a large bowl, mix together the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, applesauce, and vanilla. Stir in the melted butter.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, just until well-incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a griddle heated to 350 degrees (or a pan on the stove on medium to medium-high heat). The batter will be somewhat thick – you may have to spread it around a bit with the measuring cup after you pour it. Don’t fret if they’re not perfect circles – rustic is always good! Cook until browned by both sides, and pancake is cooked through.
6. Serve with Apple Cider Syrup.
7. Enjoy!

More goodies like this:

• Christmas Muffins
• Pumpkin Pancakes with Buttermilk Caramel Syrup and Toasted Hazelnuts
• Easy Apple Crisp
• Zucchini Apple Muffins
• Homemade Applesauce

So I simmered the apples in orange juice, adding whole cloves and allspice with a fairly heavy hand. The end result was a delicious sweet spiced apple butter that was exactly what I was after. And so I called it Sweet Spiced Apple Butter. I’m original that way.

This apple butter recipe has a two-step cooking process – first, you cook the apples down with the orange juice and the spices until you’ve essentially made applesauce, and then you put it in the Crock Pot for several hours until it cooks down to perfect apple butter consistency.

Here’s the recipe.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Sweet Spiced Apple Butter

Yield: About 4 pints
Equipment note: You need a food mill or sieve and a Crock Pot for this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds apples (I use a variety of apples and like to keep them on the sweet side, like Gala, McIntosh and Braeburn), quartered
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 1 tablespoon whole cloves
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 5-inch cinnamon stick
• 2 cups sugar (to taste)

Directions:

1. Wash and quarter the apples.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix the orange juice, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon stick.
3. Add the apples, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes, until apples are softened all the way through.



4. Remove mixture from heat, and let it cool for a bit so you don’t burn yourself when processing. Process the mixture through your food mill, or push it through the sieve, which will leave the leftover peels, seeds, and spices behind.
5. Pour the apple mixture into your Crock Pot. Prop the lid so that the steam can escape – this is important, because the apple butter needs to cook down. You can use knives, chopsticks, what have you to prop the lid.
   
   
6. Heat on high for an hour, then reduce the heat to low, and cook on low for 8-10 hours, stirring occasionally (but it shouldn’t be the end of the world if you don’t, unless your Crock Pot runs really hot – you just don’t want it to burn on the bottom).
7. The Apple Butter will cook down to a nice, smooth consistency and take on a delicious brown color.
8. Stir in sugar, and cook on low for another 1/2 hour or so. You may need a little more or a little less depending on how sweet your apples are.
9. Pour it into jars and enjoy! If you’re canning, leave 1/4 inch head space and process jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (depending on altitude) (here are thorough canning  instructions here from the Virginia Cooperative Extension).

More goodies like this:

• Applepalooza! Wrap Up
• Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie
• Apple Mustard Dip with Sharp Cheddar Cubes and Apples
• Easy Apple Crisp
• Zucchini Apple Muffins

One of my favorite desserts as a kid was my mom’s homemade applesauce – still warm from the stove – along with a piece or two of perfectly buttered toast. Plain old storebought applesauce from a jar would have been the lamest “dessert” ever, but the stuff my mom whipped up on the stove? Perfection.

As the youngest of three, I was fortunate enough to spend some “only child” time with my folks after my brother and sister were out of the house. There were a few falls when my mom and dad and I would head over Stevens Pass, a highway over the Washington Cascades, and admire the autumn leaves – and then, most importantly, stop at Prey’s Fruit Barn where my mom would buy a big old box of apples, then we’d hop back in the car and drive the 2 1/2 hours back home.

Yep, this is pretty much the same trip we took a week and a half ago, except my guy and I stayed the weekend. And we visited Prey’s, and, yeah… I guess you can say that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Prey’s now has a big ol’ box of applesauce mix that they sell. They’re filled with a variety of apples from tart to sweet, like McIntosh, Sansa, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, Winesap, a few Granny Smith… the list goes on. And they even top each box with a handful of Asian pears – something that happened by accident a few years ago, and people loved the addition so much, they requested the pears always be a part of the deal.

Worked for me.

Last week, I made a ton of applesauce. Literally, a ton. Okay, almost. Our kitchen was complete and utter apple mayhem. It was awesome.

I ended up canning jars and jars of the stuff to enjoy all winter.

Here’s the thing about applesauce recipes, though. The amount of sweetener you put in it depends entirely on the apples. So, rather than a recipe, I’ll share with you my own guidelines for making and canning applesauce… and then if you decide to go for it yourself (and you should!), you can make it your own. My guidelines assume you have a wonderful food mill, so you don’t have to peel and core your apples. Toooootally worth the $30 for one of these.

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Making and Canning Homemade Applesauce

Yield: About 3 quarts

Ingredients:

• 10 pounds apples, cut into quarters (leave the peel, seeds, and core)
• 5 – 6 lemon peels (just peel them off of a freshly washed lemon with a vegetable peeler)
• 3 – 4 cinnamon sticks
• About a cup and a half of water (about an inch worth)
• Sugar to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare your canning jars – sterilize and prep so you’re ready to can the applesauce when it’s done.
2. Wash the apples, then cut them into quarters.
3. Place the apples in a large pot, then add the lemon peel and cinnamon sticks. Pour in water – it should be about an inch deep. Cover.
4. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-high, and, keeping the apples covered, cook for about 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. Once the apples are completely softened, remove the lemon peel and cinnamon. Now you’re ready to process through the food mill.
6. Situate the food mill over a large bowl. 3 – 4 cups at a time, dump the apples into your food mill and crank that sucker. Dump any leftover seeds and peels, and process another 3 – 4 cups at a time, until complete.
7. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the large pot. Taste it to see if you need to add any sugar. Sometimes it’s sweet enough to where it’s not needed – sometimes it needs a 1/2 cup to even a couple of cups of sugar. Go easy on the sugar at first, adding 1/4 cup at a time or so, and keep tasting it until you think it’s just right.
8. Add to jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in a boiling water bath for about 15 minutes, depending on your altitude (here are thorough canning  instructions here from the Virginia Cooperative Extension).
9. Enjoy!

More goodies like this:

• Applepalooza! Wrap Up
• Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie
• Apple Mustard Dip with Sharp Cheddar Cubes and Apples
• Easy Apple Crisp
• Applesauce Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup

Last year at around this time, we were overflowing with tomatoes from our garden. Some of the vines, I swear, were 10 feet high. Our windowsills were stuffed with ripening tomatoes of every shape and size. We slow-roasted tons of Romas and cherries (delicious), tried fire-roasting a whole barbecue full of heirlooms (less successful), and ate lots of margarita pizzas on the barbecue. We even discovered out in our 12′ by 12′ Eden a freakish tomato that taught me much about the power of positive thinking. And we whipped up and canned huge, wonderful, delicious batches of spicy salsa.

It was a glorious, glorious time.

Fast forward to one year later, and cue the “waw waaaaaahhh” sound bite. Our barely three-foot tomato vines are brown and wilted. A few lonely green tomatoes dangle sadly, trying with all their might to turn. Exactly one Roma adorns our windowsill. Needless to say, the Seattle summer of 2010 came and went in the blink of an eye.

But heck if we were going to go without our favorite homemade salsa, gosh darnit!

Probably my most-complimented condiment ever, I found the original recipe on Food.com (the former Recipezaar), and it’s pretty much perfect. For a canned salsa, it still has a nice, fresh taste. It’s got a hint of heat (which you can adjust easily with a few more or less jalapeno peppers and their seeds), and the cumin and garlic add a nice bite. The green peppers and onions lend perfect flavor and texture. Yeah, it’s got tomato sauce and tomato paste which at first glance seems a little wrong, but just trust me. It’s actually oh-so right.

My one complaint? We can never seem to make quite enough to last us through the winter. The stuff just goes too darn fast.

And so, with a sad goodbye glance to our pitiful garden, I hopped in the car, drove down to a farm stand in the valley, and loaded up on some (far more successfully) locally grown tomatoes, onions, and peppers. And then we made our salsa.

Here’s the recipe, so that you can make some too! Just so you know, this recipe – which is VERY much worth the effort – takes awhile. Lots and lots of chopping. I decided that next year, I’m going to invite a bunch of girlfriends over for a Salsa! Salsa! Canning Party. Everyone will bring a veggie, we’ll all chop away and drink lots of margaritas, and then everyone will take home cans of salsa to enjoy throughout the winter. (Who’s in?!)

Oh, also, please read this important note on canning this salsa: When canning this salsa as I do, in a hot water bath, I advise against altering the recipe much. Specifically, you want to be careful to retain a certain level of acid in the mixture so that it keeps safely without growing any of that bad bacteria. If you want to increase the high-acid ingredients like the vinegar or the tomatoes, you should be fine. But be careful adding additional veggies – onions, peppers, other vegetables. This could cause your salsa to teeter too much on the alkaline side, and it may not be safe for hot water bath canning. Personally, I’m comfortable canning this salsa as-is, because it has enough tomatoes and vinegar, along with the citric acid in the tomato sauce, to make me feel confident – and I’ve not experienced any problems eating the canned product, nor have many other folks who have followed this recipe. You may want to print the recipe and run it by your local county cooperative extension office, just to be safe. These folks are the experts; I’m just a silly little blogger, and still somewhat of a novice at this whole canning thing.

Okay, now here’s the recipe!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Salsa! Salsa!

Lightly adapted from this Wonderful Salsa recipe on Food.com

Yield: 3 – 4 quarts of salsa

Nutrition data from Nutritiondata.com (per 1/4 cup serving): 21 calories, 0g fat, 5g total carbs (1g fiber, 3g sugars), protein 1g. Vitamin A 8% daily value, Vitamin C 18%, Calcium 1%, Iron 3%.

Ingredients

• 8 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped (this is about 10 – 12 large tomatoes worth)
• 2 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups green peppers, chopped
• 3/4 – 1 cup jalapeno peppers, chopped (go 3/4 cup and remove the seeds for a mild salsa, or 1 full cup and keep the seeds for a hotter salsa)
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canning salt
• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

Directions

1. Prep your canning jars – clean them thoroughly, sterilize, and get everything ready for your salsa canning frenzy.
2. Peel the tomatoes. This is how I do it:
   1. Cut out the stem end. I use my handy dandy strawberry huller – works like a charm.
   2. With a paring knife, score an X in the top of the tomato, kind of like so.
   3. Dip the tomato into boiling water for about 10 seconds (or up to 60 seconds for more stubborn tomatoes like Romas).
   4. Place the tomato into a bowl of ice water. This will cool it off for handling, and keep it from cooking more than you might want it to.
   5. The skin should slip right off, and before you know it, you’ll have a whole bunch of these:
3. Chop the tomatoes, then place in a colander to drain. Don’t rinse; just stick the colander in the sink so the excess juices drain off as you’re chopping away.
4. Chop up the remaining veggies: Onions, green peppers, jalapenos, garlic. Chop, chop!
   Oh, and check this out! Pyrex was kind enough to send me a couple of their new kitchen tools, like this neat-o measuring cup where you read the numbers from above. I love it. (Admittedly it works a little better for liquid ingredients, but it’s also super nice when you’re piling diced veggies in there and can easily see at a glance when you’ve hit your amount).

   

5. In a large pot over medium-high heat, stir together all ingredients, including all the tomatoes and veggies you just chopped up.
   
   
6. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Ladle into clean, sterilized canning jars, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (please read my important note regarding canning above the recipe in the blog story!) My guy likes to do this part. He’s the cutest (sorry, sorry – I’m a newlywed, I can’t help myself).  (Here are thorough instructions here from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, if you like.)
8. Once the jars have cooled, it’s fun (and practical, if you can a lot of stuff) to make labels. Here I just used some 2″x4″ Avery labels, printed ‘em up on our home printer, cut them out with a 1 1/2″ scalloped round punch, and stuck ‘em on to the jars.

Enjoy!

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• Perfect Panzanella
• Kopanisti (Greek Feta Spread)

Since the redesign, I’ve been torn on activating the thing, because I think it makes the site seem just a tad busy. And also because I don’t update constantly so it feels like overkill.

But over the past 24 hours, I’ve gone a little blog-crazy. I’ve posted not one, not two, but three stories since last night. Far be it from me to do the logical thing and hold on to one or two to share a little later when life is crazy and I don’t have the time to photograph and write. Oh no. Whole hog right here.

No no, this story is not about a pig roast.

It’s about vanilla apricot jam.

Last week when we camped in Eastern Washington, we stopped at a fruit market (or two) on the way home and bought a big ol’ box of stone fruit – fresh local goldrich apricots, nectarines, donut peaches, freestone peaches, plums… heaven. But then the days started to go by and that rustic apricot-plum tart I had in mind didn’t make itself – and so jam it was!

I made peach plum jam (which is terrific) and vanilla apricot jam (equally so). The vanilla apricot jam, though, was a little more special to me because, well… this is a little embarrassing to admit, but it’s the very first time in my life I’ve used a vanilla bean.

I don’t really know what else to say about that other than: it is what it is, and now I have used a vanilla bean, and I’m pretty sure my life will never be the same.

Apricots, sugar, lemon juice, and those little vanilla bean specks mingle together overnight to create nirvana. The tart-sweet apricot flavor shines through, though mellowed slightly by the vanilla. Plus, it’s cute. Little black vanilla beans suspended in bright orange… magic.

Here’s the recipe!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Vanilla Apricot Jam

Adapted from the apricot jam recipe from Food & Wine

Makes approx. 4 cups of jam

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds apricots, cut in half (no need to peel!) and pits removed (weigh after the pits are removed)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 vanilla bean

Directions:

1. Stir the apricots, sugar, and lemon juice together over medium heat, until the sugar dissolves (just a minute or two).
2. Remove from heat.
3. Split the half vanilla bean down the middle, and scrape the cute little seeds out with the tip of a sharp knife.
4. Mix the seeds in with the apricot mixture.
5. Throw in the vanilla pod you just scraped out – it’ll add a little more flavor.
6. Cover, and let sit out overnight (or for at least 4 hours), to allow the fruit to macerate and the flavors to get cozy with one another.
7. Remove the vanilla pod.
8. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off any foam if it develops.
9. Boil for about 20 – 25 minutes, until the jam thickens to the right consistency – when it drips off of a cold spoon in sheets, or, as Food & Wine says, “until the fruit is glassy and the liquid runs off the side of a spoon in thick, heavy drops.” That works too.
10. Ladle into jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, or if you prefer to skip the processing, it should last in the fridge for up to a month.
11. Enjoy!

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• Glazed Vanilla Bean Cookies
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“What are these?!” I asked.

“Gooseberries,” he replied. “They’re great – try one!”

I was too much of a weenie to try one then and there, but I was sold nonetheless. I bought a pint, along with blackcurrants (also new to me) and blueberries (how could I not?)

I’m not a total chicken – I tasted a few when I got home. Where I could screw up my face in pure torment in private, if necessary. Instead, of course, they were lovely. Unlike any other berry I’ve had, these red, ripe guys had aslightly sour skin that yielded to a wonderfully sweet interior somewhat like a plum in texture. They have itsy bitsy seeds inside – I was distracted by them at first, but before long I decided the seeds add to their charm.

A flat of raspberries was waiting for me, too – and so, clearly, the only respectable thing to do was to make jam. Lots and lots of jam.

I started with blackcurrant jam – wonderfully deep purple. Old-fashioned raspberry jam – always a winner. And gooseberry-blueberry jam. Home run.

Tart-sweet blueberries, as it turns out, are the perfect complement to gooseberries. Together, they make a sweet, flavorful and simply stunning magenta jam that’ll knock your Crocs off. And because gooseberries are naturally high in pectin, you can leave your box of the stuff in the cupboard. It thickens up beautifully on its own.

Here’s the recipe!

Note: There is a print link embedded within this post, please visit this post to print it.

Gooseberry-Blueberry Jam

Makes about 2 1/2 cups of jam

Ingredients:

• 1 pint (2 cups) red gooseberries
• 1 pint (2 cups) blueberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1. Pick through and rinse gooseberries and blueberries, removing stems and leaves and discarding any bad berries.
2. Add the lemon juice and water to a medium saucepan.
3. Over medium heat, slowly add the sugar to the lemon and water, whisking as you go, until the sugar-water mixture is smooth. If necessary, you can add a bit more water.



4. Heat on medium until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Just don’t keep heating it, because you’ll end up with caramel – in this case, not good! And yes, I’ve done it.



5. Add the gooseberries, and cook (keeping the heat at medium) for about 3 minutes.



6. Stir in the blueberries (and the nutmeg, if using).



7. Bring the mixture to a boil, and allow to boil for about 5 – 10 minutes until thickened.Tip: How do you tell it’s the right consistency? Do the spoon text. Dip a cold metal spoon into the mixture, and pull it out sideways. If the mixture drips off in one stream, it’s not ready. When the mixture drips off in two drips, it’s close. Then the two drips begin to form a sheet, it’s ready! Keep in mind it’ll keep thickening up after it cools.



8. Allow to cool a bit, then pour into jars and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (thorough instructions here from the Virginia Cooperative Extension). Or if you want to eat it right away, it should keep in the fridge for about a month.

More goodies like this:

• Green Smoothies with Spinach and Blueberries
• Blueberry Pancakes
• Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Squares
• Vanilla Apricot Jam
• Fourth of July Sangria

I’m very sorry for the inconvenience, but I do hope you come on over to see Kitchen Treaty. It’s a food blog (and my new labor of love!) with easy vegetarian recipes so delicious you won’t miss the meat, flexible one dish two ways recipes with optional meat add-ins for the carnivores, universally-loved drinks and cocktails, scrumptious desserts, and lots more.

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