Apricot Nectar. This silky-smooth sipper packs a punch of Perfection*.

~ Apricot Nectar ~

I happen to love this stuff. I grew up drinking it out of cute little cans. I remember when I was a kid it would show up once in awhile in our pantry or fridge. It was considered a special occasion treat for us, so I remember sipping it a tiny bit at a time, to make it last as long as possible.

I recently made it from scratch and I'm so glad I did. Taking the time to make it from scratch took Apricot Nectar to a whole other level. 

Click to read more ...

Who wants raspberries? Raise your hand!

I do! I do!

I promised myself my next post would be about apricots...not just because I adore them but because it seems my last few blogs have featured mostly red fruits, like  (veggie-wanna-be) Tomatoes, sweet Bing Cherries, wild Red Huckleberries and sour Montmorency Cherries. I just couldn't resist one last "red fruit" photo before moving on this morning.

Stay tuned. Apricot Nectar is up next. But I can't promise you the blog post after it won't be about Red Raspberry~Rosé Wine Sauce.

National Can-it-Forward Day

It's only one week away, and yours truly is going to be leading the "Canned  Fresh Tomatoes, packed in their own juice" demonstration.

I get to be a STAR for a day (or maybe just for an hour, but I'll take it.)

Hope you can join us!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update on Sunday, August 14, 2011 at 10:16AM by Brook Hurst Stephens

Leslie and I had so much fun at our demo yesterday.

Thanks to everyone who cheered us on at Pike Place Market in Seattle, and who watched it via Livestream.

~~~

My friend Lisa made me this adorable photo album of my demo and sent it to me a week later, for my birthday!

Showcasing my bounty of Bings in a classic Cherry Compote

This spring I joined the group Canning Across America. Being a member comes with all sorts of perks, like spending quality time in a room with several other people who find talking about head space and boiling water baths as fascinating as I do. Our meetings are fun, informative, full of great stuff to eat, and well-organized thanks to Kim O'Donnel, who founded this nationwide group in Seattle in 2009.

Click to read more ...

Red Huckleberries, the caviar of the jam world

Updated on Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 1:37PM by Brook Hurst Stephens

First of all, I didn't expect them to be so easy-to-find*. 

Click to read more ...

Luxardo Sour Cherry Preserves

I adore the bright red color of perfectly-ripe Montmorency Cherries.

Have you ever tried Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur? I bought this bottle a while back so we could make an old libation called the Aviation Cocktail. The cocktails were a hit, but I think I just found another use for this lovely liqueur. Turns out it's the perfect way to give my Sour Cherry Preserves a little more oomph!

Another great hostess gift: Perfection Apricots

My friend Kelli?

She's the one who recently went above & beyond the call of duty, arranging delivery of gorgeous very hard-to-find fresh-picked Montmorency Sour Cherries from Wenatchee.

She's at it again.

On Tuesday she came to Seattle for the day, and she surprised me by bringing 80 pounds of "Perfection" Apricots along for the ride.

Click to read more ...

Life just got a bit easier thanks to my Steam Juice Extractor

I'm trying to figure out why it took me so long to discover this simple, yet ingenious contraption. It's an old concept, and these things have been around forever -- but I've never used one until last weekend.

Have you ever seen one?

It's called a Steam Juice Extractor, because it uses heated steam to extract juice.

Click to read more ...

Seeing double after hand-pitting 40 pounds of Sour Cherries

I couldn't resist grabbing my iPhone today and snapping a photo of these 2 adorable double-cherries. Last month I told someone in an interview that I think rhubarb might just be the most photogenic member of the produce family. 

Can I change my answer?

Sour Cherry Surprise

 My friend Kelli called this morning.

She was home in Wenatchee, and I was at home, in Seattle. We're separated by the Cascade Mountain Range...only 140 miles by car but light years away when it comes to agriculture. She said she had a line on some sour cherries and that she knew someone who was headed my way and could I meet her friend in a parking lot somewhere to pick up 40 pounds of cherries?

Click to read more ...

Watermelon Rind Pickles

I'm sure you've heard the phrases:

 "Never let anything go to waste"

~ and ~

 "Reduce - Reuse - Recycle"

Keeping these concepts in mind, let's make some tasty Watermelon Rind Pickles.

Don't let that perfectly usable watermelon rind go to waste. Recycle it into fancy old-fashioned pickles. Some people might not know that the rind of a watermelon doesn't belong in the compost bin...it belongs in your belly! 

But first you need to separate the tender rind from the hard outer green skin and the pink edible inner flesh.  

Click to read more ...

Interview with Expendable Edibles

I was recently interviewed by Food Philosopher Nancy Gershman of Chicago, Illinois. Nancy, with the help of her friend Marlene, started a resourceful website & blog called Expendable Edibles, "Gourmet Treatments for the Un-Spoiled".

-Here's our interview, with links to some of my favorite recipes-