Since 1997. I started with my father’s green tomato pickle recipe and venison. My aunt and I spent a weekend canning and divided up the food. My next adventure involved canning squash, which I learned shortly thereafter was a bad thing! I did not do it correctly, and it spoiled in my pantry. The jars leaked the fermented, rotting squash, and it smelled very bad.
What are your favorite preservation methods?
I like dehydrating foods because it is easy; it saves space; and it’s versatile. I also enjoy pressure canning—I find I preserve many more low acid than high acid foods, the latter of which can be processed in a water bath canner. Plus, I can a lot of meat, which requires pressure canning.
Danielle likes to make a mixed ground meat as a hunting camp staple. It’s versatile and she fries it up like hash, adds to breakfast burritos, includes with Spanish rice in stuffed peppers and more.
What are some of your favorite foods to preserve and why?
I like to dehydrate apple slices until they are crunchy. I eat them like potato chips or crumble them into cereal, yogurt, or quick breads. I also like to pressure can meats for use as a quick meal solution on busy nights. I can chicken, pork, venison, beef, and turkey, which we use in tacos, casseroles, sandwiches, soups, stews, and stir fry. I like to make and can shepherd’s pie that my family need only heat up before eating. I also make and pressure can many, many different types of soup.
One of my favorite things about fall is the beautiful seasonal color. Of course, I am talking about the glowing ruby reds of… cranberries! One of the last fruits of the year to ripen, these native, low-growing berries are a staple of holiday feasts, but they have application far beyond turkey condiments. Cranberries are high in fiber and vitamin C, as well as anthocyanin – that’s what gives them their vibrant color; it is also a powerful antioxidant. Naturally low in sugar, cranberries are often prepared with additional sweeteners – but they don’t have to be!
We are incredibly lucky to have one of just two cranberry farms in New York State right here in the North Country, at Deer River Cranberries of Brasher Falls. When I first tasted these berries – available fresh and frozen from many local retailers, as well as direct from the farm – I was amazed by how different the flavor was compared to supermarket ‘fresh’ berries. In fact, they are so tasty that my family and I like to snack on them raw, without any added sugar.
Autumn harvest at Deer River Cranberries in Brasher Falls. Photo courtesy of Sasha Kocho-Williams.
But, if you do want to prepare something with them, you will be spoiled for choice. From a simple cooked cranberry sauce (whole-berry, crushed, or strained style) that can be water-bath canned for long-term, shelf-stable storage, to fresh relishes, juicing, and baked goods, cranberries are as versatile as they are beautiful.
Deer River cranberries wholesales most of their berries, but they are also available for sale by the pound onsite during October harvest. Photo courtesy of Cornell Cooperative Extension.
A whirlwind of sights, flavors and new skills were learned in the past 2 weeks in the Harvest Kitchen at the Extension Learning Farm. For the first time, North Wind Farm Day Camp and the Harvest Kitchen paired up to offer a special theme, Farm to Table Chef Training Camp. Three Extension Educators pulled together the curriculum, Flip Filippi-Local Food Program Leader and Harvest Kitchen Manager, Erica LaFountain-Community Horticulture Educator, and Leslie Schwartz-our newest arrival to the team as a Food System Program Assistant.
There’s much potential on the Learning Farm and this was an excellent union of growing, cooking and youth education. The Harvest Kitchen is already used for many purposes preservation and cooking programs for the public, including workshops with the onsite BOCES Agricultural Academy, and rental by local food entrepreneurs.
We started planning for this camp back in the winter. We decided that the foundational ideas to guide our planning are exposure to preparing whole foods, tying ingredients back to what can be grown or produced in northern NY, and getting hands-on experience in a fun, safe environment.
Campers harvesting the ingredients for their springrolls
The two week camp included a cooking session every day and sometimes two for a group of 12 youth aged 8-12 years old. They were an incredibly fun and curious bunch. All the campers got to bring home a binder full of the recipes they made as well as a Harvest Kitchen apron to accompany them on future kitchen adventures. They harvested ingredients from the onsite high tunnel multiple times a week, and even ventured to the farmers market and a local farm to hunt down more ingredients for upcoming recipes.
The campers visited the photo exhibit In Season: Our Rural Food System in Photos, curated by Cornell Cooperative Extension and on display at the TAUNY Center in Canton.
So what did we make together? Over the course of 2-weeks the campers made 28 different recipes! It was a wide diversity of preparations, some were foundational, simple skills such as during the sessions “All About Eggs” or “Baked Goods with Herbs”. Other sessions were more aspirational such as making handmade pasta and fresh mozzarella. They even experienced the longstanding north country tradition of canning, making a batch of dilly beans. On the last day, they plated and served the whole camp and their families fresh snacks including caprese kebabs, mixed berry fruit leather and three kinds of homemade popsicles.
Water bath canning dilly beans
One of my favorite parts was experiencing the enthusiasm and creativity of the group. One session, they made oven fries and homemade ketchup. Campers decorated their own ketchup bottle to bring home, and the names and designs were bright and beautiful. Each morning, they rushed into the kitchen to wash their hands and don their aprons for the day. Many excitedly took notes in their recipes binders, marking up their favorite dishes and reminders for what they might change when they try the recipe again. Read more Fresh Flavors with Farm Day Camp
