Thoughts of Harvest

This morning, in preparation for next weekend’s guests, I made up a batch of dried tomato tapenade. This took up the last of our dried tomatoes except for what I’ve got stashed in the deep-freeze (two, one-gallon freezer bags). I’m feeling like last year’s harvest is finally running out, and that as soon as I make it through the rest of the dried squash, it’ll be time for harvest to begin again! What marvelous timing, and what great time to be exchanging correspondence with Jackie of One Thread Two Thread regarding what to do with all of that excess produce.

Jackie tells me:

With my green tomatoes, I usually make relish. I have an allergy to mustard and so most store bought relishes are inedible by me. I usually don’t have too many green tomatoes. Most of the plants that we grow are short season plants, any where from 48 to 80 days (from transplant) with the average being about 70. I also (much to my husband’s horror) start pinching off any blossoms about the second week of August. It concentrates the plant energy into ripening the already set fruit. At least that is what I have been told.
I would love the recipe for your fruitmince. I am always willing to try something new in the preserves department.

So, by way of sharing, I’ll provide you with the recipe I used as a base, which comes from the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving, and will also point you to my earlier post on mincemeat, and to Cook Almost Anything‘s pretty pictures of dried fruit … which also gives directions for making fruitmince.

Do note that this recipe is merely a starting place for making fruitmince. We’ve done it faithfully all of once, and have since altered it into “whatever’s on hand that sounds good.” We’ve combined it with the recipes for Tomato Apple Chutney, Curried Apple Chutney, and Peach or Pear Chutney. But here’s the starting point:

Brandied Mincemeat

• 4 chopped Fuji apples (or similar firm variety)
• 4 cups cranberries
• 2 pounds raisins
• 1 pound currants
• 1 pound figs, chopped
• 2 ground and seeded oranges and zest
• 2 ground and seeded lemons and zest
• 1 cup candied orange peel
• 1 cup candied lemon peel
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
• 2 Tbsp ginger powder
• 1 cup candied ginger
• 2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 quart apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup brandy
• 1/2 cup dry sherry

Combine all ingredients, except alcohol, in a large nonreactive vessel. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in brandy and sherry. Return to heat; simmer 30 minutes. Ladle hot mincemeat into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 30 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

From there, what we’ve done is to basically add a whole bunch of green tomatoes, increased the spice factor by at least double if not quadruple, added quantities of Pomona’s Universal Pectin (to the cold liqids), and added more vinegar and more alcohol. We’ve also, because we’re unsure of the acidity and because of possible alkaloids present in the green tomatoes, processed these at high temperatures in a pressure canner.

We’ve found that pressure canning things really destroys any pectins; nothing will gel after it’s been up to those temperatures. So, don’t bother with the pectins if you’re going to go for pressure canning these. We’re a bit nervous about the acidity, so we usually go for the pressure option, especially when we’re “just throwing things in.” That said, the liquids added here are either vinegar or citrus or alcohol, and increase the acidity quite a bit. Between those and the sugars, we’re probably quite safe.

What do you do with this when you’re done, you ask? Why, you make pie! Depending upon how firm you want it, you add between 2 and 4 Tablespoons of corn starch to 1 quart of fruitmince, throw that into a pie shell, and bake for about an hour and a half. If you underbake it, it’ll be kind of milky and soft in the center, and that’s just not appetizing. This last year we made over 100 quarts of the fruitmince plus another 10 quarts or so of chutney (basically, add some onions, curry powder & some hot peppers to the fruitmince & you’ve got it). We have about 3 quarts left, and those are in little bitty jars for making tartlets. That’s it. Everything else is either firmly encamped about our middles, or has gone to friends.

I encourage you to experiment, to grow more than you think you can eat, and to preserve things!

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