Food for Soul and Body

The word was everywhere--on restaurant billboards along the highway, in bakery windows, in conversation one day as they cooled on the kitchen counter--"kolaches." They are fruit-filled pastries beloved year-round in Czech and Polish communities.

Lutefisk. Polenta. Sweet potato pie. What is the food that takes you back to family celebrations and gives you a sense of history? One of my memory foods is tomato preserves. Even the words bring back stories of my grandmother's rural upbringing, when a good portion of the summer was spent putting up food for the spartan times of year. Canning quarts of beans and peaches, making jam, sorting eggs in sawdust, skimming the sauerkraut crock every 24 hours--all had to be fit into those long, hot, busy summer days.

I would like to do more food preserving myself, but admit that the "hot" and "busy" parts stump me. I have promised myself that I will put up more tomatoes (not only my grandmother's sweet preserves, but also sauce, whole tomatoes, juice, and salsa) this year, no matter how hot it gets at harvest time.

My big discovery this summer is pickles, one of the easiest and safest foods to can because the acidic vinegar and the salt give an extra margin of safety against bacteria. Best of all, cooking times are minimal so you're not stuck at the stove. And pickles--including pickled carrots, okra, beets, as well as the traditional cucumber pickles--taste delicious on a hot day.

I recommend to you one of the recipes I have run across this summer (by word of mouth, the best way) that I have made, eaten, and enjoyed. And I'll also pass on Grandma Winegar's recipe for tomato preserves.

Note: These recipes assume familiarity with canning methods. If you haven't canned before you should read up on the basics in an up-to-date cookbook or call your county extension agent for details before trying these recipes. Canning shouldn't be intimidating, but some basic equipment and careful attention to procedures is required to produce a safe, delicious jar of pickles!

Copper Pennies

For each pint jar you wish to make you'll need:
· 1 1/2 cups raw carrot wheels (about 1/2 inch thick)
· 1/2 medium onion, sliced in rings
· 8 oz. can tomato sauce (most brands are slightly spiced already)
· 1/4 cup cider vinegar
· 1/4 cup brown sugar
· 1/2 tsp. salt
· 1/8 tsp. black pepper, ground

Steam carrots just until tender. Meanwhile make the sauce: Saute onion rings in small amount of oil until translucent, being careful not to brown them. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the sweet and sour balance to your liking, adding more vinegar or sugar as needed.

Put carrots in clean, hot jar(s). Pour sauce over them, leaving 1 inch head room. (Any extra makes a great barbecue sauce!) Cap with canning lid and ring, submerge the whole thing in boiling water, and process 15 minutes.

Red Tomato Preserves
· 4 pounds ripe tomatoes
· 5 cups sugar
· 1 lemon

Scald and peel tomatoes. Leave them whole. Add sugar and let stand overnight. Add thinly sliced lemon and cook until mixture is clear and thick. Put in sterilized jars, cap, and process 10 minutes in boiling water.

Carey Burkett was an organic vegetable farmer in Hallettsville, Texas, when this article appeared.