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Welcome to GOOD Ideas, a web series where we talk with people who are doing cool things to make the world a better place. We’ll be updating this post with a live stream of the conversation via Google Hangout, so remember to bookmark this link. We hope you’ll tune in, ask questions in the comment field below, and help us push the conversation forward.
Welcome to GOOD Ideas, a web series where we talk with people who are doing cool things to make the world a better place. We’ll be updating this post with a live stream of the conversation via Google Hangout, so remember to bookmark this link. We hope you’ll tune in, ask questions in the comment field below, and help us push the conversation forward.
In the June 7 episode, Lara Rabinovitch, guest Food Curator at GOOD, learned how to make jam with chef Rose Lawrence of Red Bread. This is a two-day recipe, so if you want to participate with us during the demo, make sure to prep your fruit the night beforehand. Here’s what you will need and the recipe we’ll be using.
Tools in Preparation
Large Nonreactive Dutch Oven (Stainless Steel, Ceramic, Copper)
Large Wooden Spoon
Small Metal Skimmer
Jars, 8oz Bell or Kerr
Ladle
Apricot Jam Recipe
(Makes 8-9 8 oz. jars)
8 lbs. apricots, quartered
4 lbs. raw cane sugar
5 oz. fresh lemon juice
Day 1
Combine quartered apricots, 3 lbs. sugar and 2 oz. lemon juice. Cover and let sit at room temp overnight.
Day 2
Place a plate in the freezer. Clean and wash jars in hot water. Place jars a few inches apart on a cookie sheet, rings on the counter, and lids in a bowl of hot water. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake jars for 30 minutes to sterilize.
Meanwhile, pour apricot mixture into dutch oven. Add remaining sugar and lemon juice, stir to combine. Place on high heat, stirring gently till sugar dissolves. As jam cooks you will need to gently stir every minute or so, more towards the end to prevent scorching. Jam will rush up the sides of your pan and then go down as the mixture thickens.
After about 10 minutes, skim off stiff yellow foam and continue cooking. After 20-25 minutes, you can test for doneness.
Turn off heat, take plate from freezer and place small sample of the jam on it. Return to freezer for four minutes. After four minutes, check jam sample, which should have thickened and should wrinkle when you push on it. If jam is still loose, return to heat and cook a few more minutes.
Canning
When jam is ready, remove jars from oven. Fill to 1/2 inch head room, place lid on top and secure ring till finger tip tight. Once all jars are filled and sealed, return to oven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove jars to cooling rack and allow to cool undisturbed at room temperature. Lids will make a POP sound when properly sealed and are shelf staple for 1 year. Any lids that don’t pop should be moved to the fridge and consumed first.
And here’s a little more on our guests.
Rose Lawrence is the chef and spirit behind Red Bread, an organic kitchen and egrocer in West Los Angeles. A passionate baker and Master Food Preserver Rose is committed to understanding the science, art and magic of real food treated with care for all it’s delicious results. Red Bread is known for their signature wild sourdoughs and micro batch preserves, made from the best ingredients organic farms in California have to offer. Working to make food with as low-impact on the environment as they can, they home deliver by electric bicycle and use compostable/recyclable packaging. And when you support Red Bread, five percent of every sale goes to the LA Food Bank. Red Bread was recently voted for Best Cookie in Los Angeles by LA Weekly. Red Bread has launched a Kickstarter campaign that runs through June 19, to open their first market and restaurant space serving breakfast, lunch and tea.
Lara Rabinovitch is a food curator at GOOD.is and a freelance writer and consultant. She has a doctorate in food culture and history from New York University and specializes in all things pastrami. Lara is co-editor of the book, Choosing Yiddish: New Frontiers of Language and Culture, an anthology highlighting the young generation of scholars revitalizing the field of Yiddish Studies.
