Tastes Like Home
Hi Everyone,
I am rich with the bounty of the season! My freezer, refrigerator, pantry and countertop are looking mighty attractive with all the goodies that have been entrusted to them. They protect the fruits of my labour.
Although we enjoy summer-like weather all year round, the Caribbean too, has seasons for certain things. There are some items, such as tomatoes, herbs, limes and bananas that you can get all year round. However, for variety and excellent prices, it is always best to buy in season. Most fruits are seasonal. Currently, the mango season is almost at an end; guavas are in season as is passion fruit. Sugar apples are in and the trees are laden with five-finger (carambola, star fruit), sourpsop trees are in blossom and golden apples (June plum) are coming into their full season. Limes are aplenty!
Each year as the fruits and certain other produce come into season, I always preserve some so that I can enjoy them throughout the year. As you know, it is often when something is not readily available that you have a craving for it. I hope, through this week’s column, that you’ll feel motivated to join me in preserving some of the season’s finest. I know that depending on where you are, you’ll probably have different things to preserve and that’s great. Just do it.
Preserving, for me, is not just for those times of cravings but it really helps me out in my day-to-day cooking, especially when work and the food writing and photography assignments are pressing. So here’s what I’ve been up to.
I’ve made two bottles of lime pickle; each one has a different flavour, one with green chillies and ginger and the other with just lime and spices. The best part is that they do not have to be cooked. Fresh limes are seeded, cut up and added to sterilized glass bottles along with sugar, salt and spices. The bottles are then placed in the wonderfully hot sun we enjoy here all year round, to be cooked. They’ll be ready in a month’s time. I’ll be able to enjoy these with my meals or any savoury snack that requires a bit of sour to go along with it.
Earlier in the year when tomatoes were one dollar (BDS $1 = US .50 cents) per pound, I bought several pounds and made marinara sauce – stewed tomatoes with garlic and basil. I have some bottled and some in zip bags in the freezer. This is a multi-purpose sauce to be used on pasta, for stews, bread, roti, fried eggs, etc. I also have basil pesto in stock and you will recall from last week’s column, the myriad of ways one can use this herb sauce.
I have scotch bonnets (big hot peppers) in a large zip bag in the freezer too. The colours remain vibrant and when I want to use one, I’d either drop it into the pot direct from the freezer or I take it out to thaw and grind or chop it with other aromatics for a seasoning paste. Bottles of pepper sauce have been made, set in the sun to cure and are currently being enjoyed.
There are various bags of freshly grated coconut in my freezer. I’ve parcelled them in one-cup and two-cup portions. These are such time-savers for me, as so often a recipe would call for coconut. Tell the truth, the thought of grating a coconut when you need it is not always appealing. I always take out the required amount I will need and leave it to come up to room temperature – before adding it directly to a recipe or squeezing it for milk.
Whenever the mango season starts, I get a set of green mangoes, peel and chop them up and freeze them – for fish curry of course! I even have some saijan (drumsticks) I got from a vendor a few months ago, all chopped and frozen for future use. You never know when next you’ll see or taste certain things so you have to stock up. For example, I rarely see pearl or baby onions but last week, I found some and made pickled onions. I always associate pickled onions with Christmas, as that’s the time my mom usually made them. Whenever I find these little treasures, I buy them and find ways of preserving them.
Soursops have been de-seeded and frozen. There is also cooked guava pulp, sliced ripe mangoes and passion fruit pulp – all for drinks, juices or baking treats. And there’s jam – guava jam and pineapple jam.
Like I said, these are not just treats to be had at the time of a craving, they are helpful in a variety of settings. Preserving saves money and time and in an age of healthy eating, this is ideal, as you know exactly what is in the food and drink you are consuming.
Enjoy the seasons; eat and preserve the fruits and vegetables to your heart’s content.
Cynthia
tasteslikehome@gmail. com
www.tasteslikehome.org
Pickled Onions
INGREDIENTS
2 ½ pounds baby or pearl onions, peeled, washed and pat dry
Pickling liquid (see recipe below)
6 green chillies or bird peppers, whole or slit
¾ teaspoon black pepper corns
3 whole cloves
¾ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
3 sterilized glass bottles with covers
Pickling Liquid
5 cups white vinegar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon black pepper corns
½ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
½ teaspoon whole all spice berries
½ tablespoon coarse sea salt or 2 teaspoons regular salt
● Add all the ingredients to a pot, stir to dissolve sugar and salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to low and let simmer for 15 minutes
● Set aside to cool completely (to room temperature)
METHOD
1. Divide the chillies, black pepper corns, cloves and mustard seeds equally into three parts and add to each glass bottle
2. Fill jars with onions
3. Pour in pickling liquid until it just covers the onions
4. Seal with lid and refrigerate. In 2 weeks time should be able to begin eating your pickled onions
NOTE
If you like, taste the pickling liquid as it’s simmering and adjust salt or sugar to suit to your taste buds.