Mastering Food Preservation: Ball’s BPA-Free Canning Lids

Mastering Food Preservation: Ball's BPA-Free Canning Lids

We’ve long been concerned about BPA in canning lids, and just received a tip from an alert reader that Ball is now offering BPA-free lids:

They began production/release of their BPA-free lids in January 2013. To identify a BPA-free box (they are not marking it on their boxes, according to the company spokesman), look for a production code printed/stamped on each box that is One Letter Followed by 10-11 Numbers. On Ball boxes, you’ll find the code next to the flag on the bottom of the box. On Kerr boxes, you’ll find the code on the back of the box, above the text. It won’t be a particular code, but only BPA-free boxes will have these (or any) codes like this stamped on them.

I quickly checked my stash of canning lids, and was able to compare an older box (above, left) with one purchased in March 2013 (above, right).

Mastering Food Preservation: Ball's BPA-Free Canning Lids

A glance at the top panel of these two similar-looking boxes (above) shows that only the newer one has a code. After making an inquiry, Ball confirmed the news:

BPA free lids began to roll out last Fall. Those products will have production date codes stamped on the outside of the package. Starting this summer, you will find the “BPA Free” message start to appear on the front face of those packages.

Until these new labeled boxes come out, check for the numbered code next to the flag to ensure that the lids you’re buying are BPA-free.

Mastering Food Preservation: Ball's BPA-Free Canning Lids

Above: Older lids with a whiter lining to the left; new BPA-free lids with a darker lining and more prominent, slightly tweaked “button” to the right. When asked, the spokesperson for Ball was unable to tell me what the new lining is made of, only that the information is “proprietary.” Still, we’re glad to finally have a BPA-free choice.

Posted in cooking, preserving | Tagged | 3 Comments

5.20.13 Kale Rabe

5.20.13 Kale Rabe

We’ve extolled the virtues of bolted kale here before. Whenever we chance to be in the garden, we pinch off a couple of sweet florets to nibble on. It was with delight, then, that we discovered that snapping further down the stalk make for a harvest of kale rabe. Like asparagus, the plant will tell you just the spot to pick, its tender limit where it gives most easily. As the overwintered kales made way for spring planting, we had one last bouquet of kale rate to enjoy. Like so many things straight from the garden, this seasonal treat was best devoured simply roasted and anointed with good olive oil and some crunchy sea salt. The delicious results has us casting a new eye on the rest of the bolting brassicas.

5.20.13 Kale Rabe

It’s been a wonderfully lush spring here in Maine, long and slow, with enough time to allow us to savor each new wave of emerging growth. This month’s Full Flower Moon falls on May 25th this year. Also known as Mother’s Moon, Milk Moon, and Corn Planting Moon, it marks the end of late frosts and, with the arrival of warmer temperatures, a safe period of fertility. We’ve held off most of our planting until then, and, now with the deer fence firmly in place, there’s much to do in the days ahead!

Posted in garden | Tagged | 16 Comments

Reykjavik, Part 1: Icelandic Daze

2013 Reykjavik

I awoke just in time to see Greenland outside my window. We were on a flight to Reykjavik, and the Mercator maps hadn’t prepared me for how close to the arctic circle we’d be traveling. From Boston to Iceland, I’d assumed our path would be completely over water, and listened for the instructions on evacuating at sea.

2013 Reykjavik

Most of it was in Icelandic, of course. The only word I learned before leaving was takk, or “thanks.” Spending a mostly sleepless flight staring at the back of the seat in front of me did nothing to increase my vocabulary. We’d left Boston at 9:30 the night before, to arrive five hours later at 6:30 in the morning. This would be my first trip to Iceland, the Gardener’s third, and I was thrilled at the chance to visit. 

2013 Reykjavik

I felt like Dorothy arriving in Oz, except in reverse. At home, things were greening. Here, barely so.

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

From the Keflavik airport, a shuttle bus brought us into town, where a modern day Viking oversees the station. The Hotel Holt is within walking distance and on a quiet residential street. Behind the International-style cinder block facade, we discover a trove of mid-century modern.

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

The hotel dates back to 1965 much of its retro glamour remains, despite several renovations. On display throughout the hotel is the Holt’s notable Icelandic art collection. Including prints, drawings, paintings and sculpture, it’s the largest privately owned collection in Iceland. 

2013 Reykjavik

After checking in, we breakfasted on skyr, the Icelandic yogurt, marinated herring and rúgbrauð, a dark rye bread, then set off to explore the neighborhood. 

2013 Reykjavik

Our first destination was the Lutheran church, Hallgrímskirkja, prominently situated on the highest point in Reykyavik. Except for the stained glass doors to the nave, there’s little embellishment. 

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

The light-filled interior is as austere as the exterior, and a sizable organ dominates the space. 

2013 Reykjavik

What we really came for was the view from the steeple. Unusual for Reykjavik, the day was sunny and clear, though extremely windy, a more common occurrence. We lingered as long as we could, taking in the city, surrounding sea, and snow-capped peaks, then retreated back down into the street.

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

2013 Reykjavik

By mid-afternoon we were ready for a snack, and ducked into the cafe Mokka Kaffi. We took a look around and ordered what everyone else seemed to be having: waffles and, instead of hot chocolate, a cup of cappuccino. We watched how the locals do it — tear off a piece of warm waffle, and slather it with a dab of jam and a dollop of whipped cream. I was already smitten with Iceland and that first bite sealed the deal.

2013 Reykjavik

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped off at a grocery store to pick up some skyr. English is widely spoken, however, most of the food packaging was in Icelandic only. Without a translation, what was unidentifiable was made even more so.

2013 Reykjavik 2013 Reykjavik

After a much needed nap, we headed to Icelandic Fish & Chips down by the harbor for an easy, casual dinner. 

2013 Reykjavik

After our experience in the grocery store, it was a relief to find the menu in English. The specialty of this organic bistro is a rotating list of freshly caught fish, fried in a crunchy spelt batter. Today’s choices were ling, cod or pollock; prices shown are in krónur, the Icelandic currency. 

2013 Reykjavik

We ordered a couple of glasses of Egils Gull lager, and had the fried ling and crispy, oven roasted potatoes served with skyr tartar sauce, and an order of garlic roasted langoustine tails. After the long travel day, the salad was particularly welcome nourishment.

2013 Reykjavik

We finished dinner around 9:30, with plenty of daylight left to stroll around the harbor and take in the northern evening.

2013 Reykjavik

We came across this building made of two shipping containers, painted a bright red and housing a bike rental agency.

2013 Reykjavik

As a bookend to our walk — this little red house across from our hotel, a figurine of Charlie Chaplin sits in the window.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

From the balcony of our hotel at 10:30 pm, shortly after sunset. It was as if night never came, the light just gradually deepened to a dark ultramarine, then returned around 4 am. We made sure to close the dark-out drapes the next night.

Resources
Gray Line Iceland – Airport Express
Hotel Holt
Hallgrímskirkja
Mokka Kaffi
Icelandic Fish & Chips

Posted in field trip | Tagged , | 19 Comments

5.13.13 Lemon, Asparagus and Sunchokes

5.13.13 Lemon, Asparagus and Sunchokes

After our third tree in so many years, we’ve finally gotten an indoor lemon tree to bear fruit. From bloom to ripe citrus, this solitary harvest took seven months of patient tending. What to do when you only have one? We have it in mind to slice it up paper thin and make this.

5.13.13 Lemon, Asparagus and Sunchokes

Constant harvesting helps to keep the beetles out of the asparagus patch. With overnight temperatures hovering in the low 30′s, we’re picking especially hard this week. These were slathered with good olive oil and roasted up all in one batch, and, finished with a scattering of sea salt, made for the simplest of feasts.

5.13.13 Lemon, Asparagus and Sunchokes

We can’t say we weren’t forewarned. Much as we like the ease of a perennial edible that  stores in-ground, it can’t be understated how quickly last season’s foray into sunchokes have spread beyond their original planting. We hadn’t the chance to dig up some up until now; as it turns out, overwintering helps to convert the inulin into fructose, making them more digestible. Peeled, cubed and panfried until caramelized, these were a delicious accompaniment to the platter of asparagus.

Resources
Growing Citrus Indoors: 5 Helpful Tips, Apartment Therapy
The Truth About Indoor Citrus Trees, Gardenista
How to Prune a Lemon Tree, wikiHow

Posted in garden | Tagged , , | 24 Comments

Pasta with Spring Greens and Fresh Cheese

Pasta with Spring Greens and Fresh Cheese

Though the season’s first harvest of asparagus yielded but a handful, it was enough to finally welcome spring to our table with a glorious green pasta primavera. We make some version of this as the selection of spring vegetables ebbs and flows. At the moment, peas and favas are weeks away, and are from freezer stores, a harbinger of what’s to come. Once they’re here, we’ll bask in their sweetness, adding them to the increasing number of spears of asparagus. Later, we’ll add snap peas and slivers of tender green beans, or thin coins of radishes for color and crunch. If you find them in time, a handful of fiddleheads wouldn’t be out of place.

For this occasion, we made a batch of tiny cavatelli, imagining how the curl of this shell-shaped pasta would catch the brothy sauce. A loose pesto, bright emerald green from a combination of leafy greens, brings it all together, and a finishing dollop of soft cheese, such as ricotta or a mild goat cheese, adds a silky note.

Pasta with Spring Greens and Fresh Cheese

For the pesto, we gathered some fresh chard and spring onions — chives, walking onions, and garlic chives — from the garden, added a few leaves of sorrel for tartness, and processed it all with enough olive oil to form a loose pesto or salsa verde. Once it comes in, we’ll reach for some mint, also ramps when available. The vegetables are cooked with the pasta, thrown in towards the end, then everything is drained and dressed with the pesto. If the consistency of the dish seems stiff, add some reserved pasta cooking water, just enough to relax things. Pick a small-sized pasta, something spoonable like this cavetelli, or ditalini, or also orzo. Alternatively, this is as delicious stirred in some risotto, a pot of simmered beans (dried or green), a bowl of couscous or new potatoes.

There are as many versions of this dish as there are kitchens. Ours is based on Lidia Bastianich’s recipe for The Pope’s Risotto. Some other favorites are:
Pasta with asparagus, morels, favas or peas… improvise!, The Improvised Life
Fave + spring pesto, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome
Farfalle con piselli e ricotta (pasta with peas and ricotta cheese), Rachel Eats

Local ingredients: Homemade pasta, with whole grain durum flour from Fiddler’s Green Farm; homemade goat cheese, with goat milk from Jesta Farm; asparagus, peas, favas, chard, spring onions, and sorrel from the garden.

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

5.6.13 Asparagus, Spring Onions and Chard

5.6.13 Asparagus, Spring Onions and Chard

Enough of the asparagus has finally made it’s way up to warrant harvesting. Along the way, we picked some of the over-wintered Fordhook chard, a handful of spring onions ( chives, walking onion, and garlic chives), and a couple of leaves of garden sorrel — dinner in the making.

Posted in garden | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Duck Confit with Ginger-Braised Red Cabbage, and Pan-Fried Potatoes

Duck Confit with Ginger-Braised Red Cabbage

Despite the hardy souls we see walking around in shorts (we mean you, Mr. UPS Man) and sandals, it’s still considered early spring here and evenings can be downright chilly. We find ourselves craving such warming foods as this duck confit, served up with a side of red cabbage braised with ginger and apples. Truth be told, though, this week-end meal was just an excuse to make a pile of potatoes pan-fried in duck fat.

We started with the red cabbage, and sautéed it with a chopped onion, a couple of apples, and some chunks of ginger. For a braising liquid, we used hard cider with a splash of tart cider vinegar and, for some balancing sweetness, apple molasses; maple syrup would serve just as well. We keep a stash of Popper’s duck confit on hand, and after searing it in a cast iron pan a crust formed, we set the legs aside and finished cooking the potatoes in the remaining duck fat. The secret to crunchy potatoes: Blanch the cut pieces briefly in unsalted water, drain until dry, and, if possible, let them cool down before finishing frying; the sugars and starches drawn to the surface through par-cooking work to form a crispy shell surrounding an almost souffléd texture within.

Local ingredients: Duck confit from Popper’s Artisanal Meats; red cabbage from Red Manse Farm; onion from Black Kettle Farm; canola oil from Coppal House Farm; hard cider from Nottingham Orchard; apples from Hackleboro Orchards; cider vinegar from Sewall’s Orchard; sea salt from Maine Sea Salt; homemade apple molasses, and the last of our storage potatoes from the garden.

— For Seacoast Eat Local.

Posted in cooking | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments