The older I get, the more I want to slow time down, reduce all the complications in my life, and get back to basics. In a world that feels like it's falling apart (does it always, when you become an adult, or is it just 2019?), it's easy to feel like you have no control over anything. And totally, in many ways we don't have control. We can't steer the giant being of environmental collapse by ourselves. Becoming president isn't really in any of our purview any time soon. Cancer isn't going to be taken down by me, personally. Reading these news articles day after day can lead to anxiety, helplessness, and depression, the kind you can't necessarily fix, unless you fix the world around you. But I've found that getting offline once in a while, taking action every day, controlling what I can, and commiserating with others can help. No, a few recipes and thoughts on a simpler life won't fix these overarching problems by themselves. But they're something I can control, and when I'm feeling hopeless, just having a comforting meal can help. Coming up with a reason to get together with my friends can help. Learning how to reduce my environmental impact can help. They help me create a world I want to live in, and if we all do that - if we all live a life that makes a small impact, maybe we can create a larger impact. So don't think of this issue as just recipes; look at them from a wider perspective of impacting the way you look at food, mindfulness, and the world at large. Let's get back to basics with SIMPLE.
Head of Content + Design chickpeamagazine.com serifandscript.co @serifandscript
You know when you're super lazy and tired and just want to order takeout or heat up some pre-made processed food in the microwave? Or maybe you don't have much of an appetite or don't really want to make a big production out of eating? These recipes are my absolute favorite for when I really just don't want to cook, but I still want something that feels special - maybe even something that'll brighten my spirits. My requirements for such a meal are that they take very little to no prep time, take just a few tools or less to create, and aren't too hard to clean up after. Almost always they rely on what's in season, because the best tasting food is seasonal. Here are my easiestmeals ever for each season.
9
apple cider, one-pan roast dinners, baked apples Fall is my favorite season - it's filled with the best produce from summer, plus fall and winter crops, so you really get the best of all seasons here. It's when we start inviting more people over to our place for board games, big dinners, and generally cozy nights. I get more into baking and actually gettting to enjoy time together out on our porch, as the extreme heat from summer is gone. Long live autumn!
Topping Ingredients 2/3 cup flour 1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 a large head cauliflower
(Page 89)
2 tsp chilli seasoning (Page 89)
2/3 cup cold non-dairy butter, cubed 1/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup oats a pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tbsp corn starch 1/8 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup + 3 tbsp very cold carbonated water frying oil your fav dipping sauce 1. Heat the oil to 375°F, or until the oil is hot enough to make some test batter fry. 2. Break the cauliflower into bite-size pieces - the smaller the better. Coat in the chilli seasoning. Whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and carbonated water. It should be pretty thick. 3. Coat each cauli piece with the batter and fry until crispy. Eat right away (perfect for a party) or keep in the fridge and use an air-fryer to reheat. Clean up by just straining the oil into a jar for reuse later.
10
Filling Ingredients 4-5 cups seasonal fruit (we used blackberry & apple) 3 tsp corn starch 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp pumpkin spice
(Page 89)
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a pie dish or cast iron pan. 2. Add to a food processor the flour, spice, butter, and sugar. Pulse to combine until the butter starts to break into small pieces. Add in the oats and pulse just a couple of times to combine.
Pop it into the fridge. 3. Chop up your fruit and coat in the corn starch, then coat in the rest of the filling ingredients. Pour the fruit into your dish, followed by the topping pressed together and crumbled on top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbly. 4. Serve piping hot the day you make it, preferably with vanilla ice cream.
2 tbsp almond butter 1/4 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 tsp pumpkin spice (Page 89) 3 cups cold water Blend all the ingredients together for at least a few minutes, until it's thoroughly combined and smooth. Strain if desired. We love making milks from nut butters - it's a cheaper and
more
convenient
option than getting whole nuts, and it's helpful if you run out of store-bought milks last minute.
T H A N K S SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT OUR FREE PREVIEW! chickpea noodle soup, roasted butternut soup, simple cookies, lemon & ginger "tea" Winter is such a time of introspection for me. In a snowbound city like mine, we often don't leave the house for weeks at a time - just to get groceries and maybe try to get together with friends to cure the cabin fever. Instead, I'm reading, thinking, writing, and doing creative work during these bitterly cold months. All I want out of winter foods is comfort, warmth, and a little bit of nutrition to fight off any sickness that comes my way.
READ T H E R E S T O F THIS A R T I C LE IN OU R F U L L ISSU E H E R E 1 tsp black tea
1 medium sweet potato
15 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup cooked lentils
hot (not boiling) water
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup cooked quinoa*
almond or soy milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 an avocado
(optional) simple syrup of
2 tbsp - 1/4 cup maple syrup
a handful greens or herbs
3 tsp dutch-processed cocoa powder
salt & pepper
1 1/2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
1. This makes enough for one person,
multiply if serving more. Heat your oven to
1 pinch flaky sea salt + more to garnish
choice (Page 24)
Make the tea. Get your
water hot, put the tea in
a tea strainer, and pour it into a cup to steep for 3
400°F. Rinse your potato(es) and sprinkle
Blend all the ingredients up in a
with salt. Poke some holes with a fork, and
minutes.
food processor, one ingredient at a
put the potato(es) in the oven.
Remove
time, starting with just 2 tbsp of the
and pour in the milk
DIGITAL ISSUES PRINT ISSUES SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MORE!
the
strainer,
2. I like having the lentils & quinoa prepped
maple syrup. Add the peanuts in
and simple syrup. Enjoy
beforehand, but you can cook them while
last and pulse to combine, to keep
warm!
the potato is baking. (Page 44) *We like
some of their texture in tact. Once
adding some bouillon/stock & a bay leaf to our
it's relatively consistent in texture,
quinoa. Prep the avocado & greens.
and it can be formed into balls, roll
3. When the potatoes can be easily poked through with a fork, take them out and
immediately slice them open. Add on your ingredients and top with salt & pepper.
them into balls, sprinkle with salt,
and keep them in the fridge. If it's
not sticky enough, add more of the maple syrup.
13
Words + Photos by Loren Miche chickpeawellness.squarespace.com @loren.miche Loren Miche is a lover of all things health, wellness, food and natural living, who strives to live a low waste/ low tox lifestyle. Simplicity: It brings me so much joy. When
environment. Most people have a skin and
I started simplifying every aspect of my
hair care routine that is 100 pages long,
life things just got easier. From the food
using every product under the sun and most
I eat to what I put on my skin, I simplified
of these products have ingredients that we
everything. Two years ago I started on a
don’t even know how to pronounce, much less
low waste journey. I started by reducing my
know where the ingredients actually come
plastic usage, which lead me to eating less
from. My personal beauty routine is simple,
processed food, which then lead to me making
I only use a few products and I love to DIY
my own beauty products. I have had so much
most of them so I know exactly what is going
fun learning about all natural ingredients,
on my skin and hair. Everything from my
seeing where they come from and how to combine
conditioner to my facial products are made
certain items to make everyday products.
in my home with whole ingredients and it
I’m constantly learning more and more about
brings me ease and happiness knowing where
the importance of keeping things simple,
all of my products come from. I believe in
natural and non-toxic especially when it
using only non-processed ingredients because
comes to the environment. Simplifying my
I know at some point all of these products
beauty routine has opened my eyes - we don’t
will end up in our waters and on our land.
need 500 products for every single part of
We can all make a difference by switching
our routine. If we keep it minimal it's much
to eco-friendly swaps in our everyday lives:
easier for ourselves and our impact on the
let’s start with our beauty products.
15
The
next
product
on
my
list
is dry shampoo - a product I use quite often considering I usually only wash my hair a few times a week. This dry shampoo is amazing because it actually works so much better than all the store bought products I used to buy. I was using the canned
2 tbsp corn starch 1-2 tbsp cocoa powder (this is for darker hair: omit if you have light blonde hair) OR
1-2
tbsp
cinnamon
powder
(for red toned hair)*
spray shampoo but it's honestly such a big waste and horrible for the environment by using propane and butane, nobody wants that on their scalp! What's really great is that I bet you have all the ingredients you need in your kitchen right now! Using a more natural dry shampoo means you know what is exactly going on your head and you can control how little or how much you use. By using cornstarch it soaks up any excess oil without totally drying out your scalp and hair. Okay, let’s get to it!
1. First, get a small glass container or jar and simply measure all your ingredients and place into jar. 2. Mix until well combined. Use your hands or a make up brush to brush onto your roots when you need a refresher. Work into roots until the shine is gone and the powder is all soaked in. *Cinnamon can be irritating to sensitive
skin,
so
test
your
mixture on a small patch of skin first before use.
17
T H A N K S SO MUCH FOR CH E C K I N G OUT OUR FREE PREVIEW!
R EAD T H E R E S T O F THI S A R T I C L E IN O U R F U L L ISSU E H E R E DIGITAL ISSUES PRINT ISSUES SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MORE!
ending in me I
to care a lot
feeling so guilty and
used about
doing things the "right" way. And by "care" I mean "be super anxious about it, and if I messed up I'd guilt trip and
wasteful. I don't want to feel this way, and I don't want you to, either - if you want to buy canned beans, or quick-cooking rice, or if you're just better at managing your cooking, please don't feel any pressure to be "perfect" and do everything yourself.
shame myself." Never about veganism, but certainly
But there are so many reasons to do so, if you feel up
for creating less waste, and cooking from scratch.
to it. It's cheaper, it's less packaging, you have more
Nowhere was this more apparent than cooking staples
control over the salt and preservative content, and you
and buying entirely fresh food. I'd get a fridge full of
can make as much as you need. And, there's nothing
fresh vegetables, then order takeout because I was too
like hummus made from freshly cooked chickpeas.
tired to cook dinner, then the food would go bad and I'd kick myself for wasting so much food and money. Or, I'd feel guilty about buying canned beans when I COULD buy them in bulk with no packaging, and cook them myself in a big batch. But then I'd obsess over meal prepping, end up with a kitchen full of
The same thing with rice - perfectly cooked rice from scratch is far better (and less wasteful) than those plastic steam bags of instant rice. And it doesn't take much effort to make it. (Especially if you happen to own a rice cooker.)
prepped food to clean up after, and forget to put away
But you don't need special tools for either. Just a pot
the cooling colander of cooked chickpeas. So they'd
with a lid, and a simple colander will give you great
end up ruined, and I'd have to toss them out, again
rice & beans every time. Here's how we do it.
23
Best used in soups and as thickeners. These cook super quickly and are meant to be cooked down to a "mush." The most commonly found variety, these are great in soups and burgers because they hold their shape but can be broken down easily.
These hold their shape beautifully, so they're perfect for use in salads, as meat replacements (like ground beef, or taco meat), and cook toward the longer end of the cooking recommendation.
Rinse thoroughly and remove any debris. Let come to a boil, Soak
then simmer 20-30 minutes or until tender.
overnight, discard the water. Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until
Thoroughly rinse your legumes
tender. Add enough water to cover, plus two inches above. Soak for 8 hours, discard the water. In a heavy-bottomed pot, simmer the beans for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Add enough water to cover, plus two inches above. Don't boil, or else they'll fall apart. Lightly salt the water to prevent tough skins. For smaller beans, err to the shorter side of the cooking time, for the larger, err to the longer side.
before cooking, to remove dirt and debris. Remove any discolored or "off" looking pieces during the rinsing. For either method, you can add in fresh herbs, onion, and a bay leaf for flavor. Add in a piece of kombu to quicksoaked beans to make them easier to digest. Save the cooking water, you can use it for a stock base. Store legumes in enough cooking water to cover, for up to
Instead of an overnight soak, you can boil the beans for 5 minutes, then turn the heat off and let sit, covered, for 1
five days in a sealed container in the fridge. You can freeze them (in their cooking liquid) but we haven't had the best experience with them like this.
1/2 hours before fully cooking. *Split peas can be cooked in about 40 minutes if they're soaked overnight, or 1 1/2 hours if unsoaked.
25
white rice – 20 minutes
millet – 25 minutes
steel cut oats – 45 minutes
brown rice – 50 minutes
bulgur – 20 minutes
hulled barley – 60 minutes
wild rice – 45 minutes
amaranth – 30 minutes
farro – 60 minutes
forbidden rice – 30 minutes
freekeh – 40 minutes
red rice – 20 minutes
rolled oats – 5 minutes
sushi rice –15 minutes
quinoa – 15 minutes
Add a pinch of salt to your water and let it come to a boil. Pour in your rinsed grains and let cook, partially covered, until tender. Add in 1/4 cup extra water at a time if you find your water is evaporating too quickly. Drain any excess liquid (like with barley or other large grain) and let stand off heat, covered for five minutes. Fluff small grains with a fork.
Thoroughly rinse your legumes before cooking, to remove dirt and debris. Remove any discolored or "off" looking pieces during the rinsing. You can add in fresh herbs, onion, and a bay leaf for flavor, or use stock instead of water. Store in an airtight container for up to two days. Rice & grains do best when eaten quickly, but you can rehydrate them especially if you use them in soups, stir fries, casseroles, etc. r
27
I'm a child of an overcrowded, cluttered house, with piles of uncleaned dishes and huge fights over where the TV remote ended up. I could never find the clothes I wanted to wear, or it was still sitting in the washer, washed but never put in the dryer. I pledged to myself that I would never let my living space get like that...until, it did. It's the curse of being an adult with responsibilities and too much on their plate, really. Boxes pile up in our office and entryway, bags are never put away from road trips, and the dishes. The dishes are never not piled high in our kitchen. The countertops just all of a sudden appear totally covered in debris, like in the Sims after a Sim cooks a meal. I didn't intend for it to happen, but it did. I've been focusing on not only cleaning our house, but keeping it clean on a daily basis without much work. I'm living in a much bigger house than I grew up in, so I'm not used to lugging boxes and bags up and down the stairs every day, or just vacuuming stairs in the first place. Cleaning the house top to bottom in one day just isn't possible where I live now, and I've tried many times. So I don't want to set aside whole weekends just to cleaning - I want to do the bare minimum and not end up like I did as a teen, overrun by stuff and frustration around that stuff. So here are my best tips on how to keep a clean house... without spending days doing it.
29
MAKE T H E B E D
Even if it's just throwing the blanket
over top, just covering the sheets can be a huge help to the amount of times you have to change the sheets. Our cats will lay on the sheets, leaving hair and debris under the top blanket if we don't. Oh, and we've heard it's a good way to start your day in a clean mindset. We mostly don't want cat litter in our bed!
PUT D I S H E S I N TH E DI SH WA SH ER
PARE DOWN YOUR ITEMS/ LIVING SPACE TO REDUCE HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO CLEAN.
This is a hugely overlooked aspect to cleaning, but my mom told me best - the bigger the house, the more you have to clean. That's why she loves her small house! Even if you can't change your living situation, you can change how
After you're
much you have to clean, by reducing the
done with a meal, rinse off your dishes and if you have a
amount of stuff you have, or keeping
dishwasher, toss them in there. Then at the end of the day,
certain rooms closed. If you only have
you either have a load in the dishwasher to run, or a stack
enough clothes to last a few weeks, you
of mostly-cleaned dishes to finish off.
won't let it pile up because you have
PICK U P D I R T Y CL OT HE S & PU T TH EM IN A
to wash it.
HAMP E R
A super easy task that'll make a huge difference
in how your space looks and feels.
CLEA N W H I L E YO U CO OK
This is really easy if you
have another person living with you, but you can do it alone, too. While a soup is simmering, do some dishes. While you're waiting for the bagel to toast, wipe off the countertops.
SORT M A I L W H EN Y OU P IC K IT U P (T OUCH THIN G S O N C E )
This is a good general rule for anything
in your life if you feel overworked. Only touch things once! The rule is simple. When you pick up the mail, sort through it before setting it down. Does it need to be recycled, shredded, opened, or maybe set aside in a bin for you to later remove yourself from their mailing list? (We do the last one once or twice a year!) If it gets put down
HAVE A HOME FOR EVERYTHING IN YOUR SPACE.
The shopping bags
have a place in the car, and in our entranceway. The car has a basket with all of our emergency items. Our camping gear all lives in the same closet. My makeup sits in a drawer in our bedroom. If it doesn't have a home, it'll be clutter. Yes, even those clothes that you wore once but they're not dirty enough yet to go in the laundry basket - those need a place to live! So find a place for it, so you know where it'll go when you need to put it away.
KEEP CLEANING MATERIALS
on a table, and you go to make dinner, and then you forget
TOGETHER.
about it, it won't get gone through. So use the rule from
we keep our vacuum, recycling bins,
the SPACE category and have a home (recycling bin, tote,
cleaning sprays, soaps, and all the
shredder, etc.) for these pieces of mail.
other things we need to keep the house
"NEV E R L E A V E A R OO M EM PT Y- HA ND ED " TO
clean. We even have a bin to keep our
REDU C E C L U T T ER .
Going upstairs to go to the
bathroom, and the vacuum needs to go upstairs? Take it with you. Heading down for a shower, and the laundry needs to be done today? Take it down with you, since the laundry machine is there. Never leave a room empty handed.
Near our washer/dryer
most used cleaners together so that we can bring it around the house with us, reducing the amount of time it takes to find what we're looking for.
T H A N K S SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT OUR FREE PREVIEW!
PAIR LIKE TASKS
USE YOUR PHONE.
(litter/vacuum/garbages,
We set a shared reminder on
dishes/counters, porch/car/garage, laundry/beds)
Wednesdays at 6PM to take out the recycling, but we
When I clean the litter, I also often need to vacuum
also use that opportunity to put returnable bottles
up the area. So I turn the one small task into a
& thrift store donations in the car and oil our wood
group of them that need to get done anyway. When I
countertops. It's a good mid-week time for us to tidy
do the laundry, I also change the sheets on the bed
up a little.
& pillows, and it makes for cleaner skin and less
SET A TIMER & PUT ON HEADPHONES/A
allergens for us.
DO ONE TYPE OF TASK THROUGHOUT YOUR PLACE AT ONCE
I'll listen to podcasts or music, or if
I'm doing the dishes or folding laundry I'll bring out
READ T H E R E S T O F THIS A R T I C LE IN OU R F U L L ISSU E H E R E (windows/mirrors, vacuuming, etc.)
If you're pulling out the vacuum, you could relatively quickly just vacuum the whole place. Or if doing the dishes, grab all the dirty dishes from around the
house to make sure they're all done. Doing it all at once makes for more efficient use of time.
DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE BIGGER STUFF ON A DAILY BASIS.
Cleaning the toilet, shower,
laundry vents, or removing cobwebs only comes up when I have a free weekend day to work on it. I don't put pressure on myself to do that on a daily basis, at all.
SPEAKER.
my laptop to put on a Netflix show or Youtube playlist.
INVEST WHERE YOU CAN, WHEN YOU CAN. Nothing helped my sanity more than when we got a dishwasher, after years of saving up. We were gifted a robotic vacuum one year for Christmas, and it totally changed how much I had to mop/vacuum in the highest traffic areas in our house. (A.K.A., the kitchen.) The more it vacuumed, the less got stuck on the floor and I didn't need to mop constantly. It's especially satisfying to have the dishwasher, laundry, and vacuum going, and really motivates me to do at least a little bit of cleaning, because I know I have help!
DO THE BIGGER STUFF, JUST SEASONALLY.
ADDRESS PROBLEM AREAS WITH SIMPLE
Once the first warm day of the year comes, after I've
SOLUTIONS.
gone outside and taken in the sun, I'll open all the
clothes and tissues all over the floor, so I moved
windows to air out the house. When doing that, why not
the laundry basket and garbage can to his side of the
also take the opportunity to wash the windows? I do
bed and it's not an issue anymore. The front door was
it once a year and it makes a huge difference in the
super cluttered with winter clothing, where we'd spend
amount of light coming into the house, but doesn't
too much time searching for matching gloves, until we
take much effort. Or, when we know it's the last of
added a secondhand locker for all of them so they'd be
the snow for the year, we mop the floors and clean the
easy to find. A current problem I have is that I don't
car because so much salt, leaves and debris have built
like folding our sheets, because we have two different
up over the winter.
sized beds and I don't know which sheet goes to which
My partner used to leave his dirty
DIGITAL ISSUES PRINT ISSUES SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MORE!
HAVE A "THIS MUST BE DONE" POINT.
For
us, we know we need to do the laundry when our laundry basket in the bedroom gets about halfway full, because
bed, so they just end up unfolded in a tote for weeks. so I need to address it with maybe writing the size on the tag with marker instead.
it's been about a week. Or, when I see cat hair dust-
AS A LAST RESORT, HAVE PEOPLE OVER.
bunnies on the stairs, I vacuum the house from top to
Nothing makes me clean the entire place faster than
bottom. Whatever your limit is, know it and you'll get
having people over for a party, or even better -
stuff done.
staying overnight.
31
31
Words + Photos by Emily Grandy
grandliterary.com
@figandblack
Emily is a writer of fiction, editor of science, and a lover of all things plants - from food and farming, to forests and fair-trade. She's personally experimented with a wide range of plant-based diets, and eventually found reciprocal happiness with her environment in locally grown, sustainably produced foods. When she's not writing, you can find her outdoors, embracing the beauty of the natural world.
What do jam, kimchi, miso, and
Middle East with more complex
Towards the end of the twentieth
space-food have in common? They’re
concoctions that used sugar instead of
century, the popularity of home
all preserved foods, historically used
honey, jam’s popularity grew. Joan of
preserving waned, with people won
to protect against periods of scarcity.
Arc was rumored to eat quince jam to
over by the choice and ease offered
These days, many long-preserved
give her courage before heading into
by supermarket shopping. This has
foods (think: aged wines) are prized
battle. During the era of seafaring
changed in recent years, however,
as delicacies, and the older they are,
exploration and trade, sailors would
and jam-making is now more popular
the more distinguished their taste is
stockpile jam for their voyages as a way
than ever, with cooks and foodies
thought to be.
to prevent scurvy. Alternatively, Mary,
once again discovering the simple
Queen of Scots ate marmalade as a
pleasures of creating their own fruit
cure for seasickness. Louis XIV was
preserves. Access to every imaginable
so passionate about jellies, jams, and
fruit year-round has spurred flavor
marmalades that he insisted that every
combinations as endless as humans
meal finish with such a treat, each one
are creative, meaning both artisans
made with fruit grown at the gardens
and home cooks alike can perfect their
at Versailles, which even boasted
own sweet vision.
Of all foods, though, fresh fruit probably rises to the top of most peoples’ favorites – sweet, colorful, ripe from the vine or stem and naturally sun-warmed, heavy with juice. What could be more enticing? Sadly, fruit is one of nature’s more ephemeral gifts, arriving and departing rapidly
tropical varieties like pineapple.
Personally, I prefer to celebrate the
with the changing seasons. In order
Canning is actually one of the newest
fruits that grow closest to my home, in
to make fruit’s vitamin-rich goodness
methods
preservation,
season, harvested at peak ripeness. This
last throughout the year, people found
predated by sun drying, freezing,
ensures superior flavor and nutrition,
clever ways of preserving it. One such
fermenting, salt curing, smoking,
and affords the benefit of reducing the
method was included in the earliest
and pickling. Thus, large-scale jam
distance a delicate fruit must travel to
known cookbook, De Re Coquinaria
production did not become possible
reach my kitchen. In this article, I’ve
(The Art of Cooking), which dates
until the discovery of pasteurization
described two jam-making methods
back to the first century AD. In it jam
in 1785, when Napoleon Bonaparte
I’ve returned to time and again, one
is described as soft fruit heated with
offered a reward to anyone who could
that preserves fruit for several months
honey, cooled, then stored.
find a way to preserve large quantities
without refrigeration, and one you’ll
of food for his soldiers.
want to make and eat right away.
When crusaders returned from the
of
food
Enjoy the fruits of the season!
33
To make delicious homemade jam, all you need are three basic ingredients: fruit, raw cane sugar, and lemon. Many use
store-bought commercial
pectin
jams or
thickeners, chemical or cornbased sweeteners, and other unnecessary additives to achieve sub-excellent results, but I say the simpler the better. In this recipe
10 cups fresh or
1. Put a small
frozen fruit
plate or two in
5 cups raw cane
the freezer (used to check gelling of
sugar 1 lemon, zest + juice
jam later). 2. In an 8 qt.
saucepan cook the fruit on medium-
8-10 8 oz. canning jars (with rubber sealing lids) 12 qt. stock pot (for heating jars) 8 qt. saucepan (for cooking fruit)
1 qt. saucepan (for heating lids) jar lifter metallic lid lifter wide neck funnel candy thermometer ladle
high heat, mashing and stirring as you go.
we’ll use lemon to give the jam
3. Once the fruit has liquefied, add sugar
1. Place glass canning jars in the 12 qt. pot, and lids
a zesty flavor and to lower the
and lemon zest and juice. Continue to
in the 1 qt. pot. Cover both with water and bring
pH. At pH 4.6 or below (high
cook until sugar dissolves.
to a boil. Allow pots to simmer while jam is being
acid foods), harmful bacteria will not grow, so these foods can be given a relatively mild canning treatment, such as the water canning method used in this recipe. This jam recipe is versatile and offers great results using all sorts of fruits. Summer berries, autumn’s concord grapes, and even fresh spring rhubarb each produce delicious jam. Frozen fruit works just as well as fresh, or experiment by mixing and matching your favorite combinations. Berries can be cooked whole, except strawberries which should be destemmed and diced. Stone fruit and concord grapes should be deseeded prior to cooking.
4. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly to prevent
prepared. Remove one jar from hot water bath using the jar lifter.
scorching. Using a candy thermometer
2. Ladle hot jam into the jar using a wide necked funnel.
to monitor temperature, allow jam to
Leave 1/2 inch of headspace. Wipe any spillage off
reach 218°F.
the lip of the jar to ensure a clean seal.
5. Once temperature reaches 218°F,
3. Using the magnetized lid lifter, place a lid on the
remove pot from heat and test the gel
filled jar and then apply the screw top. DO NOT
by putting a spoonful of jam onto the
TIGHTEN COMPLETELY, only finger tight,
chilled plate and returning it to the
enough to hold the lid in place.
freezer for 2 minutes. 6. Check to see if jam has gelled by tilting the plate. If jam stays put or runs very slowly, it's ready. If it seems watery, continue cooking the jam at 218°F. Retest with a chilled plate every 5 minutes until the jam has gelled and doesn’t run on the plate. (This step may have to be repeated several times.)
4. Return filled jar to hot water bath. Repeat for all remaining jars until all jam has been used, then allow jars to sit in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. 5. Remove jars from water bath and rest on a wire rack at room temperature undisturbed for 12 hours. The difference in temperature between the jar and surrounding air will create a vacuum seal. 6. Once the lids seal and the top inverts, tighten the screw top and store jars in a cool, dark place up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/ensuring_safe_canned_foods.html
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A delicious way to showcase homemade jam is with these super simple-to-make bars. With just four ingredients, these soft, chewy date bars offer enough sweetness and mild nuttiness to serve as the perfect vehicle for fresh fruit jam. 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, or nut of choice 12-15 dates, pitted 2 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp water
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. 2. Blend oats and walnuts in a food processor to make a fine flour. Add dates, water and coconut oil and blend until well combined. 3. Grease an 8 x 8 baking pan and press mixture into base. Bake 7-10 minutes until edges start to darken. 4. Cut into small bars and serve with homemade jam.
To celebrate seasonal flavors at their peak, I love this ‘instant’ jam recipe, which is best eaten soon after it’s prepared. Unlike jam cooked at high heat or pressurized in a canner, this recipe does not preserve the fruit for long-term storage, but has the benefit of maintaining each fruity participant’s delicate essence. Use this recipe as a guide to experiment with combinations and flavors. 3 cups fruit (fresh or frozen) 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1 tbsp lemon juice optional: chia seeds, vanilla extract to taste
1. Heat fruit in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until it begins to liquefy. 2. Add sweetener of choice and lemon juice and stir to combine. Continue to cook until liquid mostly evaporates and desired consistency is reached. 3. For a more jelly-like texture, add a spoonful or two of chia seeds and allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 10 days. r
37
Here's the story of a lot of weeks
that you ended up never using, and
and thought of what you're putting
of my life: I start it with the best
it's a year past its best-by date.
into it in the first place. To break
intentions; I've got a grocery list
It really feels awful to not fully
the cycle of buying too much (or
and I get to the farmer's market
utilize
especially
not buying the right things) and
and I get overzealous and buy too
knowing how much food waste there
wasting food, you have to first be
much because something's got a great
is in the world.*
honest with yourself about what it
deal or MAYBE I can do something with that ingredient, how could I pass up a bushel of apples for a few dollars? I bring it home, exhausted from
my
amazing
decision-making,
and leave it on the counter. It gets moved to the fridge, but I'm all of a sudden overwhelmed at the possibility of cooking and cleaning and doing that big project I had dreamed up for those apples, and man, it's just so much easier to get takeout tonight. I overworked myself, anyway, during the day. A few days later, the food's gone bad and the guilt I feel is intense. This next time, I intend to do so much better. But the cycle starts over again. Even if you're not in my position of needing to create new food ideas all the time, I'm sure you've got something similar going on in your life. Maybe, instead, you've got a can of one weird ingredient because it was for a recipe or you thought you might try something new. Or a certain spice in your spice rack
your
pantry,
Conversely, for me at least, I feel like a ~real adult~ when I empty the fridge or use up a jar in my pantry before anything spoils. Not only does it prevent food waste, it also saves money, keeps my kitchen cleaner,
and
remember
what's
helps
me
there,
so
better making
meals is that much simpler.
on top of what I'm using up every single week. We definitely get busier on certain weeks than others, but I find that when I have my pantry in place it makes it more streamlined. Having a few prepped ingredients is a lifesaver. Having a list of simple meals for me to make quickly is incredibly helpful. But on the lessbusy weeks, I can have the chance to go through the pantry and really clear it out and be mindful of how I want it to look going forward - and that's what this piece is all about. It's not just the clearing out that's
38
but
also
your
that
you're
actually
eating,
and what you prefer. If you don't actually use the scary new-to-you ingredients each week, figure out if you just don't have the energy to be adventurous right now, or if you don't have the right tools or meal ideas in place for you to use them. If you never use the dried beans, use them up and buy canned for a
It's really hard for me to ALWAYS be
important,
is
mindset
while, and see the difference in how you feel about them. When
you've
really
real
sat
down
with
and
gotten
yourself,
then
it's time to clear your kitchen out and take stock. You don't have to *completely*
empty
the
room,
but
definitely go through your fridge and fresh food, and any sensitive pantry items like nuts and spices. Use up anything you can, and try out a few pantry-staple
recipes
to
really
clear your space out. Then, start building your ideal pantry back up, centered around how you actually eat and how you want to eat. Here's how. *fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/
T H A N K S SO MUCH FOR CHECKING OUT OUR FREE PREVIEW!
Do this once every so often - maybe once a month. Put
up how you can combine them, incorporating anything
special emphasis on using the things that haven't
else from your pantry you want to use up.
been used at all over that month (or year!) - like
the soup you froze in the winter but never reheated for dinner, or the single can of pinto beans in the back of the cabinet.
Utilize pinterest if you're not sure what to do with certain ingredients.
Sometimes a cooking day can change your perspective.
Freeze anything that can be salvaged that you won't use right away. Especially fruit and bread.
Especially with new ingredients/techniques/meals, it can seem daunting to try it out, so you never end up actually trying. But when you go to finally
Toss any moldy/overdue foods. Take note of the
do it, the cooking of it seems more achievable when
ingredients that you end up having to toss - do
you're experiencing it. Dried beans, for example -
I really want to buy it again? How can I use it
you might never cook them because it seems like it
better? Or do I just not want to bother?
takes up too much time, but when you finally cooked
READ T H E R E S T O F THI S A R T I C LE IN O U R F U L L ISSUE H E R E
Create a "use it up" meal plan, using what's left
in the fridge. List out your ingredients and think
them (Page 44) it wasn't as hard as you thought, so you're more likely to use them in the future.
So here are a bunch of recipes that you can use to finish up the things you might've had lying around your pantry - please substitute as you see fit, with the things you have too much of. Then we can talk about building your space back up with the things you'll really eat!
We always end up with tons of different types of dried fruit, coconut, nut butters, and liquid sweeteners on our shelves. But good news - there's a single recipe to use up all of them. And they're the perfect easy breakfast food!
1 1/2 cups oats
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Stir together the oats, dried fruit/nuts,
up to 2 cups of dried fruit,
DIGITAL ISSUES PRINT ISSUES SUBSCRIPTIONS AND MORE!
seeds, chopped nuts, coconut (we like a mixture of 1/2 cups of 4 different ingredients) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup liquid sweetener (maple
syrup, agave, brown rice syrup, honee (the vegan kind), etc.)
a heaping pinch flaky sea salt, to sprinkle on top
and vanilla extract and set aside. 2. In a double boiler (or just a tempered glass bowl on a pot with an inch of water in it), pour in your peanut butter and liquid sweetener. Heat on medium until everything's melted and easy to mix. Stir together gently until consistently creamy.
3. Pour into the dry mixture and stir until it comes together. Press into a lined baking sheet. The size will depend on how thick you want your bars to be - but err on the side of about 1/2 an inch thick.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the oats on top turn golden. You don't want to overbake, this step is just to set the bars. They should be soft still, or else you'll end up with rock hard bars. Let cool then cut into bars.
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