Hurrah for another successful canning workshop, this time lead by Wild Oat Cafe and Bakery‘s very own Susan Jessup. Susan came into the Cauldron ready to make things happen, and boy, did things happen. Students started out with our class snack to power up their kitchen skill resolve and began by preparing the jars and lids. Susan stressed the importance of sanitary jars and lids since it may affect the product when held in long term storage.
The top of the recipe read: Peach Glazing. This is where students took the soft peaches and trimmed the skin and sliced and diced. Mixing in several other ingredients, the students worked together to create a wonderful smelling pot boiling on the stove. The second canned product was an Italian canning process where the more firm peaches were halved and pitted. Placing them in the jars with peppercorn, all spice and sprigs of herbs, the peaches were preserved in tact. Susan said this process is very common and simple, because all season you are constantly filling up jars with the latest harvest. This method, used in the Old World, was essential to have the summer’s bounty preserved for the winter and spring.
Soon the peach glazing was ready and poured into the jars. The product was sealed. Students were reminded that many hardware stores sell canning kits that are very effective and easy to use at home. Susan stressed again that the most important aspects of canning are the sanitary practices and the acetic acid blend. Otherwise, everything else is set to taste. I believe some students last night were bold enough to add additional hot spice to their products. Let us hope their families also enjoy the heat!
If you are interested in our culinary workshops, please visit Cauldron Events for more information about our classes. We offer baking, vegan, kitchen skill, and of course canning classes.
cauldronkitchen.ca 