You heard it here, folks---canning is the new baking. We've seen a surge in baking during the downturn as people look for fruitful, economical ways to spend their time. We are approaching the fruit season, at least in the South. Canning fruits is literally fruitful, as well as enjoyable and useful. I canned this apple butter last fall and am now enjoying the results. All sorts of other foods can be canned, too. A batch requires some care for sterilization and cleaning but doesn't take a whole lot of time. Canning is the activity we need for these times. The old ways have their uses...
I made candied ginger a few years ago. It's not something I would do every day but I had a lot of fun doing it. I recently acquired a pressure cooker and it inspired an interesting idea to me: why not make candied ginger in the pressure cooker? It should be very soft and flavorful. Here is the result. I peeled two large ginger roots, cut them into small cubes, and put them in the pressure cooker with heavily sugared water. The traditional method first boils the ginger in plain water to soften it and then again in sugar water to candy it. The resulting candy was very tender but still with the characteristic ginger texture. It was also sweet without being overpowering. The traditional method leaves a lot of sugar crystallized around the ginger. The pressure cooker gives a much more subtle result. The ginger stays moist even after it cools but you can dry it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. That inspired me to dip it in chocolate. While I was in the b...
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