What a fun weekend!!! It started on Thursday after class; one of my

students and I went on a field trip to Berkeley Bowl. I had a great time

showing her all the different produce that they have to offer. Just the variety of

mushrooms alone would blow you away.They have a bargain produce area

that is wonderful for canners to pick up some very ripe tomatoes, plums and a

few other things. We also picked up some organic vanilla beans at a

amazing price, four in a package for $3.99. Score!!! We also visited the bulk

section and picked up some mustard seed, raw sugar, spices and sesame

seeds. The next day I spent canning for my family. I had tomatoes left over

from class and I got two bags of tomatoes from the bargain produce 5

pounds for $2.78. Yes, people $2.78. Score again. I got some beautiful

green beans to make Fasolakia Green Beans in Tomato sauce. This is a

Greek recipe that my family loves. In order to put vegetables in a jar

with out vinegar (pickling) you need to use a pressure canner. So I had

the pressure canner making my green beans and had the water bath canner

going too. I had a lot more tomatoes then I thought so, I made a new Tomato

Jam. It is yummy with a hint of Garam Masala. This is a spice mix that has a lot

going on and is used in Indian food frequently. The ingredients are Coriander, Sichuan,

pepper, Anistar, Fennel seeds, Cumin, Seeds, Cloves, Kalpasi, Pepper Chili,

Black Cardamom, Bay Leaves, Cinnamon, and Ginger. Very rich in flavor.

For the other tomatoes I made a new Tomato Hot Sauce. If you have been

here for a hot sauce class you know I make hot sauce many ways, but this is

the first time I made it with tomatoes. It is full of flavor and just the right

amount of heat. But my weekend wasn’t over yet! I’m sure you have heard me say “The best part of food is, that it

is endless and we can ever get to the end.” Gotta love that. So on Sunday I went to the

Farm To Fermentation Festival and Fundraiser. WOW, I can’t wait for next

year to go again! It was a wonderful event and I learned so much. I wish I could

clone myself because there where classes coming on at the same time that I

would have loved to be in each one. Next year I think I will ask a few friends

to go with me, that way each person can go to a different class and take notes

and at the end we could sit and exchange notes. Some of the classes included: ” Your

Digestive Health”, “Making Healthy Sodas”, ” Using a Water Lock to make

Kimchi”, “Traditional Meat Curing” and much more. There were vendors as well selling

things like tools for home fermenting, Apple cider, goat cheese, kimchi and

some canning supplies. I can’t believe I was able to pack in so much fun and learning in one weekend!

See you in class