Cherry Jam, Pickled Garlic Scapes and Pickled Beets!

Michigan cherries from Hardin Family Farms, Illinois honey from Dennanne Farms, star anise, lemon and low-sugar pectin all to make Cherry Jam!

For this cherry jam I followed this recipe...sorta.  I used a cup of honey instead of granulated sugar and added a star anise to simmer with the cherries.  I would have added one more star anise and 2/3 cup of honey instead of a cup.  The jam is as sweet as the stuff you buy at the grocery store...and that was not what I was going for but it is still yummy.  I am hoping I didn't leave too much headspace for this jar...

I pickled two more jars of garlic scapes with basil.  The recipe is here.  Tonight for dinner I made garlic scape pesto pizza.  Garlic Scape Pesto recipe.  I made some great vegan cheese with cashews, nutritional yeast and canned red peppers for the pizza.  Here is the recipe for 7 Secrets Simple Cheese Sauce.  I have 4 more scapes left...what should I do with them?!

I received some beets in my CSA so I pickled them with apple cider vinegar, ginger and cinnamon!  They are going to be awesome.  Here is the recipe.

I have been pickling, canning and cooking like a crazy person...time to get back to the artwork...and stop heating our apartment up!

Cornbread for Breakfast

Last night was fun with Potluck: Chicago and our guests at Inspiration Cafe. I tripled my cornbread recipe...2/3 of the cornbread was eaten but 1/3 sits in my fridge. Looks like I will have to find a way to make cornbread fit into every meal. So I started with breakfast. I used my honey from Midnight Sun Organics farm now that I finally finished my local honey from Dennanne Farms in Elgin. It's amazing how different the two honeys taste, but both are amazing.

Here is the recipe for Vegan Cornbread from The Angelica Home Kitchen: recipes and rabble rousings from an organic vegan restaurant by Leslie McEachern. My Aunt Laurie gave me this book and I love it! This recipe is fast and simple.

Southern-Style Cornbread

Yield: 8 servings Baking time: 25 minutes

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup minced scallions

1 cup soy milk

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil an 8-to-10 inch round ovenproof glass or case iron skillet.

-Whisk together the cornmeal, whole wheat pastry flour, unbleached white flour, baking powder, and scallions in a mixing bowl.

-In a separate mixing bowl, combine the soy milk, olive oil, maple syrup, and sea salt.

-Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon; do not overmix.

-Pour into the oiled baking dish and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

-Set aside to cool.

-Slice into wedges and serve.

Here are the many foods everyone brought. It was very yummy!

And a super yummy Coconut Curry soup that Inspiration Cafe provided.