Pack it! Was Not in the Title

Alas, 22 days until take off and still we have not lifted another finger towards packing. There are just to many other exciting things going on!

Recently I purchased 3 new cookbooks, and quickly became obsessed with one of them. Jam it! Pickle it! Cure it! by Karen Solomon is a book filled with colorful pictures, recipes, and tips for how to make your own preserved treats. I am so excited for the coming summer when I can try my hand at canning my garden goodies! Even if you are not an aspiring cook, it is just interesting to flip through the pages and see what some of your staples are made from. For example, there is a recipe or how to make your own ketchup,mustard, and mayonnaise. I had no idea how many ingredients there were in ketchup, and how few there were in mustard.

Needless to say, when I received notice from 18Reasons that there was going to be a Jam it! Salon with Karen Solomon herself, I was giddy. Last night Boyfriend and I, along with a friend who often accompanies us on our dates (her boyfriend lives over the bridge) made our way to 18th and Guerrero with our own homemade goods in hand. People from all over the community brought in their creations to share. Among other delicious samples there was fresh baked bread, home brewed beer, kraut, sour cherries, pickled carrots, apple sauce, kombucha, crackers, and my personal favorite, lemon curd. We all ooo-ed and awww-ed and exchanged recipes and cooking tips while munching on the delicious snacks.

As we left, Boyfriend and I, along with our friend thought we were being sneaky taking last spoons of lemon curd. Apparently we were not as subtle as we thought and they offered us the rest of the jar because we had brought so many delicious treats and 'were eating it like we were orphans.' I have to say, I am willing to sacrifice class for lemon curd that delicious any day. Not embarrassed at all. Besides we are already classy for having gone to an intellectual salon a la enlightenment.

As it turns out, this was the third Jam it! Salon which made it especially fun because people were bringing back treats that had needed more fermentation at the last salon, and recipes that they had improved upon since the last round. Even the book author, Karen Solomon brought some trials for her new book. I think i am going to buy the book just for the ploughman pickle recipe.

This event was not only delicious, but brought together people of all ages and backgrounds with one thing in common, food!