Giving Jarred Foods as Gifts

Recently I discovered the art of canning and I am in love. I bought 15 pounds of blueberries and I set to work making jams, butters and syrups all with the intention of giving it all away as gifts. As a crafty person, a cheap one, and a lazy one, I am always thinking ten steps ahead of where I am presently. So, as I was cooking up my very first batch of blueberry jam in August I was already thinking of an easy and cheap way to package them as gifts. After some Google image searches and a trip to Target I came up with this, it's fast, it's easy, it's inexpensive and it will make your jars look like gifts instantly!

And here is the step by step tutorial.

You will need,
• Some jarred food that you would like to give as a gift (Sealed)
• Fabric remnants
• Gift tags (You can use anything, I bought these tags at Target, but you can use manila ones or plain white ones from Staples, or you can make your own with card stock and a hole punch. Because of the scrap booking craze you can get some beautiful patterned card stock at any craft store, or use plain for a simpler look. But remember to take into consideration the size of your jar. Larger jars look better with larger tags, smaller jars, smaller tags)
• A mason jar lid for tracing (the jars are sealed, so you need an extra for tracing)
• A Sharpie Marker (I used a thin for tracing and a thick for writing out the tags)
• String to attach the tags to the jars. (I used embroidery thread because I have a ton of it)
• Fabric Scissors
• Glue (Any kind of glue will work)
• A glass of wine (optional, but suggested)

Using a pen or thin marker trace the extra jar lid onto the wrong side of the fabric. If you are using really good fabric scissors you should be able to cut through 4 or 5 layers at a time. Cut out your circles of fabric.

Next you will need to remove the ring from your jarred food and apply a small amount of glue to the top of the jar and place the fabric circle in the center, pressing it down. Let it dry for a few minutes before putting the ring back on. Take a break and have some wine.

You can replace the ring immediately, but I always find that I have to take it right back off again when attaching the gift tag, so I suppose it is better to just let it be and continue with the rest of the jars.

Next write out your tags. I like to put the expiration date on the back of the tag and on the front, what it is. Don't worry about your handwriting. The penmanship is just part of the charm that is part of a homemade gift. So, go ahead and scribble scrabble away.

You are almost done. Now, using string or embroidery floss attach the tags to the jars (this can take some practice getting the string tight around the neck of the jar). Twist the ring back on, remember it doesn't need to be tight.

And VOILA! You have a beautiful, one of a kind gift. Take a break here and have some wine.

Happy canning :)

Primo is Primo

Yesterday Jeremy, Max and I had the pleasure of accompanying two good friends from NY, Tammy and Rocco, to Primo Restaurant in Rockland, Maine. Here is the story of the restaurant as written on their site,

"After 12 years, numerous awards, recognitions and two other locations, Primo - Rockland Maine has matured into what Chef Melissa Kelly calls a "Full Circle Kitchen," the ultimate farm to table experience.

What started with a garden, a few hens and a couple of pigs has now become an evolution of food; an endless pursuit to accomplish more. Primo is much more than a restaurant, it is about love and respect for food. It is also about creativity. Produce is grown & harvested here and the animals are raised on the property. Nothing is wasted – everything has its place. It is a continuous cycle that occurs throughout the restaurant with, the kitchen, the animals and the gardens. The kitchen uses and savors every little piece. Seasonal to the moment, it is actually the farm and the garden that make the incredible ever-changing menu.

With two greenhouses and acres of produce, each day harvests: honey, fruits, veggies, eggs, edible flowers, micro-greens, fresh chicken and house cured & smoked meats. What is not grown at the restaurant comes from other local and sustainable farms that Chef Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner are proud to support."

Before moving to Maine, and after watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, showcasing the restaurant, Jeremy and I were determined to make it happen. Rockland is 2 hours northwest of Portland and since we have a toddler who needs to nap, Jeremy took off first to explore the small town with Tammy and Rocco. I stayed behind and joined them later. Because we arrived separately, we both had to make the 2 hour drive there and back. Some may wonder if 2 hours to go to a restaurant is worth it. Heck, I spent more time getting to Rockland and home, than I did enjoying Rockland! But, it was worth it. Trust me.

They started off our dining experience with a basket of fresh bread, semolina, focaccia with onions, a plain white crusty one and some olive oil for dipping. Then, they served us each a small ball of pork belly covered in crumbs and atop a creamy white sauce, garnished with a little leaf of fresh greens. To our advantage, Tammy and Rocco don't eat pork so we both enjoyed two of the most scrumptious bits of pork belly. So good that I used my finger to lap up any leftover sauce on the plate.

Next came our first appetizer, a wood fired pizza with goat cheese and merguez sausage. It was delicious, and spicy. We also ordered Foie Gras Two Ways seared on a blueberry hoecake and chilled torchon on toasted brioche with bergamot jam. This was an interesting dish. I was looking forward to the foie gras and I was expecting a savory dish. This was quite the opposite. This dish literally tasted like breakfast. The foie gras was served on these little pieces of hoecake a toasted brioche, and topped with berries. I thought I was eating blueberry pancakes. It was amazing and odd at the same time. Although delicious I wished I had been better able to taste the foie gras. Next time we go I am looking forward to a savory dish.

(We plan to go again in late winter because that is when Anthony Bourdain went. We actually had the same waitress yesterday as he did. In the show he has a pig ear salad and pea soup with smoked ham hack. It is a dish they serve right before we close for the winter, so we will need to go back and try that one.)

Next was the main courses. (I forgot to take a menu last night, so I am relying on their site, but it doesn't have the same menu. I will do my best to provide accurate descriptions of the dishes)

Jeremy ordered the pork belly appetizer as his main dish. Here is his review, "The belly was the best pork experience I've ever had. It was thick, juicy, soft and tender. It was served with a giant slice of tomato, that on it's own, ate like a steak. The only way I can describe how good this tasted would be like skiing your whole life on one of the fabulous mountains in New Jersey and you love it. (This is bacon as you know it) Then one day, someone says, "Hey, get on my private plane" and they take you to Park City Utah or Colorado and you spend the whole day on fresh powder. On a real mountain. (This is the pork belly)."

I ordered a dish that is not on their online menu and I will attempt to describe to you. It was a pasta dish with long hollow spaghetti like noodles, braised beef ribs and topped with a broccoli rabe pesto. I must admit that the noodles did look like woms are first, but once I started eating it, it didn't matter. The beef was so fantastic, savory and just perfect. The mild flavor of the pasta and the bold flavor of the beef were delicately accented by the subtle flavor of the pesto.

After all that food we declined dessert. However, with our bill they brought us chocolate ginger truffles and homemade marshmallows. The truffles were to die for, while the marshmallows were not. Making marshmallows that taste good isn't easy and I have yet to have a homemade one that I didn't want to spit out. This one was no exception.

All in all the food was fantastic. The service delightful. And the atmosphere, unforgettable.

As we walked to our cars, ready to embark on a 2 hour drive home, I held Max in my arms. It was an hour past his bedtime and as he laid his head on my shoulder I watched the hens take up there spot in the hen house for the night. The greenhouse and garden lay to my right. Everything they need in one spot. This is the way food should be.