Just when I thought I'd finished my preserving for this year...

With a baby due in the autumn, I've been especially busy making jam this year. I've tried a few new recipes (strawberry-balsamic-black pepper jam; strawberry-rhubarb jam; strawberry and lemon marmalade; and strawberry lemonade concentrate) and made extra batches of proven favourites (plain ol' strawberry, apricot, peach) in case I don't have the time or energy next summer. And I've also made and frozen countless fruit pies: strawberry-rhubarb, raspberry, blueberry, peach. With all these seasonal favourites safely tucked away for the early days of parenthood, I've begun to turn my attention to more savoury pursuits: casseroles and the like to ensure healthy, homemade meals for those days when I wander through the house in a haze of sleep deprivation and can barely operate the microwave.

A few days ago we inherited a box of peaches. I had earlier searched high and low for peaches that were ripe, juicy, and flavourful, but had no luck. Those I did buy were quite hard, and despite being freestone, didn't want to surrender either their pits or skins without a pitched battle (and a sharp knife). These we've been given are simply delicious, and are so fresh they seem to have just come off the tree. They are perfect for eating right out of hand (and we've been busily doing just that), but there are too many for us to get through while they're still at their peak. So it looks like it is time to try my hand at canning.

This will be my first time just preserving fruit. (I haven't done any vegetables or pickles, either.) Reading through the Bernardin Complete Guide to Home Preserving, I've found two possibilities: peaches in syrup, or honey-spiced peaches. Although Werner says he prefers his peaches plain, I'm leaning towards the honey-spiced version, simply because those cannot be bought. And one practical consideration: I don't have quite enough jars for a full batch of peaches in syrup, and am loathe to buy even more, as then I'll have too many left over.

Wish me luck!

The magical, mystical substance known as fondant

Today is our second wedding anniversary!

We saved and froze the top tier of our wedding cake, which we initially cut into on our first wedding anniversary. The cake was remarkably fresh, and decidedly tasty. However, the wedge we ate was only about one-quarter of the tier, so I re-wrapped the rest and popped it back into the freezer.


With three quarters left to go, we decided to have another nibble for our second anniversary. Off came another quarter (the remaining half went back into the freezer, to be saved for the day we bring our baby home from the hospital - yikes, in about two months!). Again, the cake was surprisingly fresh, with just a few ice crystals on the cut surfaces:


Fondant is amazing stuff. It gives a beautiful porcelain-ish finish to a cake. It can be tinted into any number of colours. It can be modelled into figures or cut into flowers. And, apparently, it seals in the flavours and freshness of a cake, protects it against freezer burn, and keeps a wedding cake tasting as delicious as it was on the day it was first served.