Julia Sforza's Blog (17)

Right now the elderberry bushes are flowering. Look for them in marshy, sunny places. There are a lot of plants out there that have white flowers, so make sure you identify the leaves and flowers correctly. Wildman Steve…

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It feels so nice to have something so bright green to eat! Especially when it's from my yard. Nothing in my garden is ready yet, but that doesn't mean that green isn't filling up everywhere. I love it when the skeletal trees begin to fill up with a haze of green (in this instance, …

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Here it is, cold and rainy out, rhubarb is just leafing out, and I'm talking about strawberries? Right about now is the toughest time for canning, in my opinion. What I’m usually doing now, canning-wise, is tidying up my cupboards for next year’s onslaught and figuring out what was a success and what wasn’t. Another…

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One of the easiest preserving techniques is to put something into alcohol. Easy, right? Any kind of fruit plus most kinds of harder alcohols will result in an achievement that you can gloat about when friends come over. Open up a jar of apricot brandy and life instantly gets richer. When really all you did was put…

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This winter I’ve tapped into an amazing citrus resource: Florida. My mother lives in Delray Beach, and it’s not entirely the Florida you may be thinking of. She works for a CSA, and they are now in the midst of their growing season. She is also a master gardener who not only has an orchid fetish, but also a tropical…

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It took me a while to make this, but here I am in February making rhubarb jelly. I think it's fitting because I am really excited to see those pinkish green stalks coming out of the ground. It won't be for a bit, but it's not too far off. Really! Don't let that two feet of snow fool you. Two months will race by…

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Good jelly is very useful to have in the fridge, aside from appeasing sweet-toothed children. People pass by jelly, clear and quivering, and go straight for the chunky stuff. Not that I don’t understand. I love a good chunky jam or a rind-y marmalade, or syrupy, candied preserves. However, I…

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Here's my latest: quince chutney. The quinces I used are local, and they come from Locust Grove Fruit Farm in Marlboro. Obviously, this picture was taken a few months ago, as you can tell from the green leaves and sunny blue sky. Sigh. Quince work wonderfully in chutneys, and right now my favorite sandwich is an extra-sharp NY cheddar and chutney grilled cheese.…

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Sometimes I don't want to write about anything until I've tasted it, which makes sense right? But it's hard to wait for pickled things to meld. Like these pickled pears. I was so excited for them, but I wasn't sure what they would taste like. I had never had pickled pears before. Continue

I love to eat all kinds of greens. Kale and collards, mostly. But after a while, I do admit to getting a… Continue

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving next week! I think I say this every week around the Wednesday before that big Thursday. I think it's more surprising to me because what it means is that the holidays are right around the corner. Thanksgiving in our house is a mellow affair, with only our little family (me, my husband and our two-year old son). We try to eat as much as possible and do as little as possible. We build a fire in the wood stove, we listen to records, we go for a slow walk… Continue

You know, preserving foods isn't as glamorous and exciting as I make it out to be. It may not be sexy, but there comes a time when a mass of apples has to be dealt with in short order, and this is my preferred method. I know it's not quite as thrilling as corn cob jelly, but there you have it. Continue

The last of the tomatoes! From the twenty-odd pounds of green tomatoes I harvested in mid-October, I’ve made quite a few things. There were simple green tomato pickles and green tomato-lime-cilantro preserves. From those that ripened, I made roasted tomatoes that I froze for future inclusion into stews and such.…

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Lately, I've been fascinated with membrillo, or quince paste, or quince cheese. I thought I might branch out to other fruit cheeses, as they can also be made with apples, crabapples or plums. I had some leftover crabapple and apple pulp from jelly making, and I figured it… Continue

You may have seen them in the supermarket and thought they only grew in California, but quince are perfectly happy in our climate, and even flourished here at one time. You can get local quince from a few places, and I highly recommend doing so. Quince are an obscure treasure that should return to its former glory. Continue

These pickles are super quick, super easy, and small batch. I love the small batch part because I can try out different spices and herbs and see what I like best.…

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October is here and apples seem to quickly be disappearing from all the trees that dot my local drives.



The growing season was early to come and early to leave, and very short to boot. I have quite a few apples yet to can, and I still want more.



Every time apple season comes around I am astounded at how amazing apples are. So versatile, so comforting, so beautiful.



Have you ever found yourself walking under a bower of arching apple trees, laden with… Continue