I had this idea to do a "Canning Saturdays" feature on my blog for July and August, but shit - sometimes it's just too hot! Plus, between a back-to-back weekend birthdays (Eric's, then mine), an earthquake, and a hurricane, my schedule has been way off this month. But I guess this happens every August. It's such a fun month in NYC, weather- and activity-wise. People are really cramming in the summertime as much as they can before the cooler weather arrives (which I'm afraid might already be showing it's ugly face). I know we'll get several more hot days, but just seeing this is already enough to make it look like we're sliding away from summer...

Sixty degrees?! NO!

I did manage to make it to the market one Saturday recently and loaded up on some tomatoes to can.

I bought $50 worth of tomatoes! Dumb. But aren't they nice? I got five heirloom varieties and some beefsteaks.

I canned these up with a little basil from my garden and some salt.

I feel good about having done this sweaty work. I have 8 jars of colorful summer dinner for the coldest, darkest days of January and February, which really does make the work worth it for me. As it's already feeling a bit cooler out, I'm hoping to get several more jars of late summer produce canned/pickled/preserved.

I'm also really close to perfecting a new candy bar concoction, based on Hershey's Whatchamacallit, a favorite of mine to this day. Mine is way better, though. I'm just saying! Photos coming soon.

Catch ya soon!

For my birthday this year, my best pal Ashton got me a beer-making kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop. I got the Everyday IPA, which I hope will be good, as I love IPA. I can't wait to break into this thing and see what happens. The whole process looks like it takes a few weeks and few simple steps, but I'll have a beer-tasting when it's all done and report back.

Can't wait! Thanks, Ashton!

I finally got around to making those pickles! Saturday morning was a classic NYC summer morning (hot and sunny but not humid at all), so I hauled my not-hungover (for once on a Saturday morning) ass to the greenmarket in my neighborhood and got pickle fixins.

It was nice to visit our weekly green market again, and to see it thriving (though I could have done without the long lines and Cadillac-style baby strollers clogging the street). I admit that I haven't been all summer, choosing instead to stop off at the Union Square market on my way home during the week. Don't judge me - it happens more frequently throughout the week and has more stuff!

Anyway, I got my cukes and jars all scrubbadubbed first.

Oh, don't mind me. I'm just mise-en-placing around.

Did you know that the blossom end of a cucumber may have enzymes in it that keep your pickle from staying crispy? Well, it's true. Cut them things off!

Cucumber Spears (Britney's more attractive cousin):

This is the part of pickling I don't like. Having to run all four burners on the stove and producing tons of steam when it's already 92 degrees outside.  That's why I make pickles in my underwear, folks. I kid, I kid. Or do I??

I filled the sterilized jars with all the stuff I needed - garlic, fresh dill, a coupla hot peppers, and mustard seeds.

Then crammed those spears down in there:

I topped off the jars with the hot brine and processed them in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes each. After I pulled them out, I didn't have to wait too long to hear that satisfying *ping!* of the vacuum seal popping the lid down. Every canner I know loves that sound.

This batch made 8 pint jars full, and I had some cucumbers left over to make quick pickles (on the left). I'm already enjoying those, and they're pretty delicious.

If anyone has any interest in canning, I'd highly recommend The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. I have several canning books in my arsenal, but since I don't have a yard and am not producing humongoid crops of produce that I need to preserve, this book is perfect. It gives recipes for canning a few jars of things at a time, which makes the whole process a lot less daunting (especially in a small kitchen).

I'll let y'all know how these come out in SIX-WEEKS. Ugh! A wise man once sang, "The waiting in the hardest part, ever day you see one more card. You take it on faith. You take it to the heart. Yeah, the waiting is the hardest part."

Wise, wise man.