Sourdough Starter Day 1

Making a sourdough starter is certainly the quickest thing I have done in my kitchen. I am hoping it takes off as planned!

Sourdough Starter for the Food In Jars Challenge

I am venturing into the world of sour dough starter for the first time as part of this months Food in Jars challenge. I will be following the King Arthur Flour recipe below. 

King Arthur Flour Sourdough Starter

I will be giving away some of my "discard" for friends to make their own starter. On the other days I will try my hand at making things from it. Here is a link to some of the things I will try. I hope you can join my in this challenge!

Sourdough Starter Discard Recipes

Lime Curd

After discovering how amazing Meyer Lemon Curd was, I decided that I would do a third challenge for January. I made lime curd and it did not disappoint! It is just like a key lime pie in a jar. I used the recipe in Marisa's book (shown in the picture above) but there is not a link to it on her blog. This recipe seems very similar but does not include the canning information. The curd can be canned in a hot water bath by processing it for at least 25 minutes and is shelf stable for 2 months. That said, at 2 months it begins to separate but is still fine to eat. Freezing your jars is the best method for long term preservation.

Clementine Marmalade

There is nothing better to warm the kitchen in the winter than the cleansing smell of a simmering marmalade. I found this recipe in the Hannaford booklet that is found at the check out. The second I saw it I knew that this would be my first accomplishment for this years addition of the Food In Jars Challenge, hosted by non other than Marisa McClellan, the author of Food in Jars. The Hannaford recipe can be found here, and though it is not listed, it is safe to can. Process in a hot water bath for ten minutes.

Any left overs that don't fit in the canner, can go straight into the fridge. There's my left overs tucked in between a lemon curd and a Nana Tito's marmalade. Enjoy!

Meyer Lemon Curd

This curd is a lemon meringue pie in a jar. I chose the recipe from Marisa McClellan's book Food In Jars but a similar recipe can be found on her blog. Here is her blog post is for Meyer Lemon Curd. 

I highly recommend trying your hand at making a curd, it is not as scary as it seems, and the only special equipment you need is a thermometer (preferably a candy thermometer) and a double boiler which can be easily made with a stock pot and a large bowl. Here is how I made mine:

I processed mine in hot jars for 25 minutes in a hot water bath. It is shelf stable once canned for two months, so for long term storage it is best to keep it in the freezer.  Any left overs that don't fit in the hot water bath can go in a jar for the fridge. Here is my left overs placed next to my clementine marmalade (recipe coming next) and our neighbor Anne's marmalade (in the fancy jar!) Enjoy!