A Journey To preserves..

Preservation

Food preservation is a process of preparing food so it can be reserved for prolonged use. Since most produce lasts for only a short period of time, people for centuries have been experimenting with different combinations and creating recipes using the preserving approach. Such preservations methods that are successful disinfect 'micro-organisms' in which are the cause for food spoilage.

microorganisms-

In paint technology, bacteria and fungi which are harmful to liquid paint and dry paint films. Bactericides and fungicides are added to paints to inhibitthe growth of these organisms.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Dictonary. (n.d.). Compote. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/compote

Raw Cranberry, Apple & Almond For my first fermentation I decided to go with a cranberry apple & almond 'compote' jam. These 3 food products were the main ingredients I decided to choose when creating my at home preservation. After re-searching a couple different recpies I came up with this..

Cranberry, Apple & Almond Compote Jam

Recipe:

Ingredients

1/2 cup orange juice

1/3 cup water

1 & 1/4 cups sugar

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick zest of one orange

Pinch of ground cinnamon, all spice & nutmeg

1.5 pound bag of fresh cranberries (about 6 1/2 cups)

3 Apples of your choice ( I used 1 baking apple, 1 macintose, and 1 honey crisp apple)

1 cup almonds toasted, cooled & lightly crushed 1 tsp butter & sugar

Directions Simmer orange juice, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and 1/3 of cranberries (about 1 1/2 cups) in a deep

pot over moderate heat, stirring mixture occasionally (about 8 minutes). While simmering peel and core apples, then dice apples in 4x4x4 cubes. After cubing apples place 1 tsp of butter and sugar in a frying pan over medium high heat, add almonds and toast until just darkened. Add half of remaining cranberries (about 2 1/2 cups) and simmer, stirring occasionally (5 minutes) After 5 minutes add zest of one orange, apples, almonds and rest of cranberries to pot. Simmer lightly stirring occasionally for 8 more minutes. Remove from heat and cool to warm or room temperature. Discard cinnamon stick.

When cooled place into mason jar, lid and let sit for another couple hours before placing in the fridge. Best to eat after mixture has been sat a week before eating. Enjoy! Cranberry, Apple, and Walnut Conserve Recipe | Epicurious.com. (2006, November 1). Retrieved October 10, 2015, from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cranberry-apple-and-walnut-conserve-236412

Sensory Evaluation

The cranberry, Apple and almond compote

is a complex mixture that consists of sweetness, sourness as well as a bitter flavour. In the process of bubbling this interesting concoction, my nose managed to inhale a truly intensified scent of sharp notes that inquired an acidic aroma. While the mosaic combination was cooking, the flavours were multiplying within giving off the scent that reminded me of Christmas- a holiday that I always enjoyed. The intense red colours this jam endured managed to truly bring out the sense of Christmas cheer. When transferring the mixture from pot to the jar I noticed that the texture was slimy and sticky, in which was exactly the feeling I got while licking my fingers. I went on to cap the jar and left it in the fridge for a couple of days. After leaving the jam in the fridge for a couple of days, I finally decided to taste the potent ruby red jam that I had created. As I scoped the compote out of the jar, I could see the gummy adhesive texture that it had endured. As I took the sticky spoon towards my tounge I began tasting the flavours within. They were jumping from bitter, to sweet, to an compliance to concentrated tart notes. The flavours within tasted sharp with a ton of citrusy-sweet qualities that reminded me of a baked tart, making this jam unique to my palate. I enjoyed playing with my palate, letting myself experiement with different tart flavours which I overall enjoyed. This compote is defiantly a mixture combination I could see myself eating again because of the excitement it put my senses through. After this experience changed the way I see the everyday jams we are so easily accessible to. Realizing how much work and time can go into making such preserves was really interesting and educational to my understanding of preservative foods.

Raw Onions

The second type of fermertation I decided to try was a quick pickle of onions in beet juice.

Dictonary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2015, from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pickling

Pickled Onions in beet juice

Recipe:

Ingredients

Ingredients 2 medium red onions

3 beets ( juiced ) 1 teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar 6 whole clove of garlic 10 black peppercorns 1 cinnamon stick 3 small springs of thyme 1 small dried chili

Equipment

Kettle

Pan

Bowl

Knife & cutting board

Colander Clean Jar Juicer Peeler

Directions

Peel outer shell of onions and cut onions into thin slices. Put 4 cups of water into kettle and start boiling. Add sliced onions to a medium sized bowl,

pour enough boiling water over onions so they are covered. Leave onions in water for 10 seconds, drain into colander and place into glass jar. Peel garlic and beets; juice the beets in a juicer, set juice aside. Take the cinnamon, cloves, red pepper and black peppercorn and place in a small pan over medium heat; lightly toast until fragrant (3-5 minutes). Whisk in apple cider vinegar and beet juice; add the sugar, salt and sprigs of thyme. Simmer and cook until sugar and salt has dissolved ( 1-2 minutes ). Taste, add sugar or salt to your desired taste. Pour brine from pan into glass jar over the onions. Cool at room tempurature, refridgurate & ENJOY!

Velden, D. (n.d.). How To Make Quick-Pickled Red Onions - Cooking Lessons from The Kitchn. Retrieved November 10, 2015.

Adam. (2013, July 26). Homemade Pickled Onions Recipe. Retrieved November 10, 2015.

Sensory Evaluation

When tasting my pickled onions, I found that my tongue embraced a mix of both salty and sweet notes. As I removed the pickled onions from the jar I inhaled a scent of a pickle jar & to put it into words in all honesty; that is what the smell totally reminded me of! The robust smell of an almost sour and bitter scent. Before I tasted these pickled onions, I decided to feel the texture of the outside and instead of picking these onions up with a fork (like any other person most likely wo

uld), I went on to grab them with my fingers. As I opened the jar to look at these died ruby red and thinly sliced onions, I couldn't believe the intense colour that they had absorbed. While picking up the onions and rubbing them between my fingertips they were soft, yet still a bit sturdy to the touch. I went on to take a giant bite of the beautifully silkened red onions. As I bit I heard a little bit of a crisp, crunching sound while grinding these delicious salty yet sweet pieces of onions between my teeth. The aroma to the texture, and to even the taste of these scrumptious alakine pickled onions, all I could picture was eating a jar of scrubs dill pickles; reminding me of the day's my mom use to pack scrub pickles in my lunch for school during elementary. Elementary school was definitely one of the best memories I have, so made this experience quite exciting for me. I think because of the memory I endored from these pickled onions made the experience the most unique memory that I had encountered. In conclusion after eating these onions I realized my palate has a greater sensibility to salty and sweet products and when introduced to this mix of salty and sweet, I quite enjoy the flavours they entail when together. Just like the cominations of flavours you get when eating something salty (like pretzles) and something sweet (like chocolate). MMMMM! These pickled onions are most definitely something I would love to make again, as well as eat.

This whole experience has bettered my knowledge on a variety of different levels in regards to understanding both the pickling method, as well as the preservation methods that can be achieved with food products all over the world. Overall effecting my abilities to create and discover more pathways through preserving and pickling.

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