Avanti Cafe Musings

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Avanti Guava Preserves 2015 :: From Ms Catherine's Pineapple Guava Tree ::

Avanti Guava Preserves jarred & ready to enjoy

Everyone who has a pineappleguava tree knows that they are fruit producing beasts. They have beautiful silver grey celadon foliage, lovely ornate blossoms each spring & once they set fruit, it’s always a bonanza.

Photo: maggiesgarden.com

A native of South America, it's not actually a true guava, but this tree makes a lovely garden plant. With minimal care and pruning it stays a graceful, compact shape, has few issues or pests and produces fruit abundance. There are many reasons to add one to your garden.

Tons of guavas ready to roll

Come about August the thump of the ripening fruit becomes a summertime drumbeat. Usually late September is when my tree really lets loose. And that’s when I make my guava jam. This summer, I got caught cooking a vat of jam in the middle of a heat wave. I do it over the course of two days, and if the weather is hot, I do the cooking in the evenings. Each year, I experiment w/ adding other fruits loaded w/ natural pectin. This batch includes Dr. Baba’s citrus from his Fallbrook farm, as well as organic apples & pears. The plan is to create a high fiber lower sugar preserve w/ as many fruit solids as possible. That way, we have a ton of flavor in a more healthful concoction. You can do a half batch if you wish. My tree usually gives me two full batches each summer. This year, the first was at the end of September, the second was in mid October.

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
20	Quarts	Pineapple guava
16	Quarts	Water
1	Tablespoon	Sea salt
4	Large stalks	Lemon grass

Simmering w/ lemongrass

Bring to a boil over high heat in a huge covered pot (or divided into two large stock pots) for 45 mins. Reduce heat to med and use a potato masher to break up the guavas every 30 mins. Cook for about 3 hours. Then remove cover and cook for another 1 ½ hours. Mash w/ the potato masher every 30 mins. Add two large oranges, quartered. Squeeze the juice into the mix then add the spent rinds too. Cook for 10 mins more. Then turn off the heat and cool completely. I do it overnight.

The pressing of the pulp to release all the juice

Strain through colanders. This will take some time. Set up several colanders over bowls and add the mash. After 15 or 20 mins, put a plate on top of the mash and add a heavy bowl or some cans to weight down the pulp. I let it drain for a few hours, pouring out the golden guava nectar into a clean stock pot every hour or so. The fragrance is a delight. I didn't realize until this year that some people don't like the smell of guavas. Tis a puzzlement. The tangy sweet perfume is a joy to me. Collect all the liquid, compost or discard the pulp. The pulp can be high pressure composted (if your community has composting bins, add the left over pulp to your bin in a compostable bag).

You should have about 10 quarts of guava goodness. Bring this golden liquid to a boil partially covered w/ the following:

5	Pounds	Organic Fuji apples
12	Large	Organic pears	D’anjou or othere favs
3	Large	Quince	optional

Bring to a boil partially covered

I rarely find organic quince, so I peel AND core those. The organic apples and pears need only be cored, the skins add flavor, texture and nutrition.

The organic apples, pear and the quince add natural sugar & a lot of natural pectin too

Once the mix boils, reduce heat to med and cook uncovered for 1 hour. Cool completely, then blend all in a powerful blender.

Return to a large wide pot and add:

2	Quarts	Organic sugar
8	Medium	Lemons	Add juice, reserve zest
4	Medium	Limes	Add juice, reserve zest
2	Large	Oranges	Add juice, reserve zest

Bring the guava mix with the sugar and citrus juices to a boil over highest heat.

Boil, stirring and skimming every 20 mins or so until the temperature reaches 102.5 degrees Celsius.

Once we get up to 102.5 degrees celsius, it's time to add the citrus zest

Stir in the reserved citrus zest and pack into clean and sterile glass jars. This yields about 8 pints. A good thermometer is important, but visually, you’re looking for unctuous bubbles, just like these.

It's all about the bubbles

Keep this delicious high fiber garden guava tree gift in the fridge. It's very stable, great flavor and texture and lasts in the fridge for well over a year.

Sweet golden guava preserves for the holiday season

I label mine Ms. Catherine’s Guava Jam since we have her to thank for nurturing the generous giving tree all these many years.

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

Avanti Giardinera :: Fermented Organic Vegetables :: Italian Style

Jarring up fermented autumn harvest goodness at the peak of seasonal flavor

Giardinera is a time treasured, classic Italian autumn harvest pickle. It can be fermented or not as you wish. While fermented the giardinera takes a little longer and requires a bit more effort, we are coming full circle in our awareness that fermented foods offer health benefits that keep us younger and more vibrant, as we nurture our bodies w/ those health giving natural probiotics. Use any crunchy veggies you find in your autumn garden or farmers market. Organic is the way to go. But many farmers now are mostly organic and have their own ideas when it comes to natural farming. Ask questions, get to know your farmer and draw your own conclusions.

Fine fresh produce from the Huntington Beach Farmers Market for Giardinera

Amount	Measure	Ingredient	Prep Method
1	Bunch	Carrots
1	Head	Cauliflower
1	Head	Celery
4 or 5	Medium	Summer squash	Variety
1	Medium	Red onion
1	Medium	White or yellow onion
14	Cloves	Garlic	About 2 heads

Directions:

Wash, scrub and cut into bite sized pieces. Divide among two large glass bowls.

To BOTH bowls add the following. Add the amounts below into EACH bowl:

¼	Cup	Preserved lemons	Minced
1	Tablespoon	Sea salt	Or sea salt blends
2	Tablespoons	Italian seasoning	Your favorite blend
1	Teaspoon	Black pepper	Favorite blend
2	Tablespoon	Avanti Ginger Puree	See blog!
2	Cups	Herbal or green tea	Brewed & cooled*
2	Cups	Filtered water

It's gorgeous from the get go

This is where it gets fun. Let’s make variations. So into one bowl or the other add the following:

1	Treaspoon	Signature spice	Anise, dill, fennel, clove, pickling spice, coriander, cumin, ETC
1	Cup	Favorite vinegar	Red wine, champagne, sherry, apple cider, ETC
3 to 8	Sprigs	Fresh herbs	Rosemary, sage, thyme, oregano, basil, pineapple sage, ETC
1	Tablespoon	Miso	White, red, dashi, hatcho, ETC

Time to add spices and more flavors

Add everything into the two bowls, dividing all the ingredients up as noted above. Place a plate on top of the mixture and then put some weights on the plate. I like to use smaller glass bowls rather than metal cans, as the brine may creep up and glass is inert.

Let the fermentation begin

Cover w/ a tea towel. Check and stir the mix after one hour. The vegetables will begin to release their water into the salty brine. Cover again and check after 4 or 5 hours. Stir well.

So many good things happen in the dark

At this point all the vegetables should be submerged by the liquid released and the weighted plate. If they are not, add a bit more filtered water to insure that all the vegetables are submerged and covered by the brine. Cover well w/ tea towels and let ferment in a cool place for 3 days.

Those veggies are full of water. Save any extra liquid and use it to cook rice, grains, spuds & soup

Transfer to clean and sterilized glass jars. This is a good time to add HOT chilis to some of the jars if you are a spicy beast. Let ferment in a cool place, out of direct sunlight for 3 more days. Invert the jars twice daily to bathe the giardinera vegetables in the brine. Transfer to the fridge. They are ready to use immediately, and flavor improves as they continue to ferment in the fridge for up to 3 months.

Clean and organized. It's time to jar up the goodness. Of course, we're adding HOT chili goodness

*NOTE: On herbal and green tea. I use a mixture of herbs such as lemon verbena, lemongrass, pineapple sage, mint, lemon balm, African purple basil, rosemary, thyme, oregano and citrus peels from the garden w/ green tea or my favorite genmai cha (Japanese toasted brown rice green tea). Brew it so that it’s flavorful and slightly stronger than you’d like to drink it by the cup.