Seduced by figs

I spotted the first June figs at Russo's and they were almost good enough for my fig conserve so checking back ASAP. I was in the midst of a pepper jelly frenzy - of course everyone must know what that is like. I cut up tons of dark red shiny peppers and mix them up with tiny yellow habaneros and do some other stuff I can't share and out comes the shiny gorgeous reddish orange jelly. I love it with cheddar on a sandwich and grilled tiny lamp chops.
On other non-jam fronts has anyone tried Lark's chocolate cookies? I think they are called cha chas or something - the cookies are a seductive deep dark chocolate with a shot of chili that creates the most amazing mouthful of zing - kinda like my Red Pepper Jelly which is why they came to mind. Find them! Buy them!! and you might also get the Red pepper jelly while you are at it.

Pearberry or Pear Berry fall thoughts

I am ruminating on a new jam - thinking fall - cool days, gold leaves - hard to go there but thinking flavors. On Crete Nancy Jenkins and I talked about using pears, cranberries, late plums and early oranges. The current thinking is about pears & cranberries. The questions is the name: Pear Berry? Pearberry? Pearnberry? Thoughts?

Jam wanted!

I love when someone I don't know emails requesting a jam flavor - so now I have to make more Plum Valencia jam for this person. I am thinking of changing the name to Harvest Plum but unsure - I must do a survey but who to ask....I love this time of year when all the new fruits start creeping into the markets. And I love the magic of turning them into a neat beautiful jar of jam - I think of this process as a kind of alchemy - I think life can be managed this way or maybe an illusion? Make everything look good and it feels good? How shallow, trivial and true at the same time. Still thinking of Crete. I was reminded of Milea the tiny mountain village on Crete - fragrant, simple and beautiful. I could make great jam there....

Bonnie's Jams

Love making the first skinny rhubarb into jam with some big fat California strawberries. Whatever else could make me happy - ok getting 40 cases of Pepper Jelly made and out the door headed to lots of stores.
Still thinking of Crete - wish I could do something with the fantastic olive oil I brought back - so I am bringing back a cute student who is coming to work on an economics project - the olive oil tie-in? His family owns Biolea - an extraordinary organic olive oil mill in the the hills of Crete. I am not really bringing him back but he is traveling here and happily I found him a place to stay.

Following a Food Writer on Crete

While my main agenda is finding some new takes on jam I am following my food writer friend around to eat great food . The first problem is the amount of food offered in the presence of such a person. For instance, yesterday we were treated to 12 dishes - we staggered away. The second is this happens every day! All this on an island that still appears to be driven by their past entangeled with gods! Zeus, for instance, was born in a cave here - and because his father had eaten his previous offspring because some other god had threatened that a son would surpass him in every way possible. But back to jam. Tomorrow

"Welcome to Crete" Dinner

I discovered last night the error of following the travel trails of a food writer - the food! Last night's welcome to Crete dinner lavished upon us will definitely expand me to dangerous levels - hoping the raki that I drank first, the local white that came next, the red after than and the ouzo after that disolved the incredible food. Oh but the flavors! the Greek salad that in Greece has not lettuce just the best richest tomatoes, crispy chunky cucumbers tiny anchovies, creamy feta and hard little rusks (barley croutons)with just the best drops of olive oil but followed by roasted fish, tiny racks of lamb after that. The rest is a blur. Following Nancy today - but first breakfast.

I am learning Greek!

I am on the isalnd of Crete - day one. Kalymera means good morning so I am pretty sure I will get this language! The alphabet may take a few extra days.

I am on a search for all things edible with the formidable food writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins - I am sleuthing - shadowing her -looking for Greek jams to add to my repertoire for Bonnie's Jams. Maybe just lying in the sun will inspire. Will try that now.