Preservation Society

We've moved!

2011-09-19T20:52:00.000-04:00

Hey friends,
The website redesign means Preservation Society has moved to a new home.
Please visit www.preservationsociety.ca for all up-to-date news (and flavours!).

xo The Society

Radio Interview and Workshop Recap

2011-08-28T19:27:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a busy Preservation Society week! In addition to canning pints and quarts of Dilly Pickled Beans and Special Dill Pickles, I taught a workshop and was on the radio!

My interview on CBC's All in a Weekend aired this morning, but you can listen to it on their website here. Please do!

On Thursday night I taught a workshop on preserving stone fruits at Depanneur Le PickUp. I gave a talk about canning basics while participants chopped fruit and then we headed into the kitchen to make Mont-Royal Plums in Vanilla Syrup and Nectarine Jam with Sapote. It was a really lovely experience for me, and I hope everyone who came enjoyed themselves and took something away from it (other than the two jars of preserves).

Lucky for me, one participant was a photographer and took some great shots. All below are courtesy of Lysanne Larose.

Preserving Workshop

2011-08-18T10:32:00.000-04:00

Exciting!
I will be teaching my first workshop on the art and science of canning next Thursday, August 25th.
The class will take place at my former place of employment, Depanneur Le Pick Up at 8pm.
On account of the season, the focus will be on preserving stone fruits, such as apricots, nectarines, plums, and peaches, which are all amazing right now. We'll start with a general talk on canning techniques, then move on to making one jam and one fruit preserved in syrup, of which everyone will take home a jar.
That's a pretty excellent value for $25!
For more info, go here.
xo C.

New Website!

2011-06-22T16:25:00.000-04:00

Please come check out our exciting new site. It's at preservationsociety.ca, which used to redirect to this blog. Update your bookmarks, and if you're reading this in an RSS reader, you'll need to get the new feed from our News page (or just use this: RSS). See you there!

THIS WEEKEND!! PUCES POP!!

2011-06-03T10:14:00.000-04:00

This weekend Preservation Society will be participating in Puces Pop for the first time!!
For those that don't know, Puces Pop is a huge craft fair full of delightful and excellent things.
Why would you miss it?

While you're there, please stop by. All the preserves listed on the sidebar will be available, as well as some baked goods. Come try out new confections like Rhubarb Jam with Rosemary and Rootbeer Jelly!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

June 4th & 5th, 11-6PM
St Enfant de Jesus Church (corner St-Joseph et St-Dominique)

Patisserie Rhubarbe

2010-11-12T22:22:00.000-05:00

I have exciting news, friends! There's a new pastry shop in town, and though I admit I'm biased, I would hazard to say that it might just be the best in town.
Patisserie Rhubarbe is just south of Laurier on de Lanaudiere. The space is bright and very inviting-- you can sit down and have a tea or coffee (Cafe Union!) with your pastry, or take some to go. Right now my favorite offering there is the incredible cheesecake crowned with a bracing cloudberry compote.
AND... I'm happy to announce that Rhubarbe now stocks Preservation Society jams, marmalades, and jellies. As of Wednesday, November 17th, they will have in stock Lemon-Vanilla Bean Jelly, Peach Jam with Vanilla Bean, Rhubarb-Grapefruit Jam, Pink Grapefruit Marmalade, and Cranberry Butter.
Stop by and check it out! You will not be sorry.

Back in Business

2010-09-10T18:27:00.000-04:00

Pardon my absence. It's been a busy, busy summer, and while I managed to fit some canning in there, I didn't quite get around to updating the site.
However! Preservation Society is back in business and everything is up to date. There are some exciting new flavours to try, like Black Raspberry Jam and Horseradish Pickled Jade Beans.
Unfortunately, the best way to order is still direct from me, although you will soon be able to find Preservation Society products in an exciting new locale! Stay tuned...
Everything costs $8.
Thanks for stopping by.

Two News Jams and a Reminder

2010-02-22T10:42:00.002-05:00

Hey friends, just wanted to let you know that Preservation Society is always available for custom orders-- for gifts, favours for weddings or baby showers, personal hoarding... All different shapes and sizes of jars are available and flavours are only limited by the seasons and our (limitless!) imagination. Please contact me for details.

While I'm here, I should mention that there are two new flavours available. Gingery Caramel Apple Jam is the sassy sister of our classic Caramel Apple Jam, and Pear and Cranberry Jam w/ Lemon Zest is a toothsome preserve with a beautiful scarlet hue. Don't hesitate! Try them now!

Seville Orange Marmalade

2010-01-22T17:05:00.006-05:00

Seville oranges are here again, much to the delight of any marmalade fanatics, myself certainly included.
So far I've produced two marmalades-- Classic Seville Orange Marmalade and Rich & Rummy Seville Marmalade. The former is just what it purports to be, a purists' marmalade, made using only seville oranges, sugar and lemon juice. The peel is thick-cut and the set is firm. It's bracing and sunshine-y and the perfect thing to wake up to.
What distiguishes the Rich & Rummy from its Classic counterpart is the substitution of half the sugar with dark brown sugar and a generous glug of dark rum to finish it off. The result is a richer, more mysterious preserve-- your nighttime marmalade, if you will. Although it's equally good on your morning toast, this is what I would use to fill crepes or to stir into cake batter, or just eat out of the jar in front of the open fridge in the middle of the night.
Act now! The sevilles aren't around for much longer...

Happy New Year

2010-01-07T23:46:00.010-05:00

The Christmas madness has come and gone, and gladly there are still some jars of preserves left to brighten the winter months ahead. As much as we'd all like to deny it, there's still a lot of cold days and nights to come.
Happily, General 54 has decided to keep my preserves on the shelves past Christmas, so you can still pick up a jar there. Soon you should also be able to find Preservation Society wares at Dépanneur Le Pick Up! Stay tuned for that...
In the meantime, though, I will now DELIVER preserves! Just email you order (everything is currently $8/jar), and as long as you live in Mile End, Little Italy, the Plateau, or thereabouts, I will bring it to you as fast as I can. Now that's a deal, folks. Not to be missed.
And please check back soon for new flavours-- the citrus season is just about to kick in full force. I am very much looking forward to Sevilles, but there are also Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges, kumquats... It's too exciting. So don't be a stranger. Your morning toast needs me.

Cranberry-Apple Butter

2009-12-02T13:13:00.003-05:00

I like traditional apple butter as much as the next guy, but when I was at the market the other day, I realized I hadn't done anything with cranberries yet and that they would add a new dimension to an old standard. I decided not to use any spices to let the tart flavour of the cranberries shine through. I used half Spartan and half Lobo apples from Rougemont and beautiful fresh cranberries from Saint-Louis-de-Blanford, simmering them in unpasteurized local apple cider. The resulting preserve is pure, clean apple and cranberry flavour with a beautiful scarlet colour. So autumnal!

Flemish Beauty Pear Jam w/ St-Germain

2009-11-30T19:14:00.006-05:00

Some of my summer produce small-batch preserves have already sold out. Sorry!
Never fear, there are new jars showing up all the time, like this pear jam...

Québec isn't exactly known for its pears-- our cold weather and short growing season are not ideal for the fruit. Still, every year some Flemish Beauties turn up at the market. They're a small, heartier variety that can stand our climate, but they remain a fairly small crop, so it feels like you're really getting something special when you get your hands on some. A limited edition.
It follows that one should make something special with the pears, and I think I found them a pretty fine partner in St-Germain, a French liqueur flavoured with elderflowers. It really brings out the floral side of the pears, which are cut into chunks and suspended in fragrant jelly. Let's face it, this is a bit of a frou-frou jam-- more suited to scones and crème fraîche than to a peanut butter sandwich. Something to save for a cold winter day. So stock up.

Branding...

2009-11-27T20:41:00.006-05:00

I finally have amazing new labels!

They basically look like the header of this website...

They were designed by my very talented friend Katie Bethune-Leamen.

As much as I think the labels rule, I think her talent is better represented by her non-jam-jar-label art. You can see some on her website: www.katiebethuneleamen.com

Preservation Society @ smart design mart

2009-11-23T23:17:00.006-05:00

Next Saturday and Sunday, you can find Preservation Society preserves at the General 54/Local 23 table at Smart Design Mart.
This will be my first sale of the season, so nothing's sold out yet! First come...
It's going to be a pretty amazing weekend-- a cut above your standard craft fair. Definitely worth a visit. Please drop by and say hi...

Smart Design Mart
5333 Casgrain, suite 602

Saturday, Nov. 28th
11am-9pm
Sunday, Nov. 29th
11am-5pm

Be there.

Introducing...

2009-11-23T22:56:00.006-05:00

A society of one...

Seeking civilized folk who appreciate foods made with love and integrity, with a respect for tradition coupled with a curiosity that engenders healthy experimentation. In a jar.
When I was young, my grandparents' cellar was full of jars of produce they had "put up" in summer to last them through the winter.
Now neon yellow Heinz pickles and gummy 25% fruit jams dominate the supermarket, and no one has ever heard of chutney. Well, barely anyone.
Of course, we can't all be canning all the time anymore. It's simply not practical. People have busy lives, important things to do.
That's where I come in. I don't have anything else to do. And all I want to do is can. Maybe it's the survivalist in me. Or the glutton. I don't worry too much about it. I make jam, marmalade, chutney, and pickles.
Ingredients are local whenever possible and even sometimes handpicked. All my preserves are free of any artificial ingredients-- my jams, for instance, are made only with fruit, sugar and lemon juice. Heavy on the fruit, light on the sugar. People have been known to eat whole jars with a spoon, so watch out.
And pleased to meet you.