Preserving the harvest: make summer last �� and last �� with these easy home-canning recipes

Whether you're an organics-obsessed cook or simply a summer tomato lover, a trip to the farmers' market is bound to cause a twinge of fall's-almost-here regret. Even as you marvel at the stands filled with the best produce of the season, it's maddening to realize that this abundance won't last much longer. The solution? Give in to temptation. Grab a few extra pounds of produce, then preserve their sun-kissed goodness in homemade jams, pickles and chutneys.

Thanks to new-fangled techniques, old-fashioned preserving is easier than ever. Using the rinse cycle of your dish-washer to sterilize jars is a huge time-saver. So is the inversion sealing method where turning the hot jars upside down produces the vacuum effect that prevents spoiling.

There are also a host of health reasons for putting up your own spreads and sauces. Using organic fruits and vegetables nixes exposure to risky chemicals and pesticides. And the lush, ripe flavor--the big reason for canning in the first place--has health benefits too. "There's some evidence that foods at peak ripeness offer superior nutritional advantages," says Jennifer Wilkins, PhD, RD, Food and Society policy fellow at Cornell University, citing tomatoes as a good example. "Vitamin C content in tomatoes increases when they fully ripen on the vine."

To get started, here are three recipes that are as easy as stirring spaghetti sauce--with a little chopping thrown in. They all cook in under half an hour so you can make a batch or two without breaking a sweat. And once you're done, all you have to do is open a jar and dip in a spoon to taste a little summer all year long.

STERILIZED, SEALED, DELIVERED (THEY'RE YOURS!)

1. Preheat Run jars through the rinse cycle of dishwasher, or place in large pot of simmering (180F) water. Set lids in small saucepan, cover with boiling water and keep hot until ready to use.

2. Fill Ladle preserves into jars one at a time, leaving 1/2 inch space from the tops of jars. Wipe rims with a clean, damp cloth. Screw on tops.

3. Seal There are two ways to seal preserving jars: the inversion method (easiest) and the traditional water bath method.

Inversion method: Flip closed jars upside down, and let stand 5 minutes. Turn upright. Check seal by pressing middle of the lid with your finger. If it springs back, the seal has not taken, and preserves should be refrigerated.

Water bath method: Place filled, closed jars on rack in large pot of boiling water, making sure water covers jars by at least 1 inch. Boil 10 minutes. Remove jars from water with tongs, and set on kitchen towels. When cool, check seals as explained above, and store.

recipes

FRUIT CHUTNEY

Makes 4 8-oz. jars * Vegan

This sweet-and-sour spread makes
a crowd-pleasing hors d'oeuvre served
with cream cheese and crackers.
It also goes well with Indian curries.

    1 cup cider vinegar
  1/2 cup granulated sugar
  1/2 cup light brown sugar
  1/2 cup raisins
    2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
    1 cinnamon stick
    3 whole cloves
    1 tsp. mustard seed
  1/2 tsp. salt
  1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 lb. fruit such as pears, apples,
    peaches, plums or nectarines,
    peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1. Combine vinegar, sugars, raisins,
ginger, cinnamon stick, cloves, mustard
seed, salt and cayenne pepper in large,
nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil.

2. Add fruit and return mixture to
a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Drain fruit in
strainer, reserving liquid. Remove
cinnamon stick and cloves.

3. Return liquid to saucepan, and bring
to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, or until
syrup is thick. Add pears, and return to
a boil. Remove from heat.

4. Ladle chutney into sterilized jars.
Wipe off any drips, then screw on tops.
Invert jars 5 minutes, or immerse
in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

PER SERVING: 43 CAL; 0G PROT; 0G TOTAL FAT 10G
SAT FAT); 11G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 38MG SOD;
0.5G FIBER; 9G SUGARS

BASIC JAM

Makes 4 8-oz. jars * Vegan

If you can boil water, you can make
jam. Because it doesn't call for pectin,
this easy version may be thinner
than the brands you buy--a good
excuse to lick your fingers. Recipe can
be halved or doubled.

  2 lb. fresh fruit such as blueberries,
    raspberries, peeled peach slices,
    quartered plums, etc.
  4 cups granulated sugar (2 lb.)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (2 lemons)

1. Mash fruit and sugar together in
large, nonreactive bowl. Stir in lemon
juice, and let stand 15 minutes. Place
1 or 2 small white saucers in freezer.

2. Transfer fruit to nonreactive saucepan.
Simmer 5 to 15 minutes over
medium-low heat, or until thickened,
stirring often. As jam thickens, bubbles
will get larger and slower to pop.

3. Remove 1 saucer from freezer. Test
consistency by spooning some jam onto
saucer, and returning it to freezer for
2 minutes. If dollop holds together and
does not have a watery ring around
edges, it's ready to put in jars. If jam is
still watery, cook 3 to 5 minutes longer.
Repeat testing process if necessary.

4. Remove jam from heat. Ladle into
8-oz. jars, leaving 1/4-inch headroom.
Wipe off any drips, then screw on tops.
Invert jars 5 minutes, or immerse in
boiling water bath 10 minutes.

PER SERVING: 126 CAL; 0G PROT; 0G TOTAL FAT
(0G SAT. FAT); 32G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 2MG
SOD; 0.5G FIBER; 30G SUGARS

ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH PICKLES

Makes 1 1-qt. jar or 4 8-oz. jars * Vegan

Don't be put off by the 3-hour pickling
time. Just set the vegetables aside
with the salt and ice, and go about your
activities; then finish up later.

3/4 lb. zucchini, cut into 3-inch strips
3/4 lb. yellow squash, cut into
    3-inch strips
  1 red onion, sliced
  1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded
    and sliced
1/4 cup salt
  2 cups ice
  1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
  1 Tbs. celery seeds
  1 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1. Toss zucchini and squash strips,
onion slices and pepper slices with salt
in large, non-reactive bowl. Cover with
ice, and let stand 3 hours.

2. Drain and rinse vegetables. Combine
remaining ingredients in large,
nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil,
and add drained vegetables.

3. Return mixture to a boil, then
remove from heat and ladle into jars,
making sure vegetables are completely
covered with liquid and that jars are
filled to 1/4 inch from the rim.

Wipe off any drips, then screw on tops.
Invert jars 5 minutes, or immerse in
boiling water bath 10 minutes.

PER SERVING: 10 CAL; 0G PROT; 0G TOTAL FAT (0G
SAT. FAT); 2G CARB; 0MG CHOL; 218MG SOD; 0G
FIBER; 2G SUGARS

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