Preserving Garden Bounty
Greetings!

It’s August and we are eagerly planning for our Open House in November and Christmas 2018. If we aren't careful it is easy to go headlong into winter and forget that summer isn't over. Far from it!

We are just beginning to preserve our garden bounty. It’s time for canning, drying, pickling and fermenting. Bowls full of sweet tasting peas, tomatoes ripe off the vine, beans tender and unblemished, plums ripe and juicy. 

Zucchinis – don't talk to me about all the zucchinis! In fact – Help! Send us your favourite recipes please and in return we’ve listed a few items that might help you “put up” your summer harvest.
Food Mills
They strain, sauce, puree and mash. Use it during canning or making preserves to produce a smooth puree without seeds, skins, or stems. A food mill crushes food by forcing it through disks with perforated holes. They are often used to make jelly, apple sauce, tomato sauce, pureed soups and to rice (or mash) potatoes. Cook’s Illustrated said, “It took us 11 minutes to peel 1½ pounds of tomatoes by hand and put them through a blender, making a seedy, aerated sauce, but it took just 2 to 4 minutes in the food mills to process the same amount of unpeeled tomatoes into a skinless, nearly seedless sauce.”
Cuisinox Food Mill: Durable and sturdy, this food mill brings an easy touch of gourmet style to your kitchen. 
food mill

Cuisipro Deluxe Food Mill: The Cadillac of Food Mills. The innovative scraper automatically scrapes as you turn. The scraper increases efficiency by allowing a smoother, more continuous flow of food. Non-slip handles. Extra-large bowl. The mill sits high in your pot or bowl, keeping the mill out of the food. 3 Straining disks with 2mm, 3mm and 4mm size holes.
Deluxe Food Mill
Time to Harvest those Herbs!
Here are two items that can speed up the work.

Herb scissors: Our herb scissors make fast work of cutting chives, parsley, basil, and cilantro. They are great for mincing up small amounts but the great thing about them is how you can mince up lots of herbs in seconds!
herb scissors
Chef’n Looseleaf kale and greens stripper: 
Great for kale, chard and herbs. One of the things I like least when harvesting my thyme and rosemary is trying to get the leaves off without the woody stems getting into the dish too. Not a problem when using the Looseleaf.
Tip: go against the direction of the leaves to strip them off more easily.
This and That
during Canning Season
Jar lifter – Designed to remove any size canning jar from boiling water.
Magnetic Lid Wand – Safely removes canning lids from the canning water. Ideal for picking up pins and paper clips too!
Apple Corer and Slicer – It cores and slices into 8 thick slices or 16 thin slices.
100% Natural Cheesecloth – Excellent for canning, straining stock and wine making. High quality dense weave, washable and reusable. 2 square yards.
Funnels – Our stainless-steel canning funnel from Cuisinox is an absolute necessity for canning or preserving. It fits perfectly and securely on standard jars and is wide enough to accommodate fruit wedges or halves. No more spills, no more sticky messes on rims and lids that won't seal.
Plum Pitter – Removes plum stones with ease. Simply place plum in the cup holder and press! Ideal for preparing tarts, smoothies and jam.
Oven Mitts – Protect your hands while you are cooking.
oven mitts
Canning Jars
We carry German-made Weck canning jars. The Weck Company has been producing canning equipment in Europe since the early 1900’s. Their wide openings make it easier to fill and empty.

The Weck canning jar system consists of glass jars, rust free glass lids, tabbed rubber gaskets (sealing rings) and metal clamps. They are microwave safe. The attractive decorative shapes are nice enough for table use.
Cookbooks
If you need a little inspiration, we have canning/preserving books for you. How do these recipes sound? Bing Cherry Barbecue Sauce, Blackberry-Lemon Verbena Jam and Mediterranean Zucchini Chutney. These are just a few of the recipes you will find here at The Seasoned Kitchen.
Cookbooks
Hollow Tree Candles
So - it’s been a long day; a good day, but a long and hot one. You’ve stepped out of a cool shower, put some soft background music on and now it’s time to light a beautiful, fragrant candle and just relax.

Have you tried any of our Hollow Tree Candles? While writing this newsletter three women came into the store and oohed and awed over the candles. “Heavenly.” “You’ve got to smell this one!” Can you imagine coming home to this scent?!” They looked so happy that I thought I would end the newsletter with the candles.

Nestled in the coastal mountains of British Columbia, Hollow Tree hand pours each candle in their elegant, custom jars which are made in studio in Whistler. Hollow Tree scents are distilled in France – the birthplace of scent, to provide the ultimate olfactory experience. For years, the founder Tobias, has been working with exquisite French perfumers in Grasse, France to mix memories of the forest into scents. Made of a blend of coconut wax. Burn time of up to 60 hours. It’s time to relax and enjoy.

Several of the candles we carry:
Brandywine Meadow
Hollow Tree Canoe
Hollow Tree The Lions
Planning
As mentioned at the beginning of the Newsletter, we are already planning for our Open House and the 2018 Christmas season. We are looking forward to adding a seasonal staff member to our team! If you would like to join our team during this exciting period, please drop your resume off at The Seasoned Kitchen. 
we're hiring!

See you soon at
The Seasoned Kitchen!

Karla, Darcy, Ruth, Pat, Connie and Trish

The Seasoned Kitchen
604-886-7724
Store Hours:
Mon-Fri:  9:30 am - 5:30 pm
Sat:    10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Sun:   11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Gibsons Park Plaza
108-1100 Sunshine Coast Hwy
Gibsons BC, V0N 1V7