About Jill Lightner

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  What else should I can this summer?

  2 0 Almost all the farmers at farmers markets can supply you with boxes of seconds; just ask. Sometimes they'll have a stash the same day, or can take your request for the following week. And for supplies, I suggest McLendon's Hardware stores. There are a handful of them, but none in Seattle proper. Pickling is a great way to get into savory canning without having to switch to pressure canning techniques, although maybe you're already comfortable with that since you're doing tomatoes. Duris Cucumber Farm in Puyallup is an amazing source for spices and ingredients; there are so many variations on cucumber pickles. Pickled onions are nice as a flavoring ingredient in salads and sandwiches; Mexican pickled carrots are delicious, too. Fruit mustards (mostardas) are great, particularly as a side to meat dishes. Onion jam is another good one; caramelized onions are good under pretty much any circumstances. Apple butter and apple sauce are just around the corner, local cranberries show up in October, and then you can make some quince paste (membrillo) in November. Hello, cheese plates! With sauerkraut, you're getting into a whole different world of food preservation, at least if you want to do traditional lactobacillus kraut. A fair amount can go wrong here; make sure to do plenty of hard core science/food safety research about Ph before digging in. Jill Lightner answered in Other-Food & Drink 8 months ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  Where do you buy sour cherries?

  2 0 I've seen frozen ones at a seemingly random selection of grocery stores--like, Viet Wah, Whole Foods, once at the Seward Park PCC, and the Beacon Hill Red Apple. It's unpredictable. But pie cherries will be in fresh at the farmers market likely around late July this year--everything is running late. The stands I know that carry them: Little Wing (sells at Columbia City); Tonnemakers (sells at many markets); Mair Taki (U District, quite expensive). There are also two kinds: Morellos and Montmorenceys. The latter are considered the best, but I strongly prefer the former. Morellos have a beautiful deep red color all the way through and taste sort of like cloves and allspice have been added. Best of all, coerce a friend with a yard to plant a Surefire cherry tree. They produce quickly, are disease resistant for Western WA, and are Morello-types. And no, you can't have the ones on my tree. Jill Lightner answered in Cooking Tips & Tricks 11 months ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

• Follow Following 1 Why can't pumpkin be safely canned? Jill Lightner asked in Preserving the Magic about 1 year ago 2 Answers by Shannon Valderas , Jeanne…

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  are there any vegetables that make good jam?

  3 0 Well, rhubarb's a vegetable. But that's not really what you mean. There are ways to can fruits using some sugar and a lot of spices, so you end up with a spreadable, fruit-based savory spread. You might check out Amy Pennington's book Urban Pantry--she has recipes for spiced relishes and mostardas that might be what you're looking for. Jill Lightner answered in Preserving the Magic about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 9 more answers »

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  Where can I find Trappey's red kidney beans?

  0 0 Red Apple Market on Beacon Hill carries several Trappey's products but I'm not positive they have the beans. Pretty sure the Rainier Ave Safeway has a bunch of the brand, too. Jill Lightner answered in Cooking Tips & Tricks about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Does anyone know of a grad program in Food & Culture?

  2 0 Slow Food runs a few programs based in Italy...1, 2 or 3-year graduate programs. Italy's pretty damn coastal, but obviously doesn't qualify as a state. I think it's for international students--don't think you have to be fluent in Italian... http://www.unisg.it Cornell, UC Davis and New Mexico each have some options. The first two are, I think, officially part of the nutrition department, and the latter is pretty heavily anthropology. But, I think any good social anthropology grad program can let you specialize in food/culture as the primary area of study. Lucy Norris (local Puget Sound Food Network chica) wrote a book all about pickles that I'm pretty sure was her master's thesis at NYU. Jill Lightner answered in Other-Food & Drink about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

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  What are your favorite extra-super-good places for soup?

  0 0 I love a particular soup (guay tiaw nah nom tok) at The Spice Room in Columbia City. It's a rich beef stock with rice noodles and beef....which makes it sound like good pho, which it isn't. The stock involves pork blood, which they won't tell you unless you demand to know why their stock is so rich. I also love the sambar soup from Chilie's in the U District. A bowl of it seems to come with every other dish on the menu; not sure if you can get a bigger bowl all by itself, but it involves veggies, tamarind, mustard seeds and lentils. For fancy soup, I have never had a less than great bowl of soup from Tilth. And when I want expensive soup with a cheese blanket, I love the French onion at the Met. Jill Lightner answered in Eating Out about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 22 more answers »

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  The 5 Point is going to do a top shelf of all local liquor. What are the best local (Northwest) distilleries?

  0 0 Bainbridge Organic Distillers (gin, vodka, whiskey), Rockridge Orchards (best apple brandy I've ever tasted), Pacific Distillers (absinthe is much less sweet than the Frenchie kinds, I approve), Dry Fly (vodka is pleasing; haven't tried the whiskey yet), It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere (corn whiskey, based in Cashmere, a bit harsh for sipping), Vin Co (next to Bookbindery restaurant, same owner) is doing a lot of interesting local fruit schnapps. Personally, I don't much care for Clear Creek. The smells are great, but the flavors are always pretty harsh. Jill Lightner answered in Alcohol about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 6 more answers »

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  What can I use in my cornbread batter to give it a nice appetizing red color?

  0 0 You can buy annatto seeds at the new Penzeys spice shop downtown. Use the seeds to color the oil you use in your recipes (make a batch of tinted oil, store the oil in the fridge for months on end), and you can tint whatever you like bright orange-red. I've never noticed it adds a flavor to anything--just the color. Wikipedia mentions its possible state as an allergen, but here's some nice/useless anecdotal evidence for you: I've used it for about 10 years, feeding it to an endless stream of guests, of whom many have assorted allergies and/or asthma. Never once has anyone reported a reaction. I first learned of it as a food dye for Mexican dishes, and I think it's commonly used all over Mexico still. Jill Lightner answered in Cooking Tips & Tricks about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 7 more answers »

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  Can I use brown butter to make a cake?

  0 0 I've done so in pound cake and it was very tasty indeed. The only other flavorings were a bit of vanilla and the tiniest scraping of lemon zest. Rich and lovely overall; no textural issues whatsoever. Jill Lightner answered in Just Desserts about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

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