Food & Drink

The Christmas Pear

2016-01-07T17:24:00.002-08:00

"A partridge in a pear tree... " is of course a line from the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. This is the first of the twelve gifts to be given over the course of the twelve days.

Though pears are sometimes included in gift fruit baskets, in today's world partridges and pears seem like odd gifts to give to someone. However, pears were a very prominent and popular fruit when The Twelve Days of Christmas was published in England in 1780.

Previous to the 20th century there were hundreds of varieties of pears to be found in the markets. Now in our modern age there are only a limited variety of pears that are commercially produced for the population.

In the mid-1600s there were about 64 varieties of pears grown in England. Many of these had been imported from France where pears were greatly appreciated. In those times pears were mostly used in cooking and seldom eaten raw. One popular eating pear or dessert pear was the William's Pear grown in Berkshire, England. It is named after the nurseryman who introduced it across England.

During the 18th and 19th centuries pears were feverishly produced in Flanders (later known as Belgium) where there were close to 1,000 pear varieties. Many of those were then introduced to England.

Pears had become the dominant fruit by the Victorian era. Encouraged by The Royal Horticultural Society, the gardeners of the well to do would cultivate 50 to 100 varieties of pears in their gardens. These private gardens produced dessert pears as well as cooking pears. One such garden contained 622 varieties.

One reason for the many varieties of pears was to ensure that there would be pears available throughout the different months and seasons. So some would be for the summer months and others for September, October and November. Especially exquisite pears were reserved for Christmas time.

One of the more famous dessert pears is the very flavorful 'Doyenne du Comice ' introduced from France in 1849. Commonly called the Comice pear, it is still one of the most popular varieties. These pears have a creamy texture and abundant sweetness and juice. The Comice is called The Christmas Pear, as it is often included in Christmas gift baskets.

Some of the other popular pears both then and now include the Bartlett pear, the Beurre Superfin, the Bosc, the Conference, Fertility, the Fondante d'Automne, the Joséphine de Malines and the Seckel pear.

The most common pear, outside of Asia, is the Bartlett pear. At least that is what it is called in The USA and Canada, but it is actually the old Williams pear. It is a summer pear that is a great for eating as well as good for baking and canning.

The Beurre Superfin is a lesser known pear of medium size. It has a crisp texture and is medium sweet.

The Bosc pear originated in either France or Belgium in the early 19th century. Boscs have a distinctive cinnamon brown and russet color. Their meat is firmer and denser than most other varieties and that makes them ideal for cooking. But they are also excellent for eating.

In 1894 Thomas Rivers introduced the Conference pear. It earned its name by winning first prize at the national British Pear Conference in 1895. That's right a pear conference. The Conference pear became very popular due to its good flavor and its superb storage properties.

The Fertility pear appeared in 1875 and was the first English pear of importance to be created by controlled breeding. It now has limited commercial production.

Originating in France in the 19th century, the Fondante d'Automne was grown in many gardens of Victorian England. It is a late-season fruit with a sugary sweet taste.

Joséphine de Malines is a great eating pear with a buttery texture. It is a winter or very late season pear that keeps very well. It originated in Belgium about 1830 and is named for the wife of the breeder, Major Espére.

The Seckel pear is the smallest commercially grown pear. Because they are exceptionally sweet they are referred to as 'sugar pears'. Their small size makes them ideal to be canned whole and to be put in gift jars.

These are just a few of the almost 3,000 pear varieties grown around the world today. However, most varieties are not commercially grown or easily found in supermarkets. In the 20th century commercial producers selected just a few varieties that were the easiest to grow and transport and that had longer shelf life. And over time apples have become the dominant fruit, as they tend to be easier to grow and are less fragile.

I grew up surrounded by the remnants of various orchards including pears. I was never a huge pear fan as I often found them to be hard. They had not yet ripened. Other times they were over ripe and mushy. Getting a pear at just the right moment of perfection is difficult. Pears are usually sold unripe and you have to let them ripen at home.

What is the best way to know when a pear is ripe and ready to eat? The trick is to gently press on the stem end. If it gives a little then it is ready! But be careful not to press too hard as pears bruise easily.

So now that I can judge when a pear is just right to eat, if I'm lucky enough to receive a Christmas gift basket, I'll be able to enjoy those fine, succulent Christmas pears.

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Moskonfyt and Toast - A Rare and Most Delicious Cape Find Not Known to Many

2016-01-07T17:22:00.001-08:00

Moskonfyt is not a product familiar to a farmer's child that grew up in the Bushveld. It is a great breakfast treat if you butter your toast, put the jam on top and leave it for a while to soak into the crunchy toast. The must grape jam leaves a bittersweet taste in your mouth, which I just love. I returned to Gauteng after my business trip and could not find this product in any of the stores. Needless to say, during follow-up visits I brought some home to enjoy. Eighteen years later, I rediscovered this delight on a trip to the Western Cape with my family.

Moskonfyt or must grape jam is a mixture of fermenting pressed grape juice, skin, seeds and pulp, reduced down until it makes a light syrup. Producing must grape jam is a long and tedious process. The best tasting must grape jam I tried is cooks for a long period of time over open wood fires. These traditional cooks use Blue gum tree wood from the farm for the fires. No sugar or preservatives to this particular brand of Moskonfyt, making it healthy and unique treat. Use the light bottled syrup in the following ways:

Breakfast: The best way I tasted this delight is on crispy toast or freshly baked bread fresh from the oven. Leave the jam on the toast for a min or two. The Moskonfyt penetrates the bread to form a sweet and sour crispy soggy slice that lingers in your mouth after eating it.
Replace traditional Maple syrup with Moskonfyt and enjoy it with French toast.
Enjoy this handmade delight with ice cream and apple crumble, pancakes, pears or waffles.
Vinaigrette: ideal vinaigrette with fresh vegetables and salad.
Glaze: Mix the Moskonfyt with sherry vinegar and use it as a Gammon or Duck glaze.
Sauces - Sherry vinegar and Moskonfyt also provides a perfect glaze when used with duck or in a monkey gland sauce.
Fish dish basting: Moskonfyt goes well with most fish dishes (basting). A specific example is Snoek tumble. My Snoek tumble simply by heating some oil in a pan, fry potato blocks for 10 minutes. Add coriander, tomato, Snoek and lemon juice, season to taste and enjoy with freshly baked bread and Moskonfyt.

Rediscovering Moskonfyt on our holiday with the family is about more than just eating jam on crispy toast. Introducing this to my eight-year-old daughter and was a special moment - she is a swimmer and always looking for something to snack on and as a swim mom, I am always looking for healthy snacks for our swimmer to eat.

There are some health attributes to must grape jam. Researching the topic, I discovered that the Turkish use this product as a Molasses. School going learners each receives a spoon full every morning to provide them with their daily dose of healthy nutrients and antioxidants. Serving Moskonfyt as a snack for swimmers that burn in excess of 3,500 calories an hour depending on their training program is therefore not a bad idea.

Buy Moskonfyt as a gift. Our neighbours watched over our dogs during our trip and we bought her some as a gift. It is debatable why not many of the Farm stalls on the West Coast stock Moskonfyt - we discovered this driving from stall to stall looking to buy it as a gift for my neighbour. Nevertheless, we ended up going back to the original stall where we bought the first bottle to buy another as a gift.

Our family returned from the Cape after our vacation and I just cannot find any Moskonfyt in KwaZulu-Natal. We definitely have to buy a bottle or two when we visit Granny again!

Marinda Stuiver is a freelance writer and a qualified Public relations professional since 1993. She enjoys writing about the personal experiences and in some cases technical reviews.

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The Difference Between Jam And Jelly

2016-01-07T17:20:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered what the difference between jam and jelly is? There is a definite distinction that sets both of these canning products apart - but there is also a great deal of similarities. The simple answer is that one contains juice and flesh from a fruit or vegetable where the other only contains the juice. However, there is a bit more to the explanation that clearly defines the difference between jam and jelly.

Spreading A Little Jam

When it comes to preserving, jam is one of the most common because it uses much more of the fruit or vegetable produced into a spreadable food. Essentially a jam is a soft, firm canned item that contains a combination of the flesh and juice of the item being preserved. The term 'jam' is defined as something that is made from whole fruit that has been cut, chopped or crushed into smaller pieces. It is then heated with boiling water and sugar. The chemical reaction this creates activates the natural pectin contained in the fruit prior to being sealed in jars.

There is some science involved in preserving a good quality jam. Typically recipes call for the flesh and juice of a single variety of fruit or vegetable and many of them have a high enough amount of natural pectin in them that packets of additional pectin are not required. Examples of these kinds of fruits include cranberries, plums, apples and blackberries. Other fruit that contain lower amounts of natural pectin can produce quality jams when combined with fruits with higher natural pectin. For example, cherries, peaches, rhubarb and strawberries can be mixed with apples to make a great jam without having to add additional pectin.

Jiggling Like A Bowl of Jelly

Here's where the difference between jam and jelly becomes clearer. A jelly is a fruit spread that is clear or translucent and is made from the juice from sweetened fruit. The similarity to jam is that both products use naturally occurring pectin in order to set or gel. The second difference between jam and jelly comes from the final product. A jelly is not as firm as a jam as it does not contain pieces of fruit. Also, if the juice of the fruit or vegetable being used does not contain enough pectin to properly set then additional pectin may be required. The solution to this may come from combining fruit or adding store-bought pectin from a pouch.

The juice used for jelly comes from a filtering or straining of cut, crushed, chopped and cooked down fruit. The cooking of the fruit assists with both juice and pectin extraction when filtering takes place. There are jelly bags available on the market just for this purpose and there is a very simple, yet strict, method to the straining. Typically the bag is suspended over a bowl by string with gravity doing all the work. Squeezing the bag to speed up the process is not recommended as it may force some pulp into the jelly mixture. This is not a problem for some home canners where others adhere to the requirements of their recipe to the letter. Jelly is also a bit more versatile than jam in that the spectrum is wider in what fruit or vegetables can be used which is why there are such selections a grape or apple jelly all the way to spicy jellies containing hot peppers and additional fruits and vegetables.

The Bonus Round

Probably the best reason for canning and preserving jams or jellies is that it is an easy way to extend the lifespan of a harvest. Properly sealed and processed jams and jellies allow you to enjoy the great fruit and vegetable product from your garden or local market well after harvest time. The healthy extra is that regardless of the difference between jam and jelly, both are going to be lower in calories than some other spreadable choices used with toast, crackers or right out of the jar.

Now that you have a better understanding of what a jam or jelly is, do you know what marmalade is? Marmalade is a fruit spread that is produced using the juice and peel of citrus fruits. There is no chopped, cut or crushed flesh in the mixture which is boiled in water and sugar to activate natural pectin. Oranges, lemons, grapefruits and limes produce excellent marmalade as does combinations of these fruit. Again, there are some similarities to jams and jellies but this is still in a category of its own along with the difference between jam and jelly.

Learn more about home canning by visiting http://www.JamBusters.ca today!

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