Soup to nuts: Fairfax blogger happily in a jam [The Marin Independent Journal, Novato, Calif.]

Nov. 30--ASK SHAE IRVING why she blogs and she'll no doubt say, "The fruit made me do it."

A longtime legal writer and editor, Irving was looking to stretch her writing abilities and blogging seemed like a fun thing to do. But after writing random musings on life befitting her blog's name, "Hitchhiking to Heaven," she put it to rest, only to pick it up again last year to take on a blogger's food challenge -- a year of creating and posting hot water bath canning recipes.

Irving was game, despite the fact that she barely knew how to cook. But, the fruit fanatic finds something "romantic and even artistic about preserving" fruit in jars. "Until I started making jam, I was actually

terrified to even go into the kitchen," says Irving, who lives in Fairfax with her partner, Stewart Cubley, seven dwarf citrus trees and two white king pigeons named Yuzu and Quince -- not surprisingly, named for fruit.

Fast-forward a few years and Irving, 45, not only has numerous ribbons from the Marin County Fair for her homemade jams, but she also published an e-book of those recipes, "Hitchhiking to Heaven Handcrafted Jam: Prizewinning Recipes 2010," which she sells on her blog. Her blog has thousands of like-minded, jam-obsessed followers all over the world.

Still, Irving laughs, "I never thought I'd have a blog about jam."

Q: Do you create your own recipes?

A: I create

recipes only using canning-safe ingredients. I'm not a certified master food preserver, although I hope to be. I hope to take a certified master food preserver course this spring. But there is a certain realm within which you can create safe canning recipes.

Q: What do you like about blogging?

A: My favorite thing about the blog is the people I've met because of it. When I first started canning, I hardly knew anybody who was doing this. I felt like I was the only person I know who was standing in a kitchen with my face over a pot of boiling water. Now, I have a circle of friends all across the continent that have the same interests I do. We really support each other and give each other a lot of inspiration. And the blog brings all the things I love to do together in one place, which is writing and photography and the fruit.

Q: What do you hope your readers learn from your blog?

A: Most people come to the blog for the recipes. For me, it's really more about inspiring ... that folks might be inspired to truly appreciate and make good use of the fruit in their own neighborhoods.

Q: You say you have a "knack for learning the hard way." What do you mean?

A: When I first started I didn't know anything and if I got a particular bug about a recipe, I would just make it over and over again until I felt that I got it right. I broke two different glass thermometers into batches of jam, and I had to throw them out. How many times do you have to learn something like that? I once made a total disaster of a garlic green chile jelly that was so noxious I had to leave the house for several hours while the smell cleared from the kitchen.

Q: So, do you eat jam every day?

A: I don't overdo it when it comes to eating it. I'm so lucky Stewart likes jam. He probably eats a little bit of jam every day on his toast. I'm always looking for creative way to put it to use. I just figured out, thanks to my blogging community, that you can make a great granola by opening up a jar of fruit butter and mixing it in with your granola. There's only so much you can eat out of the jar.

Q: Any plans for the future?

A: If California were to pass a Cottage Food Law, I would definitely license and insure my home kitchen and start a little jam business just so I would be able to sell my jams in little shops, which I've been asked to do and I've had to say no because it's not legal. I kind of have my fingers crossed about that.

RECIPE

Caramel apple jam

Makes 6 cups

3 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

5 cups unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons dark rum

In a large saucepot (at least 7-quart size), combine 2 cups of the sugar, the water and the lemon juice. Without stirring or shaking the contents of the pan, raise the heat and let the syrup boil gently until it turns golden brown. While the sugar is caramelizing, measure the additional 1 1/2 cups of sugar and the sea salt into a small bowl. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and, using your thumbnail, scrape the seeds from the bean into the sugar and salt. Combine well, then add the vanilla bean pod to the sugar and set the bowl aside.

When the caramel is ready, stir in the applesauce and the set-aside sugar mixture, including the vanilla bean pod. Turn the heat to medium-low and stir the mixture until the sugar and caramel completely dissolve. Then bring the jam to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes. (To minimize spitting, stir the jam gently and almost constantly, reducing the heat if necessary. You will know the jam is done when it thickens and your stirring spoon very briefly leaves a clear track at the bottom of the pan.)

Remove the jam from the heat, discard the vanilla bean and stir in the rum. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and then store, covered, in the refrigerator. It will keep refrigerated for at least 3 weeks. To keep the jam longer, pack and seal in canning jars according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Vicki Larson can be reached at vlarson@marinij.com; follow her on Twitter at @OMGchronicles, fan her at on Facebook at Vicki-Larson-OMG-Chronicles.

WHAT'S SOUP TO NUTS?

This is the first of a new monthly feature focusing on Marin's food bloggers. If you have a food blog you'd like to have featured or follow a favorite Marin blog you'd like to recommend, please email vlarson@marinij.com and put "Soup to Nuts" in the subject line.

ON THE WEB

Shae Irving's blog, "Hitchhiking to Heaven," is at http://hitchhikingtoheaven.com.

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(c)2011 The Marin Independent Journal (Novato, Calif.)

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