It's Scuppernong Season

Scuppernongs are a green-gold variety of the sweet and fragrant muscadine grapes

that grow in parts of the South. The house I called home until I was an adult had a

glorious Scuppernong arbor in the backyard. Picking the thick-skinned, seed-laced

grapes became a family affair each September. With a bowl in hand and my feet

on a stool, even as a child, I treasured those grapes as much as gold. The sweet but

slightly sour aroma that marked the beginning of fall will forever be in my memory.

Scuppernong Jelly 

3 qt. ripe Scuppernong grapes (about 5 lb.)

3 cheesecloth sheets

4 to 6 (8-oz.) canning jars with two-piece lids

2 1⁄2 to 3 1⁄4 cups sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

1 (1 3⁄4-oz.) package powdered pectin

1. Wash Scuppernongs; place in a 6-qt. stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven,

or other large, heavy, nonreactive saucepan. Add 1 cup water, and bring to

a boil. Boil, stirring frequently, 20 minutes or until most of seeds have been

released from pulp, crushing Scuppernongs with a potato masher to slip skins

from pulp.

2. Rinse cheesecloth, and wring out excess water. Line a large colander with

cheesecloth. Set colander over a large bowl or pot. Pour Scuppernong mixture

into cheesecloth, and let stand at least 1 hour. Measure liquid (you should have

about 41⁄2 cups), and return to Dutch oven, discarding solids.

3. Sterilize jars, and prepare lids as described below. 

4. While jars are boiling, add 3⁄4 cup sugar for each 1 cup juice to Scuppernong

juice in Dutch oven. Add lemon juice. Bring to a rolling boil. Boil 5 minutes,

stirring frequently.

5. Sprinkle in pectin, stir well, and return to a rolling boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove

from heat, and let stand until boiling subsides. Skim foam from surface with a

metal spoon, and discard.

6. Fill and process jars as described below. Store properly sealed jars in a

cool, dark place. Let stand at least 1 week before serving to allow jelly to fully

set. Serve on biscuits or with Brie and crackers, if desired.

Makes: 4 to 6 (8-oz.) jars 

Hands-on Time: 45 min. Total Time: 1 hr., 41 min., plus 1 week standing time

General Canning Instructions:

To prepare for canning: Use only glass jars specifically designed for home canning, and two-piece lids. Jars and lid rings can be reused, but you must use new flat lids, which can be purchased separately. Be sure that jars, rings, and lids are clean, and that the jars are undamaged, the rims free of chips.

To sterilize jars and prepare lids: Put the jars on a rack in the bottom of a large pot and cover with water. (You can use a specially designed canning pot or any large stock pot as long as it has a rack to hold the jars off the bottom and is deep enough that they can be covered with water and not overflow when the water boils.) Cover the pot and bring to a full boil. Boil for at least 10 minutes to sterilize the jars, then lower the heat and keep at a brisk simmer until the preserve or jam is ready.

Put the flat lids in a heatproof bowl; make sure they are not stacked tightly together. Just before filling the jars, ladle simmering water from the canning pot into the bowl to cover the lids. 

Keep the rings handy, along with a wide-mouth funnel, the ladle for filling the jars, a thin plastic utensil for removing air bubbles, a jar lifter, and a clean paper towel. Put a clean folded towel on the counter near the canning pot, and a second folded towel on the counter in a nearby spot where the processed jars can be set to cool undisturbed.

To fill and process jars of fruit preserves, jams, and jellies: Using a jar lifter, remove the jars from the simmering water, carefully pouring the water inside them back into the canning pot, and place the jars upright on the first towel. Put the funnel in a jar and ladle in the preserve, jam, or jelly, keeping the ladle low and close to the opening of the funnel to prevent excess bubbles from forming in the jars. Repeat to fill the remaining jars. 

If necessary, use a thin plastic utensil to remove air bubbles around the outside of the jar. 

Dip the paper towel in hot water and use it to wipe the jar rims and threads of any dripped preserves.

Drain the water from the flat lids back into the canning pot. Quickly place a lid, white side down, on each jar, then screw on the rings just finger tight—do not over-tighten. 

Using the jar lifter, return the jars, upright, to the rack in the canning pot and make sure they are covered with water by at least 1 inch. Cover, increase the heat, and bring the water to a full boil. Boil for 5 minutes. 

Turn off the heat, uncover the pot, and let stand until the boiling has subsided. Using the jar lifter, remove the jars to the second folded towel, upright, and let cool completely, at least 6 hours. Check to make sure each jar has sealed: If the center of the flat lid cannot be pushed down with your finger, it is sealed; if it depresses and pops up again, it is not sealed and the jar should be refrigerated immediately and the contents used.

Store sealed jars in a cool, dark spot; they will keep for at least 6 months and up to 1 year.

Copyright 2012 Rebecca Lang from Around the Southern Table (Oxmoor House, 2012) by Rebecca Lang. 

Rebeccalangcooks.com

16 Tips for Grocery Store Etiquette

I believe the two groups that frequent the grocery store the most are those that work in food and women with children. That leaves me in both groups and nearly qualified to receive mail at my local store. Shopping for groceries can be a relaxing, therapeutic experience when all goes well and nothing short of maddening when it doesn’t. If only all shoppers brushed up on their manners before filling up their carts, grocery shopping would be more enjoyable for all of us.

1.  If you want to pass in front of another shopper while she is looking for an item, saying, “excuse me,” is absolutely necessary.

2.  Do not wander the store talking to friends using a cell phone earpiece. Every other shopper thinks you’re talking to her. No one is so important that they can’t make it through the store without communicating with the outside.

3.  When a mother is desperately trying to calm her crying baby, please be extra sweet to her. I promise, she wants the child to calm down just as much as you do. 

4.  Control your children in the store. Running kids and moving carts do not go together.

5.  If a woman is shopping with more than one child, be overly courteous. Until you’ve shopped with small children, you don’t understand how much easier it is to buy groceries alone.

6.  Look before pulling out at the end of the aisle. It’s a crash waiting to happen.
7. Do not choose produce and then snack on it as you shop. When you're paying by weight, that's stealing. 

8.  Do not begin unloading your cart on the conveyor belt until the person in front of you has completely emptied her cart. 

9.  If someone is behind you in line with one or two items, be kind and let them in front of you.

10.  Do not write a check. If you don’t use credit cards, get cash out of the bank. Others behind you would like to check out in a timely manner.

11.  Clip all coupons at home. During check out is not the time to organize, clip, or choose coupons. 

12.  For those with massive three ring binders of coupons that impressively turn saving money into a job (whom I have the utmost respect for), please tell those behind you in line that they may want to choose another line. It’s going to be a while. 

13.  While in your car, give the right of way to those walking in and out of the store. It’s easy. Just stop your car and wait for shoppers to pass.

14.  As in any other parking lot, turn on your blinker when aiming for a spot. If you see a car waiting with a blinker flashing, that spot is taken. 

15.  Put your cart in the designated place in the parking lot. I don’t want to go home with a ding in my door and neither do you.

16.  Offer to take another’s cart in as you pass by in the parking lot.

(c) 2019 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC
rebeccalangcooks.com

Divinity for Christmas

No-Nuts Divinity

No Southern candy has played a bigger role in my life than divinity. My grandmother Tom made it often, without a recipe in sight. She always added pecans, but I prefer it without nuts. I like to eat divinity without having to chew. I know now that divinity is not for the candy-making novice. You have to watch the clock, the thermometer, and the weather report. It will not set up if the humidity is too high, so wait for a dry, sunny day.

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 tsp. salt

11/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Wax paper

1. Combine first 2 ingredients and 3/4 cup water in a 2-qt. heavy saucepan. Bring

to a rolling boil over medium heat without stirring; cook, brushing down any

sugar crystals on sides of pan using a pastry brush dipped in hot water, until a

candy thermometer registers 254° (about 19 minutes). Remove from heat.

2. Place egg whites and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty electric stand mixer,

and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, slowly add

half of hot syrup in a thin, steady stream, beating constantly at high speed

(about 3 minutes).

3. Cook remaining half of syrup over medium heat until a candy thermometer

registers 270° (soft crack stage; about 4 minutes). Slowly pour hot syrup and

vanilla over egg white mixture in a thin, steady stream, beating constantly

at high speed until mixture holds its shape and begins to lose its gloss (5 to 7

minutes).

4. Working very quickly, drop mixture onto wax paper using 2 stainless-steel

spoons. Cool completely (about 10 minutes).

Makes: 11/2 lb. 

Hands-on Time: 50 min. Total Time: 1 hr., 5 min.

Photo by Jennifer Davick from Around the Southern Table by Rebecca Lang (Oxmoor House, 2012).

Copyright 2012 Rebecca Lang. All rights reserved. 

Please visit rebeccalangcooks.com for more information.

It's Finally Corn Season!

We can thank the Mayans for the crop that is now the third largest grown in the world for human consumption. The Native Americans educated pilgrims on how to grow Maize, as they called it. Hundreds of years later, Southern cuisine wouldn’t have been the same without it. Not only do we rely on corn for our all-important staple of grits, we like to cream it, fry it, eat it raw in salads, and add it to stews. Keep the husks attached to use as handles with eating corn on the cob. Use a clean toothbrush to gently remove silks from the kernels.

Choose corn with silks that are blonde. The silks darken as the corn ages. Most shoppers check the plumpness of the kernels by peeling back the husks to see the kernels. It’s best to leave on the husks to keep the corn as moist as possible. If you can give the corn a squeeze and see if the kernels are plump, try that method.

Corn should be cooked as soon as possible after picking because the sugars convert to starch very quickly. Store up to one day in the refrigerator in an open bag.

Corn-and-Crab Chowder

My family and I love to stop at our favorite roadside stand for fresh Silver Queen corn on the way to the beach. It doesn’t take long to simmer the sweet kernels with fresh-from-the-Atlantic crabs for a summer soup tradition.

MAKES 10 CUPS 

HANDS-ON 20 MINUTES 

TOTAL 1 HOUR, 15 MINUTES

6 bacon slices

2 celery ribs, diced

1 medium-size green bellpepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 jalapeño pepper, seededand diced

1 (32-oz.) container chickenbroth

3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 cups fresh corn kernels(about 6 ears)

1 lb. fresh lump crabmeat,drained and picked freeof shell*

1 cup whipping cream

1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1⁄2 tsp. table salt

1⁄4 tsp. freshly ground blackpepper

Oyster crackers

Garnish: chopped freshcilantro

1. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes

or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels,

reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in Dutch oven. Crumble bacon.

2. Sauté celery and next 3 ingredients in hot drippings 5 to

6 minutes or until tender. Whisk together broth and flour until

smooth. Add to celery mixture. Stir in corn. Bring to a boil;

reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.

Gently stir in crabmeat and next 4 ingredients; cook 4 to

5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve warm with crumbled

bacon and oyster crackers.

*1 pound peeled cooked shrimp or chopped cooked chicken may

be substituted.

Creamed Corn

Real creamed corn should be milky, creamy, and perfectly salty. If the corn isn’t the freshest possible, you may need to add a little water at a time as it cooks to keep it from drying out. 

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS 

HANDS-ON 40 MINUTES 

TOTAL 40 MINUTES

13 ears fresh corn, husked

1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1⁄2 tsp. table salt

1⁄8 tsp. freshly ground blackpepper

Minced chives (optional)

1. Cut kernels from cobs to yield 6 cups; discard cobs. Cook

kernels in a small Dutch oven over low heat, stirring often, about

30 minutes or until corn is tender. (To prevent corn from drying

out, add up to 10 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time as

needed, during last 15 minutes of cook time.)

2. Stir in cream and butter, and cook, stirring occasionally, about

5 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency. Stir in

salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chives, if desired.

Balsamic Corn Salad

When corn is at its peak, there are few things better. With just a simple dressing, a colorful and bright side dish is created. This salad can be made ahead, so it’s ideal for warm weather parties and picnics. The light hue of white balsamic vinegar keeps the colors vibrant.

MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS 

HANDS-ON 14 MINUTES 

TOTAL 4 HOURS, 44 MINUTES

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

31⁄2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears)

1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

1⁄2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1⁄4 tsp. table salt

1⁄8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 cup diced tomatoes

1 cup packed arugula

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté

pan. Add corn kernels; cook 4 minutes, stirring often. Cool to

room temperature.

2. Whisk together 1⁄4 cup olive oil and next 4 ingredients until

combined.

3. Transfer cooled corn to a medium bowl. Add tomatoes.

Pour dressing over mixture, and stir well. Chill for 4 hours.

Add arugula just before serving.

Photo by Iain Bagwell from The Southern Vegetable Book by Rebecca Lang (Oxmoor House, 2016).

Copyright 2016 Rebecca Lang. All rights reserved. 

Please visit rebeccalangcooks.com for more information. 

How to Polish Your Silver

You probably own silver that you tucked away in a felt-lined box when you married and put it away to stay safe. Take that silver out of hiding! Pull out your sterling or silver plate and actually enjoy all the wonderful pieces that rarely see the light of day. Silver stays in better shape with less tarnish the more often it is used. So celebrate Christmas with a really good fork in your hand!

Before the holidays get in full swing, set aside just a little time to make sure all the pieces of silver are in their shiniest condition. I like to do this near a sink. It's best if you can also be close to a kitchen hood for ventilation or simply open a window as the smell is pretty unpleasant.
1. Place the silver flatware in a disposable aluminum roasting pan set on a kitchen towel on a heat-proof surface. Don't worry, you can pile them all in the pan together.
2. Pour 1 1/2 cups of baking soda on top of the silver. It will be mounded on top of the silver and you'll think you are using too much.
3. Very carefully pour boiling water over flatware. A massive eruption of bubbles will work away the really deep tarnish. Let sit for about 5 minutes or a few minutes more, if needed.
4. Remove the pieces from the hot water with tongs and rinse with cool water and dry.
5. Polish the silver with a cream silver polish. I have used Wright's Silver Cream for years. Rinse the flatware well and dry with a soft towel to prevent water spots.

To keep your silver in top condition throughout Christmas, hand wash only (do not put in the dishwasher) and dry after each use. Remember, if you never use the silver, you won't enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

(c) 2017 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved. Please visit rebeccalangcooks.com. Photo credit Jennifer Davick

Saving Refrigerated Foods During a Power Outage

Irma crashed her way through Georgia and took much of the electricity with her. Many homes in my neighborhood were out of power for over four days. It’s during this aftermath of her wrath that I was determined to keep each and every morsel of refrigerated and frozen food fresh and safe until the lights glowed again. We have two refrigerators with freezers, and both are normally full of groceries. To lose the inventory of both appliances would be a very expensive and time-consuming endeavor to replace.

Keeping in mind that a refrigerator will hold a proper temperature for 4 hours only (if the doors haven't been opened) and a full freezer will be fine for 48 hours (or 24 hours if it's not full), I made a plan.

I started filling coolers in advance knowing that the storm was coming. The wind started with a vengeance and the electricity went quickly. After about 3 hours with no power, we moved all food out of the refrigerators and into iced coolers. As almost five days came and went with no power, keeping the food cold became a real chore of draining coolers of water and repacking with ice daily.

We have good friends that loaned us additional coolers and brought more ice to help. I went through 520 pounds of ice and am proud to say I saved each and every tablespoon of food. I frequented Twice the Ice locations a lot and it was very economical and convenient. I spent less than $50 on ice the entire time.

Having a good set of resources helps when the power is out and you're trying to keep your kitchen as normal as possible. These helped me.

Advance from the FDA on Refrigerator Life Without Power

Refrigerated Food and Power Outages: When to Save and When to Throw Out from Foodsafety.gov

Georgia Power Outage Map

If using dry ice, calculate how much you need.

(c) copyright 2017 Rebecca Lang Cooks, LLC. All rights reserved.