This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
As much as the can is a strong symbol of our consumer society, on an artisanal level, preserves allow us to enhance local products that we would not otherwise be able to keep all winter.
The principle is simple. We fill the pot and the pots, and we heat everything at high temperature until the harmful micro-organisms are completely destroyed. This tradition, which we owe to the French confectioner Nicolas Appert, is currently experiencing a resurgence in popularity in Quebec. With consumers, yes, but also with artisans, who see it as a way to maximize the potential of each harvest. “Home canning is quite simple. Almost everyone is capable of doing that, believes Catherine Lépine Lafrance, a former professional confectioner based in Villeray, in Montreal. But when you choose to buy a preserve from an artisan, to encourage them, you can usually expect something special. »
The one who announced last January the closure of her Dinette Nationale boutique, a charming neighborhood institution on rue Saint-Denis, has finally decided to put away her cooking utensils and promote her expertise in food processing. She intends to soon pass it on to those who wish to prolong the pleasures of the harvest even in winter, regardless of their skill level. And it plans to welcome into its classes many market gardeners and maple producers who need to diversify their activities, according to the number of people registered for the distance training called Canning process for artisanal productions, offered by the Institute of agri-food technology in Quebec in which she herself participated.
“Canning is one of the pillars of eating local all year round. Very quickly, we reach the limit of freezing: the food ends up frosting, the texture changes, it takes up a lot of space. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a small freezer at home,” points out Catherine Lépine Lafrance. An opinion shared by many producers and restaurateurs who have chosen to engage in artisanal processing.
Far from Sister Berthe’s preserves
Today, we are far from the traditional carrot slices, dill pickles and all those overly vinegary preserves that are gathering dust in our cupboards, due to lack of use. Like others, Catherine Lépine Lafrance thinks that we can completely reinvent artisanal preserves for the greatest pleasure of the taste buds.
“Canning is rich in potential. There is really room to reinvent flavors, to access registers of taste other than vinegar. I myself worked a lot, during the Dinette Nationale era, with sweet and savory pairings, which allow us to relaunch our creativity as artisans. I’m thinking, for example, of an eggplant and plum jam, or even a squash and plum jam. » We can also reinvent marinades by making pickles with flower buds or stems of plants like angelica, and use their juice to marinate meat or fish, or to make salad dressings.
Because the idea behind having access to such a local pantry is also to learn how to add canning to our preparations, a bit like we would do with industrial preserves. We will adopt some for our weekday dinners, while we will reserve others for more special occasions.
Basically, all the reasons are good for consuming local preserves: they allow us to support local businesses outside of the high season, to maximize the potential of local products, to increase our food autonomy and the quality of our food, to reduce our ecological footprint, while discovering new pairings and new flavors. “For me, it’s a real alternative [aux conserves de marque américaine] which is nourishing both nutritionally and ethically. »
Local preserves to try
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