Canning on the Farm – Chipotles in Adobo at Springdale Farm August 28, 2011

I have several posts about Springdale Farm over the past year or so, because  Springdale is my happy place, and any opportunity to spend time there is a treasure. The farm is beautiful and peaceful, and seems to be the greenest place in town.  The new farmhouse, is absolutely gorgeous, inside and out, and will be featured soon as a stop on the AIA Tour of Homes.  The inhabitants of the farm are charming – the ducks, who waddle around in a line with some purpose, unknown to me; the chickens bring the drama and comedy; and the quirky farm dog Ellie May, whom I’m pleased has finally accepted me into her dog world.

There are way too many cool things about hanging out with farmers, than I could even detail here.  One, is that they are amazingly wonderful people.  I’m so happy to call Glenn, Paula, Darrell, Creel and Jessie,  friends.   Two,  is that they have access to large amounts of organically grown produce, right in their front yard.

When Glenn and Paula invited me over for an afternoon of canning Chipotles in Adobo, I jumped at the chance.  I love peppers, and had always wanted to make Chipotles in Adobo.  Glenn commenced smoking  around 25 pounds of jalapenos the night before we were to begin.   They needed to be smoked until nearly dried.

Jalapenos in the Smoker

There were so many peppers, they had to be done in batches, so more peppers were already inside at this point.

Smoked jalapenos

The peppers really held on to the oaky smoke, making for an aromatic afternoon.

The recipe called for the peppers to be simmered with chopped onions, in a large quantity of tomato puree.  We used tomatoes that Paula had canned from Spring.

Home canned tomatoes

The recipe also called for cider vinegar, honey, which I had picked up at Boggy Creek Farm the day before, and ground Cinnamon, Allspice and Clove, which I got from Savory Spice on Sixth.  The Mexican Oregano came from the farm herb garden, snipped with scissors by me, with Ellie May’s assistance.  The whole mixture was placed into a large pot and simmered while we sterilized the jars and prepared a water bath for canning.  The chipotle mixture ultimately took a couple of hours to reduce to the desired state, of re-hydrated peppers in a thick adobo sauce.  Fortunately, we had some adult beverages on hand to sip in the down time.

Simmering pot

By the time the mixture was ready, we had sterilized jars lined up next to the  pot.  The texture had become much thicker, and nearly jam like, while the peppers maintained their shape and held together.

Filling the jars

After processing in their water bath, all the jars sealed. (My favorite part!)

Canned Chipotles in Adobo

The end result was a flavor bomb – smokey, hot, slightly sweet, spicy and delicious.    Food made with love and care, although more expensive and time consuming, is always going to beat the convenient alternative in my book.  What a great afternoon!

Alternative

Springdale Farm operates a farm stand every Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00.  If you visit the farm stand, the Foores will happily allow you to walk around and see the beautiful farm.

Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Road, Austin (Just off of East 7th) www.springdalefarmaustin.com