fruits of my labor

I tried my hand at canning this weekend for the first time and I’m happy to report that it was successful. My jars appear to have all sealed properly and after several hours of futzing around the kitchen, I know have four jars of peach jam, one jar of apple butter, and 5 jars of tomato basil jam. (Recipes were all from this book, which I highly recommend to canners, old and new.)

So what does one do after canning four jars of peach jam? Make something to eat with the jam, of course! These ginger scones are plenty good on their own. With a healthy dollop of homemade jam, they are over the top delicious.

Ginger Scones
Adapted from Teaism’s Ginger Scones

Ingredients
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 1 cup cake flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in pea size cubes
* 2 ounces chopped, crystallized or candied ginger
* 3/4 cup milk (I used 1/4 cup skim milk, 1/2 cup of cream)
* 1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 teaspoon cold water to make an egg wash

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

You can mix by hand or with a food processor or mixer, but be careful not to over blend the dry ingredients. If you over-blend, your scones will be tough and chewy. Put the 7 dry ingredients in a bowl and add the cubes of butter. With your fingers, or with 2 knives, blend the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles a course cornmeal. Some large pieces of butter should remain, this will make your scones light and fluffy. If you are using a processor, pulse briefly. Stir in the ginger bits. Add the milk and work quickly with a fork to incorporate. The dough should be soft and lightly moist. Again, don’t over-mix. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and gently pat down until it stands about 1/2-inch thick. Cut into 12 triangles with a dough cutter or a knife and put onto an ungreased baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar. Bake for 12 minutes until golden. Let cool briefly.

Yield: 10-12 scones