What to Do With Your Share---Week 29

The warm weather is gone, and the taste of November weather is in the air. While we got a much needed 1.5 inches of rain this weekend, we also experienced a morning of 19 degrees. Row cover over the carrots, beets and broccoli did its job helping these plants weather the cold, and many of the cold hearty brassicas survived. But there is no escaping the march toward Winter for most other crops. And while we bid them adieu, we prepare ourselves for the cold, short days of the coming months.

This weeks share offerings include the following:
Lettuce-two heads, mainly from the high tunnel
Beets-fresh beets are the best
Spinach-a benefit of supporting us in our first extended season
Sweet potatoes-orange Beauregard variety
Storage cabbage-it should keep in a plastic bag in your crisper for months
Herbs-cilantro/dill bunch, arugula or dried herb
Brussel sprouts or broccoli-the trial variety of Brussel sprouts did well, but the quantity is limited
Gold ball turnip-mild as can be, we made wedges along with some sweet potatoes and beets using last week's recipe and they were outa sight

Spinach in the high tunnel

A host of family obligations, harvesting, and other chores precludes a new recipe this week. It was overhead though at this weekend's Core Group meeting though that the Sweet Potato Cabbage Hash recipe from the October 2, 2012 blog is a favorite.

Green garlic planting on 11/9/12

What to Do With Your Share---Week 27

On into November with yet another wonderful harvest. While we have had numerous nights in the mid- to high-20’s that have ended the season for some vegetables, others continue to grow. The carrots, beets, fennel, lettuce and raab in the field are covered and should help feed us all for awhile.

This week's share is:
Lettuce (a romaine and a butterhead)
Arugula
Leeks
Cherry belle radish
Carrots
Bulb fennel
Asian greens
Broccoli or cauliflower

The high tunnel continues to flourish. This week’s high tunnel fare will include the Asian greens, arugula, herbs, the butterhead lettuce, and radishes. Let us know what your think, and if these items seem different in any way.

 

As we load you up these next few weeks remember, many items in your shares can be stored for over a month and savored into the Winter. Radishes, bulb fennel, carrots, leeks and cabbage can be used today or three weeks from now if stored in a bag in your crisper drawer. You can store and accumulate sweet potatoes too, just keep them warm (above 55 degrees) and in the dark.

Our recipe this week blew us away at dinner tonight. Member Emily Akins sent us a link to Roasted Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges from www.smittenkitchen.com. To say that the aroma, flavor and texture was a treat is an understatement. For those of you not sure what to do with sweet potatoes, or stuck in a rut, I highly recommend this recipe.

If you don't have all the spice they suggest, you can pull substitutions. Sage, cumin, black pepper, or ground cloves are all possibilities.

Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes
Adapted from Gourmet, January 2002
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes (the latter will make them quite spicy, so using according to your preferences)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 pounds medium sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coarsely grind coriander, fennel, oregano, and red pepper flakes in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Stir together spices and salt.
Cut potatoes lengthwise into 1-inch wedges. Toss wedges with oil and spices in a large roasting pan and roast in middle of oven 20 minutes. Turn wedges over with a spatula and roast until tender and slightly golden, 15 to 20 minutes more.

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges (photo by smittenkitchen)

What's in the Share---Week 26

Sorry for the haitus last week from the blogging, as our main computer had crashed. Luckily, after a few days, we were able to figure out the problem and get to Recovery mode to reset things. So we are now back to normal.

High tunnel last week.

This week's share is a great combination of Spring and Fall:
Sweet potatoes
Broccoli or cauliflower
Lettuce heads (two)
Herbs (sage and parsley)
Broccoli raab
Beets
Red cabbage
Roots combo (watermelon radish and gold ball turnips)

Our blog of September 6th of last year has lots of good info that is applicable to this week's share. It talks about the benefits of sweet potatoes, the culinary attributes of sage, and has a great broccoli raab recipe from Mark Bittman of the NYT.

Spaghetti with broccoli raab, toasted garlic and bread crumbs (photo NYT)

We really like the recipe. The toasted bread and garlic are perfect with this tasty brassica. You could also add some pine nuts, walnuts, pecans, cheese or other protein source to the dish. A good hot sauce is a nice embellishment too. Good hot or cold, make a big serving and have the leftovers for lunch.

An it has been nothing but celebrations and farming for us the last two weeks. The Outstanding in the Field dinner was a big success. Despite the cold and wind everyone had a grand time. Some of the photos below are from my sister Jeanne who joined us for the festivities.

Next celebration was the 9th Anuual End of the Season Dinner. Another grand time with great food, great friends and great music. We want to thank everyone who helped out and made the dinner yet another success story for the 2012 season.

An finally, it has been back to work. Still lots to do here, between harvesting, tending to the high tunnel, taking down bean fences and tomato trellishing, rolling up the irrigation tape and headers, mulching, row covering in advance of frosts, prepping beds for the winter, planning for next year...and scheduling our down time. All the while enjoying this bountiful time of year.

Row covering the broccoli and cauliflower

In the Share - Week 24

SAVOY CABBAGE (F) We are very proud of our big, beautiful cabbages.  The savoy type has pretty ruffles and is very sweet. 

LETTUCE (F/P) More tender leaf and butterhead types. Two for the full shares, one for the partials.

SWEET POTATOES (F/P) You will have your choice of either traditional orange or cream-color or a mix of the two.

CARROTS (F/P) The first digging of the fall carrots. They are young and tender good!

BULB FENNEL (F/P) See Tom’s post on fennel. We like to eat it raw in our salads.

BROCCOLI (F/P) HERB CHOICE (F/P) Cilantro, dill or mint

GREENS CHOICE (F) Kale, collards or Broccoli Raab (Rapini)

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms CSA shares

NEXT WEEK:  If you can’t get enough Fair Share Farm veggies and are sad for the season to end, you can keep the produce coming by signing up for the extended season shares. See your email inbox for all the details. Otherwise, you are on your own kiddos until next Spring rolls around.
 
FARM REPORT: Seeing as how this is the last week of the 2012 CSA “regular” season I should be thanking you all and bidding you a happy winter, but to do so seems inappropriate to the circumstances at hand. It really doesn’t feel like the end of the season on the farm. Despite frosts that killed the summer fruits, the fields are full of produce. Not even counting the crops in the high tunnel, we have enough vegetables to feed many families for many more weeks. We thank those of you who have already signed up for another month of salad greens, fall roots, sweet potatoes and leeks. We still have some spots open, so don’t be shy.

But, really, we must thank you all for your support of Fair Share Farm. The farm exists because you decided to take a chance with us this Spring before any crops were harvested and most hadn't even been planted. Since then we have had record heat, record drought and record tomatoes all without the use of synthetic chemicals, pesticides and GMO seeds.  We hope that when you look back on the season as a whole, you will know that taking a chance with us pays off.  Every year the harvests get better as we continue to make improvements to our soil, to the farm's infrastructure, and in our planning.  Together with you we look forward to many more seasons of bountiful harvests for the community.

What to Do With Your Share---Week 24

Seems like only yesterday that the season began, and here we are in October in the last week. We made it through the drought, and the October frosts, and still have plenty of vegetables.We have had a very good year, all in all, and hope it has been good for you too.

The Outstanding in the Field dinner is approaching quickly, and we are ready to be quite busy the next 2 days prepping to host over 100 guests. We are quietly stressing as we also prepare for this week's harvest. Luckily digging tender Fall carrots calms our nerves, as does any good harvest.

We hope you enjoy the newest item this week, bulb fennel. There is perhaps no other plant as aromatic in our fields. A frost, a rain, or a stiff breeze will cause fennel to scent the air with a wonderful fresh smell. On the culinary side it adds a nice brightness to salads, and is good anywhere you would use celery.  One recipe that might fit into what you have in your fridge is Roasted Fennel, Leeks and Kohlrabi, from our 2011 Thanksgiving post.

We appreciate the support we get from our CSA and want to remind you that we couldn't do this without you. As we begin our first extended season we start a new era at the farm, and look forward to providing you with vegetables for even more of the year.


 

Remembering the 2011 Outstanding in the Field DInner

As we get ready to host Outstanding in the Field again, we thought we would look back and remember what a wonderful day we had. Attendee Mo Hirsch from St. Louis did a wonderful job of documenting the event and here are a few photos. You can sign up for this years dinner on October 19 at 2pm here.

Setting up

Signing in

Mingling

Chef, artist and founder Jim Denevan, talking with Rebecca

Chef Jonathan Justus and the main course

Rebecca demonstrating the electric G

Eating dinner

One of the courses, served family style



The menu

Evening

What to Do With Your Share---Week 23

A slight two months ago we were in the middle of as hot a Summer as has been had in these parts, and now the freeze has come and gone. No more tomatoes or peppers on the vine, but cabbages as big as a volleyballs are in the fields awaiting harvest. We are happy to move on to this new season, well stocked and anticipating a little rest.


Tomato plants after a hard frost

I have always been drawn to the Fall harvest. The thought of a warm house with pots of local fare on a hot stove is comforting. And right now I am excited about the green tomatoes. For while I am surrounded by them for a good portion of the year, it is now that they really seem like the thing to cook.

One recipe (that I have not tried) comes from member Heather Gibbons via her Facebook page. She says...I tried something new with green tomatoes and it's crazy good. I roasted wedges with salt and olive oil, then blended them with 2-3 cloves of roasted garlic and a little more olive oil. It's addictively tangy and earthy, salty and sweet. I'm just not sure what to call it. Not sure either but I would recommend it.

A favorite meal of mine is green tomato curry over rice. We put a version of it in our October 17, 2007 newsletter. The thing about this recipe, is that there are lots of options for what you can add, so you can make it with whatever you have on hand. Don't have curry paste, use curry powder. Don't have eggplant, skip it and add more peppers and leeks. Add some diced potatoes or radishes or kohlrabi.

I do suggest though, that you find yourself some coconut milk. It makes for a smooth and creamy curry and adds a nice flavor. Another suggestion for this dish is to cut the veggies all different ways to enhance its texture. Cut long slivers of the onions, mince the peppers, chop the green tomatoes into chunks.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion or 1 large leek
2 to 3 green tomatoes
2 green peppers
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 to 2  tbsp curry powder or green curry sauce
1 cup coconut milk

Method:
- Peel the onion/clean the leeks. Core the green tomatoes.  Core and seed the peppers.

- Chop the onion/leek into slivers, the peppers into dice and the green tomatoes into chunks.
- Heat the sesame oil to a large skillet or pan. Add the curry sauce, onions and peppers.
    Sauté on high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the green tomatoes and garlic, stir. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Turn heat to medium, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once.
- Add the coconut milk, stir, cover and cook for 10 minutes more, or until tomatoes are tender.

In the Share - Week 23

 

LEEKS (F/P) I love the way the walk-in cooler smells when it is full of leeks. It smells like buttery goodness.

LETTUCE (F/P) Tender red leaf and butterhead varieties this week.

TOMATOES (F/P) A couple of green tomatoes and a few more ripe ones.

GREEN PEPPERS (F/P) The last of the green peppers

NAPA CABBAGE (P) We are harvesting the prettiest Napa cabbage crop we have ever had: dense heads of delicate leaves.

CAULIFLOWER OR BROCCOLI (F) We planned on putting out more broccoli and cauliflower transplants this summer but as insanely hot as it was we are grateful to be able to offer a choice of the two. Partial shares will get broccoli next week.

BEETS (F) The first harvest of the fall beets, mostly a long variety called “Cylindra”

TURNIPS AND WATERMELON RADISHES (F/P) A couple of each. The watermelon radishes are good keepers. To reduce the heat of radishes slice them into rounds and peel the hot outer layer off.

HERB CHOICE (F) Arugula, dill or tarragon

NEXT WEEK: The last week of the regular 24-week season. More lettuce, herbs, broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potatoes. Carrots, savoy cabbage and bulb fennel.

FARM REPORT:

 The thermometer read 26 degrees F Sunday morning and with that the summer crops took their exit. The fields are now stripped with brown rows of dead plants. Everything does not die with the frost. We are gladdened by the resilient cabbages and broccolis that will keep growing until the hard freeze. Other crops fared just fine under a layer or two of row cover. We are just beginning to harvest the fall roots and look forward to many more warm days before winter. The high tunnel plants are growing rapidly within the protected environment.
 

Next Friday 10/19 we will be hosting our second Outstanding in the Field dinner at the farm and we invite you to join us. The talented folks at Justus Drugstore will once again be serving up their hand-crafted recipes to 100+ diners sitting at a long table in our fields. The chef will be using some of our produce along with other local meats, wines and cheeses. There are still seats at the table available. Go here to learn more and to purchase tickets. Last year the food was amazing and we met so many interesting people who traveled great distances to eat dinner in our farm field.
 

What to Do With Your Share---Week 22

The shares continue to put on the pounds right now as the Fall harvest kicks in, and the coming frost calls for harvesting all of the fruit off the peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. And don't forget the last of the sweet potatoes. It is the richest time of year, as harvesting takes center stage.

The green tomatoes may be in the shares for a couple weeks, so you should know at least one way to cook them. The web is filled with recipes for fried green tomtoes, and here is ours.

Recently the cabbage and sweet potatoes have been coming on, and it seemed that the two of them would make a nice combination. The recipe below is similar to a German potato salad, except it has no bacon. You can use any type of cabbage that you have on hand, including this week's Chinese cabbage. 

Sweet Potato Cabbage Hash
2 to 2-1/2 lbs sweet potatoes red or orange), chopped
4 cups choppped cabbage
2 cloves garlic
2 medium onions
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp honey
parsley

Method

1. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the sweet potatoes, cabbage and a teaspoon of salt. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain. The liquid can be saved and used as a vegetable stock or warm drink.
2. Meanwhile saute the onions and garlic in olive oil in a large pan for about 10 minutes.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and onions and fry for approximately 15 minutes, until tender and brown.  You can add some ot the stock if the potatoes start sticking to the pan.
4. Mix the vinegar and honey and add to the pan. Stir.
5. Garnish with parsley

In the Share - Week 22

sweet potatoes

 

CAULIFLOWER (F/P) The broccoli is just starting and some may get a choice of the two.

SWEET POTATOES (F/P) These are the traditional orange type. They keep for months at room temperature. Never refrigerate sweet potatoes.

LETTUCE (F/P) The last of the crispheads this week. Next week we start in on the more tender leaf lettuces.

GARLIC (F/P) One head for all one last time. The rest we are planting at the end of the month.

TOMATOES (F/P) We have quite a few ripe tomatoes still and we think everyone will get around a pint again.

GREEN TOMATOES (F/P) Frost is on it’s way by Saturday morning. The farm is in full swing preparing for it which includes harvesting the green fruits from the summer crops. See Tom’s post for ideas for using your green ‘maters.

GREEN PEPPERS (F/P) Ditto on the peppers.

EGGPLANT (F) If the forecaster is right this will be the last of the eggplant.

NAPA CABBAGE (F) See Tom’s post for a yummy sweet potato and cabbage recipe.

CHOICE: HOT PEPPERS, ARUGULA OR HERBS (F/P) 

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms CSA shares

FARM REPORT:

pre-frost harvest

 

The frost is not forecasted until Saturday, but we are trying to get a lot done early this week before the weather gets wet and cold. Tomorrow we hope to bring in the last of the tender crops and button up the high tunnel. Row cover is protecting the lettuces and bulb fennel out in the field and most of the green summer fruits have been picked.  Many of the crops that we grow this time of year can handle a light frost and actually get sweeter in the cold weather.  Fall carrots, broccoli, kale and turnips actually benefit from a cold night or two. 

Speaking of cold nights, all current CSA members are invited to sign-up for the Inaugural Fair Share Farm CSA extended season.  A deposit form will be in your inbox tonight.  We are offering 4 extra weeks of produce starting October 24th.  Space is limited to 50 shares, so send that form on in to secure your spot.  We are only offering full shares, so consider sharing with friends and family if it is too much for you alone.  Cost is $30/week. Distribution will be available at the normal farm, Liberty and Bad Seed locations and times.   No work requirement for this short run although that may not be the case in 2013.  Our best guess is that the shares will be comprised of the following:  lettuces, bok choy, sweet potatoes, cabbage, bulb fennel, beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, leeks, endive, spinach, herbs, cauliflower and broccoli.  Tom and I are looking forward to extending our harvest season on the farm and we welcome you to join us.

In the Share - Week 21

CAULIFLOWER (F) One of my favorite crops and not the easiest to grow. We should have cauliflower for another few weeks.

LEEKS (F/P) I am so ready for some luscious leeks to enter our fall kitchen.  See Farmer Tom’s post for more about them.

LETTUCE (F/P) More of the heat-tolerant crisp heads for a satisfying crunch.

RADISHES (F/P) We have three different kinds of radishes ready in the fields and we plan to pick them all for your choosing. Partial shares get a choice of radishes or turnips.

HAKUREI TURNIPS (F) The farm crew’s favorite snack in the field right out of the ground.

TOMATOES (F) Your farmers are debating whether it is time to begin the dismantling of the patch. So far the plants are producing just enough good ripe fruit to keep us from our task but their time is running out.

EGGPLANT OR OKRA (P) A light frost on Sunday morning spared the tender summer fruits for the most part. Only the basil was significantly damaged.

SWEET PEPPERS (P) Mostly purple peppers along with some ripe types.

CABBAGE OR KOHLRABI (F) Choose your ball of brassica (reminds me of the "choose your ball of cucurbit" of a few weeks back). The kohlrabi is a fall variety that gets pretty big but stays tender.

ARUGULA (F) A bit of spice for your salad.

HERB CHOICE (F) Garlic chives, parsley, thyme or hot peppers

NEXT WEEK: More eggplant, peppers, okra, radishes, turnips and cauliflower. Sweet potatoes and a greens choice.

FARM REPORT:

At Fair Share Farm the planting season starts in early February when we seed the onions in the greenhouse. From then on we keep planting so that we have a succession of crops that keeps the CSA shares well stocked with a good assortment of crops. Only now in late September are we at the point where we can stop planting. The last seeds to go in the ground were planted in the high tunnel this week. It is now filled with young lettuces, arugula, beets, turnips, endive, spinach, bok choy, bulb fennel and chard.

 

We have also been spending a lot of hours tending to the many rows of fall roots that somehow managed to sprout and grow during the peak of the summer drought.   We have 2200 row feet of carrots and each plant must be weeded and thinned by hand within the rows.   Luckily our Allis Chalmers G tractor takes care of the weeds growing in between the rows.  On Monday we moved all of the irrigation tape out of the path and the "G" and I did some serious weed-killing.

What to Do With Your Share---Week 21

The Fall Equinox has officially passed, and Summer is over. This is our tenth September at the farm, and we have always loved this month. While we kid ourselves that our workload is slim, it is an easier time of year.

I've always loved this time of year too for the true cornucopia of food that is available. We are always psyched when we can dig some leeks and hand them out, and are looking forward to tomorrow morning when we start digging.

Leeks among the buckwheat

 The drought caused some mortality in this prized allium crop, but our constant watering has made for some respectable stalks. So try some Angel Hair Pasta with Leeks and Garlic Saute, or some White Sweet Potato Soup with Garlic,  or even some Mashed Potatoes With Leeks and Garlic. All wonderful recipes that show off the wonderful taste of leeks.

Kohlrabi harvest with Rebecca

In the Share - Week 20

O’HENRY SWEET POTATOES (F/P) Creamy yellow sweet potatoes are sure sweet and thankfully survived the summer heat.

ONIONS (F/P) Spicy red and yellow storage onions out of the barn.

TOMATOES (F/P)  The tomatoes are getting slim, but everyone might get a pint tomorrow.

HAKUREI TURNIPS (F) Welcome back our fine white roots. See Tom’s post for a lemon pickle.

SWEET PEPPERS (F) Mostly our purple peppers. 

CARROTS (P) the last of the storage carrots from the summer harvest.

OKRA OR EGGPLANT (F) We hear that the okra is popular down at the Bad Seed distribution. We wish it was producing better but it has stayed short this year and there isn’t a lot of fruit.

RATTLESNAKE BEANS (F) We are hoping for another week of harvest off of the pole beans. The new fruit looks nice but there may be small bags for only the full shares.

HERB CHOICE (F/P) hot peppers, parsley, thyme, basil or a dried herb.

GARLIC (F/P) Seems everyone we talk to had a bad garlic harvest this summer. We’ll have at least one head for all this week.

ALSO THIS WEEK: Parker Farms CSA shares

NEXT WEEK: More peppers, eggplant, turnips and tomatoes. Cauliflower and cabbage. Arugula and lettuce.

 FARM REPORT:

On Monday we pulled the plastic on the high tunnel, which turned out to be a bigger job than we expected.  Tom started the day by ascending to the tippy top and attaching the channel that would hold the plastic on the structure.

 

 

After spreading out two 40 x 100 ft. pieces on the ground we all climbed under the plastic and began attaching the plastic to the first side.  

Then, we attached ropes to the plastic and attempted to pull it across the top.  After much tugging and shouting and little progress we realized that we were a bit under-staffed for the job.  With the plastic half on we had no choice but to continue. We added more rope, tugged and shouted some more and by about 1 pm we had managed to finish the job. 

 

With the blower fan installed the two layers of plastic make a firmly inflated roof. Today we formed the beds, added compost and rock powders and then ceremoniously planted the first seed, a spinach seed to be exact.

 

What to Do With Your Share---Week 20

The season is changing. The nights are down into the 40's now and the days are shortening and cooling off. A wonderful time of year.

White Sweet Potatoes
In the fields our attention has turned to the last 5 weeks of the season, and the harvesting of some of our longer term crops. That means the sweet potatoes are being dug. This week's offering, the O'Henry white sweet potatoes look as good as ever. While the drought reduced the yield this year, the quality is high.

As far as eating them, use any sweet potato recipe that you have. Or, as we said last year, "a good way to try these out is to mash them. It really brings out their sweetness and creaminess. Simply cut off any tough spots, cut into large chunks, and then boil or steam until tender. While still hot mash them before adding some salt, butter and milk/cream."

Hakurei Turnips
The tender white turnips that you may remember from Spring are once again in the shares. They are a touch spicy right now, and can use a nice sour dressing to mellow them out. This Spring I tried out at pickling recipe from a book Rebecca got me for my birthday called The Preservation Kitchen.

Chef Paul Virant has filled the book with a wonderful array of unique and flavorful preserving recipes. The Lemon-Pickled Turnips caught my eye and I made a batch. They were wonderful. Below is the canning recipe. Modify the quantities as you see fit to make a nice little dressing for a salad, or let it stand overnight to get more of a pickling effect.

8 cups sliced hakurei turnips
4 tsp kosher salt
3 lemons, zested and juiced
3-1/4 cups water
1-1/2 cups champagne or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup plus 1 tsp sugar
4 teaspoons coriander seeds

Trim off the root end and tops of the turnips. Halve and slice the turnips about 1/4- inch thick. Mix the turnips in a large colander with the salt. Set aside to drain for 1 hour

Grate the lemon zest into a small pot. Halve the lemons and squeeze the juice over the zest. Pour in the water, vinegar and sugar. In a dry saute pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds until fragrant. Coarsley crush the coriander and add it to the pot.

Scald 5 pint jars in a large pot of simmering water fitted with a rack--you will use this pot to process the jars. Right before filling, put the jars on the counter. Pack the jars with the turnips, using about 8 ounces per jar. Meanwhile, soak the lids in a pan of hot water to soften the rubber seal.

Bring the brine to a boil. Transfer to a heat-proof pitcher and pour over th turnips, leaving a 1/2-inch space from the rim of the jar. Check the jars for air pockets, adding more brine if necessary to fill the gaps. Wipe the rims with a clean towel, seal with the lids, then screw on the bands until snug but not tight.

 

Place the jars in the pot with the rack and add enough water to cover the jars by about 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 15 minutes (start the timer when the water reaches a boil). Turn off the heat and leave the jars in the water for a few minutes. Remove the jars form the water and let cool completely.