Family Food Heirlooms - What's Sitting on Your Shelf?

[Susie Q]

 I have the last jar of Green Tomato Piccalilli my Grandmother made and canned. It dates from the mid 80's and looks nothing like it should and is probably a biological weapon of food poison contained in a Mason jar. It sits untouched on the shelf and is one of the things I check on periodically especially after an earthquake. I bequeathed it to my 11 year old niece. The poor thing knows she'll be the keeper of at least one of the family legacies.

 

The real gem in the family collection is Grandpa's pepper bottle. When my grandmother died about 2005 she still had the last batch of pepper vinegar she made for my grandfather. She used to stuff yellow hot peppers (at the time) and spices into an old liquid sweetener bottle with a pointed tip then filled it with vinegar.  He died in the late 1960's and for 36 years she would periodically top off that bottle of old peppers with vinegar as it evaporated. My aunt now has the bottle and those almost 50 year old peppers are black. I don't have a picture of the bottle, need to get one, but it was one of these.

 

 

Anybody else have a family food heirloom they are holding on to for future generations?

 

 

[GlorifiedRice]

My mom probably still has her jar or black truffles from the 1970s that shes waiting to use

[Smithy]

I still have several jars of jelly that my mother made, no later than 2004.  I don't eat jelly often, but every once in a while I'll open one and use it.  It's lost its vibrant color but tastes fine, and - well, the fruit came from the family farm.

[Toliver]

This brings to mind the wonderful eG Daily Gullet piece written by Ellen Shapiro a decade ago:  "A Pupick in the Pot" (click)

 

[NancyH]

I am working slowly through my last jar of Onion Nyafat. I had bought a case of them right before Rokeach discontinued them in 2008, from a supermarket having a "going out of business" sale. 2 of the jars went rancid before I could open them and got pitched. Once this last one is gone, it's gone. Matzoh Brei may never be the same for me!

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, NancyH said:

I am working slowly through my last jar of Onion Nyafat. I had bought a case of them right before Rokeach discontinued them in 2008, from a supermarket having a "going out of business" sale. 2 of the jars went rancid before I could open them and got pitched. Once this last one is gone, it's gone. Matzoh Brei may never be the same for me!

Well I had to look up Nyafat!  My research suggests that it is vegetarian schmaltz?

[liuzhou]

I have a slice of my parents' wedding cake. It is 66 years-old and still looks edible, if a little dry.

[NancyH]

Anna N - Nyafat is sort of like vegetarian schmaltz. It was made with hydrogenated cottonseed oil, which  ensured that it was Kosher for Passover and parve, meaning acceptable to use with either meat or dairy. That aspect is also what killed it, when the US government restricted transfats. My mother used the onion flavored version to fry her matzoh brei; before I fully embraced pork fat, I used it for that and fried rice. It gave a unique texture and taste to things. So far, the best substitute I've come up with is coconut oil infused with fresh onions, but so long as that last jar holds out, I don't have to work on it too hard just yet.