Jarring Tuna

OK, so it’s really canning.

For some people the days right after Thanksgiving are for getting up early to rush out to shop for bargains.

A few others in the Bellingham area get up slowly to process fresh tuna. “Slowly” is something of a pun. On Saturday and Sunday, November 24th and 25th, members of the Fourth Corner Slow Food Movement and friends meet at the Rome Grange on Mt. Baker HIghway to trim and can tuna. This year we processed three thousand pounds of tuna.

Jeremy Brown is the organizer of this event. A native of a farm in England, Brown traveled to the U.S., where he met his wife on the East Coast and eventually found his way to Bellingham where he began fishing for salmon and tuna. He eventually bought and out-fitted his own boat. 

Prior to the canning event, Brown and a friend sliced frozen tuna with a buzzsaw to sizes that were easily handled. Seven ounces of trimmed chunks were put in small jars with oil and some carrot, then pressure cooked. Grow Northwest Magazine's November 2012 issue has a feature article on Jeremy and a previous event. 

Volunteers who worked in two-hour shifts were entitled to buy a case of 12 jars for $62.50 this year (the price varies with the market). We bought two cases and can’t exaggerate how much better this tuna tastes better than Chicken of the Sea or any other commercially canned tuna we have tried. 

The Slow Food Movement was started in the 1980s in protest when a fast food restaurant opened on the Steps of Rome. There are now a hundred thousand members world wide in 150 countries. There are 13 chapters in Washington. By-words are, “good, clean and fair--good for our palates, clean for humans and fair for producers.” Membership is a one-time, tax-deductible contribution of $25.

Google and other search sites provide details. Local contact is Maria Bronstein at Mariaken19@aol.com.