Along with everyone else on the Interwebs, as the New Year approaches, I have in mind a post rounding up some of my favorite recipes & posts of the past year. Which I still may do, but first I thought it would be fun to take a look into my site statistics and discover your favorite posts & recipes of 2010. So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Most Popular Posts, based upon number of hits, at Local Kitchen over the past year.

Number 10: About Page

Coming in at number 10 with 1055 hits this year is the About page, the virtual welcome mat for Local Kitchen. This is a nice little statistic, because it tells me that the blog saw a lot of new visitors in 2010, visitors that cared enough to click on the About page and find out a little bit more about the blog and what it’s all about. Welcome! I hope you found what you were looking for, come back often, and join the conversation. One of these days maybe I’ll even put a picture of my face on the page… butt (ha!) I doubt it.

Number 9: Wild Black Raspberries

Another non-recipe post, number 9 is a discussion of the wild black raspberries that grow in my backyard, how to differentiate the wild black raspberry from wild blackberries, and how to forage for wild berries safely. While I do get some search terms looking for foraging information on berries, especially during the summer months, I think the majority of the 1139 hits end up at this post when searching for information on goldenseal (the poisonous goldenseal berry is the only dangerous sort-of look alike to a wild raspberry). I’m sure they are then disappointed. Sorry goldenseal fans!

Number 8: Pirate Peaches

Finally a recipe! This is one of my very favorite recipes, although it might have been the Kraken rum that tipped the scales and yielded 1209 hits for pirate peaches. This one was pretty popular amoung the canny set (peaches & rum – what’s not to like?) and lots of folks put their own spin to the recipe. It even got featured on Deep Sea News, spreading the Kraken-peach love beyond our little canning claque and out in the vasty deep.

Number 7: Christine Ferber’s Pumpkin Jam with Vanilla Bean

This one kind of cracks me up, because hundreds of people (well 1405 of you, to be exact) came searching for a good pumpkin jam recipe, and all I do is bitch about La Ferber and talk about how the recipe isn’t safe (that’s me, making friends and influencing people). Well, it is a beautiful jam, and while it is far too sweet for me, Tai loved it in peanut butter sandwiches. And it did make a fabulous glaze for grilled chicken. So there’s that.

Number 6: Quick(er) Whole Grain Pizza Dough

At number 6, with 1448 hits, my quick(er) whole grain pizza dough is a recipe I’m quite proud of: I developed it on my own, figuring out how to yield a crisp crust and airy, chewy texture with local Wild Hive flours and no overnight ferment. Several people have told me that it is the best pizza crust they’ve ever had and many people are astonished when I tell them it is a 100% whole wheat crust. Also, it’s a  standby in our house and the basis of many an impromptu pizza party over the long, dark days of winter.

Number 5: Bone-In Chicken Breasts on the Grill

Mr. Google is solely responsible for 1560 of you who have visited this recipe: I get searches on a daily basis for bone-in chicken on the grill. Understandly so; grilling chicken on the bone can be a tricky proposition, requiring an initial sear, long, low heat and an accurate meat thermometer to get it right.

Number 4: Labels, A Tutorial

After many requests, I put together a tutorial on creating my custom jar labels, and laid waste to the notion that there is even a teeny, tiny percentage of me that is not a complete dork. Obviously, many of you are equally dorky, as this post ranks at number 4 with 1869 hits, helped, no doubt, by the inclusion in the Kitchn’s round up of crafty, cool holiday gift wrap.

Number 3: Can Jam: Roasted Garlic & Lemon Mustard

March, the allium month at Tigress’ Can Jam, yielded some lovely recipes, but none as popular as roasted garlic & lemon mustard, coming in at number 3 with 2318 hits. Included in Tigress’ March round-up, of course, but also picked up by the Kitchn’s delicious links and iVillage’s round up of DIY holiday gifts, this recipe has traveled the Interwebs, and created some die-hard Weck jar fans as well!

Number 2: Canning in a Boiling Water Bath

If the Food Channel, USA Today and SFoodie didn’t convince you that canning was big in 2010, this should: 2344 of you searched for canning information on this little ole blog!

….and the Number 1 most popular post of 2010…

Number 1: Canning Carrots

I must admit, the canning carrots post as number 1 is a bit anti-climactic for me.  At 2957 hits it’s very comfortably in the lead, but since it’s not a recipe of mine, or even one that I’ve made, it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that this is by far the most popular post on the site. However, since I still get “canning carrots in water” search terms popping up all the time, I guess it’s a saving grace that I have (hopefully) educated nearly 3000 people on the dangers of low-acid water-bath canning. And it gives me a chance to smile at the memory of the teeny, tiny purple Dragon’s Heart carrots that I grew last year and to peruse once again all the great carrot canning recipes from February’s Can Jam.

With that, I offer my thanks to you for contributing to the wonderful community here at Local Kitchen, and for all of your tips & recipes, comments & suggestions throughout the year. Wishing you all a fabulous New Year’s Eve celebration and looking forward to more cooking, canning and fun conversations in 2011.  Happy New Year!