For my friend Sammi: A new scone recipe. If you love snickerdoodles, you'll love this moist light scone. It would be really good with some maple butter, or I liked it warmed up with just a little butter.
Cinnamon Sugar Scones
1/2 C sour cream
1/2 t baking soda
Combine sour cream with the baking soda in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
2 1/4 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
1/2 C cold butter
2 t cinnamon
garnish with addition cinnamon sugar before baking
Preheat oven to 350*F. Combine dry ingredients except cinnamon. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Whisk egg and cinnamon into sour cream mixture, add flour mixture and stir until it just comes together in a ball. On a pizza stone, or baking sheet, pat dough ball out into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into wedges, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
I love chicken and dumplings. We always have stock on hand, and I have cooked chicken or turkey in the fridge at all times, too. I just make a thick chicken gravy and add a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, or the leftover cooked potatoes, carrots, and onions from a roast and some peas from the freezer. Then comes the dumplings, which are so easy.
Butter Dumplings
2 eggs
1/2 C all purpose flour
6 T softened butter
1/2 t salt
1 pinch ground nutmeg
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add the flour and mix. Into this mixture, beat the butter, salt and pinch of nutmeg to make a smooth batter. Bring the soup to a boil, Drop half teaspoonfuls of batter into the gently boiling soup. Cook 6 to 7 minutes at least.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Homemade Noodles
I used to make noodles often when we were first married. We lived on 800 bucks a month, so anything I could do to stretch our budget, I did. We bought and stored 50 pounds of flour at a time, and we lived on a ranch where there were chickens, so we had access to eggs. It was a long trip to town, and most of it on unpaved roads, so if I ran out of something, I had to improvise.
Noodles are easy, but require some upper body strength to roll. I think on my next trip to town, I'll have to invest in a pasta roller, so I can get them to come out thin and smooth. Even though my noodles today were not what I used to be able to do, (they were a little lumpy and too thick) they were still delicious. I don't know why I every started using dried!
So here's my noodle recipe. If the dough is too dry, add a little T of water at a time until it feels the right texture.
Egg Noodles
1 1/2 C all purpose flour (I use 1 C white, and a half C wheat to make them more nutritious)
3 large eggs
a scant tsp of salt
fresh pepper to taste
Pour the flour on a clean and dry countertop, in a pile. With the back of the measuring cup, push out the center of the flour to make a well. It will look like a volcano crater. Make sure there is flour surrounding the well on all sides, or your eggs will leak out, and it will be infinitely more messy. Crack the eggs into the well, and season with salt and a grind of fresh pepper. With a fork, start stirring the eggs, incorporating a little flour at a time until a dough ball forms. Knead it gently to clean the board of all remaining flour, and cover with a bowl and let rest ten minutes. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin as thin as humanly possible, (or run it through a pasta roller). With the dough lightly dusted with flour on both sides, fold it over in thirds to make a long rectangle, and slice into thin noodles. Separate, and cook in either boiling salted water, or add to chicken or beef soup. Cook fifteen minutes or until noodles are floating and tender.
You can also put this dough in a colander and pushing it back and forth across the holes to make spaetzle.
Noodles are easy, but require some upper body strength to roll. I think on my next trip to town, I'll have to invest in a pasta roller, so I can get them to come out thin and smooth. Even though my noodles today were not what I used to be able to do, (they were a little lumpy and too thick) they were still delicious. I don't know why I every started using dried!
So here's my noodle recipe. If the dough is too dry, add a little T of water at a time until it feels the right texture.
Egg Noodles
1 1/2 C all purpose flour (I use 1 C white, and a half C wheat to make them more nutritious)
3 large eggs
a scant tsp of salt
fresh pepper to taste
Pour the flour on a clean and dry countertop, in a pile. With the back of the measuring cup, push out the center of the flour to make a well. It will look like a volcano crater. Make sure there is flour surrounding the well on all sides, or your eggs will leak out, and it will be infinitely more messy. Crack the eggs into the well, and season with salt and a grind of fresh pepper. With a fork, start stirring the eggs, incorporating a little flour at a time until a dough ball forms. Knead it gently to clean the board of all remaining flour, and cover with a bowl and let rest ten minutes. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough with a floured rolling pin as thin as humanly possible, (or run it through a pasta roller). With the dough lightly dusted with flour on both sides, fold it over in thirds to make a long rectangle, and slice into thin noodles. Separate, and cook in either boiling salted water, or add to chicken or beef soup. Cook fifteen minutes or until noodles are floating and tender.
You can also put this dough in a colander and pushing it back and forth across the holes to make spaetzle.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Pastina (or Glorified Leftovers)
My family likes pasta. My day care kids especially like tiny pasta shaped like stars. They will eat anything if it has pastina in it, which is great for me as we eat lots of vegetable based dishes.
I had a quart of leftover Tomato Basil soup in the fridge which became Minestrone with the addition of a can of white beans, some sliced zucchini, part of a bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer, and some frozen spinach. This in turn became Pastina, when I reheated the soup, and added a box of tiny Pastina stars to the pot. This became Pastina Bake when I put the leftovers from that meal into a greased casserole, and topped it with parmesan and baked it in the oven. Pictured also are the garlic twists I made on baking day.
So, from my lowly jar of leftover soup came four meals, plus the leftovers from the Pastina Bake went into Don's lunch box this week. Something from nothing, it's a good thing!
I had a quart of leftover Tomato Basil soup in the fridge which became Minestrone with the addition of a can of white beans, some sliced zucchini, part of a bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer, and some frozen spinach. This in turn became Pastina, when I reheated the soup, and added a box of tiny Pastina stars to the pot. This became Pastina Bake when I put the leftovers from that meal into a greased casserole, and topped it with parmesan and baked it in the oven. Pictured also are the garlic twists I made on baking day.
So, from my lowly jar of leftover soup came four meals, plus the leftovers from the Pastina Bake went into Don's lunch box this week. Something from nothing, it's a good thing!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Baking Day
When I was not troubled with health issues, Tuesday was my usual baking day. I would make sourdough angel biscuits to put into the refrigerator for the week, and bake bread, and maybe even some other sweet baked goods. I like to bake bread and biscuits and things like that, but don't particularly like to bake cookies and pies and cakes. It is fussy cooking, and I don't like to use the old measure and level off. It's just too much pressure!
Well, I am trying to get back in the groove. There have been so many health setbacks, one right after the other, that I am having trouble getting traction again. I have had to swallow my pride, and just work on adding one thing at a time to what I can accomplish in a day. Thank God for my son Joel, I couldn't still work and be active in all the things we do if he wasn't there helping me.
Anyway, I have added baking day back to my schedule this week. It almost did me in to knead all that bread dough, but I did it! My arms feel like noodles!
I just perfected this wheat bread recipe, and it is so simple it will be my new standard. The bread has wheat germ and two kinds of whole wheat in it, but the texture is very light, and soft. The recipe makes three loaves, but I held out one third of the dough and rolled it out to make garlic twists to go with our lunch today.
The bread is a buttermilk bread. I pulled three cartons of buttermilk out of my fridge, and they were all expired. The oldest one was dated in May! I think cleaning the fridge day will be my next goal, because obviously I don't do a very good job of it. I did have some dried buttermilk in my pantry, but it was no good also!
Did you know you can substitute regular milk and lemon juice for buttermilk? You just add 1 T lemon juice for each C of milk to sour it. You can also use vinegar, but I like the lemon juice better.
New Favorite Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread
6 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 C warm water
dissolve yeast in water, and wait for it to bubble up, or proof.
a stick and a half of butter melted
3 C warm buttermilk (or if you don't have any 3 C regular milk and 3 T lemon juice for substitution)
1/4 C agave nectar (can use honey)
3 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 C toasted wheat germ
6 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 C prarie gold wheat flour
In a large mixing bowl, combine the proofed yeast, buttermilk, cream of tartar, salt, butter, agave nectar, wheat germ, and four cups of whole wheat flour. With a bread dough hook, knead the dough until the gluten forms long strings of batter. Gradually add in more flour and knead with the dough hook until all the whole wheat flour is incorporated. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead in the remaining 3-4 cups of prairie gold flour. The dough should be very smooth and elastic, but still soft.
Place in a well greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel and let rise for one hour in a warm place until the dough is double in size.
Divide dough into thirds, and divide each third into three ropes of the same length. Pinch the ropes together at the top, and braid the dough: pinching the ends under and place in a greased bread pan to rise for 40-45 minutes.
Bake in a 350 *F oven for 40-45 minutes or until browned and hollow to the touch. Cool on wire racks, and while the loaves are still hot, butter the tops of the loaves. Makes three loaves
Herb Garlic Twists
Take 1/3 of the dough above, and roll it out into a 12 inch by 10 inch rectangle. Brush with 1/2 stick melted butter to which you have added 1 heaping T minced garlic, 2 tsp minced basil, and 1 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Fold the dough over in thirds, and seal the edge. Cut crosswise into 24 strips. Twist each strip twice and pinch ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 375*F preheated oven until twists are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Well, I am trying to get back in the groove. There have been so many health setbacks, one right after the other, that I am having trouble getting traction again. I have had to swallow my pride, and just work on adding one thing at a time to what I can accomplish in a day. Thank God for my son Joel, I couldn't still work and be active in all the things we do if he wasn't there helping me.
Anyway, I have added baking day back to my schedule this week. It almost did me in to knead all that bread dough, but I did it! My arms feel like noodles!
I just perfected this wheat bread recipe, and it is so simple it will be my new standard. The bread has wheat germ and two kinds of whole wheat in it, but the texture is very light, and soft. The recipe makes three loaves, but I held out one third of the dough and rolled it out to make garlic twists to go with our lunch today.
The bread is a buttermilk bread. I pulled three cartons of buttermilk out of my fridge, and they were all expired. The oldest one was dated in May! I think cleaning the fridge day will be my next goal, because obviously I don't do a very good job of it. I did have some dried buttermilk in my pantry, but it was no good also!
Did you know you can substitute regular milk and lemon juice for buttermilk? You just add 1 T lemon juice for each C of milk to sour it. You can also use vinegar, but I like the lemon juice better.
New Favorite Buttermilk Whole Wheat Bread
6 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 C warm water
dissolve yeast in water, and wait for it to bubble up, or proof.
a stick and a half of butter melted
3 C warm buttermilk (or if you don't have any 3 C regular milk and 3 T lemon juice for substitution)
1/4 C agave nectar (can use honey)
3 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 C toasted wheat germ
6 cups whole wheat flour
3-4 C prarie gold wheat flour
In a large mixing bowl, combine the proofed yeast, buttermilk, cream of tartar, salt, butter, agave nectar, wheat germ, and four cups of whole wheat flour. With a bread dough hook, knead the dough until the gluten forms long strings of batter. Gradually add in more flour and knead with the dough hook until all the whole wheat flour is incorporated. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead in the remaining 3-4 cups of prairie gold flour. The dough should be very smooth and elastic, but still soft.
Place in a well greased bowl, and cover with a damp towel and let rise for one hour in a warm place until the dough is double in size.
Divide dough into thirds, and divide each third into three ropes of the same length. Pinch the ropes together at the top, and braid the dough: pinching the ends under and place in a greased bread pan to rise for 40-45 minutes.
Bake in a 350 *F oven for 40-45 minutes or until browned and hollow to the touch. Cool on wire racks, and while the loaves are still hot, butter the tops of the loaves. Makes three loaves
Herb Garlic Twists
Take 1/3 of the dough above, and roll it out into a 12 inch by 10 inch rectangle. Brush with 1/2 stick melted butter to which you have added 1 heaping T minced garlic, 2 tsp minced basil, and 1 tsp Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning, and a generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Fold the dough over in thirds, and seal the edge. Cut crosswise into 24 strips. Twist each strip twice and pinch ends to seal. Place on a baking sheet and cover with a damp towel and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes. Bake in a 375*F preheated oven until twists are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Tuna Puff and Roasted Pork Loin with Onions and Apples in Apple Cider Braise
I am in the thick of canning. It seems that it all comes at once. To slow me down further, we spent all weekend on the mountain getting firewood, and hunting. Not that I'm complaining mind you, I had a wonderful weekend, but it put me in a canning crunch. When it gets crazy like this, I am not terribly motivated to cook meals. I mean, I am already in the kitchen from daylight to dark as it is, I don't really want to be pushing things aside to prep and cook a meal. The counter today was full as it was with jars of pickled vegetables, and spicy peach pickles.
These two recipes are minimal prep, minimal dirty dishes meals. The Tuna Puff are my husbands particular favorite. He remembers his Aunt Loretta serving them when he was little, and it is a perfect time of year to have them, as the fresh tomatoes are in season.
I had a pork loin thawed out for this week's menu. I like to braise them, since they are very low in fat. They come out moist and delicious cooked that way. It takes only a few minutes to get it ready for the oven, and then it takes care of itself for the hour and a half it cooks in the oven.
Tuna Puff
2 cans tuna drained
1/2 C mayo
1 C shredded cheese
2 T pickle relish (I used a dill one, but you could use sweet)
Sliced fresh tomatoes
6 pieces of bread
On a baking sheet, place bread and add a couple slices of tomatoe to each slice of bread. In a bowl, mix tuna with mayo, cheese and pickle relish. Divide up tuna mixture on top of the sliced tomatoes. Broil in the oven until the puff is golden brown on top and puffy. We had these yummy sandwiches with canned green beans, and bartlett pear slices.
Pork Loin with Onions and Apples in Cider Braise
Pork Loin Roast
1 large onion cut in wedges
2 tart baking apples cored and cut in wedges
4 large carrots peeled and cut in chunks
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp herbs de province
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 C soy sauce combined with enough cider to come half way up the roast's side.
In a large roasting pan, place vegetables and pork roast. Top the roast with minced garlic and herbs de province, salt and pepper. Pour in the liquid, and carefully baste roast in liquid, so as to not wash off all the garlic and herbs. Cover and bake at 350*F for an hour and a half, basting a couple of times.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Salsa Ole'
Drizzly cool morning, and I am in the thick of canning. I was lucky enough to have access to tree ripe peaches from Utah. Thanks to my friend, I got two boxes, and will be making quarts of beautiful peach halves, and some pickled peaches today. Also on the agenda is the bread and butter pickles that I have already started earlier. The cucumbers and the onion did some time in a gallon jar with canning salt and ice to draw out the excess moisture. They will be extra crispy and hopefully not shrivel in the canning process. Bread and butter pickling liquid has a high vinegar ratio, so sometimes it draws out too much moisture from the pickles and they are more like pickle prunes!
My friend Jennifer asked for my favorite salsa recipes, and I have three of them so far. I use recipes I've found in my canning books, and usually add cumin to the recipe. I made some this year using dried reconstituted chiles, and chipotle peppers. It is very beautiful in the jar, and we can't wait to try it! You can vary the recipes slightly as long as the recipe has an acid added like vinegar and lime juice. The acid veg/non acid veg ratio needs to stay the same. Basically, you are making veg pickles.
Fiesta Salsa
7 C peeled fresh tomatoes (about 4 1/2 pounds) chopped
2 C peeled chopped cucumbers
2 C chopped banana peppers (you can take seeds out for mild)
1/2 C Anahiem or pasilla peppers that you've blistered on the burner and peeled and chopped
1/2 C chopped jalapenos
1/3 C minced fresh cilantro
3 T minced garlic
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp canning salt
1/2 C cider vinegar
2 T lime juice
Combine in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Ladle hot salsa in to sterilized hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe tops with a clean dishcloth, and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Zesty Salsa
10 C peeled chopped fresh tomatoes (6 lbs.)
5 C Anahiem or Slim Jim peppers chopped and seeded
5 C chopped onions
2 1/2 C jalapeno or serrano peppers chopped and seeded (1 lb)
1 1/4 C cider vinegar
3 T minced garlic
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro
3 tsp canning salt
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp Frank's hotsauce
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into sterilized hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe tops with a clean rag, and adjust 2 piece caps. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (18 here).
Tomatillo Salsa
2 lb chopped tomatillos
1 C chopped onion
1 C Anahiem or other long green chiles chopped
1 T miced garlic
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 T ground cumin
1/2 T canning salt
1/2 T red pepper flakes
1 C cider vinegar
1/4 C lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into hot jars with 1/4 in headspace. Wipe rims with a clean cloth, and adjust 2 piece lids that you've warmed in hot water. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (18 for my altitude).
My friend Jennifer asked for my favorite salsa recipes, and I have three of them so far. I use recipes I've found in my canning books, and usually add cumin to the recipe. I made some this year using dried reconstituted chiles, and chipotle peppers. It is very beautiful in the jar, and we can't wait to try it! You can vary the recipes slightly as long as the recipe has an acid added like vinegar and lime juice. The acid veg/non acid veg ratio needs to stay the same. Basically, you are making veg pickles.
Fiesta Salsa
7 C peeled fresh tomatoes (about 4 1/2 pounds) chopped
2 C peeled chopped cucumbers
2 C chopped banana peppers (you can take seeds out for mild)
1/2 C Anahiem or pasilla peppers that you've blistered on the burner and peeled and chopped
1/2 C chopped jalapenos
1/3 C minced fresh cilantro
3 T minced garlic
2 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp canning salt
1/2 C cider vinegar
2 T lime juice
Combine in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Ladle hot salsa in to sterilized hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe tops with a clean dishcloth, and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Zesty Salsa
10 C peeled chopped fresh tomatoes (6 lbs.)
5 C Anahiem or Slim Jim peppers chopped and seeded
5 C chopped onions
2 1/2 C jalapeno or serrano peppers chopped and seeded (1 lb)
1 1/4 C cider vinegar
3 T minced garlic
1/3 C chopped fresh cilantro
3 tsp canning salt
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp Frank's hotsauce
Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.
Simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into sterilized hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe tops with a clean rag, and adjust 2 piece caps. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (18 here).
Tomatillo Salsa
2 lb chopped tomatillos
1 C chopped onion
1 C Anahiem or other long green chiles chopped
1 T miced garlic
1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 T ground cumin
1/2 T canning salt
1/2 T red pepper flakes
1 C cider vinegar
1/4 C lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into hot jars with 1/4 in headspace. Wipe rims with a clean cloth, and adjust 2 piece lids that you've warmed in hot water. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes (18 for my altitude).
Monday, August 22, 2011
My addiction: Canning- Is There a Twelve Step Program?
I remember when Ryan was about four, he came to me in the kitchen and said, "Mommy, stop canning, I miss you!" My poor children become canning orphans, and my husband a canning widower when this time of year comes around. I am addicted to canning. On years that I have a big garden, I just can like a madwoman to keep it all from going to waste. I have been known to can late into the night only to get up early and hit it again. I just love canning. There is something really satisfying about spotlessly clean jars being filled with my own food to feed my family. I love the smell of simmering salsa, and processing peaches, and the tang of vinegar from making pickles. I love the beautiful noise of jars sealing on the counter. When I go down to my pantry on a winter day, and can pick out a lovely red quart of my tomatoes and some beautiful peach halves to use for making meals, I feel like I have accomplished some level of self sufficiency. It is like I bottled up my Summer for safe keeping.
I love to can green beans which requires pressure canning, so I also got into doing that. I used to make batches of beef stew and ham and beans and pressure can them for lunches. It is awesome to have already cooked dried type beans on hand, as they can be pretty pricey in the store, and always have that salty slimy liquid on them. I've made catsup, relish, spiced cabbage, sauerkraut, you name it, if it can be canned, I've done it!
When I can, I use jars that have been passed down to me by my family. Some of the jars are feeding a fourth generation, and I know which ones were Grandmas, and Aunt Vestas, or my Moms by the jar design. I use my Grandmother's pickled beet recipe, and it always makes me remember being in her kitchen helping peel beets with the heady smell of the pickling liquid.
Canning isn't as hard as it may seem. It is becoming a lost art, as people get farther and farther removed from the source of their food. To start out, you don't need fancy equipment to can, just a large pot, some overturned teacups, and a flat rack or plate, and enough room to cover the jars with water by at least half an inch. My traditional canning kettle has a wire rack that holds the jars off the bottom of the pan, but the set up I described above would work great for jellies or pint jars. You do need a jar filler, and a jar lifter, low cost items that are necessary to handle and fill hot jars. Then of course there is the jars and rings, which can be second hand, and new lids. If you do buy jars second hand, make sure the rim, or sealing edge of the jar is free from nicks and pits. This happens as jars are pried open, so it is common, but will make your seal unsafe.
I have been canning a lot lately. Mostly pickled beans when the store has them on sale, but also some regular pickles here and there. I bought a twenty five pound box of peaches on Saturday, and really got into the canning groove. I wasn't able to do all the peaches, because they just didn't want to peel. I'll process them in the morning now that they are a couple days riper. I came across some nice pickling cucumbers, and bought a flat of tomatoes, and got fifteen quarts out of the cucumbers, and two batches of pints of salsa, so fourteen jars.
The best part of making my own, is that working under some restraints due to the acidity level of certain foods, I can adjust for my own taste, and dietary needs. I do use sugar to can my peaches and other fruit, but only 1 cup for 10 1/2 cups of water. The fruit tastes very much like fresh, and NOTHING like what you buy in tin cans. I added dried anchos and chipotle peppers to my salsa, and extra garlic and little dried hot peppers to my pickles, because that is what my family likes.
I started helping my mother to can when I was big enough to stand on a chair and peel peaches and tomatoes etc...so the process is ingrained in me. It is not a hard process though. Acid foods like fruit, tomatoes, and pickles and salsas only need water bath processing. They are safe and easy recipes. Sterilize the jars you'll need. Make the syrup or pickling liquid, etc... Dip the fruit or tomatoes in boiling water then into cold water so the skins will come off. Halve, quarter, chop and put in the jars. Add hot liquid and lids and put in boiling water bath for the time it says.
Tomatoes are the easiest. You just keep shoving the whole tomatoes down in the jars until they squish out enough liquid to fill the jar, and add a little canning salt. There is no addition needed of water or tomato juice, just pure tomatoes. This is a far superior product to the ones in the tins.
Next time you come across the Ball Blue Book at the store, take a look at the recipes. They not only have canning recipes, but also lots of freezer food ideas, and also dried food techniques. It is possible to teach yourself to can with this book.
Come on, give canning a try won't you? That way I am not the only one at the AC meetings. Hello, my name is Tina and I am a canning addict.
I love to can green beans which requires pressure canning, so I also got into doing that. I used to make batches of beef stew and ham and beans and pressure can them for lunches. It is awesome to have already cooked dried type beans on hand, as they can be pretty pricey in the store, and always have that salty slimy liquid on them. I've made catsup, relish, spiced cabbage, sauerkraut, you name it, if it can be canned, I've done it!
When I can, I use jars that have been passed down to me by my family. Some of the jars are feeding a fourth generation, and I know which ones were Grandmas, and Aunt Vestas, or my Moms by the jar design. I use my Grandmother's pickled beet recipe, and it always makes me remember being in her kitchen helping peel beets with the heady smell of the pickling liquid.
Canning isn't as hard as it may seem. It is becoming a lost art, as people get farther and farther removed from the source of their food. To start out, you don't need fancy equipment to can, just a large pot, some overturned teacups, and a flat rack or plate, and enough room to cover the jars with water by at least half an inch. My traditional canning kettle has a wire rack that holds the jars off the bottom of the pan, but the set up I described above would work great for jellies or pint jars. You do need a jar filler, and a jar lifter, low cost items that are necessary to handle and fill hot jars. Then of course there is the jars and rings, which can be second hand, and new lids. If you do buy jars second hand, make sure the rim, or sealing edge of the jar is free from nicks and pits. This happens as jars are pried open, so it is common, but will make your seal unsafe.
I have been canning a lot lately. Mostly pickled beans when the store has them on sale, but also some regular pickles here and there. I bought a twenty five pound box of peaches on Saturday, and really got into the canning groove. I wasn't able to do all the peaches, because they just didn't want to peel. I'll process them in the morning now that they are a couple days riper. I came across some nice pickling cucumbers, and bought a flat of tomatoes, and got fifteen quarts out of the cucumbers, and two batches of pints of salsa, so fourteen jars.
The best part of making my own, is that working under some restraints due to the acidity level of certain foods, I can adjust for my own taste, and dietary needs. I do use sugar to can my peaches and other fruit, but only 1 cup for 10 1/2 cups of water. The fruit tastes very much like fresh, and NOTHING like what you buy in tin cans. I added dried anchos and chipotle peppers to my salsa, and extra garlic and little dried hot peppers to my pickles, because that is what my family likes.
I started helping my mother to can when I was big enough to stand on a chair and peel peaches and tomatoes etc...so the process is ingrained in me. It is not a hard process though. Acid foods like fruit, tomatoes, and pickles and salsas only need water bath processing. They are safe and easy recipes. Sterilize the jars you'll need. Make the syrup or pickling liquid, etc... Dip the fruit or tomatoes in boiling water then into cold water so the skins will come off. Halve, quarter, chop and put in the jars. Add hot liquid and lids and put in boiling water bath for the time it says.
Tomatoes are the easiest. You just keep shoving the whole tomatoes down in the jars until they squish out enough liquid to fill the jar, and add a little canning salt. There is no addition needed of water or tomato juice, just pure tomatoes. This is a far superior product to the ones in the tins.
Next time you come across the Ball Blue Book at the store, take a look at the recipes. They not only have canning recipes, but also lots of freezer food ideas, and also dried food techniques. It is possible to teach yourself to can with this book.
Come on, give canning a try won't you? That way I am not the only one at the AC meetings. Hello, my name is Tina and I am a canning addict.
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