Now that, I Can Do!

Good Morning

2012-01-16T16:39:00.000-08:00

A fun surprise to find this morning in my Winter Garden....Cauliflower ready to pick and eat!

Stew with Vegies

2012-01-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

Last week I spent an entire day canning stew. With another successful deer season behind us my freezer is full and stew is a great way to store the meat. However, stew is tricky and after a long day I swore I wasn't canning it again...Ever! BUT I want to document some tips... just in case.

1. Do not follow recipes that say you don't need to boil the ingredients....The recipe that I am adding below is the exact way to do it, don't try shortcuts.
2. Never add the seasoning to each jar .... add it to the whole batch before putting in jars. Too much salt or too much seasoning ruins the stew. Potatoes absorb salt...trust me this is gross.
3. You can also make stew, cook it, and freeze it.

Recipe
4 to 5 lbsw of stew meat (Beef or venison)
1 Tbsp oil
3 quarts cubed and peeled potatoes (about 12 medium)
2 quarts sliced carrots (about 16 small)
3 C chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
3 C chopped onions (4 small)
1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Cut meat into 11/2 inch cubes, brown in oil. Combine meat, vegetables and seasonings in a large saucepot. Cover with boiling water. Bring stew to a boil. Ladle hot stew into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two piece caps. Process pints 75 minutes, quarts 90 minutes at 10 lbs pressure in a pressure canner.
Source: Ball Blue Book

Caliente!

2011-11-15T07:10:00.000-08:00

Out of my Garden :)

Food Storage Christmas Gift Idea

2011-11-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

We don't eat too much Applesauce at our house. I still have a ton from canning it in 2009. I decided that this Christmas craft/gift idea was perfect for it! Cinnamon Applesauce Ornaments. They turned out great and the house smells wonderful!

I bagged them up with this scripture attached;

Matthew 2:10 "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."

Tomatoes Packed in Own Juice

2011-09-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

Follow steps 1-6 in the previous post, "Tomatoes packed in Water" However, when its time to pack the tomatoes in the jars, Press gently on tomatoes until the natural juices fill the spaces between the tomatoes leaving 1/2" headspace. Follow with steps 9-18.

Tomatoes packed in Water

2011-09-29T13:42:00.000-07:00

These went pretty fast once they were all cored and scored.

You will need:
25 lbs tomatoes (we used Roma's)
salt
bottled lemon juice
12-13 clean Quart jars
Boilng Water

Put jars (without seals or lids) on a cookie sheet in 200 degree oven while you prepare tomatoes
Core and Score tomatoes, see this post
Drop tomatoes in boiling water for few minutes (known as blanching)
Remove tomatoes from boiling water and put in ice water. Skins will easily peel off
Remove jars from oven
Put 2 Tbsp lemon juice in each quart jar and 1 Tbsp lemon juice in each pint jar
Carefully pack blanched tomatoes into hot jar leaving 1/2" headspace
Ladle boiling water over tomatoes
Add 1 tsp salt per Quart jar or 1/2 tsp salt per pint jar
Boil seperate water for the lids. Do not boil lids, just let simmer in water
Using a rubber spatula release trapped air from around inside of each jar
Clean jar rims
Place lid on jar and firmly secure bands
Set jars on elevated rack in boiling water canner
After all jars are ready bring water to rolling boil
Hot water bath Quarts 45 minutes, Pint 40 minutes
When water bath is complete let jars cool
Check seals and enjoy

Source: "Ball Blue Book guide to preserving" and "Food in Jars"
Notice how the tomatoes in the picture are "Floating" in the jars, see what Food in Jars has to say about Floating. "This is because there are air pockets inside those tomatoes and when you pack something with some internal trapped air in a liquid, it will float. No big deal"

55 gallon Water Barrel Instructions

2011-09-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Cleaning the barrel - fill the barrel about 1/4 full of water and pour in some bleach (with no additives). Bring the barrel to its side and roll it around sufficiently. Stand it back up and let it sit for one week then empty. It is now ready for water storage.

Fill barrels with water - Do not use filtered water or osmosis water for storage, tap has the chlorine chemicals to help kill germs. Hot water is preferable. Choose the location for the barrel and if possible lay two bricks between the barrel and the ground. With water inside the barrel will weigh approximately 400 lbs. Choose a place out of the sun and UV light.

Treating the water in barrel - After the barrel is cleaned and filled add 1/4 C bleach (no additives, thickeners, or scents) per 55 gallon container OR 2 ounces of "Aerobic 7". Cap the barrel with permanent lid. Refill every 3 years when the barrel has been out in the sun, every 4 years if out of the sun. Stored water should be checked every few onths to determine whether containers have leaked or if any problems have developed in appearance, taste, or odor.

For more on Water Storage CLICK HERE

Look whats next

2011-09-27T08:11:00.000-07:00

Roma Tomatos are on sale at Ranch Market (today only) for 3lbs for .99! So I picked up a few cases (25 lbs for $8.25!) We are canning tomatos next. Thanks to "Food in Jars" for the tutorial.

Freestone Peaches

2011-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

I bought a case of Freestone Peaches and a case of Apples ordered from Utah because a friend was selling them as a fundraiser. Today I canned three cases of peaches with two other friends who also each bought a case. (Click here to see how) We canned 31 Quarts and 36 Pints of peaches. These peaches were the easiest I have ever canned, they were fresh, ripe, and beautiful.

"If you plan on harvesting the tree's fruits, having a tree that produces freestone peaches is ideal. Freestone peach fruits have pits that easily detach from the flesh surrounding them, making the fruits easy to prepare for use in culinary applications. Some popular freestone peach tree varieties include Redskins, Harcrests and Madisons." source

Hard Water

2011-09-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Because where I live has such hard water I found this post about Canning in Hard Water very interesting. Food in Jards recommends, "The easiest way to avoid these (hard water) spots and deposits on your jars is to add some white vinegar to your canning pot. I tend to use about a cup per canner load. It keeps the jars sparkling clean." So I gave it a try last night while canning Apple Pie filling....and it worked perfectly! Sparkling jars that required no cleaning or wiping.

It's time...

2011-09-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

The weather is finally starting to cool down and October is right around the corner. It's a great time to start thinking about your winter garden and what vegetables you want to grow. Here are some suggestions for Phoenix in the winter; artichokes, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, lettuce, peas, radishes. Wait until it's in the 70's at night to plant the seeds.

I have a "To-Do" list for October, no more waiting to get things done!

Rotate and inventory my canned goods
Plant Winter Garden
Water Storage (I have three 50 gallon drums that are empty and have been for years! Why? The thought of storing water has always intimidated me. I need to buy a Siphon Pump and Bung Wrench)
Fall Canning

Homemade Cinnamon Pear Sauce

2011-09-01T13:44:00.000-07:00

Just like applesauce, except it's made with pears. This was delicious and so easy.

This recipe was for 9lbs of pears. I honestly didn't measure mine, I just filled a pot of pears and boiled them with about 1 C. water.

core, peal and cut up pears. Place pears in bowl with cold water and a little bit of lemon juice to prevent browning while cutting remaining pears.

Place pears in pot and boil with 1 C. water until soft. Once pears are soft add 2 tsp cinnamon and a little sugar if desired. The pears were already sweet so I just added a dash of sugar. Poor hot pears into blender and puree until smooth. Or you can use a sieve.

Poor puree into hot jars, wipe jar rims, and add lids and process in boiling water bath for 25 min.

Garden Recipes

2011-06-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

I am in love with my summer garden. Here are some ways that we have been cooking with it!

All Pico de Gallo ingredients were grown in my garden

Pico De Gallo

1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 tablespoon diced jalapenos

1 tablespoon minced garlic

Juice of 2 limes

2 tablespoons cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Salt and pepper
In a bowl combine all ingredients. source

Zucchini-Tomato Pasta Sauce

So yummy the kids don't even know the zucchini is in there!
2 medium onions, chopped
8 large tomatos stewed, skins removed
2 medium zucchini
2 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp granulated sugar

2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a blender combine tomatos, zucchini, and onion. Blend well. In a saucepan heat oil and add garlic till fragrant. Pour ingredients from blender into saucepan. Heat until bubbles. Add seasoning and sugar. Simmer on low for a few minutes. Serve with pasta, or meatballs. Yield: 5 cups.

A -Z Bread

2 cups sugar
1 cup canola oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups A to Z ingredient (mine is always Zucchini or Summer Squash)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

In a bowl, combine the sugar, oil and eggs. Stir in A to Z ingredients of your choice and vanilla. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into liquid ingredients just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. (I like to make mine into muffins) Bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves. source

Fish & Zucchini Tacos
We have done this recipe a few times too.

First Harvest

2011-05-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

"A garden reminds us of the beauties of this world our Heavenly Father created for us, and it can give us hours of instruction and pleasure as we witness the miracle of growth. President Spencer W. Kimball said that gardening will “remind us all of the law of the harvest. … We do reap what we sow. Even if the plot of soil you cultivate, plant, and harvest is a small one, it brings human nature closer to nature as was the case in the beginning with our first parents” April 1976

The Lord loves us and wants us to be healthy. Growing and eating our own fresh vegetables and fruits will help us maintain good health. Also, food we get from our gardens is usually fresher and better tasting than the food we buy." source

Square Foot Gardening

2011-04-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

This gardening method has been employed successfully in every region, including in deserts, on high arid mountain plateaus, in cramped urban locations, and in areas with polluted or high salinity soils. It is equally useful for growing flowers, vegetables, herbs and some fruits in containers, raised beds, on tabletops or at ground level, in only 4 to 6 inches (150 mm) of soil. A few seeds per square foot, the ability to make compost, to water by hand, and to set up the initial garden in a sunny position or where a container, table or platform garden may be moved on wheels to receive light is all that is needed to set up a square foot garden. Source

Benefits of Square Foot Gardening
Less Work
Water Savings
Little Weeding
Pesticide/Herbicide Free
Accessible
Easily covered or enclosed

What's Growing now in our Square Foot Garden
Zucchini Squash
Yellow Crook-neck Squash
Yellow Onions
Tomato
Anaheim Chili
Green Beans
Carrots

What's growing in the Herb Garden
Mint
Oregano
Rosemary
Basil
Strawberries

Garden Transplanting

2011-03-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

This year, because of a large backyard project, we decided to start our summer garden seeds in containers and transplant them to the garden later when the yard is ready.

Here is a great guide on how to grow a garden from transplanted seeds.

I really loved this article about gardening when you do not have a yard. "Any old container, such as a bucket or juice bottle, can become part of a container garden."

So what are you waiting for?

Lemon Juice - Canned

2011-02-02T14:12:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can also can lemon juice, I decided to give this a try:

Peel the lemons
Juice...(this is tedious if you dont have a juicer)
To can the juice, heat the strained juice to 165 degrees; do not boil.
Ladle it into hot jars, leaving 1/4″ of headspace.
Process the pints or quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. (If you live at an altitude over 1,000′, consult your canning manual for directions on changing your processing time to suit your altitude, if necessary.)

It only takes a minute to make fresh lemonade by adding the canned lemon juice to water and then adding sugar to taste. Source: Ask Jackie

Perfect Lemonade Recipe
The secret to perfect lemonade is to start by making sugar syrup, also known as "simple syrup". Dissolving the sugar in hot water effectively disperses the sugar in the lemonade, instead of having the sugar sink to the bottom.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.
While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.
Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength. Refrigerate 30 to 40 minutes. If the lemonade is a little sweet for your taste, add a little more straight lemon juice to it.

Serve with ice & sliced lemons. Serves 6. Source

American Preserved Lemons

2011-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

Preserved Lemons with Kosher Salt, Cloves, Peppercorn, and Bay Leaves

I ended up with another laundry basket full of fresh lemons right off the tree. (Thanks Barb they were wonderful!) I decided to try a few different things, the following information is taken from honest-food.net. Source

The basic ingredients for preserving lemons are: the fruit, water and salt. Everything beyond that is optional.

MOROCCAN or AMERICAN PRESERVED LEMONS

This is the method most people use for preserving lemons. I’ve found references to it dating back to a British cookbook from 1808, although now most people associate it with Moroccan cooking.

Slice the washed and dried lemons lengthwise, almost in quarters. You want the lemon to still be in one piece, but almost cut through. If you are using Eurekas, which often have little nubs on the ends, cut them off before you almost-quarter the lemons.

Using Kosher, pickling or pure sea salt, stuff the lemon. Pack it in well, and use about a tablespoon per lemon. Mush the lemon into a clean Mason jar; use quart jars. Repeat until you have the jar mostly full. Toss a little more salt on top.

Now you have several decisions to make. You can jam in some spices — I suggest a cinnamon stick, some peppercorns, a couple cloves and a bay leaf. And you can choose to cover the lemons with vinegar or lemon juice, or not. Some people just keep mushing the lemons down until their own juice covers them. The early British and Americans covered the lemons with vinegar. I cover them with lemon juice.

Seal the jars in a hot water bath (water at a simmer) for 10 minutes. This is not totally necessary, but I do it to be safe.

Wait at least 3 weeks before eating. I’ve kept these lemons for a year and they were fine. They will darken over time.

You also can preserve limes in exactly the same way. (Maybe I can try that next!)

USING PRESERVED LEMONS

Most people, myself included, use only the rind of a preserved lemon. I slice off the white pith and the interior of the lemon. Nothing wrong with using the whole lemon, but pickled lemons are powerful ingredients and must be used sparingly.

But how to use them? This is the part where lots of people falter. They make preserved lemons and then use them in a Moroccan tagine maybe once. But pickled lemons work in lots of recipes.

■North African food
■With raw fish and meats, such as sushi, ceviche or Italian crudo
■Slivered in salads
■As a garnish to vanilla ice cream
■With fruit granita
■In a gremolata (lemon, raw garlic and parsley)
■With baked fish

General rule of thumb is that preserved lemons work well wherever fresh ones do — with fish, white meats such as chicken, pheasant and rabbit, and even with red meats in certain places: A preserved lemon gremolata on a simple seared venison medallion works well.

Freezing Lemons

2011-01-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

A neighbor of mine always has lemons to share in January. I love juicing them and freezing them in ice cube trays. It's great to always have lemon juice on hand.

Roasted Pasilla Chili

2011-01-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

We love Mexican food in our house, so imagine my excitement when I saw that Pasilla chiles were 2lbs for $0.99 on Wednesday at Ranch Market in Phoenix! I bought a 15 lb box for $7.42! Pasilla Chili is most often used in salsa and stew. It also makes great Chili Relleno's.

Chiles provide an excellent source of vitamin C and the B vitamins, plus significant amounts of iron, niacin, thiamine, magnesium and riboflavin. Chiles are cholesterol-free, saturated fat-free, low in calories, low in sodium and high in fiber. Source

1. Roast Chili (I did this outside on the grill this time so that it wouldn't stink up the house...it worked great)

2. Put Chili in a bag to "sweat". Some people will take them straight from the grill to ice water, I found that letting them sweat for 15 min in a sealed bag works better.

3. Rinse and peel off skins.

4. Freeze 1 lb whole in bags. (You can dice them if you prefer.)

Enjoy!

Tis the Season...

2010-12-15T18:17:00.000-08:00

A friend found a 40lb box of boneless, skinless, chicken breasts for $47.60! That's $1.19 per lb.... what an awesome deal! So even though things are busy with preparing for Christmas, I spent the day canning chicken...and it took the entire day! But it is very rewarding to have 38 pints of bottled chicken and about 6 lbs frozen in the freezer.
HERE are the directions from a previous post
And here's a tip, you can see a couple of pinto bean jars in the pic below....that's because beans and chicken require the exact same pressure and time to can. So if you have extra space in a batch, throw some pinto beans in.

Apple Pie Filling - Christmas Gifts

2010-11-16T13:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday a friend and I canned 24 quarts of Apple Pie filling....Braeburn Apples were on sale at Ranch Market last week, 4lbs for $0.99.....thats $0.24/lb! Sweet deal! I got one case of 70 apples, it only cost around $10! Here's what I have in mind for a sweet Christmas Gift!

Pumpkin

2010-10-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

Halloween is almost here. Here are some fun ways to store pumpkin.
Dehydrated Pumpkin
Canning Pumpkin
Pumpkin Preserves
Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Pie
1 raw pie crust
Filling:
3 eggs
1½ cup mashed pumpkin
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup milk
2 tsp. melted butter
1 Tbsp. flour
Beat the eggs. Add pumpkin, sugars, salt and spices. Mix. Add the milk and mix. Add the flour and melted butter. Mix well.

Place in pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. Turn down heat to 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a straw inserted in the center comes out clean.

Fall Harvest

2010-10-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

It is apple harvest time yum! But, how do they stack up in nutrients?

In an article written by Amy Hunter for Discovery Health, the apple seems to hold its own when it comes to health benefits:

Pectin -- Pectin is a form of soluble fiber than lowers both blood pressure and glucose levels. It can also lower the levels of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol in the body. Pectin, like other forms of fiber, helps maintain the health of the digestive system. Apples are an excellent source of pectin.
Boron -- A nutrient found in abundance in apples, boron supports strong bones and a healthy brain.
Quercetin -- A flavonoid, this nutrient shows promise for reducing the risk of various cancers, including cancers in the lungs and breast. It may also reduce free radical damage. Quercetin may also neutralize free radical damage, which has been implicated in a variety of age-related health problems, including Alzheimer's disease.
Vitamin C -- Vitamin C boosts immunity, which helps maintain overall health.
Phytonutrients -- Apples are rich in a variety of phytonutrients, including vitamins A and E and beta carotene. These compounds fight damage from free radicals and can have a profound affect on health, including reducing the risk of heart disease, diabetes and asthma.
Prevent tooth decay -- Apples also act as a toothbrush, cleaning teeth and killing bacteria in the mouth, which may reduce the risk of tooth decay.
Low in calories -- They're also low in calorie density, one of the trademarks of a healthy food. When a food is low in calorie density you can eat good size portions of the food for relatively few calories.

Here are a few Fall Harvest Recipes
Apple Pie Filling
Applesauce
Apple Butter
Dehydrating Apples
Canning Apple Juice

Summer Vegetables are the best!

2010-05-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

Zucchini & Summer Squash from our garden

President Spencer W. Kimball, “We encourage you to grow all the food that you feasibly can on your own property. Berry bushes, grapevines, fruit trees—plant them if your climate is right for their growth. Grow vegetables and eat them from your own yard. Even those residing in apartments … can generally grow a little food in pots and planters. Study the best methods of providing your own foods. Make your garden … neat and attractive as well as productive. If there are children in your home, involve them in the process with assigned responsibilities”

Broccoli

2010-02-17T07:37:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share a pic of our modest winter garden at harvest time! To store Broccoli you freeze...not can ;)

Blueberries

2010-02-08T06:09:00.000-08:00

My mother in law gave me a huge bag of blueberries. Not knowing exactly what to do with them I canned them. Packed them in the jar, added a light syrup and hot water bathed for 15 minutes. FYI, according to my book berries are only good canned up to one year.

Stew

2009-11-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

Courtesy of my husband, I took some of this.....

and turned it into this.

I literally canned stew all day! 15 Quarts and we still have A LOT of deer meat!

Apple Sale

2009-11-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day for Safeway's $0.39 / pound apple sale! There are several varities of apples available. I bought a 42 lb case for $16.38! That's an awesome deal. Today I canned 13 quarts of apple pie filling (I still had a lot of apples left!) See here for the Recipe.

Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

2009-11-03T06:45:00.000-08:00

1 qt tomatoes (cut up)
1/2 green pepper (cut into cubes)
1 heaping teaspoon Parsley flakes
1 rounded teaspoon Schilling Italian seasoning
1 heaping Tablespoon sugar (can also use brown sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

If you like onions you can either add 1 large onion (minced and sauteed) or you can add that to your meat.
You mix all the ingredients together and simmer for 2 hours.

This Recipe is courtesy of Debi McLelland. I am not sure yet how many jars of sauce this will yield. I will be making and canning it shortly and will post when I find out. Thanks Debi!

Raspberries

2009-09-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

Raspberries were on sale at Sprouts for $.99, so we bought a billion of them. We tried dehyrdrating, but they turned sour and also took a super long time. I remembered having bottled raspberries all the time when I was a kid and decided to try that. One of the easiest fruits to can. I used an extra light syrup which was 5 1/2 cups water to 1 1/4 cups sugar, boiling until the sugar dissolved. Put 1/2 cup of the syrup into the jar and fill the rest of the way with raspberries. Then fill the jar with more syrup, leaving 1/2" headspace, and getting rid of air bubbles. Hot water bath for 20 minutes for quarts and 15 minutes for pints.

Roasted Hatch Green Chili

2009-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Roasted Green Chili is a lot of work, but so nice to have them on hand and cheap! I used all of them in about six months so when last week Fry's had Hatch Green Chili's for $0.74 lb. I bought 6 pounds and roasted them again.
Here's how:
1. Lay the Chili's out on a cookie sheet
2. Move your oven rack to the highest setting. Broil. (You can also roast them in a BBQ grill outside, this will help your home not smell like chili but I did it inside anyway.)
3. Place cookie sheet in oven for a few minutes. Turn chili's over and broil again.
4. Remove chili's from oven or grill and put in ice cold water bath. (Sharon and I didn't know to do this step last time and it was a lot more work)
5. Remove the waxy skin....the ice water makes this a lot easier. Remove the stems and seeds. (Seeds make them hot!)
6. Freeze your chili's in bags of 1 cup or so. You can dice them or use them whole. I prefer whole chili's. We make a lot of Chili Relleno and love it!

**Tip from Ask Jackie: You can can roasted peppers in pints or half pints without liquid. I can my roasted, peeled peppers this way. Be sure to slit each pepper so that the heat penetrates them well when you can them. Layer them gently in your jars (wide mouth works best) to within 1/2'' of the top. Add no liquid. You can add a little salt to each jar if you wish. Process pints and half pints for 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet and must adjust your pressure to suit your altitude; consult your canning manual for directions).

Aren't they Pretty!

2009-08-09T17:42:00.000-07:00

Peaches were 3lbs for .99 at Ranch Market on Wednesday of last week. Jennie and I had a ton of fun canning three boxes! (We followed the Peach recipe on this blog) We canned 50 jars. We did white peaches and yellow!

**Tip from Ask Jackie: Floating Peaches? No problem, this happens with most fruit, including tomatoes, when you pack them cold then can them in a water bath canner. It’s absolutely nothing to worry about. If you want non-floating fruit, simply heat the fruit in the syrup to boiling, then pack it hot.

Dill Pickles

2009-07-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

I am growing Armenian Cucumbers in my garden. Come to find out these are long cucumbers that aren't the best for pickling. However, I gave it a try. I sliced the cucumbers and followed the recipe below (but made it smaller for the amount of cucumbers that I had fresh from the garden).

30 to 36 cucumbers (3-4 inches long)

3 cups vinegar

3 cups water

6 tablespoons salt fresh or dried dill

1/2 to 1 clove garlic, sliced

1/2 teaspoon mustard seed

Wash cucumbers. Make a brine of the vinegar, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Place a generous layer of dill, garlic, and mustard seed in the bottom of six pint jars. Pack the cucumbers in the jars. Fill the jars to within a half inch of the top with the boiling brine. Put lids on jars, screw bands firmly tight. Process 20 minutes in boiling water bath. Pickles will shrivel after processing, but will plump up in the sealed jars, so don’t panic and open the jars. Yields six pints.

source

Zucchini Pickles

2009-07-05T18:45:00.000-07:00

The Best part about this recipe is that I grew every single fresh ingredient in my garden!

6 C sliced green zucchini
6 C sliced yellow zuchini
2 large onions
1 each yellow, red, and green peppers
1/2 C salt
4 C water
4 C vinegar
2 tbsp. mustard seed
2 tbsp. celery seed
2 tsp. turmeric

1. Wash & cut vegies (slice onions thin, and zucchini about 1/2" thick)
2. Cover vegies with water to which salt has been added. Let stand for 2 hours.
3. Drain and rinse vegies.
4. Combine the sugar, water, vinegar, and spices and bring to a boil.
5. When it boils, add the vegies and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Pack vegies into hot jars and fill with the hot liquid, leaving 1/2" headspace.
7. Release air bubbles, clean rims and seal.
8. Process in a water bath for 10 minutes. (Makes 6-7 pints.)
Source: All American Pressure Canner Cookbook

Apricots - Dehydrated

2009-06-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Wash, Cut in half, slice & pit.
Dry skin side down on tray.
Dry at 135 degrees farenheit till pliable, about 20-28 hours.

Apricots - Canned

2009-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

I inherited a whole basket of apricots today and wasn't sure what to do with them since my family doesn't eat jam very often. I decided to can them like you do peaches, peeling is omitted though, so it was easy.
1. Wash, cut in half, and pit
2. Put into cold water with lemon juice to prevent darkening
3. Raw pack into jars
4. Add boiling *syrup into each jar leaving 1" headspace
5. Remove air bubbles, clean rims, adjust lids
6. Hot Water Bath 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts

*Syrup: I did a medium syrup;
3 C. sugar + 1 quart water = 5 1/2 C. medium syrup

**tip, Dont want floating fruit like pictured above, if you boil the fruit first, then fill the jars you would be able to squish more fruit into each jar and you won't get the extra space at the bottom of the jars after processing like you see in the picture.

Pineapple

2009-05-15T20:24:00.000-07:00

My daughter had field day at school today and wanted me to bring pineapple for a snack. Ranch Market has it 3 lbs for 99 cents this week, so I agreed. We bought 5 pineapples, and only used about half of it at school. So I decided to can the leftovers, this was easy and fast.

Directions:

1. Peel, Core, and Cut into cross sections 1/4" to 1/2" thick.

2. Put into stock pot cover with thin or medium syrup, slowly bring to a boil.

3. Hot pack into jars adding syrup leaving 1" headspace.

4. Prepare lids, remove air bubbles, clean jar rims, add lid & bands

5. Hot Water Bath; pints - 15 minutes.

Light Syrup Directions:

2 cups sugar = 1 quart water = 5 cups light syrup. (You need about 3/4 C. Syrup per pint jar)

Corn

2009-05-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Last week Corn was on sale at Safeway 8 ears for $1.00! Jennie and I bought 70 ears of corn for $8.75. We canned in pint sized jars, 70 ears of corn filled 16 pint jars. Cost about $.54 a jar, not counting the cost of the actual jar.

Directions:
1. Wash jars
2. Shuck and wash corn ears (this was fun for the kids to help with)
3. Cut Corn Kernels off the Cob, (we used an electric knife standing the corn up inside a bowl and this was actually very easy & fast)
4. Fill jars with corn, leaving 1" headspace
5. Fill jars with boiling water, leaving 1" headspace
6. Prepare seals
7. Remove Air Bubbles and wipe rims of jars
8. Put lids and seals on jars
9. Pressure can at 10 pounds of pressure for 55 minutes.

Strawberry Mango Sorbet

2009-05-01T13:00:00.000-07:00

Since it is strawberry month and we have strawberries coming out our ears, I needed to find other uses for them. Everyone but me in the house loves mangos, so they are always around, too. I have been trying to find a way to preserve the mangos for when they are not in season. This is one recipe that I have found.

The recipe calls for 4 cups of pureed soft fruit so you can use anything. I'm excited to try peaches and rasperries when they are in season. This is what I used:

2 Mangos and 2 1/2 pints Strawberries (however many strawberries it takes to get to 4 cups), pureed in blender.

2 cups sugar 1 cup orange juice 2 Tbsp lemon juice

Combine those three ingredients into saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in puree. Pour into 9x13 pan. Freeze. When frozen, remove from freezer. Break into chunks, and working in small batches, process in blender until light and fluffy. Can be served like this, or placed in freezer containers (leaving headspace) and saved for later.

We've run out of freezer jars and so I am putting the sorbet into those giant yogurt and sour cream containers. The recipe usually fills up about two of those containers.

Product Info

2009-04-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

Thanks Ashlee for the comments, Here is what I have been using:

Pressure Cooker/Canner by All American - I ordered this from Amazon. They come in lots of different sizes, I have the 15.5 Quart Canner. Basically this is a wider, shorter version so it fits under my oven hood on my stovetop. I can fit 10 pints or 7 Quarts inside when I can. It is not tall enough to double stack. Some of the features I love are; Aluminum so its tough, metal to metal seal, & its easy to regulate the pressure.

My friends are canning with the Presto Pressure Cooker/Canner. I believe they bought theirs at Dotties in Glendale, AZ. These are much more affordable then the All American canners.

Also This Canning Kit is necessary if you are going to start canning.

There are also lots of cookbooks out there.

The Dehydrator I use most often (I have two) is an Excalibur, We use it for lots of things, but mostly jerky and it has been great!

Hope that helps and have fun canning!

Herbs

2009-04-19T18:22:00.001-07:00

I love the way that herbs smell, so we planted some last year. They have really done well and grown and we are now harvesting our own. Simply cut the branches you want with scissors, then I used the dehydrator to dry them out, but you can even hang them to dry. Bag the leaves, removing the sticks and branches. I did parsley, oregano, and rosemary.

Strawberries - Freezer

2009-04-17T18:45:00.001-07:00

Strawberries are $0.88 per 1lb case this week at Safeway! May is also National Strawberry Month! Yummy! Today I bought some Ball Freezer Jars at Fry's...$2.19 for 5. I thought this was a good price and they worked great.
I used a food processor to blend (not puree) my strawberries, I wanted them a bit chunky. I added 1 Tbsp sugar into processor and then poured into jars and froze! Super easy! This isn't what you call Freezer Jam because I didn't use pectin. I just wanted a Strawberry sauce that can be used on anything from cakes, toast, or even ice cream!

Pears

2009-03-25T17:26:00.001-07:00

Ranch Market had Pears on sale, 4 lbs for 99 cents!
25 lbs of Pears yields 26 pints

Directions:
1. Peel, core, and quarter pears
2. Put pears into lemon/water (4C water & 1/4 C lemon juice) solution to avoid browning
3. We made a lite syrup, in saucepan combined 11 C. water and 5 1/2 C of Sugar, bring to boil. (we had to double this) *
4. Fill jars with pears
5. Add syrup to each jar, leaving 1" headspace.
6. Clean rims and adjust lids
7. Hot water bath for 20 minutes. Make sure water covers all the jars.
Source: Ball
* When I made peaches I used a juice concentrate instead of syrup, this was delicious, I am sure you could do the same for pears.
What your canned pears can make:
poached pear dessert, pear cobler, add pear to your salads, or eat it as is!

Beef Chunks or Venison Chunks

2009-03-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

You will need:
8lbs of meat
Beef Bouillon
Seasoning
oil

8lbs of meat filled 10 pint jars

1. Cut meat into 1" chunks, i.e. beef tips
2. Brown in oil (you do not need to cook entirely)
3. Pack into jars (we used pints)
4. Fill with boiling Beef Boullion/water, leaving 1" headspace in jar
5. Clear Rims, Adjust lids
6. Pressure Can at 10lbs pressure for 75 minutes (pints) 90 minutes (quarts)

- I did the above recipe with Venison, because I had it in the freezer.
- This meat turned out so yummy and tender and can be used to make, Beef & Noodles, Stir Fry, Fajitas, Stew, whatever!

Carrots

2009-02-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Vegies are super easy.
1. Wash and Clean (we like to leave the peel on)
2. Cut large pieces
3. Fill Jars with Carrots and Water leaving 1" headspace
4. Add 1 tsp Salt
5. Clean Rim, adjust lids
6. Process at 10 lbs pressure for 35 min (pints) and 40 min (Quarts)

Potato Soup

2009-02-13T15:07:00.001-08:00

Today we canned a great Potato Soup Recipe, Thanks to Ask Jackie.
Ingredients:
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion Powder
Chicken Bouillon
Water
Directions:
1. Add just enough water to boil quartered potatoes in a covered pot. *We only boiled for a few minutes so that the potatoes didn't get too soft. We left our potatoes in chunks *If you want them mashed, boil longer.
2. First we added 1/4 C of grated carrots to each jar
3. We drained our potatoes b/c we didn't want to can with the starch water.
4. We stuffed potatoes in jar. Then Added hot or boiling water to jar leaving 1" headspace.
5. We added 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1 tsp chicken bouillon soup base.
6. We used a knife to get rid of air bubbles.
7. Clean the rims and adjust lids.
8. Process Quarts 40 min at 10 lbs pressure and Pints 35 min at 10 lbs pressure.
For Eating:
Add 1 Tbsp Flour to saucepan and work in 1 Tbsp of Butter. *Add milk (about 2 C. per pint jar). Add the potato Soup to saucepan. Salt & Pepper to taste. Heat and Enjoy!
*You can use Sour Cream instead or even Cream Cheese.

Dehydrating Apples

2009-02-13T14:44:00.000-08:00

Another great way to store food is dehydrating. I had some apples that I needed to use, so I peeled/sliced the apples, added cinnamon and sugar, and laid them out on the dehydrator trays. About 16 hours later they were done! It's a yummy, healthy way to eat an apple treat.

Pumpkin

2009-02-05T05:10:00.001-08:00

You can of course buy pumpkins and can them, but the best tasting pumpkins are always the ones you grew yourself. They are sure a lot better than store bought, canned pumpkin. Note: The USDA does not recommend pureeing pumpkin prior to canning. Canning pumpkins in cubed form, is recommended.
Quality: Pumpkins and squash should have a hard rind and stringless, mature pulp of ideal quality for cooking fresh. Small size pumpkins (sugar or pie varieties) make better products.
Procedure: Wash, remove seeds, cut into 1-inch- wide slices or smaller. Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes or smaller. Boil 2 minutes in water. Caution: Do not mash or puree. Fill jars with cubes and cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process following the recommendations below
Then blend or puree pumpkin when you are ready to use it.

Recommended process time for Pumpkin and Winter Squash in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Pressure (PSI) 0-1,000ft -
Hot pack
Pints = 55 min at 10lbs pressure
Quarts = 90 min 10 lbs pressure
Canner Pressure (PSI) Above 1,000 ft
Hot pack
Pints = 55 min at 15 lbs pressure
Quarts = 90 min at 15 lbs pressure
Source: "Complete Guide to Home Canning", Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. Reviewed 1994.

Pumpkin Recipes:

PUMPKIN WAFFLES/PANCAKES
2 Cups Milk
2 Eggs
¼ Cup Oil
¼ Cup Pumpkin
1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tbl. Baking Powder
1/8-1/4 Tsp. Ginger
1/8-1/4 Tsp. Cloves
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
2 Cups Flour
Mix together wet ingredients, add and mix in the dry ones and ta-dah! Your mix is readyJ

Yummy Pumpkin Cookies
Wendy Barlow
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees
2 c. Shortening/Margarine or Butter
2 c. Sugar
15 oz. Pumpkin
2 large Eggs
2 tsp. Vanilla
4 c. Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Nutmeg
½ tsp. Allspice
1 tsp. Salt
Cream Shortening and sugar, then add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla. In separate bowl combine flour, b. powder, b. soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Put on a baking sheet and bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the cookies cool before you frost.

Yummy Cream Cheese Frosting
3 oz. Cream Cheese (room temp.)
½ cup Butter (room temp.)
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 c. Powdered Sugar
Cream Butter and cream cheese, then add powd. Sugar slowly, then vanilla

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
½ c. Butter
2 c. Sugar
2 Eggs
¾ c. Pumpkin
1 ¾ c. Flour
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Nutmeg
¼ tsp. Ginger
¼ tsp. Cloves
½ tsp. Salt
¾ c. Chocolate Chips
¾ c. Nuts (opt.)
Mix butter and sugar then add pumpkin and fold in everything else.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread II
Sharon Finell
3 C. White sugar1 1/2 C. Pumpkin1 C. oil2/3 C. Water4 eggs3 1/2 C. Flour1 T. Cinnamon1 T. Nutmeg2 t. Soda1 1/2 t. salt1 C. Chocolate Chips1/2 C. nuts (optional) Makes 3 loaves. Bake 1 hour at 350.

Pumpkin Cake
Amy King
Large (32 oz) can of Pumpkin Pie filling (or fresh pumpkin with spices added)
2 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup of melted butter
Mix pumpkin, eggs and evaporated milk together and pour in greased cake pan. Sprinkle the cake mix (plain, not made up) on top of the pumpkin. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the cake mix. Cook at 425 degrees for 15 min, then turn down the oven to 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve warm or cold. Top with whip cream.

Why Use a Trivet?

2009-01-30T19:42:00.001-08:00

Here is a perfect example of what happens when you forget to use your trivet!
(that is the bottom of the jar!)

Applesauce

2009-01-29T09:50:00.001-08:00

You will need lots of apples depending on how many jars of applesauce you want.

1. Wash & Chop the apples, do not peel apple...you will put entire apple into the pot to cook.
2. Cook the apples until soft.
3. Sieve the cooked apples; we used a hand cranked food mill...this worked great, the more cooked the apples are the better. Here is a picture:

4. Keep the applesauce hot, if you are going to season it (i.e.cinnamon) this is when you will do that. We did not add any sugar, these apples were perfect just as they were.
5. Fill warm jars with the applesauce.
6. Clean rims, adjust lids
7. Process in hot water bath pint = 15 minutes, Quart = 20 minutes.

We did about 100 apples and got 42 pints.
Source: www.pickyourown.org

Hamburger Meat

2009-01-29T09:49:00.001-08:00

Awesome deal! 93% lean meat is on sale this week at Safeway for $1.67 per lb.

Here is what we did: 3.5 lbs = 4 pints

1. Raw pack in jars, leave about 1" headspace

(we did several different variations, some with onion, salt, garlic, or taco seasoning)

2. Remove air bubbles

3. Clean rim, adjust lids

4. Process pints 10lbs pressure for 75 minutes

Source: Ball Blue Book

Peaches

2009-01-29T09:41:00.001-08:00

Ingredients:

Fresh, ripe peaches
White grape juice concentrate

Water

1. Boil peaches for 20-45 sec. Immediately remove from boiling water and place peaches in ice water bath (this allows skins to peel off easily)
2. Peel peaches and cut in halves/slices...whichever you prefer
3. Add peaches to jars, packed to just below rim
4. Fill jars with boiling juice that has been reconsituted using 2/3 the amount of water called for on the juice can. Leave 1" headspace
5. remove air bubbles, clean rims, adjust lids
6. Process in hot water bath for 20-30 minutes.
*tip: each time you water bath the water needs to be cooled before jars and placed in water, so that the jars dont crack. I used new water each time.

Source: You Can Can

Apple Pie Filling

2009-01-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

For 6 lbs of Apples: Makes 7 quarts (use Quarts not pints b/c a pint will not fill a pie shell)
4 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. cornstarch
2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. salt
10 C. water
2 T. lemon juice

1. Peel and core apples, place in cool water with some lemon juice to prevent browning
2. Bring all above ingredients to boil, stir until thickened
3. Drain water off apples
4. Fill jars with apples, till just below rim
5. Pour mixture over apples to just below rim, remove air bubbles
6. Clean rim, adjust lids
7. Hot water bath for 20 minutes
Source: http://allrecipes.com/

Pinto Beans

2009-01-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

1. Pack Clean/Dry Pinto Beans into jars, Pints - 2/3 C. Dry Beans per jar, Quarts - 1 & 1/3C. Dry Beans per jar
2. Fill jars with water to 1" below rim
3. Add 1/2 t. salt to each jar
4. Clean rims, adjust lids
5. Process at 10 lbs pressure Pint = 75 minutes, Quarts = 90 minutes

**Tip from Ask Jackie: If you don’t soak the beans before you can them, they will remain quite hard. A quicker way to get dry beans ready for canning is to bring them to a boil in a large saucepan. Then cover them and let them sit all morning. Then, in the afternoon, dip them out of the bean water, filling the jars to within an inch of the top with the bean water or boiling water, and process.

Chicken

2009-01-29T09:04:00.000-08:00

Raw Pack, (1 pint = about 1lb chicken)
1. Using boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1"-2" strips.
2. Using Pint jars, pack chicken into jars.
3. Add 1/2 t. salt to each jar.
4. Remove air bubbles, clean rim of jar, adjust lids
5. Process at 10lbs pressure for 75 minutes
(If using Quarts, 10 lbs pressure for 90 min)

Salsa

2009-01-29T08:50:00.001-08:00

Recipe: (Aprox 6 pints)
6 lbs tomatoes (12 lg) diced and blanched
9 dried hot chilli peppers
3 C. diced red onion
1 1/2 C. cilantro
15 cloves garlic
6 jalapeno peppers (diced and seeded)
1 T. salt
3/4 t. dried chili flakes
3/4 C. red wine vinegar

1. Wash, blanch tomatoe, seed & dice
2. Remove seeds from dried chili peppers, place in a small bowl.
3. Pour boiling water over chili peppers just to cover. Secure plastic wrap over bowl and allow to steep for 15 min.
4. Darin 1/2 water, puree chili peppers and remaining water in a food processor or blender for 1 minute until smooth.
5. Combine all ingredients in lg pan. Boil
6. Reduce hear and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickens.
7. Laddle hot salso into hot jars leaving 1/4" headspace.
8. clean rims, Ajust lids
9. Process 15 minutes in a hot water bath.
Source: Ball Blue Book

* Salsa Update one year later......I opened a jar of Salsa and discarded it. This recipe uses too much red wine vinegar and thats all that you can taste. I am going to find a better recipe soon.

Pasta Sauce

2009-01-29T08:06:00.000-08:00

Recipe:
(makes Aprox 1 quart, so do the math to jar how many you want)
1 lg onion, diced
1 T. sugar (white or brown)
1 t. salt
Pepper to taste
4 C. tomato, blanched and diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced small
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp italian seasoning (we used fresh rosemary, basil, thyme, & oregano)
1/2 C. Zucchinni, diced small

1. Mix all ingredients together
2. Simmer 2 hours (We used a roaster oven and this worked great!)
3. Prepare Jars
4. fill to 1" below rim, clean rims, adjust lid
5. Process Hot Water Bath 15 minutes
Source: Debi McLelland