Tag: canning

Canning & Preserving 2014

I’m so happy and proud. I “put up” a good amount of jars this season.

Canning jars on shelf 2014

There’s lots of tomatoes (pints & quarts): chopped, roasted, juiced, & slow-cooked, Concord grape jam & juice, peach maple jam, rhubarb chutney, spicy sweet tomato jam, pickled green cherry tomatoes, cortland applesauce, honeycrisp/gala applesauce, tomato jam, and one lone salsa from last year. Plus there was some spring strawberry jam that’s LONG gone because it was so scrumptious.

My freezer stash includes blanched green beans, chopped raw green peppers, raw whole jalapenos, chopped raw celery, celery leaves, lots of bone/veggie stock, and a bit of canning leftover chopped tomatoes.

We had some leftover honeycrisp applesauce for the fridge, and it was absolutely delicious. Probably the best I’ve had! Yum. I’m still contemplating if I should buy another half bushel to can more applesauce in quarts for all the upcoming holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, Mother’s and Father’s day). I got a decent deal on “seconds” from Mann’s Orchard – $16 for 21+ pounds. Considering, honeycrisp are regularly $2-$4/lb, I was thrilled! I want more!

And I’d love to try a batch of sauerkraut. I’ve previously tried fermented pickles, and one batch was great, while the other spoiled. I’ve recently learned that Diamond Kosher salt (my go-to brand) measures completely different than pickling or table salt, so I wonder if that might have been the problem. I’m feeling brave enough to try on a head of cabbage I just bought at the farm.

Of course, now that I’m totally addicted to homemade water kefir, I think more fermented foods are in order.

Other canning plans? I have been saving many interesting recipes from canning and preserving books (public library I love ya), and I’m hoping I’ll find time to make some sort of hot pepper sauce (fermented perhaps), as well as cranberry relish, beet relish (w/caraway), rosemary onion confit, ginger pear chutney. There are so many wonderful recipes out there, we’ll see what I can do this year.

And well, there’s always next year too!

Library Monday (No Love for Gwyneth)

I promised my buddy Angela from Test Kitchen Tues that I’d review the new Gwyneth Paltrow “It’s All Good” cookbook I borrowed from the library.

Well the book was due back to the library, but unfortunately, there is no review.

I tried, I really tried to remain impartial, but there was so much extra “stuff” clouding my judgement of the book, that I thought it best to return it and possibly re-borrow it at a later date.

But here are my initial observations.

The book is full of beautiful photos…. of Gwyneth.

Gwyneth in shorts holding a tray of eggs. Gwyneth snuggled in a blanket. Gwyneth (wearing shorts again) breaking open an avocado. Close-up of Gwyneth eating a frozen dessert pop. Get the picture? It’s all about Gwyneth and how wonderfully billowy and blonde (w/soft-focus lens) she looks after eating all this wonderful food. {{sigh}}

I just couldn’t get passed her ego, so back to the library it went. Maybe in a couple of months, I’ll borrow it again.

What else is happening in the world of books this week?

Well I thought it was going to be a slow Monday, but I ended up at three different libraries! Yes, I know, I have an addiction problem, I can’t help myself!

I picked up the new Sherri Brooks Vinton preserving book “Put ‘Em Up Fruit” – the sequel to her awesome “Put ‘Em Up” book.

I also picked up another book I requested, “Clean Gut” by Alejandro Junger, plus I found Kitchen Gardening For Beginners on the “new” table. I have heard about the author, and I’m curious. He is also Gwyneth’s doctor, but I’m trying not to hold that against him ;)

And a boatload of other books:

“Crazy sexy kitchen” by Kris Carr (I think I borrowed this before, but it caught my eye on the new shelf again)

“Living with less” by Mary Lambert (also on the new shelf, it’s tag line is how to downsize to 100 personal possessions.)

“Canal House Cooks every day” by Hamilton and Hirsheimer (this is one heavy book! And it also looks intimidating, but it promises to be an “everyday” simple cookbook)

“Diet for a small planet” Frances Moore Lappe (I have heard about this book for years, and it was mentioned again in the “China Study Cookbook” so I’m finally gonna check it out)

My father’s daughter by Gwenyth Paltrow (an old fave; what a difference between this book and the new one! I could barely find any photos of her, most were big beautiful colorful plates of food, which, HEL-LO, is what a cookbook should be)

“Cooking in the moment” by Andrea Riesling (I saw this old fave on the shelf and couldn’t resist it again. This book screams spring and summer to me with so many awesome farm-fresh recipes. It’s also the first time I heard the phrase “Friends, Don’t Let Friends Eat Imported Shrimp” and that really stuck with me!)

“Melissa’s everyday cooking” by Cathy Thomas from Melissa’s Produce (I heard about this book from somewhere recently but can’t remember. Glad I found it on the shelf.)

“Glamping with Mary Jane” by Maryjane Butters (this book looks like a hoot. Glamping=Glamor Camping!! It’s got some DIY and a few recipes.)

“Latin d’lite” by Ingrid Hoffman (on the new book shelf, at first glance, the recipes looked yummy)

“The I love Trader Joe’s vegetarian cookbook” (I’ve seen books from “I Love TJ’s” series before, but never read one. With big bold photos, I couldn’t pass it up, also on new shelf.)

“The great vegan bean book” by Kathy Hester (Also found on the new bookshelf, I’m always looking for new bean books, and this one is brand spanking new!)

“The sprouted kitchen” by Sara Forte (another old fave, and another that screams farm-fresh summer to me)

Phew, I could barely carry my book bag into the house! In the next few weeks, I’ll be sure to post some new book reviews.

Homemade Blueberry Jam (Lower Sugar)

homemade blueberry jam

Okay someone please tell me why I feel the need to make my own jams and jellies when there are perfectly good store bought products available?

Tell me that it’s totally worth it because I’m controlling the ingredients and sugar content. And it doesn’t matter that I’m melting over a hot stovetop on a 90° day!

Okay enough self-pity.

Late last summer, I decided that I was going to try to create enough canned jams and jellies so there wouldn’t be a need for commercial product.

Since I started so late in the season, all the cool fruits were out of season (like strawberries, blueberries, and stone fruit), so I started with an easy apple cider jelly, then onto batches of Concord grape jams & jellies.

I’m so proud that I made enough to last us through winter! But spring couldn’t come quick enough as I was down to one last jar of sad apple cider jelly, along with a few emergency jars of Concord grape “syrup” that didn’t quite work itself into jam.

So when Whole Foods Market announced that they were offering organic blueberries for $1.99/pint I knew it was time to start making more jam!

I had borrowed “Put ’em up” from the library and I found a “quick blueberry jam” recipe that utilized Pomona’s Pectin without the need for massive amounts of sugar, so along with 4 pints if blueberries, I also purchased a box of Pomona’s.

I used Pomona’s a couple of times last year. I like that I can use a smaller amount if sugar and didn’t have to worry about making the jam thicken on its own.

So this morning, despite the 90° heat wave, I got my ingredients ready and proceeded to make a batch of blueberry jam while a big pot of water and jelly jars came up to boil next to it.

I was doing really well, following the directions, allowing the jam to come to a boil slowly. I then added the lemon juice, calcium water, and sugar pectin mix and stirred stirred stirred waiting for the second boil.

I kept peeking, and it wasn’t quite there yet, until I turned away for a little too long and splurshhhh, blueberry jam erupted all over my gas stove!

Then it was time to remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before ladling into jars for the hot water bath. When I was finished, I had 4 (eight oz) canned jars and 2 for the fridge.

The other good news was the sticky blueberry mess on my stove was thankfully easy to clean!

Here’s the recipe:

Quick blueberry jam

Based on recipe from “Put em up” cookbook by Sherri Brooks Vinton

Makes about 6 cups (original recipe stated 4 cups, I used 4 US dry pints of blueberries. 1 US dry pint = about 2.3 cups, even after losing some to boil-over on the stove)

This jam is full of fresh blueberry flavor. Because these berries are easy to stem and have no hulls or noticeable pips, it’s a quick project too.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons Pomona’s universal pectin
4 US/dry pints blueberries, stemmed (about 9-10 cups, original recipe stated 8 cups)
1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
2 teaspoons calcium water (mix included in the Pomona’s box- I still had a batch in the fridge from last year)

Directions

  1. Whisk the sugar and pectin together in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Rinse blueberries and add them into a (nonreactive) sauce pan (I used my 4qt stainless pot) and slowly bring to a boil over low heat.
  3. Continually stir and crush blueberries with potato masher and/or immersion blender (I used both)
  4. Add the lemon juice and calcium water.
  5. Slowly pour in the sugar pectin mixture and keep stirring to make sure it all dissolves.
  6. Return jam to a boil, and then immediately remove from heat to let the jam rest for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release air bubbles. Skim off any foam.
  7. Carefully ladle jam into small jelly jars and either store in fridge for 3 weeks or process for 10 minutes using hot water bath method.

Using only 1 cup of sugar, it’s approximately 17 calories and 4g sugar per Tbsp!!!

I couldn’t resist sampling on a slice of my homemade whole wheat bread!

homemade blueberry jam

Gardening Diary: Canning & Preserving the Harvest

canned jelly and apple sauce

Wow, this year, surprisingly I found that I really enjoy the craft of canning!

It’s a lot of work, but once you get 2 or 3 batches under your belt, there’s confidence and organization that makes the process a little bit easier. The rewards will outweigh the work!

There was a lot that I was worried about in the beginning (like most newbie canners), most importantly was I did NOT want to kill myself and my family with deadly bacteria!

But after reading a lot of library books, and scouring the web for good information, I learned that if done properly, following the instructions, you do not have to fear the canning process!

This post is L-O-N-G, and it might be boring to a lot of visitors, so if you want to learn more about my canning experience (and see a few photos), read onward!

Continue reading “Gardening Diary: Canning & Preserving the Harvest”

Gardening Diary: Preserving Tomatoes by Freezing, Oven Drying & Canning

cherry tomatoes ripening on the vine

My garden will never produce as many tomatoes as I’d like…even though I’m getting full bowlfuls every couple of days, it is never enough! Tomatoes are the perfect food. I adore them!

I’d love to someday grow enough tomatoes so I’d never have to purchase another can/carton of commercial tomatoes again, but that is not a reality this year, but I’m trying to make the best of what I have.

So, I have been learning about the many ways to preserve fresh garden produce for consumption in colder months.

I’ve made a lot of tomato sauce, sometimes with eggplant and peppers. I’m slow-cooking in the oven or in my crock pot. Then storing in freezer bags in my freezer.

I tried something new the other day and I think it’s going to be a favorite.

I was watching the Dehydration class over at breadbeckers.com and it inspired me to learn more about dehydration in the oven. I was thrilled to find out that my oven offers very low temperatures, as low as 100° so I experimented with a batch of cherry tomatoes.

sliced cherry tomatoes before oven drying

It took over 24 hours, experimenting with different temperatures (135-150°) depending on the time of day – it’s helpful if you use an oven thermometer to make sure oven temps aren’t off. The tomatoes dried to little jewels of sugary-flavorful-goodness!

oven dried cherry tomatoes

oven dried cherry tomatoes - close up

Then I spread them on a large plate, and flash-froze them, then bagged them in a quart freezer bag for freezer storage. I know it could be possible to maybe store in a jar, or in olive oil, but I figure that the freezer would be the safest method for now.

I finished drying a second batch yesterday morning, and they went into the freezer as well.

Next, I’m going to try some good ole fashioned canning! I haven’t decided if I’ll do a raw-pack or maybe stewed. I suppose I could try both!

I know I will not have enough of my own tomatoes, so I might be buying some “seconds” tomatoes at the local farm. One farm is selling 7 lbs for $5.99 while supplies last.

I’ve been pouring over canning cookbooks for the last week or so, trying to learn all I can (haha, no pun intended) and I hope that I love canning enough to keep doing it all year long. I have dreams of applesauce in the fall, and orange jam in the winter.

Exciting!