I have been canning salmon for many years. Canning salmon is a great way to free up freezer space. Just be sure to thaw your salmon before canning. Canned salmon has so many uses: salmon loaf, salmon patties, salmon pasta toss, salmon chowder, salmon spread, smoked salmon eggs Benedict, salmon and egg hash, salmon stuffed potatoes, salmon BLT, salmon salad sandwiches, and more. The Ball Blue Book tells you to soak salmon pieces in a brine of 1 C canning salt to 1 gallon of water for one hour and then drain for 10 min. I have never done this. The National Center for Home Food Preservation doesn't have you do this. It is an unnecessary step and I just add salt to the jar before capping.
My method is simple: Cut salmon in pieces to fit your pint or half pint jars and pack into strelized jars with skin next to glass. Fill gaps with smaller pieces of salmon. Leave 1 inch head space. Add 1 tsp canning salt per pint, or 1/2 tsp per half pint. DO NOT add liquid. Adjust simmered lids and rings. Process in a pressure canner for 1 hour and 40 minutes at 10 pounds pressure, or adjust for altitude like I need to where I live. Follow your canners directions returning pressure to zero before removing from canner.
Canning Smoked Salmon- Lightly smoke the fish with only 1-2 panfuls of wood chips before canning. I cannot stress this enough. You won't get a stronger smoke flavor by smoking longer, you will only end up with salmon chips. Hard, dark pieces of salmon that are more like jerky to be gnawed on by your dutiful spouse who insists they are delicious. Yes, I'm speaking from experience. So, lightly smoke your fish according to your favorite recipe and follow canning instructions above, EXCEPT, OMIT SALT. Remember, you salted your fish in a brine prior to canning and you don't want salted, smoked salmon. The salmon will finish cooking in the canner. It won't be mushy and will be a sought after commodity. Trust me. It is delicious and I use in in salmon spreads, by itself on crackers, or straight from the jar.
Favorite Recipe for canned salmon:
Pasta Salmon Toss
2-3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pint salmon, regular or smoked
salt and pepper to taste
1/2-3/4 pounds spaghetti, cooked al dente, reserve 2-3 TB cooking water
3-4 TB olive oil
3-4 TB butter, room temp.
1 TB dried parsley
1-2 TB lemon juice
1-2 TB capers
While spaghetti is cooking, drain and flake salmon, removing skin. Stir in garlic, eggs, olive oil, butter, parsley lemon juice and capers. Toss in cooked spaghetti and fold together. Add capers and a Tb or more of cooking water if it seems dry. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. This is a frequent request when our daughters visit us.
Canning Tuna
We are fortunate enough to have access to the Pacific NW waters and fresh albacore tuna. If you are ever able to buy tuna straight from the docks (or charter a guide to go fishing), you're in for a treat. There is nothing like fresh tuna and if you ever can your own albacore tuna, you will NEVER want store bought canned tuna again. The dock hands will clean and quarter the tuna you choose and you just keep it on ice until you are ready to use it. Follow the directions for canning at the National Center for Home Food Preservation can your tuna. Cut out the dark flesh and Quarter. Cut quarters crosswise into lengths
suitable for half-pint or pint jars. Fill into jars, pressing down gently to make a solid pack. I don't add liquid to my tuna, but it may
be packed in water or oil, whichever is preferred. Add water or oil to jars, leaving 1-inch
headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per half-pint or 1 teaspoon of salt per pint, if desired. Process according to your canners directions for time ( 100 minutes) and altitude.
If you can't get fresh tuna, you can order canned tuna from The Seafood Connection in Westport, WA. Their canned tuna is awesome and they even have smoked canned tuna. We have tried both and love it. We order their tuna when we run out of our home canned. It is so much better and superior, and you get a solid piece of tuna that fills the whole can.
Favorite Canned Tuna Recipe:
Creamed Tuna
Make a white sauce by making a roux with appx. 1/3 C butter and 1/3 C flour and heat while it bubbles stirring frequently with a whisk, for 1-2 min. Add milk while stirring to make a medium thick sauce. Add 1-7 oz can tuna, stirring to break up pieces. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over mashed potatoes with a side of peas or green beans.
How do you like to prepare canned seafood and what are some of your favorite recipes?
Showing posts with label Canning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canning. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Pickled Salmon and Applesauce
Made my first batch of pickled salmon yesterday. I had a King salmon fillet in the freezer from 2015 and since it was from the Columbia River in Washington, I knew it was heading up to spawn, so not as fresh eating as ocean salmon. We prefer eating Reds (Sockeye) or Silvers (Coho). Salmon that are starting to turn because they are getting ready to spawn, aren't as palatable. They are better for smoking, or in this case, my first attempt at pickling.
The salmon season is so finicky on the Columbia River. Last year, sockeye were stacked up at the mouth of the Okanogan due to high water temperatures to head up to Canada to spawn, and it was a fishers paradise. This year, cooler water meant sockeye weren't hanging around and headed straight up river. We spent 2 hard weekends fishing for sockeye this summer up there. One Sunday after fishing our tails off all day Saturday, and then again on Sunday, we managed to land 2 fish. When we got back to the dock, the Fish and Wildlife gal came over to our boat and asked if this was the boat with all the fish. I told her we only caught 2. She said, well if this was a tournament, you're in first place! We call them our $500 sockeye! We spent at least that much to have them in our freezer!
I adapted Sandra's recipe for pickled salmon, basically using 2 C water, 1 C vinegar and 2 TB of pickling spices, then adjusted the sugar by one fourth. I guesstimated on the amount of salt and sugar to use for curing, making sure the salmon was well covered. Otherwise, it would result in mushy salmon. I'm going to go try a piece now, even though it has been only one day. Be back in a minute.
Wow! This is amazing. It is not too vinegary, which I thought it would be trying it so soon. It is pleasantly but mildly sweet, tangy, firm, and just the right amount of seasoning. I bet it will be better in a few weeks!
Today, my endeavor was making applesauce from our Jonagolds which produce every other year. I ended up with 7 qts. and 4 pints. I still have some apples left and am thinking about making a batch of apple butter.
My KitchenAid is a lifesaver when it comes to processing the apples. I will use it again to make apple butter.
Not much else going on here. Snow is melting due to warmer weather temps. Roads will be a mess with the temps at 37 degrees. Gotta run to town and pick up some eggs, milk and other items. Until next time!
The salmon season is so finicky on the Columbia River. Last year, sockeye were stacked up at the mouth of the Okanogan due to high water temperatures to head up to Canada to spawn, and it was a fishers paradise. This year, cooler water meant sockeye weren't hanging around and headed straight up river. We spent 2 hard weekends fishing for sockeye this summer up there. One Sunday after fishing our tails off all day Saturday, and then again on Sunday, we managed to land 2 fish. When we got back to the dock, the Fish and Wildlife gal came over to our boat and asked if this was the boat with all the fish. I told her we only caught 2. She said, well if this was a tournament, you're in first place! We call them our $500 sockeye! We spent at least that much to have them in our freezer!
I adapted Sandra's recipe for pickled salmon, basically using 2 C water, 1 C vinegar and 2 TB of pickling spices, then adjusted the sugar by one fourth. I guesstimated on the amount of salt and sugar to use for curing, making sure the salmon was well covered. Otherwise, it would result in mushy salmon. I'm going to go try a piece now, even though it has been only one day. Be back in a minute.
Wow! This is amazing. It is not too vinegary, which I thought it would be trying it so soon. It is pleasantly but mildly sweet, tangy, firm, and just the right amount of seasoning. I bet it will be better in a few weeks!
Today, my endeavor was making applesauce from our Jonagolds which produce every other year. I ended up with 7 qts. and 4 pints. I still have some apples left and am thinking about making a batch of apple butter.
Not much else going on here. Snow is melting due to warmer weather temps. Roads will be a mess with the temps at 37 degrees. Gotta run to town and pick up some eggs, milk and other items. Until next time!
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Cherry Pickin' Time
They are so fresh you can see that the stems are still green. I estimate that each bag weighs about 10-12 lbs. I was dreading the process of pitting because I have 2 single pitters, and even with DH's help, it is a long and tedious process. I decided to run to town yesterday and see if I could find a more efficient tool for this task. Success! At Fred Meyer, I found this nifty pitter. It is important not to stem the cherries before you are ready to use them because they will rot. You just load up the hopper with washed and stemmed cherries.You can see my washed cherries on the left, the hopper with cherries, and the bowl on the right that the pitted cherries pop into. Then, just push the plunger and out comes your pitted cherry. The pits are disposed of in a little container of the other side of the unit. This little gadget saved me so much time and back ache! It was well worth the $20 and as my DH says, never pass up a tool you can use.
I processed one bag yesterday and was able to put up 14- 1/2 pint jars of cherry jam and 9 pints of cherry sauce. If you have never made cherry jam, try it. It is absolutley delicious and you may have a new favorite. For the cherry sauce, which is great over ice cream, cheesecake, or pancakes, I was using a Danish Cherry Sauce recipe from my Ball Blue book, when I realized that the almond extract that the recipe called for, had all evaporated out of the tiny bottle. So, no almond extract in the sauce and it is still delicious. I thickened the sauce with Clear Jel. I just used a lesser amount the the recipe called for in cherry pie on the Clear Jel label, plus I added some lemon juice.I doubled the recipe so used 6 lbs. of cherries just for the sauce.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Pickled Asparagus
I know I have been away for eons, but that does not mean that I have not been visiting friends blogs. I have been passive just because I have been so busy with life, and I have not taken the time to post comments. I know you all understand how it goes. That said, I have been wanting to try a pickled asparagus recipe, because we like it and I just don't have the drive to eat plain asparagus during its season more than 2-3 times. I love it on salads, to eat out of the jar, to embellish with come chopped hard boiled egg with Dijon mayonnaise, or what have you. I have never canned it myself. I have found 2 recipes. One in Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader, and another from a friend.
Here is Carol Costenbaders:
Pickled Asparagus
3 C distilled vinegar
3 C water
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp salt
3 # (8 C) asparagus spears, washed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp pickling spice
12 whole black peppercorns
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a 2 qt. saucepan and heat to a boil. Pack the asparagus in two 1-quart jars, leaving 1/2 " head space. Divide the garlic, pickling spice and peppercorns between the two jars. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the asparagus, leaving 1/2 in. head space. Cap and seal. Process for 20 min. in a boiling water bather canner and adjust for altitude if necessary.
Here is another recipe that is a homestead recipe, try it at your own risk, as I have not tried it, although, I hear it garners $10 a quart jar from the people that spend the time to make it. I think it sounds absolutely delicious.
Cajun Pickled Asparagus
1/4 C pickling salt
2 1/2 qts cider vinegar
2 1/2 qts water
3/4 C brown sugar
Bring this brine to a boil-
in each Qt jar put:
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp cumin seed
1 clove garlic
Pack jars with washed, trimmed asparagus, leaving 1/2 in. head space, pour brine over top and process in boiling water bath canner for 15 min., adjust altitude if necessary.
Enjoy. I plan to make this recipe over Memorial Day weekend and will let you know how it goes.
Here is Carol Costenbaders:
Pickled Asparagus
3 C distilled vinegar
3 C water
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp salt
3 # (8 C) asparagus spears, washed and trimmed
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp pickling spice
12 whole black peppercorns
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a 2 qt. saucepan and heat to a boil. Pack the asparagus in two 1-quart jars, leaving 1/2 " head space. Divide the garlic, pickling spice and peppercorns between the two jars. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the asparagus, leaving 1/2 in. head space. Cap and seal. Process for 20 min. in a boiling water bather canner and adjust for altitude if necessary.
Here is another recipe that is a homestead recipe, try it at your own risk, as I have not tried it, although, I hear it garners $10 a quart jar from the people that spend the time to make it. I think it sounds absolutely delicious.
Cajun Pickled Asparagus
1/4 C pickling salt
2 1/2 qts cider vinegar
2 1/2 qts water
3/4 C brown sugar
Bring this brine to a boil-
in each Qt jar put:
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp cumin seed
1 clove garlic
Pack jars with washed, trimmed asparagus, leaving 1/2 in. head space, pour brine over top and process in boiling water bath canner for 15 min., adjust altitude if necessary.
Enjoy. I plan to make this recipe over Memorial Day weekend and will let you know how it goes.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Albacore Tuna
While visiting the WA coast, we picked up a couple of fresh Albacore tuna to can. We cooked up a couple of pieces on the barbie for dinner while we were there, and saved the rest for the canner. The two tuna came to 25#, which netted 12 lbs. of meat. I got 12 pints and 4 half pints, so a total of 16 pints. One full canner load. The total cost was $75, or $3/lb whole, $6.25/lb. net. Dividing $75 by 16 pints, I get $4.69/pint. Most tuna you buy at the store any more are 5 oz. cans. They used to be 7 oz. That would be about 3 store bought cans to one of my pints which don't have any added water or broth. You can pull out whole pieces of tuna. We love home canned tuna! It is firmer and much tastier that the flakes and shards you get from the store. If you ever get a chance, buy a tuna and can some in your pressure canner. Or buy tuna canned at the docks by a small processor. We bought our tuna from the Seafood Connection and they also sell online at Canned Albacore Tuna.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Canning Bacon
First, ***I must also welcome my newest followers, Jennifer, Daddy Bear, and DFW. I hope you enjoy reading my blog. Please feel free to leave comments.
I first read about canning bacon at Enola Gay's blog, Paratus Familia. I was very intrigued and since I love to do more than just canning fruits, pickles and green beans, I took a venture at it. My first attempts were fine, except that I didn't have parchment paper between the slices, and they were difficult to separate. I've included anecdotal notes about my experiences.
Disclaimer: the USDA does not recommend home canning bacon, and if you do so, you do at your own risk. The food police do not like people like me, who prefer to take our own lives into our own hands.
Last week Safeway had a sale on their thick cut bacon for $2.99/lb in 3 pound packages, so I bought four packages. First, of course you want to sterilize your jars and lids, and have parchment paper and scissors handy. I pulled about an 18" piece of parchment paper from the roll and lay it on the counter. Then I start laying bacon pieces, lining them up along the bottom edge. The bacon looks like it is really long in my picture, but you can see the normal size that it is by the remaining bacon that I haven't laid out yet.
I have found that with the thick sliced bacon, which we prefer, it takes 10-12 slices per jar. When they are all laid out, I trim up the right edge of the parchment, and then trim off the top 3 inches or so, then lay the strip that I cut off, on top of the bottom portion of the bacon strips. This helps keep the bacon from adhering to itself when you are peeling off the parchment paper.
Next, I fold over the pieces of bacon on top of that strip of parchment.
Then, I fold over the top half of the parchment paper.
Start at one end and roll up tightly. I put the package in a wide mouth quart jar with the open end of my bacon package and the bottom, and the folded portion at the top. You do not need to add any water or salt.
Now you're ready to put your hot lids and bands on and process in your pressure canner for your altitude for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I have also slightly precooked the bacon prior to canning. In the picture below, the jar on the left is bacon that is canned raw according to the instructions that are given above. Notice that it has a thicker layer of fat at the bottom of the jar and some liquid, as compare to the jar on the right, which was precooked. I have found that both methods produce acceptable results. I am lazy and prefer not to have to dirty pans and spend the extra time cooking the bacon for 10 min.
In addition, I have also partially cooked up pieces of bacon, about 1 inch square size pieces and canned those in 1/2 pint jars. They fry up quickly and beautifully as well. They are nice to use for bacon bits to top salads or what not. I got this great idea from Kris Watson over at Simply Living. You have to read the comments to read how she cans her bacon.
I have also found that with the bacon that is packed raw, there is a tendency for it to pop and splatter. I suppose that is from water in the product, some of which is cooked out when precooked. But, overall, it is very good, fries up nicely, and will satisfy that bacon craving the way nothing else can do.
I priced Yoder's canned bacon and it sells for about $14.00 for a 9 oz. can which has 50 (very thin) slices. My jar contains approximately 10-12 oz. of bacon (weight after canning), so it is very economical, at about $3.00 per jar. Enjoy!
I first read about canning bacon at Enola Gay's blog, Paratus Familia. I was very intrigued and since I love to do more than just canning fruits, pickles and green beans, I took a venture at it. My first attempts were fine, except that I didn't have parchment paper between the slices, and they were difficult to separate. I've included anecdotal notes about my experiences.
Disclaimer: the USDA does not recommend home canning bacon, and if you do so, you do at your own risk. The food police do not like people like me, who prefer to take our own lives into our own hands.
Last week Safeway had a sale on their thick cut bacon for $2.99/lb in 3 pound packages, so I bought four packages. First, of course you want to sterilize your jars and lids, and have parchment paper and scissors handy. I pulled about an 18" piece of parchment paper from the roll and lay it on the counter. Then I start laying bacon pieces, lining them up along the bottom edge. The bacon looks like it is really long in my picture, but you can see the normal size that it is by the remaining bacon that I haven't laid out yet.
I have found that with the thick sliced bacon, which we prefer, it takes 10-12 slices per jar. When they are all laid out, I trim up the right edge of the parchment, and then trim off the top 3 inches or so, then lay the strip that I cut off, on top of the bottom portion of the bacon strips. This helps keep the bacon from adhering to itself when you are peeling off the parchment paper.
Next, I fold over the pieces of bacon on top of that strip of parchment.
Then, I fold over the top half of the parchment paper.
Start at one end and roll up tightly. I put the package in a wide mouth quart jar with the open end of my bacon package and the bottom, and the folded portion at the top. You do not need to add any water or salt.
Now you're ready to put your hot lids and bands on and process in your pressure canner for your altitude for 1 hour and 30 minutes. I have also slightly precooked the bacon prior to canning. In the picture below, the jar on the left is bacon that is canned raw according to the instructions that are given above. Notice that it has a thicker layer of fat at the bottom of the jar and some liquid, as compare to the jar on the right, which was precooked. I have found that both methods produce acceptable results. I am lazy and prefer not to have to dirty pans and spend the extra time cooking the bacon for 10 min.
In addition, I have also partially cooked up pieces of bacon, about 1 inch square size pieces and canned those in 1/2 pint jars. They fry up quickly and beautifully as well. They are nice to use for bacon bits to top salads or what not. I got this great idea from Kris Watson over at Simply Living. You have to read the comments to read how she cans her bacon.
I have also found that with the bacon that is packed raw, there is a tendency for it to pop and splatter. I suppose that is from water in the product, some of which is cooked out when precooked. But, overall, it is very good, fries up nicely, and will satisfy that bacon craving the way nothing else can do.
I priced Yoder's canned bacon and it sells for about $14.00 for a 9 oz. can which has 50 (very thin) slices. My jar contains approximately 10-12 oz. of bacon (weight after canning), so it is very economical, at about $3.00 per jar. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Soup Starter for Busy Nights
Yesterday afternoon DH and I decided we would go see the Hunger Games matinee, after all, who wants to pay full price at the movie theater? It is the second movie in a month we have gone to, the first being Valor. Prior to those two movies, it had been probably 2 years since we had seen a movie. The last one was The Book of Eli. I know, we don't get out much. Before that, I can't even remember. I can probably count all the movies we've ever been to in 23 years of marriage on one and a half hands.
Okay, so the whole point of this was that the movie was going to get out after 6 p.m. and who wants to go home at that hour and conjure up something from the pantry? I could have put together a crock pot meal, but instead decided to heat up a batch of soup starter, which is so handy and versatile to have in your canning pantry. It has barley, beef bouillon, carrots, celery and potatoes. Just dump it in a pot and add a jar of beef or chicken, or whatever leftover meat and veggie scraps you have, add another cup of water and some bouillon if you like, and you have a very tasty, delicious meal that the whole family will eat. I love having this in my pantry and it costs pennies to make 7 quarts. To round the meal out, I made a batch of artisan bread. This is so simple to make. And you don't have to knead! The dough is just sitting in the fridge waiting for you to come and grab off a hunk, shape into a ball or loaf, let it rest for 30-40 min. and then bake. How easy is that? It is so good and has a nice crunchy crust. This bread goes perfect with soup starter, stew, or any meal.
I am using bread that was left over from last night and breakfast (oh, by the way, it makes awesome toast) to make croutons. Just slice into cubes, sprinkle with olive oil and whatever seasoning you would like. I used garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. The bake in a slow oven (325) for about 1/2 and hour, stirring every 10 min. Store air tight when cool and they are great on salads, soups, or whatever. Who wants to pay $2 or more for a skimpy bag from the store that are loaded with chemicals when you can make better tasting ones at home for a fraction of the cost? Do you see a pattern here? I amcheap frugal and enjoy serving my family good food that tastes great and doesn't break the food budget.
Okay, so the whole point of this was that the movie was going to get out after 6 p.m. and who wants to go home at that hour and conjure up something from the pantry? I could have put together a crock pot meal, but instead decided to heat up a batch of soup starter, which is so handy and versatile to have in your canning pantry. It has barley, beef bouillon, carrots, celery and potatoes. Just dump it in a pot and add a jar of beef or chicken, or whatever leftover meat and veggie scraps you have, add another cup of water and some bouillon if you like, and you have a very tasty, delicious meal that the whole family will eat. I love having this in my pantry and it costs pennies to make 7 quarts. To round the meal out, I made a batch of artisan bread. This is so simple to make. And you don't have to knead! The dough is just sitting in the fridge waiting for you to come and grab off a hunk, shape into a ball or loaf, let it rest for 30-40 min. and then bake. How easy is that? It is so good and has a nice crunchy crust. This bread goes perfect with soup starter, stew, or any meal.
I am using bread that was left over from last night and breakfast (oh, by the way, it makes awesome toast) to make croutons. Just slice into cubes, sprinkle with olive oil and whatever seasoning you would like. I used garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. The bake in a slow oven (325) for about 1/2 and hour, stirring every 10 min. Store air tight when cool and they are great on salads, soups, or whatever. Who wants to pay $2 or more for a skimpy bag from the store that are loaded with chemicals when you can make better tasting ones at home for a fraction of the cost? Do you see a pattern here? I am
Monday, April 2, 2012
Canning Jar Find
My mother canned a lot of food, mostly salmon, mincemeat, jam and jelly, and some other stuff that I can't remember. After she passed away, I got her pressure canner and all her jars. One of my favorite jars of hers were the Ball 1- 1/2 pint jars. She only had a case of 12, and I loved their size. Sometimes, one pint isn't quite enough, and a quart it too much. They have been precious to me over the years, and they have been continually filled with various goodies from peaches and pears to chili. I always process my food in these jars for the longer time required for quart jars, and have never had a problem.
I went shopping today and I couldn't believe my eyes! Ball 1-1/2 pint jars just sitting there staring at me. Well, I couldn't resist. No, they were not on sale and you only get 9 jars in a case. But I just had to buy one case. I will purchase more when they go on sale. As you can see from the picture, my original box on the right is old and well used. Give this size jar a try. I think you will love these jars, too.
I went shopping today and I couldn't believe my eyes! Ball 1-1/2 pint jars just sitting there staring at me. Well, I couldn't resist. No, they were not on sale and you only get 9 jars in a case. But I just had to buy one case. I will purchase more when they go on sale. As you can see from the picture, my original box on the right is old and well used. Give this size jar a try. I think you will love these jars, too.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Prepping for Another Storm
We're in the process of digging out from our PACNW storm from the last couple of days and getting ready for the next. Depending where you live in the PACNW, you either have snow and ice, or rain and ice, both of which can wreak havoc. Our roads have a buildup of snow and the county and city are not keeping up. Over in the Seattle area, they are having rain and ice with lots of thawing and flooding. Our neighbor is a pilot and made it to Portland yesterday. There were no flights out to Seattle, so he rented a car and drove to the SeaTac airport in Seattle and to get to his car. He chipped his car free of 2" of ice. He finally got his windshield wipers free and his car dug out, so he headed over the mountain pass and persevered through the snow and ice. He made it all the way to his driveway, but his son, who was supposed to have plowed it out (he barely plowed earlier in the day, but it continued to snow), hadn't fulfilled his duty. Yep, he got stuck in his own driveway. He angrily trudged through the snow to his house. He was so mad he went and got his son up out of bed at midnight to plow the driveway and get his car dug out.
This was on Thursday afternoon.
DH got the driveway plowed, so now he is on to getting the barn cleared and a path through the field for the horses. We haven't bought hay in years. We just fence off our front field and then in the winter when it snows, we just plow a path for the horses. They just paw through and eat what's in the field.
Here he's plowing out the barn. It's really more of a loafing shed and it's also the hen house. The chickens, by the way, are too chicken to venture out into the snow once it's more than a 1/2 inch deep. So we just open up both sides of the hen house so they have room to stretch their legs a bit. We normally just have them in the right side of the barn.
And here he's blazing a path for the horses so they can eat.
While he's plowing, I've got 3 1/2 pints of sausage in the canner, and 3 quarts of bacon. I allowed one package of bacon per qt., but you know, now packages are only 12 oz. and not a pound, so my quarts of bacon are a little lean. Next time, I will buy some more and add 4 more slices per jar so I have a whole pound in each jar. I got 7 patties per jar from 2 pounds of sausage and I have 2 patties in a 1/2 pint jar. Since I mixed jar sizes, I will process for 1 hour and 30 min. I don't usually mix sizes, but I was bored and needed to can up the meat, so, that's what I did.
And a big welcome to Carolyn! She has a nice blog at the neighborly place.
This was on Thursday afternoon.
DH got the driveway plowed, so now he is on to getting the barn cleared and a path through the field for the horses. We haven't bought hay in years. We just fence off our front field and then in the winter when it snows, we just plow a path for the horses. They just paw through and eat what's in the field.
Here he's plowing out the barn. It's really more of a loafing shed and it's also the hen house. The chickens, by the way, are too chicken to venture out into the snow once it's more than a 1/2 inch deep. So we just open up both sides of the hen house so they have room to stretch their legs a bit. We normally just have them in the right side of the barn.
And here he's blazing a path for the horses so they can eat.
While he's plowing, I've got 3 1/2 pints of sausage in the canner, and 3 quarts of bacon. I allowed one package of bacon per qt., but you know, now packages are only 12 oz. and not a pound, so my quarts of bacon are a little lean. Next time, I will buy some more and add 4 more slices per jar so I have a whole pound in each jar. I got 7 patties per jar from 2 pounds of sausage and I have 2 patties in a 1/2 pint jar. Since I mixed jar sizes, I will process for 1 hour and 30 min. I don't usually mix sizes, but I was bored and needed to can up the meat, so, that's what I did.
And a big welcome to Carolyn! She has a nice blog at the neighborly place.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Canning Apple Pie Filling
I have an abundance of apples and I have been trying my best to keep up with them. I got one box off my two dwarf Jonagold trees. My DSH got a box of some fantastic eating variety, Honeycrisp, maybe. And I came home with 2 1/2 boxes after I went cidering with some friends a couple of weeks ago. I canned up the cider I had, and I have been drying 12 trays the past 3 weekends. But we still have apples. I will make applesauce soon, but you can use apples that aren't as firm and crisp, so I wanted to make some more apple pie filling since I only had one jar left. I I only have so much room in my fridge to keep apples in cold storage, which is where I have my home grown Jonagolds. The rest are sitting in the garage under less than ideal conditions. So I need to use them soon, or put together some form of makeshift root cellar.
Canned Apple Pie Filling
7 quarts
6 qts. fresh, tart apples
1 tsp ascorbic acid
5 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C Clear Jel (you can order this from Kitchen Krafts here)
1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
5 C apple juice
2 1/2 C water
3/4 C bottled lemon juice
** A note on Clear Jel- do not use regular corn starch as it will not stand up under the processing. Clear Jel is approved for use in canning. Plus, Kitchen Krafts will send you other pie recipes to make with the Clear Jel.
Wash, peel and core the apples. Cut slices 1/2" thick. Place in a bowl with 6 C. cold water and 2 TB. of Fruit Fresh or other treatment to prevent browning while you are working.
Bring to a boil 1 gallon of water and add the ascorbic acid to prevent browning.
Place 6 C of apples at a time in the boiling water and blanch 1 min. after water returns to boiling. Drain, and put in a covered pot to keep warm. Repeat until all apples are blanched.
Combine the sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large pot. Stir in the apple juice and water. Stir and cook over Med-High heat until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.
Add the lemon juice and boil for 1 min, stirring constantly.
Fold in the drained apples and quickly fill hot quart jars with the apple mixture. Remove air bubbles, cap and seal.
Process in a boiling water bath (BWB) for 25 min. and adjust for altitude if needed.
To use, dump in your home made or store bought pie crust and bake!
Sorry I don't have any pictures, but my camera died and we've been spending money like no other on never ending expenses.
When I made the filling today, I ended up with 6 qts to can, and about 1 cup left over. So I opened my last remaining jar, made a pie crust, dumped in my jar of filling and added the leftover pie filling I had just made on top. I topped with the crust and it is in the oven as I write. Smells wonderful... and I think there is some ice cream in the freezer.
Canned Apple Pie Filling
7 quarts
6 qts. fresh, tart apples
1 tsp ascorbic acid
5 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C Clear Jel (you can order this from Kitchen Krafts here)
1 TB cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
5 C apple juice
2 1/2 C water
3/4 C bottled lemon juice
** A note on Clear Jel- do not use regular corn starch as it will not stand up under the processing. Clear Jel is approved for use in canning. Plus, Kitchen Krafts will send you other pie recipes to make with the Clear Jel.
Wash, peel and core the apples. Cut slices 1/2" thick. Place in a bowl with 6 C. cold water and 2 TB. of Fruit Fresh or other treatment to prevent browning while you are working.
Bring to a boil 1 gallon of water and add the ascorbic acid to prevent browning.
Place 6 C of apples at a time in the boiling water and blanch 1 min. after water returns to boiling. Drain, and put in a covered pot to keep warm. Repeat until all apples are blanched.
Combine the sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large pot. Stir in the apple juice and water. Stir and cook over Med-High heat until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble.
Add the lemon juice and boil for 1 min, stirring constantly.
Fold in the drained apples and quickly fill hot quart jars with the apple mixture. Remove air bubbles, cap and seal.
Process in a boiling water bath (BWB) for 25 min. and adjust for altitude if needed.
To use, dump in your home made or store bought pie crust and bake!
Sorry I don't have any pictures, but my camera died and we've been spending money like no other on never ending expenses.
When I made the filling today, I ended up with 6 qts to can, and about 1 cup left over. So I opened my last remaining jar, made a pie crust, dumped in my jar of filling and added the leftover pie filling I had just made on top. I topped with the crust and it is in the oven as I write. Smells wonderful... and I think there is some ice cream in the freezer.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Cidering
I don't know if cidering is a word or not, but that's what I had the good fortune of doing all day Saturday with some dear family friends. I have never cidered before (is that a word?) and I had a great time. We picked apples, Emperors, Red Delicious, Honeycrisp and maybe a couple of other varieties. We loaded them into one of those large wooden bins that holds 1,000 pounds of apples. It was on the back of a 1950 Ford tractor which was straining to carry th load. The bin was probably 2/3 full. Next, off for a break for lunch and then off to press apples.
There was a job for everyone aged 4-89. From washing the apples to putting them in the crushing hopper, to turning the crushing crank and then turning the pressing crank. It was a very old cider press and it was hosed down the day bfore so the wood would absorb the water and not the cider we would be making th following day. Next, filling 5 gallon pots with the cider and putting it raw into gallon containers, or heating it up to pasturize it. Each family was able to take home some cider and apples. It was a great treat.
Sunday, I pasturized the raw cider by heating it to 200 degrees for 10 min. You don't want the cider to boil as that can negatively affect the taste. Next, I poured it into quart jars and processed for 30 min. in a boiling watr bath and tried to keep the water from coming to a rolling boil. Again, we don't want the cider to boil. I canned up 13 quarts and we still had over a 1/2 gallon to add cinnamon and lemon ginger tea to. It was wonderful!I dried one batch of apples, as well.
We also dug up our potatoes. Many potatoes had been a tasty snack for our resident gophers. If you have been following me, you know that we lost a lot of potato plants so our harvest was down. And, unfortunately, we had to put our eggbound pullet down, as we were unable to save her. A busy weekend. Thank you to my newest readers and wishing everyone a great week!
There was a job for everyone aged 4-89. From washing the apples to putting them in the crushing hopper, to turning the crushing crank and then turning the pressing crank. It was a very old cider press and it was hosed down the day bfore so the wood would absorb the water and not the cider we would be making th following day. Next, filling 5 gallon pots with the cider and putting it raw into gallon containers, or heating it up to pasturize it. Each family was able to take home some cider and apples. It was a great treat.
Sunday, I pasturized the raw cider by heating it to 200 degrees for 10 min. You don't want the cider to boil as that can negatively affect the taste. Next, I poured it into quart jars and processed for 30 min. in a boiling watr bath and tried to keep the water from coming to a rolling boil. Again, we don't want the cider to boil. I canned up 13 quarts and we still had over a 1/2 gallon to add cinnamon and lemon ginger tea to. It was wonderful!I dried one batch of apples, as well.
We also dug up our potatoes. Many potatoes had been a tasty snack for our resident gophers. If you have been following me, you know that we lost a lot of potato plants so our harvest was down. And, unfortunately, we had to put our eggbound pullet down, as we were unable to save her. A busy weekend. Thank you to my newest readers and wishing everyone a great week!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Gone Plum Crazy Here!
I talked to a friend yesterday and she said she had some Italian prunes for me. They have 4 trees, I think, and her family is grown and out of the house so she doesn't do as much canning and preserving as she used to. She is very generous with her fruit as we picked plums from her other plum tree in August and I made some jam from them. The jam is a dark blush color and has a very light taste.
After church I drove over to her car and in the back she had two huge boxes of Italian prunes. Wow! Jackpot. Now, I have never processed plums before this summer and only did so because I was blessed with her bounty that she had shared. I rarely buy plums in the store because they are never very good, can be mealy and have little flavor and I don't like the texture. The plums I made jam with from her first tree were very good and we ate our fair share. But I had never in my life had Italian prunes before. They are outstanding. They have a dark purple skin with yellowish-gold flesh, and are about the size of a medium egg or smaller. They are sweet, tasty and wonderful.
So, this afternoon I have been pitting plums. They pit very easily like a freestone peach. I canned up 14 quarts in a light syrup. The juice after they have processed in the canner is a pomegranate color and looks lovely. I then proceeded to pit more but left them attached as I didn't cut all the way through. I put up 3 gallon size freezer bags full and then I had some leftover syrup from canning and quartered some more and put up 2 pints with a light syrup for the freezer.
I am now drying 6 full trays for prunes. I hear they are superb. I still have about 2/3 of the second box left to process. I'm not sure what I will be doing with them but will probably dry some more and make some fruit leather. I love that these don't need any pretreatment as this moves the show on a lot faster.
Since I have never had canned plums before, does anyone have any suggestions for their use? I have thought about making a plum crisp, but I don't have many other ideas. Also, suggestions for the frozen plums would be appreciated. Well, time to get rest of the kitchen cleaned up before dinner and take the few unusable plums out to the chickens.
After church I drove over to her car and in the back she had two huge boxes of Italian prunes. Wow! Jackpot. Now, I have never processed plums before this summer and only did so because I was blessed with her bounty that she had shared. I rarely buy plums in the store because they are never very good, can be mealy and have little flavor and I don't like the texture. The plums I made jam with from her first tree were very good and we ate our fair share. But I had never in my life had Italian prunes before. They are outstanding. They have a dark purple skin with yellowish-gold flesh, and are about the size of a medium egg or smaller. They are sweet, tasty and wonderful.
So, this afternoon I have been pitting plums. They pit very easily like a freestone peach. I canned up 14 quarts in a light syrup. The juice after they have processed in the canner is a pomegranate color and looks lovely. I then proceeded to pit more but left them attached as I didn't cut all the way through. I put up 3 gallon size freezer bags full and then I had some leftover syrup from canning and quartered some more and put up 2 pints with a light syrup for the freezer.
I am now drying 6 full trays for prunes. I hear they are superb. I still have about 2/3 of the second box left to process. I'm not sure what I will be doing with them but will probably dry some more and make some fruit leather. I love that these don't need any pretreatment as this moves the show on a lot faster.
Since I have never had canned plums before, does anyone have any suggestions for their use? I have thought about making a plum crisp, but I don't have many other ideas. Also, suggestions for the frozen plums would be appreciated. Well, time to get rest of the kitchen cleaned up before dinner and take the few unusable plums out to the chickens.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Smoked Salmon
I love seafood and I really enjoy salmon. It probably helps that I grew up in Alaska and we regularly fished for salmon, halibut, flounder, Irish Lords (sculpin) and clams. I remember one year my father and his hunting partner caught so much sockeye that my mom and dad not only canned and it froze it the whole week long, but smoked it and then canned it as well. Delicious!! There are many brining recipes out there but I have adapted a simple, basic recipe that suits salmon well.
Here it it adapted from Luhr Jensen.
Brine:
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C non iodized salt
1 3/4 C soy sauce
1 C water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1 C dry white wine, or apple juice
Mix thoroughly to dissolve before adding salmon.
Cut dressed, chilled salmon into fillets, steaks or chunks. Brine in non reactive bowl overnight in the fridge. Rinse well, pat dry with paper towels, and place on drying racks for an hour or more until a tacky glaze coats the fish. This is important, because too many times I was impatient and wanted to get the fish in the smoker. It does not smoke as well and have the proper texture. It makes a difference, so don't rush it.
When it is tacky, preheat your smoker for 15 min.then load racks of fish into the smoker. Use 2-3 pans full of wood chips, refilling as needed. I like to use alder wood with salmon. Leave in smoker until drying is complete to your likeness. We like ours a little drier, so it may take longer. Of course, as the fish is drying, you want to make sure it is coming along okay, so be sure and sign up for quality control to taste test sample pieces throughout the drying process.
Now, very important if you want to can the smoked fish. Lightly smoke the fish before canning. By this I mean, use only one pan full of wood chips and only smoke for about 1 hour. Salmon that is cut into steaks work best for packing into canning jars.Then pack the fish into 1/2 pint jars and process for 1 hour and 40 minutes at the pressure for your altitude. You see, I have canned up smoked salmon that was completely smoked, cooked and done. After canning, it came out like little smoked rocks of salmon. My husband gnawed on them and told me how good they were, but really?? Anyway, it did not go to waste, but I have learned that when the directions say to lightly smoke before canning, do just that. If you would like more detailed info to brine and smoke salmon, please let me know.
I have some salmon in the smoker, and the salmon from the first pan full of chunks is in the canner. I have eight 1/2 pints of smoked salmon,and three 1/2 pints of plain salmon in the canner, and some salmon in the freezer, plus I am waiting to sample the fish in the smoker. Yum, yum, I can hardly wait!
Thank you to Shar and Johnnybgood for following my humble little blog. I appreciate your reading my blog and your comments.
Here it it adapted from Luhr Jensen.
Brine:
1/3 C brown sugar
1/2 C non iodized salt
1 3/4 C soy sauce
1 C water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp tabasco sauce
1 C dry white wine, or apple juice
Mix thoroughly to dissolve before adding salmon.
Cut dressed, chilled salmon into fillets, steaks or chunks. Brine in non reactive bowl overnight in the fridge. Rinse well, pat dry with paper towels, and place on drying racks for an hour or more until a tacky glaze coats the fish. This is important, because too many times I was impatient and wanted to get the fish in the smoker. It does not smoke as well and have the proper texture. It makes a difference, so don't rush it.
When it is tacky, preheat your smoker for 15 min.then load racks of fish into the smoker. Use 2-3 pans full of wood chips, refilling as needed. I like to use alder wood with salmon. Leave in smoker until drying is complete to your likeness. We like ours a little drier, so it may take longer. Of course, as the fish is drying, you want to make sure it is coming along okay, so be sure and sign up for quality control to taste test sample pieces throughout the drying process.
Now, very important if you want to can the smoked fish. Lightly smoke the fish before canning. By this I mean, use only one pan full of wood chips and only smoke for about 1 hour. Salmon that is cut into steaks work best for packing into canning jars.Then pack the fish into 1/2 pint jars and process for 1 hour and 40 minutes at the pressure for your altitude. You see, I have canned up smoked salmon that was completely smoked, cooked and done. After canning, it came out like little smoked rocks of salmon. My husband gnawed on them and told me how good they were, but really?? Anyway, it did not go to waste, but I have learned that when the directions say to lightly smoke before canning, do just that. If you would like more detailed info to brine and smoke salmon, please let me know.
I have some salmon in the smoker, and the salmon from the first pan full of chunks is in the canner. I have eight 1/2 pints of smoked salmon,and three 1/2 pints of plain salmon in the canner, and some salmon in the freezer, plus I am waiting to sample the fish in the smoker. Yum, yum, I can hardly wait!
Thank you to Shar and Johnnybgood for following my humble little blog. I appreciate your reading my blog and your comments.
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Best Dill Pickles!
When I was growing up in Alaska, my friend's mother, Evelyn, made the best dill pickles. She special ordered her cukes, dill, and Walla Walla onions. It was exciting to be at her house when she was making them, because I knew in a couple of months, they would be pickles. Now, I frequently had lunch at their house during the school year. Back then, lots of students would walk home for lunch. Starting in September, I would ask if the pickles were ready. "Not yet," was always the reply. But, oh come about late November, she would bring out a quart of pickles. We were only allowed one each. And I think secretly, that maybe come November, I wasn't invited quite as often for lunch, because I always wanted a pickle. And if it was up to me, the pickles would probably be all gone by Christmas!
But years later, as I wanted to get into canning and making my own pickles, I wrote and got Evelyn's recipe. I made a couple of changes. For example, I use Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) instead of Alum. And she calls for adding a small red pepper per jar, but I don't know what kind, so I just use red pepper flakes. Also, if possible, I add a grape leaf to each jar.
Now I will tell you the truth. It has taken several years for me to perfect pickles. I have had several failures. The first year I did not scrub the pickles with a brush. You must scrub your pickles clean so there is no white residue. My jars of my prized pickles came out of the canner with these long, white, threads growing up out of the pickles! I am not kidding. The threads were waving around in the jars even though the jars were still on the counter. They had to be alive! It was like some sort of freak biology experiment. I vowed to scrub my pickles so as not to have any sort of weird, psycho bacteria that will grow and thrive in a pickle jar. It reminded me of those odd sea horses you could order and grow as a kid. Remember those? Anyway...
Next, I got the brilliant idea to do it the old fashioned way and ferment them in a crock. Gross. The disgusting layer of film you have to skim off every day is yucky. It is time consuming, anyway. And after all that skimming of film, how can you be sure they are even safe to eat?
Then I tried Evelyn's recipe again, but the pickles were soft and not crunchy, and sort of sad. Not at all like I remembered. Someone suggested putting a grape leaf in each jar to make them crisp. Hey, I was desperate and didn't care that when I asked for grape leaves down at the local farm stand, he thought I was nuts. I explained I needed them to make pickles. Yeah. So he called the neighbor who grows grapes and he let me come and pick grape leaves for free. Now, the pickles were a bit crisper, and the grape leaves lend a unique taste to the pickles. They were getting better. Love the grape leaf flavor, but they still needed more crispness.
So we come to present day. This has been a 15 year learning experience. I use grape leaves when I can get them. 2 years ago I bought some brined in a jar and they were okay, but expensive. So now I will only put them in if I can get them for cheap, or better yet, free. The key I have learned is to scrub your cukes, and use Pickle Crisp by Ball.
Here's her modified recipe and my method for making delicious, crisp pickles.
Evelyn's Dill Pickles
For approximately 20 qt. jars, you will need:
5 onions
2 head garlic
1 bunch dill
20# pickling cucumbers
In each sterile jar pack:
1 grape leaf (optional)
1 thick slice onion (Walla Walla)
2 cloves peeled garlic
2-3 dry red peppers, or a rounded 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 spray dill
1/2 tsp mustard seed
pickle crisp (according to directions)
cucumbers to fill
Liquid:
2 C plain salt
4 qts. vinegar
4 qts water
Bring to a boil.
While you're prepping your cukes, bring to a boil your liquid.
First, soak your pickles well to lift off surface dirt.
Next, scrub those cucumbers!
Trim off about 1/16" from the blossom end. It has some sort of enzyme that can cause spoilage. Rinse your cukes well.
Fill your jars with 1 grape leaf, if using, 1 slice onion, 1 spray dill, red pepper, mustard seed, and garlic.
Add your cukes to the jar. I try to put larger straight ones around the outside and fill in with smaller or misshapen ones. You may need to cut cukes to fit you jar. Pack tightly.
Add your boiling liquid, remove air bubbles, wipe rims, cap and seal.
Process in a boiling water bath (BWB) for 15 min. adjusting for altitude. Fresh pack dills are one of the few food items that the water doesn't need to return to a boil before you start timing. Wish I had read my Ball Blue book a little more thoroughly. I spent years waiting forever for the water to return to a boil. One more reason my pickles weren't as crisp as they could have been.
There you have it. Processed pickles just waiting for a couple of months to pass by to be opened up and enjoyed.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them. Happy Canning!
But years later, as I wanted to get into canning and making my own pickles, I wrote and got Evelyn's recipe. I made a couple of changes. For example, I use Pickle Crisp (calcium chloride) instead of Alum. And she calls for adding a small red pepper per jar, but I don't know what kind, so I just use red pepper flakes. Also, if possible, I add a grape leaf to each jar.
Now I will tell you the truth. It has taken several years for me to perfect pickles. I have had several failures. The first year I did not scrub the pickles with a brush. You must scrub your pickles clean so there is no white residue. My jars of my prized pickles came out of the canner with these long, white, threads growing up out of the pickles! I am not kidding. The threads were waving around in the jars even though the jars were still on the counter. They had to be alive! It was like some sort of freak biology experiment. I vowed to scrub my pickles so as not to have any sort of weird, psycho bacteria that will grow and thrive in a pickle jar. It reminded me of those odd sea horses you could order and grow as a kid. Remember those? Anyway...
Next, I got the brilliant idea to do it the old fashioned way and ferment them in a crock. Gross. The disgusting layer of film you have to skim off every day is yucky. It is time consuming, anyway. And after all that skimming of film, how can you be sure they are even safe to eat?
Then I tried Evelyn's recipe again, but the pickles were soft and not crunchy, and sort of sad. Not at all like I remembered. Someone suggested putting a grape leaf in each jar to make them crisp. Hey, I was desperate and didn't care that when I asked for grape leaves down at the local farm stand, he thought I was nuts. I explained I needed them to make pickles. Yeah. So he called the neighbor who grows grapes and he let me come and pick grape leaves for free. Now, the pickles were a bit crisper, and the grape leaves lend a unique taste to the pickles. They were getting better. Love the grape leaf flavor, but they still needed more crispness.
So we come to present day. This has been a 15 year learning experience. I use grape leaves when I can get them. 2 years ago I bought some brined in a jar and they were okay, but expensive. So now I will only put them in if I can get them for cheap, or better yet, free. The key I have learned is to scrub your cukes, and use Pickle Crisp by Ball.
Here's her modified recipe and my method for making delicious, crisp pickles.
Evelyn's Dill Pickles
For approximately 20 qt. jars, you will need:
5 onions
2 head garlic
1 bunch dill
20# pickling cucumbers
In each sterile jar pack:
1 grape leaf (optional)
1 thick slice onion (Walla Walla)
2 cloves peeled garlic
2-3 dry red peppers, or a rounded 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 spray dill
1/2 tsp mustard seed
pickle crisp (according to directions)
cucumbers to fill
Liquid:
2 C plain salt
4 qts. vinegar
4 qts water
Bring to a boil.
While you're prepping your cukes, bring to a boil your liquid.
First, soak your pickles well to lift off surface dirt.
Next, scrub those cucumbers!
Trim off about 1/16" from the blossom end. It has some sort of enzyme that can cause spoilage. Rinse your cukes well.
Fill your jars with 1 grape leaf, if using, 1 slice onion, 1 spray dill, red pepper, mustard seed, and garlic.
Add your cukes to the jar. I try to put larger straight ones around the outside and fill in with smaller or misshapen ones. You may need to cut cukes to fit you jar. Pack tightly.
Add your boiling liquid, remove air bubbles, wipe rims, cap and seal.
Process in a boiling water bath (BWB) for 15 min. adjusting for altitude. Fresh pack dills are one of the few food items that the water doesn't need to return to a boil before you start timing. Wish I had read my Ball Blue book a little more thoroughly. I spent years waiting forever for the water to return to a boil. One more reason my pickles weren't as crisp as they could have been.
There you have it. Processed pickles just waiting for a couple of months to pass by to be opened up and enjoyed.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will do my best to answer them. Happy Canning!
Friday, August 5, 2011
A Productive Week
I got a lot accomplished this week and it sure feels good. I did quite a bit of canning.
From left to right: Triple berry jam (5 1/2 pints), green beans (32 pints), salsa (9 pints, and mustard pickles (4/1.2 pints).
Earlier today I baked 2 loaves of wheat bread and I just took 3 1/2 pints of strawberry-rhubarb jam out of the canner. Jam is easy and green beans are pretty straight forward. Here is the salsa recipe I used. We really like it because it is thick and not watery like most home-canned salsas, and it uses lemon juice so you don't have that "off" taste from vinegar that makes canned salsa taste funny. Plus, I don't bother peeling the tomatoes. That is one extra step I don't have the time for and you can't even tell once the salsa's made. Give it a try.
Salsa
3 qts. cored slicing tomatoes
3 C chopped onions
6 jalapeno peppers, mostly seeded and chopped
4 long green chiles, mostly seeded and chopped (I use Anaheim peppers)
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2- 12 oz cans tomato paste (this thickens the salsa)
2 C bottled lemon juice
1 TB salt
1 TB ground cumin
2 TB oregano (optional, I don't usually use)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1-2 dashes hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
Put the chopped tomatoes in a large saucepan. Let them sit for 5-10 min. Push them to the side and ladle off most of the liquid. This helps keep it thick. Add the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan except cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25-30 min. Add the cilantro during the last 5 min. of simmering. Ladle into hot pint jars leaving 1/2 " head space. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 15 min. Adjust for altitude. I am at 2,000 feet, so 20 min. for me.
From left to right: Triple berry jam (5 1/2 pints), green beans (32 pints), salsa (9 pints, and mustard pickles (4/1.2 pints).
Earlier today I baked 2 loaves of wheat bread and I just took 3 1/2 pints of strawberry-rhubarb jam out of the canner. Jam is easy and green beans are pretty straight forward. Here is the salsa recipe I used. We really like it because it is thick and not watery like most home-canned salsas, and it uses lemon juice so you don't have that "off" taste from vinegar that makes canned salsa taste funny. Plus, I don't bother peeling the tomatoes. That is one extra step I don't have the time for and you can't even tell once the salsa's made. Give it a try.
Salsa
3 qts. cored slicing tomatoes
3 C chopped onions
6 jalapeno peppers, mostly seeded and chopped
4 long green chiles, mostly seeded and chopped (I use Anaheim peppers)
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
2- 12 oz cans tomato paste (this thickens the salsa)
2 C bottled lemon juice
1 TB salt
1 TB ground cumin
2 TB oregano (optional, I don't usually use)
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1-2 dashes hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
Put the chopped tomatoes in a large saucepan. Let them sit for 5-10 min. Push them to the side and ladle off most of the liquid. This helps keep it thick. Add the rest of the ingredients in the saucepan except cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25-30 min. Add the cilantro during the last 5 min. of simmering. Ladle into hot pint jars leaving 1/2 " head space. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 15 min. Adjust for altitude. I am at 2,000 feet, so 20 min. for me.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Chicken Stock
I started the makings of chicken stock on Sunday,and I am following up with my stock making method today now that it is complete. Chicken stock is a simple, basic kitchen staple that every pantry needs. And why not make you own? It is simple and you are in control of the ingredients. Homemade stock not only tastes fresh and clean, it is economical.
I start with about 4 or so pounds of chicken backs, necks and maybe wings that I have saved up in the freezer.
I put those in a big stock pot and cover with cold water by an inch or so (maybe 4 1/2-5 1/2 qts), which I then bring up to a boil. I then turn the heat down to a simmer and let it do it's thing for about 30 minutes or so. During this initial simmering time, a scum of impurities will form on the surface. Just skim it off with a skimmer several times. It looks gross, but it is just part of the process.
I quarter up a whole, unpeeled onion, a celery stalk or two, a carrot or two, and some fresh parsley if I have some. I add these to the pot along with 3-4 whole cloves, 4-5 peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves, and a tablespoon of dried Bouquet Garni that I put in a tea ball. Next, the stock simmers over low heat for 3-5 hours. I add about 2-3 teaspoons of salt after about 2 hours of cooking.
Then, I strain out the big stuff in a colander which I have set over another pot in the sink.
The vegetable scraps go to the chickens, and the chicken can be picked clean and used in soups. I accidentally forgot and left the strainer on the sink overnight, so I had to throw away the chicken scraps.
I cover this pot with a lid and put it into the fridge for up to 5 days until I'm ready to finish making the stock. When I'm ready, the fat has solidified at the top which I skim off.
A clean pot is waiting which I have set a strainer over lined with a double layer of cheesecloth to catch all those little impurities and rather gross looking gunk that is lurking in what will soon be tasty broth.
Now that the broth is strained, I can put it up in containers and freeze it, or I can pressure can it. Today, I chose to pressure can my stock. I bring it to a boil in the clean pot, taste for salt, to which I did add about another teaspoon, and then I ladled it into jars, wiped, sealed, and put in the pressure canner. I processed for 25 min. at 15# of pressure for my altitude. I got 4 quarts and 2 pints. Yes, I know I could have just made 5 quarts, but I also like to have smaller jars on hand for smaller cooking projects. The pints processed with the quarts, so they got an extra 5 min. processing time. No damage or detriment to the product, though.
This stock is very tasty and works every time. You can add more vegetables or salt to your liking. My mother would freeze some in ice cube trays and then put in a plastic bag. Whenever she wanted to make gravy she would pull out a couple of cubes and whip some up.
I start with about 4 or so pounds of chicken backs, necks and maybe wings that I have saved up in the freezer.
I put those in a big stock pot and cover with cold water by an inch or so (maybe 4 1/2-5 1/2 qts), which I then bring up to a boil. I then turn the heat down to a simmer and let it do it's thing for about 30 minutes or so. During this initial simmering time, a scum of impurities will form on the surface. Just skim it off with a skimmer several times. It looks gross, but it is just part of the process.
While the stock is simmering
I quarter up a whole, unpeeled onion, a celery stalk or two, a carrot or two, and some fresh parsley if I have some. I add these to the pot along with 3-4 whole cloves, 4-5 peppercorns, 1-2 bay leaves, and a tablespoon of dried Bouquet Garni that I put in a tea ball. Next, the stock simmers over low heat for 3-5 hours. I add about 2-3 teaspoons of salt after about 2 hours of cooking.
Then, I strain out the big stuff in a colander which I have set over another pot in the sink.
I cover this pot with a lid and put it into the fridge for up to 5 days until I'm ready to finish making the stock. When I'm ready, the fat has solidified at the top which I skim off.
A clean pot is waiting which I have set a strainer over lined with a double layer of cheesecloth to catch all those little impurities and rather gross looking gunk that is lurking in what will soon be tasty broth.
Now that the broth is strained, I can put it up in containers and freeze it, or I can pressure can it. Today, I chose to pressure can my stock. I bring it to a boil in the clean pot, taste for salt, to which I did add about another teaspoon, and then I ladled it into jars, wiped, sealed, and put in the pressure canner. I processed for 25 min. at 15# of pressure for my altitude. I got 4 quarts and 2 pints. Yes, I know I could have just made 5 quarts, but I also like to have smaller jars on hand for smaller cooking projects. The pints processed with the quarts, so they got an extra 5 min. processing time. No damage or detriment to the product, though.
This stock is very tasty and works every time. You can add more vegetables or salt to your liking. My mother would freeze some in ice cube trays and then put in a plastic bag. Whenever she wanted to make gravy she would pull out a couple of cubes and whip some up.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Marinating Mushrooms
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Marinated mushrooms for Canning
My mother was an excellent cook and one hors d'oeuvre she liked to serve, and my brother and I loved to devour, were her marinated mushrooms. She made them 1-2 weeks in advance so they would absorb all the wonderful flavors and not taste vinegary. I have multiplied her recipe for canning purposes. Processing information is from here
Marinated Mushrooms
7 lbs. small, fresh mushrooms
1/2 C. lemon juice
2 1/2 C. white vinegar
2 C. olive oil
2 tsp. salt (optional)
4 garlic cloves, halved and crushed
parsley, 2-3 tsp. dried or 1 TB. fresh, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 peppercorns per jar
Wipe mushrooms and drop in boiling water with 1/2 C. of lemon juice. Boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, salt, garlic and parsley in saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Place 2 peppercorns in each 1/2 pint jar. Fill jars with mushrooms. Carefully pour oil and vinegar mixture, stirring well each time, into each jar, placing one garlic piece in each jar as well. You may have to fish these out of the mixture, but I find the garlic seems to permeate the marinade if it is heated with the other ingredients. Remove air bubbles, wipe well to get all oil off, cap, seal and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Adjust for your altitude if necessary. Allow 1-2 weeks before tasting, if you can wait that long, and enjoy! Yields approximately nine 1/2 pint jars.
If you don't want to can them and prefer one smaller batch, here's her recipe.
Marinated Mushrooms
1 lb. small, fresh mushrooms, wiped
Drop in water with juice of one lemon, boil and simmer 5 min.
Drain and rinse.
Put in saucepan 3/4 C. vinegar, 1/3 C olive oil, one crushed garlic clove, 1/2 bay leaf, parsley and 2 peppercorns.
Boil 5 min. and pour over mushrooms in bowl or jar. Cool and chill.
Marinated mushrooms for Canning
My mother was an excellent cook and one hors d'oeuvre she liked to serve, and my brother and I loved to devour, were her marinated mushrooms. She made them 1-2 weeks in advance so they would absorb all the wonderful flavors and not taste vinegary. I have multiplied her recipe for canning purposes. Processing information is from here
Marinated Mushrooms
7 lbs. small, fresh mushrooms
1/2 C. lemon juice
2 1/2 C. white vinegar
2 C. olive oil
2 tsp. salt (optional)
4 garlic cloves, halved and crushed
parsley, 2-3 tsp. dried or 1 TB. fresh, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 peppercorns per jar
Wipe mushrooms and drop in boiling water with 1/2 C. of lemon juice. Boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. Mix the vinegar, olive oil, salt, garlic and parsley in saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Place 2 peppercorns in each 1/2 pint jar. Fill jars with mushrooms. Carefully pour oil and vinegar mixture, stirring well each time, into each jar, placing one garlic piece in each jar as well. You may have to fish these out of the mixture, but I find the garlic seems to permeate the marinade if it is heated with the other ingredients. Remove air bubbles, wipe well to get all oil off, cap, seal and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Adjust for your altitude if necessary. Allow 1-2 weeks before tasting, if you can wait that long, and enjoy! Yields approximately nine 1/2 pint jars.
If you don't want to can them and prefer one smaller batch, here's her recipe.
Marinated Mushrooms
1 lb. small, fresh mushrooms, wiped
Drop in water with juice of one lemon, boil and simmer 5 min.
Drain and rinse.
Put in saucepan 3/4 C. vinegar, 1/3 C olive oil, one crushed garlic clove, 1/2 bay leaf, parsley and 2 peppercorns.
Boil 5 min. and pour over mushrooms in bowl or jar. Cool and chill.
Old canning post
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Canning Update
Sockeye salmon was on sale this week for $3.99 lb., so I bought 2 salmon and canned 7 jars in the pressure canner and had enough left over to make some delicious salmon spread for an appetizer. It's super easy, just put cleaned, fresh salmon in pint jars with the skin side next to the glass, and process for 100 min. in your pressure canner.
Then, I had bought a 106 oz. can of tomato sauce at Costco for $2.25, and canned up 8 pints of taco sauce. I need to buy 3 or 4 more cans of that tomato sauce and make some ketchup and some spaghetti sauce. I am having trouble though with finding enough canning jars and the room to store up all of the yummy foods that I am preserving for my family.
Next on my list is to buy some more flour for bread baking. Tonight, I am cooking up some smoked brats that my hubby and I made back in December. I came across a recipe for quick hamburger/hotdog buns and will try my hand at homemade buns. I will serve them with some home canned Boston baked beans for a simple and quick dinner.
I also canned 2 pints of provolone cheese last weekend and am waiting for mozzarella to go on sale to can some of that , too. I melted the cheese in the jars that were sitting in hot water, removed air bubbles and WB for 40 minutes. You'll notice that the provolone turned somewhat dark after being canned. I'm not sure what causes that, but it is still good. I see the date on my camera is wrong so I will have to fix that, the picture was taken today. That's the update on canning in our household.
Canning Update
Sockeye salmon was on sale this week for $3.99 lb., so I bought 2 salmon and canned 7 jars in the pressure canner and had enough left over to make some delicious salmon spread for an appetizer. It's super easy, just put cleaned, fresh salmon in pint jars with the skin side next to the glass, and process for 100 min. in your pressure canner.
Then, I had bought a 106 oz. can of tomato sauce at Costco for $2.25, and canned up 8 pints of taco sauce. I need to buy 3 or 4 more cans of that tomato sauce and make some ketchup and some spaghetti sauce. I am having trouble though with finding enough canning jars and the room to store up all of the yummy foods that I am preserving for my family.
Next on my list is to buy some more flour for bread baking. Tonight, I am cooking up some smoked brats that my hubby and I made back in December. I came across a recipe for quick hamburger/hotdog buns and will try my hand at homemade buns. I will serve them with some home canned Boston baked beans for a simple and quick dinner.
I also canned 2 pints of provolone cheese last weekend and am waiting for mozzarella to go on sale to can some of that , too. I melted the cheese in the jars that were sitting in hot water, removed air bubbles and WB for 40 minutes. You'll notice that the provolone turned somewhat dark after being canned. I'm not sure what causes that, but it is still good. I see the date on my camera is wrong so I will have to fix that, the picture was taken today. That's the update on canning in our household.
Canning Sausage
My DH loves the way meat is tender and not grisly after it has been canned. He loves stew meat, hamburger, chicken ans sausage. I bought some sausage on sale this week. We usually make our own sausage but have not found a good sale on pork butt or shoulder recently, so I bought a good brand on sale. Also, our daughters are no longer raising swine for 4-H, so no pork in the freezer.
I made the sausage into patties and partially cooked them in the oven. I wanted to cook them in the oven because pan frying tends to give the meat a "case hardened" texture and taste. The patties didn't shrink up as much as when I pan fry them, so I trimmed them with a biscuit cutter to fit the jars, and then put all the scraps in a jar and canned those as well.Then put them in pint and 1/2 pint jars and pressure canned them for 1 hour 15 minutes at 15# pressure (for our altitude). I also canned up 2 jars of pepperoni and threw those in the canner with the sausage. To do this, I just took packaged pepperoni, layered it in regular 1/2 pint jars and sealed.It cans up wonderfully, although it shrinks down a lot, and it is great on pizza.
I made the sausage into patties and partially cooked them in the oven. I wanted to cook them in the oven because pan frying tends to give the meat a "case hardened" texture and taste. The patties didn't shrink up as much as when I pan fry them, so I trimmed them with a biscuit cutter to fit the jars, and then put all the scraps in a jar and canned those as well.Then put them in pint and 1/2 pint jars and pressure canned them for 1 hour 15 minutes at 15# pressure (for our altitude). I also canned up 2 jars of pepperoni and threw those in the canner with the sausage. To do this, I just took packaged pepperoni, layered it in regular 1/2 pint jars and sealed.It cans up wonderfully, although it shrinks down a lot, and it is great on pizza.
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