home preserving

I've been spending a lot of time the last couple months picking from our small garden, visiting the farmers market - canning and freezing. A friend of ours jokes that at least we'll all be ready for the expected jam shortage of 2010.

Sometimes preserving can be frustrating. Sometimes it's hot, the kitchens hot, canning makes it hotter. Sometimes I have 30 lbs of tomatoes sitting on my kitchen counter when my son is suddenly rushed off to the hospital. Many times I'd rather be doing something else.

But most of the time I find a sort of peace in the entire process. Most of the time I feel very connected to the earth, to all the women before me that spent hours and days putting up food. I feel grateful for our garden, for our farmers. I feel confidence and strength in knowing that we have a full pantry and that I stocked  it with fresh, real foods. That even though I love my full size freezer, there is a certain satisfaction in having so many shelf stable foods.

I do a lot of small batch preserving and that's enough for me. For now. I feel so, very thankful that I am able to treat preserving as a hobby and not a live or die necessity. That I am simply supplementing my families food supply and not stocking up for the entire winter. 

I haven't tracked my freezer inventory yet, though I know I have many quart and half quart containers of green beans, peaches, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and corn. I also have several jars of refrigerator pickles and one quart experiment in drying (corn).

So far my 2010 preserves are:

Sweet Pickle Relish - 11 half pints
Peach Salsa - 2 pints, 1 half pint
Corn Salsa - 7 pints
Green Beans - 4 pints
Fresh Salsa - 3 pints, 2 half pints
Peach BBQ Sauce - 1 pint, 2 half pints
Chicken Wing Sauce - 1 pint, 2 half pints
Pizza Sauce - 1 pint, 6 half pints
BBQ Sauce - 3 pints, 1 half pint
Taco Sauce - 2 pints, 1 half pint
Peach Almond Jam - 3 half pints
Chicken Stock - 2 pints
Hamburger Dills - 3 pints
Zucchini Pickles - 3 pints
Dilled Beans - 3 pints
Blueberry Jam - 4 half pints
Strawberry/Raspberry Jam - 5 half pints
Cherry/Raspberry Jam - 4 half pints
Strawberry Jam - 3 half pints
Blueberry Vinegar - 1 pint
Strawberry Vinegar - 1 pint
Strawberry Vodka -  1 quart
Blueberry Vodka - 1 quart
Cherry Vodka - 1 quart
Green Tomato Relish - 2 half pints
Tomato Basil Sauce - 2 quarts, 7 half pints
Dill Spears - 2 pints
Basic Pasta Sauce - 3 quarts, 4 pints
Ketchup - 6 half pints
Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup - 3 quarts
Brushetta in a Jar - 5 pints



I'm hoping to squeeze one more round of pizza sauce out of my garden. Next comes apples, pears, peppers. Oh boy. And having the pressure cooker now, once the season ends I hope to can more chicken stock, beef stock, chili, soups and things.

Most of the recipes I pulled from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The jam recipes I made using Pomonas Universal Pectin.

Are you preserving? Large batches or small? What do you love about it, or hate about it? Why do you do it? What is your must preserve food/recipe?

Adventures in Canning

So, I've been interested in home preserving for a while. I've also been pretty intimidated by it for a while.

I got a canner for Christmas. Did lots of reading (which makes me all overwhelmed every time I read more on it!!)

We went strawberry picking over the weekend, so I figured this was a perfect time to give it a go!





Yay!






So, I've read that you shouldn't use any recipes older than 1990. Because, especially in jams - they don't require canning, just the open kettle method. And that can kill you, or something. But I have a book, from later than 1990 that calls for open kettle. And a friend, who only does open kettle for jams. So I thought it can't be all bad, right?

I think that's right. But I'm a big worrier, so even though I did the open kettle (they all sealed too!) for the last two batches - I'm going to use a hot water bath from this point out. Just to be sure and all. I've already done the toxic fumes thing in the house, I'm going to try and avoid botulism.

I did some rhubarb jam a couple weeks ago, and strawberry jam on Sunday. I was a little shocked at how much sugar some recipes called for! 7 cups? Really? Blech.

I happen to have a book, it's pre-1990, but I'm trusting it cause it calls for all pressure canning or HWB (which I didn't follow) called Stocking Up. It's from the 70's and pretty much only calls for honey in the canning recipes. Sweet!



The Recipe

Honey Strawberry Jam


4 cups strawberries, mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 package powdered fruit pectin
1 1/2 cups honey

1. Mix the strawberries, lemon juice and pectin in a heavy-bottomed, stainless-steel pot.

2. Bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the honey.

3. Return to a rolling boil and stir slowly for 10 to 12 minutes. The mixture will resemble a thick syrup when done 4. Quickly and carefully ladle jam into hot sterilized pint jars, filling to 1/4 inch from tops. Wipe rims of jars; top with lids. Screw on bands. Place jars on rack in canning kettle of hot water, adding water if necessary to bring water level to 1 inch above tops of jars. Bring water to a rolling boil; boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars carefully and cool.

From Stocking Up, 3rd Edition




ok - so SWEET is right! Yikes!


It's not bad, just very honey-ey. Honestly, I think I'll stick with sugar from now on. The honey way overpowered the fruit flavor. Maybe it was the honey. I used local from the market. Maybe I should have used something - less? Store clover honey? Dunno.


But . . .


turns out it still works wonderfully as a pancake/waffle syrup!

Heat, drizzle on homemade sour cream waffles - add fresh picked sliced strawberries and some whipped cream




Yum!



Sour Cream Waffles

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
3 large eggs
Maple syrup or jam, for serving

Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. Lightly oil the grids. Meanwhile whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to combine and make a well in the center. Whisk the melted butter, milk, sour cream, and eggs in a medium bowl until well combined and pour into the well. Whisk just until smooth; do not over mix.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of each quadrant of the waffle iron and close the iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve the waffles hot, with the syrup passed on the side.

Makes twelve 4-inch waffles.

From Back to the Table: The Reunion of Food and Family by Art Smith



So, now I've got my freezer stocked with strawberries - gave canning a go (and feel more prepared for next time!)




More adventures in home preserving to come!!