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Farm Kitchen:  What's everyone canning?  |
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Rivergirl_2007
True Blue Farmgirl
332 Posts
Shirley
Karnak
IL
USA
332 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 15 2009 : 4:36:35 PM
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Well today has been a busy one. I picked a half bushel of beans at 7 a.m., then got a batch of Peach Rum Sauce going. While it was brewing on the stove I began to clean and julianne my beans. I canned half the beans and then cleaned the rest to can as whole beans. Later this evening I am going to make Russian Dill Pickles.
By the way, I found my grape leaves. I visited the local winery and the owner handed me a pair of pruning shears and said take all I wanted. He had never heard of them being used in pickles and said I could come back anytime for more. I think I will try my hand at preserving some for stuffed grape leaves. Also, they have a restaurant where they feature salmon wrapped in grape leaves. Sounds good. |
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gardeningLani
Farmgirl in Training
15 Posts
Lani
Rocky Comfort
Missouri
USA
15 Posts |
Posted - Aug 15 2009 : 4:45:28 PM
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| Hi everybody! It's been a while since I've posted, but our garden is going strong right now and I'm staying so very busy! So, far I've canned, 125 quarts of green beans and have also canned pint beans, kidney beans, black beans. I've frozen 36 quarts of sweet corn, dehydrated beans and cherry tomates. The larger tomatoes are really starting to put out this last week, so salsa should be next week. I love canning! My husbands grandmother introduced me to it over 15 yrs ago and I have done it ever since. Good luck to all! |
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StarMeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
940 Posts
T
MI
940 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2009 : 08:28:20 AM
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I checked at the ball site for the strawberry lemonade concentrate...but it doesn't tell you how much to use when you make the actual lemonade...! Have you tried it before? What's the ratio of concentrate to water later?
Also, I'd like to have a really good salsa recipe that I can make up in small batches...Anyone got a good zesty one to pass along? And someone mentioned apple pie filling too. I'd like to give that a try as well.
I'm not a "canner" but I'd like to give it a try... |
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michgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
148 Posts
Mary
Glendale
WI
USA
148 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2009 : 6:36:28 PM
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| I am in between pickles and peaches - I think that I am going to try miny jelly for the first time tomorrow! Love the color - good for Christmas presents, I hope! |
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4HMom
True Blue Farmgirl
720 Posts
Kelly
Montana
720 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2009 : 9:23:28 PM
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Mary, I grew some orange mint this year for the first time. I made a "two-mint" jelly with the orange mint and spearmint...I think it tastes yummy. I didn't put any food coloring into it, though, so it's a light yellowish instead of a green. Have fun!
"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi |
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farm~maid
True Blue Farmgirl
176 Posts
Christine
IN
USA
176 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 06:56:34 AM
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Kelly, I've never heard of orange mint. I'll have to look it up.
I canned this weekend. My DH loved the hot peppers so much, we made another 28 pints. I made 7 quarts of tomato juice. My very sweet husband did all the juicing for me. I appreciated his help as it saved on my arms. We use an old-fashioned food mill for this job.
Today, I plan to make a batch of Crisp Cucumber Freezer Pickles. I found the recipe on recipezaar. I'm also going to make some bread and butter type refrigerator pickles. Hopefully, these two recipes will make a dent in our cucumber harvest.
Christine |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 08:01:03 AM
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Christine- last year we had a bumper crop of jalapenos and canned 43 pints of them!
T-Here is the StrawberryLemonade Concentrate Recipe
6-cups hulled strawberries
4-cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
6-cups granulated sugar
1. Prepare canner, jars and lids.
2. In a blender or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, working in batches, puree strawberies until smooth. Transfer to a large stainless steel saucepan as completed. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine. Heat to 190 over meduim-high heat, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Remove fron heat and skim off foam.
3. Ladle hot concentrate into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resisitance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
4. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
Makes about seven pint jars.
To reconstitute, mix one part concentrate with one part water, tonic water or ginger ale; adjust concentrate to taste.
This recipe is found in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving-400 delicious and creative recipes for today.
I have not opend a jar of this yet, but had about a half of a cup that didn't fit into the jar. We mixed it with water and it was pretty good, a little sweet for my liking, but I'll just add a little more water when I mix up a jar.
Lillian |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 08:40:48 AM
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Wow - this is amazing and inspiring how many different things y'all are canning. I did beets and beet relish yesterday - I am blessed with a husband who enjoys helping me can so it went much faster than usual. I'm thinking I'm probably going to need to do beans today, looked at the wax beans yesterday and they have gone to town!!
There are some interesting sauce recipes in one of my cookbooks - one for peanut sauce, so I might get creative and try those, probably after the garden is done though:D
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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N@n
True Blue Farmgirl
223 Posts
Hackett
Arkansas
USA
223 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 1:47:44 PM
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Let's see,
Chicken (Living in Tyson Country aka Arkansas I get chicken leg and thigh quarters for fifty cents a pound), beef, peach butter, plum jam, dried the following peppers, peas, cantalope, peppers, bananas, strawberries, potatoes, fruit leather, peaches, blueberries, mushrooms. We do a lot of camping so the dried stuff is light to pack in the motorhome. Love it!
N@n
keep searchin'-it's out there somewhere. |
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Rivergirl_2007
True Blue Farmgirl
332 Posts
Shirley
Karnak
IL
USA
332 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2009 : 09:01:10 AM
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| Just doing an update - this a.m. I picked 3/4 bushel of green beans and plan to pickle some of them today. I will just can the rest. This is only the second picking and I can see I have several more to go. I will also be canning cucumber salad. Then have to go to town tomorrow and Thursday so probably won't get anything else done until Friday. |
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keyboo
True Blue Farmgirl
69 Posts
Lucy
Cambridge Springs
Pa.
USA
69 Posts |
Posted - Aug 19 2009 : 7:51:43 PM
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I picked a bunch of blueberries yesterday at an old abandoned patch! I canned 4 qts. of blueberry pie filling and gave lots to Mom & Dad. Going to pick more this weekend!
Went out into the garden tonight...tomatoes everywhere but the slugs are enjoying them before I get to them. Picking celery, onions, cabbage tomorrow!
Lucy |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 06:53:34 AM
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Today will be apple sauce. I was hoping the apples would hold off since my son is getting married this weekend here on the property and my time is limited! Next week will be peaches, pears, and some tomatos.
Lillian |
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asnedecor
True Blue Farmgirl
1054 Posts
Anne
Portland
Or
USA
1054 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 06:56:13 AM
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tonight I am going to try my hand again at doing some more spiced peaches. I seem to struggle with the cutting up of the peaches after they are peeled. This time I am making sure the peaches are ripe enough, think that was the problem last time. I need to get my hands on some small pickling cucumbers and want to try doing some dill pickles. Good thing there is only two of us, so I can do small batches.
Anne in Portland, OR
"Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them" Eyeore from Winnie the Pooh
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StarMeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
940 Posts
T
MI
940 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 07:31:15 AM
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N@n...are you "drying" in a regular dehydrator?? I've been thinking of getting one. Ladies is that kind of drying process worth it? How do you "keep" thinks like apples when they get dried they are still soft..won't they mold?
Ms. Lillian...that sounds wonderful! I think I'll try a batch. I can see a gift basket here.... Big bottle of spritzer...the lemonade mix...and a batch of lemon shortbread....mmmmmmmmm |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 08:41:44 AM
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T- having a dehydrator in my opinion is well worth the investment. I keep all of my dried goods in glass jars (canning, peanut butter) and everything keeps very well. We dry everything here from A-Z. Tomorrow I will be picking all of my jalapenos to dry and then they will be ground up into a powder for seasoning. Next week will be pears and potatos. Yesterday I made home made tomato soup to have in the freezer and the recipe calls for celery stalks, so I trimed off all of the leaves and threw them in the dehydrator to use in soup this winter. Nothing is wasted around here.
Lillian |
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Rivergirl_2007
True Blue Farmgirl
332 Posts
Shirley
Karnak
IL
USA
332 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 09:09:56 AM
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I have a dehydrator I have had since 1980. It is wonderful. Mine is larger than a microwave and has eight trays, so I can do a lot at once. I agree, nothing should go to waste. Dried celery leaves add great flavor to everything. Lillian - thank you for another great idea. I never thought of powdering my peppers for seasoning. I have always left them as slices. No matter what size, a dehydrator is well worth any investment. You will love it. Lucy - WOW! What luck to find an abandoned blueberry patch. I am so envious. I have to pay for mine at a u-pick farm and therefore can only afford about 10 pounds each year. I would hog-wild with them if given the chance.
And again, thank you to everyone that responds to this topic. I love hearing from all of you. |
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peachy
True Blue Farmgirl
593 Posts
Melissa
Fennville
MI
USA
593 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 09:51:34 AM
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I canned tomatoes yesterday and just picked a ton more...I think I'm going to dry these! Then its on to peaches, applesauce and salsa!!
Melissa
Farmgirl Sister #360
http://oldethymecountrybarn.blogspot.com/
Life isn't about waiting for the storms to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain! |
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Kellymorse1
Farmgirl at Heart
4 Posts
Kelly
Hancock
MA
USA
4 Posts |
Posted - Aug 20 2009 : 10:34:08 AM
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I love my dehydrator~finished mushrooms and now have hot green peppers in there.
I also store everything in glass jars after drying.
Kelly
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
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JojoNH
True Blue Farmgirl
1984 Posts
Joanna
Dunbarton
New Hampshire
USA
1984 Posts |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2009 : 08:38:53 AM
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Yesterday I canned a batch of spaghetti sauce and a batch of plain tomato sauce and dehydrated a bunch of cherry tomatoes. I also canned a batch of Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce from the Small Batch Preserving book. It is so good! I only made one batch (4 pints) so I could see if I liked it before I made a bunch. I will definitely be making more!
One of our apple trees is ready, so I guess I will be starting those soon, too. Still have loads of tomatoes coming in from the garden, and I really need to chop up my onions and put them in the freezer. |
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mom2my2boyz
True Blue Farmgirl
56 Posts
Sarah
MN
USA
56 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2009 : 08:55:56 AM
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Hi, Girls - I'm in the middle of prepping tomato sauce to be canned and I have a question (sorry in advance if this has already been covered on this thread - didn't have time to read all the pages): ok, here's the question - can I safely hot wather-bath my tomato sauce or do I 'have' to use a pressure canner??? Anyone know??
Thanks in advance!!!
"So I threw my hands in the air. I was done with Wal-Mart and Wonderbread. I wanted something real."
-Excerpted from Jenna Woginrich's book, "Made from Scratch" a must-read! |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2009 : 10:27:23 AM
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Toni,
Do you have a recipe for the spaghetti sauce that you would share? My DD wants to can some and I don't have a good one for that.
This weekend will be more dill pickles and it looks like peaches.
I also have a dehydrator and I love it. I dry all sorts of things and keep them in glass jars. So far I haven't had any problem with mold.
Whoever is doing the tomatoes......Peachy?....try some oven roasted tomatoes. Slice them like to dehydrate them, put them on cookie sheets or in baking pans, sprinkle with a very little sugar(if you like) and roast in the oven at a low heat....250-300 degrees for a couple of hours. Then you can finish them off in the dehydratpor if you like. They have a great flavor and different from regular dried or even sundried. They almost carmelize. I do package them in ziplocks and keep them in the feezer. To reconstitute them I put them in a small sauce pan, cover them with water and let them simmer for about 30 minutes. They're great added to pasta sauces or on top of a quiche or pizza.
It's not about being perfect, but enjoying what you do. Set aside time to be creative.
Robyn Pandolph
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2009 : 11:31:10 AM
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Oh my gosh! I oven roasted tomatoes last year with a little garlic, sea salt and basil. So Good! I place mine in freezer bags after they are done roasting and add them to stews, sauces, etc. Thanks for reminding me Marcia!
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Aug 21 2009 : 5:05:56 PM
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OK Marcia, don't kick me out of the canning club for this, but I just used a pack of Mrs. Wage's that I bought last year and never used. I didn't think it was too bad, but won't be going that route again. If you want the recipe for the Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce I would be glad to post it. It has tomatoes, garlic, onions, red wine, basil, parsley and probably some things I am forgetting. If it sounds like something she might like, I'll get the recipe for you.
I agree on the oven roasted tomatoes! I did some like that last year and they were so good. I really need to do some more this year and freeze them. Last time they didn't last long enough to freeze!
Sarah~ Did you get your question answered in time? As long as it is just plain tomato sauce, you are just fine doing the boiling water bath. It is when you start adding low-acid veggies and stuff that you get into pressure-canning territory. Hope yours turned out well! |
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Farm Kitchen: What's everyone canning? |
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What's everyone canning?
