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In , on July 24, 2014 with 1 Comment

Canning 101: Coleslaw and Mustard Pickles

I love coleslaw. Any recipe, any variety. Whether it’s a mayo-based slaw or freezer slaw, if it’s on the menu, I’m in.

We planted 12 cabbage plants this spring with the idea that we needed to make sauerkraut this year. Unfortunately after taking an inventory of all the jars on the canning shelves, we did NOT need to make any. So, what to do with 12 cabbage heads??  Why make coleslaw, of course!

I’ve done freezer coleslaw in the past, but freezer space is a bit tight right now, so I was on the hunt for what to do with cabbage that can be processed by canning. I came across a recipe for canned coleslaw, and that got me thinking. What exactly is coleslaw anyway? Really, in a canning sense, it’s pickled cabbage. You add cabbage and any other vegetables and mix with a vinegar brine/syrup/solution, and so the idea for canned coleslaw was born.

While I was quite liberal with the amounts of veggies used in my slaw, I didn’t mess with the proportions of vinegar in the syrup portion of the recipe. That’s what preserves the veggies and is necessary to make sure things don’t spoil. Feel free to double/triple the syrup solution (I did) to make sure you have enough to cover all the veggies you put into jars.

 

Canned Coleslaw

1 medium head cabbage
1 large carrot
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 teaspoon salt

Syrup:
1 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Shred together the vegetables. Add the salt. Mix well. Let stand 1 hour.

Drain water from the vegetables. If preferred, can rinse and drain veggies.

Boil syrup ingredients together for 1 minute. Keep warm.

Pack veggies into hot pint jars and fill jars with hot syrup liquid. Add lids and seal.

 

 

 

Process jars in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from canner and let stand for 12 hours before moving.

Yield:  Approximately 7 pints

We’ve been checking the cucumber patch daily and have picked a few here and there to make salads, but there just haven’t been enough to do anything with. Until day that is. So, while I didn’t have my usual dill and grape leaves ready to go for my traditional dill pickles, I did come across a recipe for mustard pickles that I’d been dying to try.

 

Seeing as we had a few (sarcasm here!) cucumbers that were larger than I like to use in my dill pickle recipe, I thought I’d chunk up a few and try them in the mustard pickle recipe.  I found the recipe on Scribd. They have a ton of booklets from A Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, and this recipe is from their Favorite Pickles and Relishes booklet.

 

 

Quick Mustard Pickles

1-1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup prepared mustard
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish (I used homemade horseradish relish..recipe in a future blog!)
8 cups cucumbers, sliced or cut in 1/2-inch chunks

In a large saucepan, combine all but cucumbers and bring to a boil. Pack cucumbers into hot, sterilized pint jars. Add boiling liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield:  4 pints

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In , on July 16, 2014 with 2 Comments

Canniing 101: Sweet Onion Relish….AKA Rosemary Onion Confit

I’ve spent the winter and spring looking at all kinds of canning, pickling, and preserving cookbooks, posts on Pinterest, and various canning websites looking for new recipes to try out. I’ve pretty much got the basics down of what we like to eat, but sometimes it gets boring and predictable. I like to cook, and I love trying new recipes for just about anything. When Kevin told me the onions in the garden just weren’t going to keep as we’d like (too much water all spring), while he started pulling the onions, I went in search of a recipe to use onions in.

I came across Pickles & Relishes:  From Apples to Zucchini by Andrea Chapman on my Scribd subscription. If you don’t subscribe to Scribd, you can find her book here on Amazon  I’ve found quite a few recipes in her book that I want to try out, especially the 1-jar pickle recipes, just in case a recipe turns out to be one we don’t care for, but after trying this Rosemary Onion Confit, I have a feeling all the recipes in her book are going to be great.

I did make a few modifications to her recipe, as I usually do, but I did not change the vinegar amount. That is what will be preserving the onions, so I didn’t mess with it. I wasn’t sure as it was cooking if it would be something my family would like or not, but once everything pulled together and I was ladling it into jars, I took a taste, and man was it good! Here’s the recipe, with my modifications:

 

Sweet Onion Relish

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds onions, chopped
1 cup cider vinegar, or wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar…5% acidity)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce (Andrea’s recipe called for 1 tablespoon or to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper (a few turns on the grinder…to taste)

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions. Decrease the heat to low and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and soft, about 30 minutes.

 

Stir in the cider vinegar, sugar, rosemary, soy sauce, and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

 

 

Pack the onion mixture into clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and seal.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Let the jars stand undisturbed for 12 hours. Do not open for at least 6 weeks to allow the flavors to develop.

Yield:  Approximately 4 half-pints

Note:  I tasted the relish after I ladled it into the jars, and what was left in the bottom of the pan was awesome. I can’t wait for 6 weeks to pass so I can have some with a grilled steak!

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In , on July 4, 2014 with No Comments

Canning 101: Pickled Beets

I’ve been watching the beets growing, slowly by my book, in the garden and have been waiting and waiting for them to be big enough to do something with. We’ve had a few beets here and there already, but there haven’t been enough ready at the same time to do anything with. Until today.

I picked an overflowing dishpan full of dark red beets today….finally! My family enjoys them best simply canned and then cooked with a little bit of butter. While that’s all well and good, I love pickled beets. I think Kevin will eat them, but the boys merely sniff at them. They like traditional dill pickles and will usually pass on any other kind.

So I drug out my trusty Ball Blue Canning Book and found a recipe for pickled beets. While I’ve canned beets before, I’ve never had enough extra beets to make any pickles until this year. Before I started, though, I called Mom. Mom is the queen of pickled beets. She makes them. I eat them. I never needed to make any for myself, so I figured it was about time I did. I am sure glad I called her and quizzed about the recipe before I did anything, though. Hers is not the same as what is in the Ball book. I’m sure their recipe is fine and dandy, but if I was going to go through the work, I wanted them to taste like Mom’s. Come to find out, she’s been using my Grandma Wilson’s pickled beet recipe all these years! Double treat for me today!!

Here’s my Mom’s (and Grandma’s) pickled beet recipe:

Pickled Beets

This recipe uses approximately 3 quarts fresh beets (about 24 small). Make sure you scrub the heck out of the beets (you’ll see why later in the recipe). You must leave at least 2 inches of the tops on plus leave the root on. This will help to keep the color in the beet and not so much in your water.

 

 

Place beets in a large stockpot and cover with water. Cook until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (mine took about half an hour). Drain beets and reserve the cooking water as you’ll use a little of this in the brine.

Trim the tops and roots and peel the beets.

In another large stockpot, combine 2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, 2 cups white vinegar, 2 cups sugar, and 2 cinnamon sticks (optional). Bring to a simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the beets to this brine mixture. You can leave the beets whole if they’re small, but I usually cut them into quarters or bite-sized pieces. When everything is nice and hot, pack beets and brine into hot pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Remove any air bubbles. Adjust caps.

Process pints in boiling water bath for 30 minutes.

Yield:  Approximately 5 to 6 pints depending on the size and quantity of beets

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In , , on June 14, 2014 with No Comments

It’s Jammin’ Time: Strawberry Balsamic Jam….Plus Baking Powder Biscuits!

I’ve been craving strawberry jam all winter, and I finally got my hands on some strawberries yesterday. Going through all the different jam recipes I’ve accumulated, I decided to try a strawberry balsamic one that I’ve seen on a couple of different blogs. Balsamic vinegar really adds sweetness when heated…I use it all the time when I roast veggies, so it made sense that it would add sweetness to the strawberries, and boy did it! I think I’ve found my most favorite strawberry jam recipe 🙂

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

(This recipe is for 1 batch of jam….I doubled it, and it turned out awesome.)

2-1/2 pounds strawberries (about 7 cups), sliced
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

Rinse and trim strawberries. Toss with lemon juice and then stir in the sugar. Let fruit macerate for about an hour or so until the juices start to run.

Place the berries in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. The strawberries will begin to break down as they heat up. (I used a potato masher to help speed up the breakdown process.)

Keep stirring over moderate heat until the mixture becomes translucent and has a nice rolling boil. Add balsamic vinegar and black pepper. A jell test on a spoon will let you know if the mixture has thickened enough, but this will not set up into a firm jam.

Skim off any foam and ladle into prepared half-pint jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Yield:  6 pints

 

 

And what good weekend breakfast is complete without some homemade baking powder biscuits to try out these jams on??

Baking Powder Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, cold
3/4 cup milk, cold
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt into mixer bowl with flat beater. Stir dry ingredients about 30 seconds to evenly mix together.

Cut cold butter into cubes and add to the bowl. Combine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs about the size of a pea.

Add milk and combine until the dough starts to cling to the beater. Avoid over-mixing.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat the dough to 1/2-inch to 1-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or your favorite way). Place on greased cookie sheet and brush with melted butter, if using.

Bake at 425 degrees F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Yield:  Approximately 12 biscuits.

I had to try out both the spiced rhubarb jam (on the left), as well as the strawberry balsamic jam…both are delicious!!

 

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In , on June 12, 2014 with No Comments

It’s Jammin’ Time: Spiced Rhubarb Jam

Our rhubarb has done exceptionally well this year for only being 2 plants. We have started a new patch simply because I can’t get enough of it, but that will be a year or two down the road before harvesting. I can usually get 2 to 3 rhubarb crisps a year from our 2 plants before something starts picking at it or it bolts and dies back, but for some reason this year I’ve had 5 crisps and even had some leftover to do something with. I’m definitely not complaining!

My first thought was to do something with strawberries, a natural choice, but as we haven’t yet made it to the U-pick place, that will have to wait. I’ve been searching on Pinterest for yummy-sounding rhubarb recipes and came across a jam recipe on www.foodfanatic.com. It was a straight rhubarb jam…no lemon or orange, etc. I had pectin and I had sugar, so this was the ticket.

As I was making the recipe, I realized that it might be a bit bland for our tastes. When I make rhubarb crisp, I always put in cinnamon and nutmeg. So, I thought why not add the same spices to the jam? It should turn out tasting like rhubarb crisp in a jar….and it did! It’s so delicious I hope I can get one more big picking from my rhubarb because I want to make another batch.

Here’s the recipe:

Spiced Rhubarb Jam

6 cups rhubarb, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup water
4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1-3/4 ounces powdered pectin

 

 

 

 

In a large sauce pot, cook rhubarb in water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the rhubarb breaks down and becomes soft. You can a potato masher at this point to help break it down further, but leave some junks. It’s jam, so you want some texture. Add the cinnamon and nutmeg. Let this simmer, stirring occasionally, while you get your jars ready.

 

When your water bath canner is simmering nicely and ready to go, add the pectin to the rhubarb mixture and stir until completely dissolved. Bring mixture back to a boil. Add sugar and boil hard for 1 minute. You’ll need to stir constantly here to keep the mixture from sticking and scorching on the bottom. The color will change just a little here…mine got more rosy colored when I added the sugar.

 

 

Fill hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Add lids and rings. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Yield:  7 half-pints

 

 

 

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In , on June 11, 2014 with 2 Comments

Canning 101: Green Beans

It’s not quite time to can green beans here in Iowa, but I’ve gotten some questions on how to can veggies, and for me, one of the easiest vegetables to start canning is green beans. The process itself is extremely easy, although if you grow green beans like we do, it will be time intensive. We usually grow several 75-foot long rows of beans, and by the time you pick, stem/snap, and wash them you’ve put in several hours (unless you have a buddy help you)….and you have yet to process them. But once you get to this stage of the game, the rest is just a matter of getting the beans processed and waiting.

 

As it’s too early here for me to have taken pictures of my own canning station, I have borrowed pictures from http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-green-beans.html  This is a terrific site with so much information on canning, and I highly recommend adding this blog to your reading list.

To get your green beans ready for processing, snap off both ends of the bean. Inspect the bean for any blemish (bug bites, rust spots, etc.). Snap beans into bite-sized pieces and wash to remove any dirt and debris. Try to only work up how many beans you can do in one canning session. You can put the remaining beans in the refrigerator for another day to finish them, but once you snap them, they’ll dry out if you don’t get them processed.

 

When your beans are ready to can, here’s what you do: 

 

Step By Step Instructions For Canning Green Beans (Raw Pack Method)
Carefully inspect all the canning jars you’ll be using. No matter how careful you are, you’re bound to have jars that develop nicks and chips. These are only good for display now…never use an imperfect jar to can with. Also on that note, while your mothers and grandmothers may have used whatever jars they had on hand when they canned, chances are they were using an open-water boil canner (and boiled the food for hours). Do NOT use noncommercial jars in a pressure canner. They will not take the pressure, and you’ll have a huge mess on your hands. Or if they seem to have survived the process, they may not seal properly, putting you and your family at risk for botulism, etc. While you can technically use other types of jars if using a water bath canner (and I have in the past), I’ve decided my family’s health is too important to not use the proper equipment, and that means commercial-grade canning jars.

Wash jars and closures (the rings) in hot soapy water. Rinse. Leave jars in hot water until you’re ready to use them.

 

Loosely pack green beans into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space (measure down 1 inch from top of the jar to see where this is). Do not shake or press down. Add canning salt to each jar:  1/2 teaspoon of salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar.

 

raw packing green beans

 

green beans removing bubbles

 

Cover beans with boiling water, leaving a 1-inch head space. (You need this head space for expansion as the beans process.) Remove air bubbles using plastic spatula or other utensil (don’t use metal…you could damage the jar). Wipe rims with clean cloth.

 

green beans covered with water

 

Apply lids and adjust caps until finger tight.

Process in a pressure canner, pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes, at 10 pounds of pressure.

You’ll want to have a constant pressure during the time required. I have a 22-quart Mirro canner, and if you’re new to pressure canning, the 35 minutes or 40 minutes is the time that the canner is at the pressure you need, not from the time you close the canner lid until you pull the jars out. All canners will have their own instruction booklet, but for my Mirro, when I start the canner on high heat, I have to wait until the pressure builds up (without my weight being used on top) and steam is released from the vent for a good 5 minutes. Then I put on the weight…and wait. When that weight starts to jiggle, I then turn down the heat on the canner until the weight is jiggling about 4-5 times per minute and stays at that level. It will take a little practice, but before long you’ll know where that setting is on your stove and how far to turn down the heat. If the weight jiggles too much, you have too much pressure and could end up with broken jars. If it doesn’t wiggle enough, the pressure is too low, and you probably won’t end up with a good seal.

When you’ve processed the beans, you’ll turn off the heat and wait again. Depending on your canner and the number of jars, you may wait 30 minutes to an hour for the pressure to come down before you can open the lid and remove your beans. Use a pair of canning tongs to remove the jars, and set them in a draft-free place ( I put them on a towel on the table.)

You’ll need to let the jars sit for at least 12 hours (overnight is fine) before you test your seals. If you keep count as you hear the lids seal (I call it a “ping” sound), that will make it easier to tell if everything sealed properly, but it’s not necessary to listen all night for them. When you go to check the seal, carefully press down on the lid…if it doesn’t spring back at you, it’s sealed. You’ll be able to see the center of the lid “bubble” and not be flat like the rest of the lid if it’s not. Put the jar in the refrigerator, and eat it as soon as possible. The seal isn’t good, and you’ll risk illness if you put it on the shelf and forget about it. Yes, you can re-can the beans if you like (I’ve done it before). Just use a different jar and new lid, and process with your next batch of green beans. Never reuse a jar lid…they’re only made for a one-time use (I’m talking about the traditional Ball and Kerr canning lids, not the ones that can be reused.)

Remove the rings. Wash and label your jars, and put them on a shelf that will be cool and dark to store.

See…that wasn’t so bad was it? You’ve just canned green beans! Wait until you taste them, if you haven’t before. I swear you’ll never ever buy canned green beans from the store again. 🙂

 

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