Canning Wrap Up 2017

My garden did not do well this year, but I still managed to get some canning done.  Mostly because our apple tree was loaded this year, but also because neighbors shared green beans and blueberries, and my mom gave me a bunch of fresh corn. So the year was not a loss by any means.  Here is a picture of my canned goods in the basement (I have a few things in my upstairs pantry as well). 

 

 

While a few things are left from last year (not listed in my inventory below - 2016 had its own inventory list), much of the jars in my picture are current.  Here are the things I canned in 2017:

16 pints Boston baked beans

14 pints butternut squash

10 quarts, 1 pint chili

18 pints green beans

8 1/2 half pints blueberry jam

8 pints corn

38 1/2 pints apple butter

14 quarts apple pie filling

52 pints applesauce

6 quarts black bean soup

6 pints crushed tomatoes

8 quarts chicken and veggie soup

30 half pints of autumn olive jelly

 

I'd love to can more black bean soup at some point.  We will miss not having home canned salsa or pickles this winter, but hopefully next year will be a better one for gardening.

 

Readers, what's your favorite home canned food?

Canning Boston Baked Beans

Recently my grandmother passed, and she has been my garden confidant and canning champion the past few years.  I don't have anything to can from the garden yet, so I decided to try to can a big batch of Boston baked beans instead.  It felt like a simple way to keep her close to my heart.  When I work in my garden each year, I will certainly be thinking of her.

I got two large bags of Great Northern beans and soaked them overnight.  Then I drained them and topped off with fresh water.  I boiled them until the skins started to split.  I layered them in my two hugest baking pans with chopped onions, green peppers, bacon, and a sauce made from molasses, salt, dry mustard, the water I boiled them in, and brown sugar.  I baked them for 3 hours at 325.

They had to be processed in the pressure canner for 85 minutes.  It was a long day to make these beans, but I ended up with 16 pints (plus a couple of pints I left out that we ate for dinner that night), and they have a great flavor.  Plus, baked beans are so inexpensive to make! 

Readers, are there ways you like to honor the memory of your relatives?

Autumn Olive Jelly

We have what are called autumn olives growing on bushes in our area.  They aren't an olive at all, but instead a small, edible berry.  We went and picked a bunch recently.  They have little stems on them and a fairly chewy seed.  Because of this, I thought the easiest way to use them would be to make a jelly.

I picked out as much debris as possible and then rinsed the berries.  I just left the little stems on, as it seemed like removing every little stem would take me all day long.  Then I put them in a pot and cooked them down with about half a cup of water, mashing them with a potato masher.

 I don't have one of those sieve stand things, but I made good use of a cabinet handle and some cheesecloth for straining out the juice.  Once things cooled, I squeezed out as much juice as possible.  I got 4 cups of juice from the berries.  I brought it to a high boil with some sure-jell.  Then added 5 1/2 cups of sugar.  I returned it to a high boil and cooked it until it passed my firming test in a glass of ice water.  Then I filled jelly jars and processed in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. 

I was pleased with how it set up overnight.  It also has a really nice rosy color, which is surprising since the juice was sort of beige.  A good use of an invasive species, don't you think? 

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween!

Spicy Stuff - Candied Jalapenos

Last Spring I picked up a few jalapeno plants at a flea market.  I gave two to a neighbor, and kept two for myself.  Peppers tend to come in fairly late in my garden.  But I've had enough jalapenos to make salsa several times.  And a few weeks ago I picked a bunch to make candied jalapenos. 

I'd never made candied jalapenos before (I often make jalapeno jelly though).  Cooking up jalapenos kind of makes the kitchen smell like it's been maced.  I love jalapenos and most spicy things, so it's worth it.

I didn't get a huge yield (next year I'll plant more) but I did get a couple of jars of candied jalapenos.  They are delicious!  Perfect on cheese and crackers.

Readers, do you like spicy foods?

Canning Season - Carrots, Wineberry Jam, and Turnips

I've finally started to do some canning.  I'm still intimidated by the pressure cooker, but if I get everything prepped Paul doesn't seem to mind hanging out with it on the porch while the jars process through. 

Paul and the boys picked a bunch of wineberries from our land, and I made nine half pints of jam.  These are the staple of the pb+js that the boys like in their lunches during the school year.

Then I spent a couple of sultry afternoons in the garden digging up carrots.  I don't know why carrots don't just pull up from the garden like beets or turnips.  But I had to dig every single one out, and broke quite a few in the process.  Regardless, I got a good number, and ended up canning 27 pints of carrots and 5 of turnips.  I only did a small batch of turnips because I couldn't find anyone who'd actually tried them and I had my suspicions they might be gross.  So I did a test batch.

So here's the scoop on canning turnips.  They become more pungent and the texture (while they do stay intact) becomes a little spongy.  So they really don't taste so great.  On a brighter note, I discovered that if I make a big batch of mashed potatoes and dump in a jar of canned turnips to the mash, no one in the house is any the wiser.  So at least they won't be going to waste.

The carrots and the wineberry jam turned out wonderfully, and we'll be enjoying those this winter.  Hopefully there will be some green bean canning in my near future.  Canned green beans are my favorite!

Pressure Canning Chili

I got a really good deal on ground beef at the store the other day, but it had to be used up within a day.  How to use up 5 pounds of ground beef?  Well, I made beef stroganoff with a pound of it for lunch.  And then I decided to be brave and as Paul to use the pressure canner again.  So I fixed a big pot of chili.

I didn't take notes so I don't technically have a recipe, but I browned the beef with 5 cloves of garlic and drained it (I would've added onions but I was out).  Then I added one of those huge cans of tomato juice, two chopped green peppers, a bag of dry black beans, a bag of dry kidney beans, 1/2 can of chipotle pepper sauce, 1/2 cup chili powder, a couple tsp. cumin, 1 tbsp. salt, and about 5 cans of diced tomatoes.

I simmered this concoction for 20 minutes to let the flavors mix (the beans cook during the pressure canning, so no worries about that).  I got 13 pint jars filled up and Paul took them outside to supervise.  He doesn't seem to worry about blowing up the house as much as I do.

The jars were processed for 75 minutes, which is the guideline for ground beef.  I did pint jars because I thought they'd be handy to do things like chili to top baked potatoes or hot dogs.  For larger meals, we could do a couple of pints at a time (and to stretch them, add in elbow mac and a can of corn if needed). 

The next day, I made Cincinnati chili (chili over spaghetti noodles and topped with cheddar cheese).  The chili turned out so good!  It was a hit and Cort already asked when we would have it for dinner again.  And the best part?  It only took ten minutes to toss together this home cooked meal, as the chili was already made. 

Wineberry Jam

It's that time of year again.  The wineberries that grow wild all over our land are now ripe.  Wineberries are similar to a raspberry in size and color, but have seeds like a blackberry.  Paul spent several hours picking berries.  Then I sterilized everything and made some jam.

Nothing quite so satisfying as the sound of the lids popping as they seal.  If I can find the time, I'll do another batch.  I love to use the jam as gifts, and I think it's fun that the berries come from our own land.

Readers, what is your favorite flavor of jam?

All Hot and Bothered - Jalapeno Jelly

A few years ago we received a jar of jalapeno jelly from Paul's aunt.  Spicy yet sweet, the jelly was delicious on tortilla chips, or spread on crackers with a little cream cheese.  I haven't stopped thinking about how good it was, so I decided this year to attempt to make our own.

Jalapenos are in season right now, and I found them for 99 cents a pound.  I had wanted to grow our own, but when the time came to plant peppers this summer all the jalapenos were sold out, and I ended up planting serrano and Big Jim New Mexico peppers instead (both of which are doing well). Still, no pepper can really compare to the flavor of the jalapeno. 

I used 12 jalapeno peppers and 2 green bell peppers (from our garden) to make the jelly, along with 6 cups of sugar, 2 cups of cider vinegar, and Bell brand liquid pectin (which includes the recipe that I used).  I got all of my supplies ready first, and then asked Paul, "Hey, do we have any latex gloves?" after searching all the usual cleaning supplies cupboards.  It turned out that we did not have any gloves.  So I took a big gulp and jumped into deseeding 12 jalapeno peppers in bare hands.

Once you get them deseeded, you just pile them all in the blender or food processor along with the half the vinegar, and give them a whirl.

Then pour it into a pot with the rest of the cider vinegar and the sugar and bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes.   This stuff got to frothing and in record time became like a science experiment gone bad.  I couldn't get it down and as a result my stove got slimed in burnt jalapeno froth - nice.  It took much scrubbing and even a razor to get the mess off. 

 By this time, the jalapenos had saturated the air in the house, and not only was I coughing, but anyone who walked through the kitchen immediately began choking on the spiciness of the peppers.  Not only that, but my hands (which I had diligently washed numerous times already) were on fire from the deseeding.

Luckily, all I had left to do was add the liquid pectin for a minute, and then pour in hot jars and process for 15 minutes in the canner.  By the time I finished that plus the cleanup, it was dusk.

The next morning, I was thrilled to find that my 6 jars of jalapeno jelly had set up perfectly.  And they taste so good.  Even the twins are going crazy over the spicy jelly on tortilla chips.  In fact, we're all so fond of this delicacy that I've decided to make another batch - or even two.  But after spending a night with hands-on-fire, you'd better believe I'm going to invest in some latex gloves first!

A Canning I Will Go

The first frost is probably right around the corner.  And so I've been trying to can as much as possible.  Canning is not my favorite thing ever.  It is tedious.  It feels like it takes forever.  Things I can have a tendency to be temperamental and not set up right (you may remember the TWO flopped strawberry jam attempts last spring).  But I adore the beautiful food lined up in jars, and the sense of accomplishment when it turns out right.  Plus, I just hate letting food go to waste.

I broke out my Mennonite Community Cookbook (no I'm not Mennonite, but I am a big fan of their cooking, particularly this cookbook which has a great selection of simple, old school recipes) and found a recipe for Green Tomato Jam.  I figured I could adapt this for my tomatillos.

This jam turned out well.  It has an unusual flavor.  I like the toasted flavor of the seeds in the jam.  I'd never tried green tomato jam before this.

Next up, I googled a recipe for Persimmon jam.  I spent a good deal of time Saturday morning removing seeds from persimmons and processing the bunch of them.  Sadly, I seem to have canned a persimmon or two that was not completely ripe.  If you've ever had an unripe persimmon, you will know that they are just about the bitterest fruit on earth.  The whole batch is going to have to be tossed.  Sob.

On  happier note, Sunday I broke out the Mennonite cookbook again and tried their recipe for watermelon preserves.  You actually use the rind of the watermelon, with just a ribbon of the pink mixed in for color.

Not only did it turn out pretty in the jars, but the flavor is wonderful (definitely a repeat for next summer) -

After all that canning do you know what happened?

All night Sunday night I dreamed of canning more.  And more and more.

The apple trees are ready and apparently my conscious is feeling a little guilty - because I couldn't get away from the canning - even in my dreams!

Apple jelly, you're up next!

All I do is cook. And take pictures of things I cook. But it's all good.

Days on the farm are so busy right now, but full of fun and adventure.  

It feels like I spend much of my time cooking.  There certainly are a lot of meals in a day, and I'm trying to use up as much of the garden as I can.  

This week I made apricot pecan muffins, for Pierce to take to school for breakfast.

A 'use up the garden' style casserole - with layers of potatoes, garlic, green peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. It was really good.

A late bloomer...

I've been scooping out watermelons and putting them into individual containers to make it easy to pack fruit for Pierce's lunches.

I recently saw a recipe for watermelon jam that I'm eager to try.  I just need to pick up some lemons (I don't typically keep lemons around).

Cort and Reid started a Mother's Day out preschool program, 2 mornings a week. 

They needed pictures to hang in their cubbies.  So we went out on the porch to snap a few.

Cort (Note that there's no paci!  He only uses it at night now) -

Reid (yes, I probably should've cleaned the dinner off his face first...)

And it's persimmon season!   We're having a really good year for persimmons - quite the abundance out there.

So far I've done a persimmon cake and persimmon fudge!  The cake recipe I came up with myself, but the fudge recipe I found online.  It turned out super sugary, and it's in a 9x13 pan so I'm not sure we can eat it all before it goes bad.  Anyone know if fudge freezes okay?

Once Upon a Farm

 Figured it was time for a farm update.  All is going well here.  The watermelons have grown even bigger since I took this picture!  We cut into one, but we were just a few days too early - it was nice and pink, but only in the very center.  We ate that part and gave the rest to the horses.  Horses just LOVE watermelon rind!

A word to the wise - watermelon takes over your rows, your plants, your garden, the world outside your garden....well, you get the point.  Selfish little vine. 

Tomatoes have been slow, but it does look like we are going to have some, finally!

I also tried a tomatillo, but it wasn't quite ripe yet either, so we're waiting a bit more on those.  Paul and I are have dreams of salsa verde.

Our teenagers are still thriving.  They have toned down the mohawks - just a tiny bit.

See.  Rebellious chicken pictured on the right brushed down his mohawk for the picture.  He didn't want ya'll to think badly of him (her?).

Canned pickles for the first time!

See that big jar in the middle?

Alas, it didn't make it.  But all the others did.

Letting the pickles cool on the deck outside.  I use the word "cool" lightly, as it was 97.5 degrees outside, so they weren't exactly doing much cooling.

I was worried the pickles would not taste right or would be too squishy, but they turned out crisp and tart and delicious!

And finally, my favorite veggie recipe of the week - zucchini casserole!  

This was a HUGE hit w/ the family - I found it on Amish Stories Blog.

I used ground turkey instead of beef and red pepper instead of green pepper, and I halved the amount of cheese suggested.  It has a wonderful taco flavor and I'll definitely make it again.

This post is linked to WV Treasures Tuesday Show and Tail. 

How does your garden grow this week?  Is it surviving the heat?

How Does Our Garden Grow? An Update

Our garden is doing really well!  

We've been getting lots of zucchini.

And I harvested our entire beet crop.

I wanted to pickle the beets when they were still babies.

After I cooked them and drained them the smell was divine.

I contemplated not pickling them at all - but just devouring the whole lot.

Then I contemplated planting nothing but beets in our entire garden next year.

I settled for replanting the row instead, in hopes of a second harvest.

And these?  They are wonderful.  Even the boys adore them!

My Dad gave me some sage, which is so delicate and beautiful! 

Hopefully I don't kill it.

Our beans are doing well.

We have LOADS of green beans!

Good thing they are one of my favorite foods!

I think we'll be picking these in a week or so.

And my neighbor, JP, from A Quiet Corner gave me marigold seeds.

Even those have obliged by coming up in the garden!

The perfect zucchini flower -

And Pierce's favorite - summer squash!

Our tomatoes are a work in progress, but hopefully if all the flowers will start turning into fruit we'll have some of those soon too.

It'll Do. Strawberry Jam.

File all attempts at jam and jelly making under the F file for FAIL.  Paul and I just aren't very good at it.  Yet we keep trying - we must be gluttons for punishment because it's a lot of work and time that goes into making jam. 

We do things right.  We wash the jars and sterilize them and the lids.  We put them in the oven at 180* so they'll be just the right temp for pouring jam into.

We get the boiling water ready for the canning.  We follow the recipe for the jam itself to the letter. 

And then, after boiling for the prescribed 1 minute, we pour into jars, so full of hope. 

They all sealed perfectly.

Then they cooled.

And, as always, our jam is runny. 

Ah well.  It still works on toast, and is wonderful on pancakes or stirred into oatmeal or poured on ice cream. 

Any ideas folks, why our jellies and jams never set up?  We used Sure-Jell this time.  Apparently, Sure-Jell isn't such a SURE THING after all....