Hounds In The Kitchen » canning

Can PIPA and SOPA

Rachel Tayse — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:50:27 +0000

A little elf told me to black out my website in support of Internet freedom. I am not really tech-savvy enough to do that. Instead, I’ll spend some time today urging my congressmen to stop the PIPA and SOPA bills so that I and others retain the ability to express opinions without threat of censorship. Join me?

PS. Is this little elf not the cutest? My grandmother kept a canning booklet from 1935 including illustration gems like this and an article about ‘How to Preserve a Husband’ that I will reprint soon.

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Can PIPA and SOPA is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe}

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

When I finished making candied Meyer lemons, I couldn’t toss the remaining syrup. Lightly lemon flavored, I tried stirring it into a cocktail but it was too thick. Jam-like already, all signs pointed to marmalade.

I chopped ten Meyer lemons from my surprise windfall from Green B.E.A.N. into tiny bits, carefully removing the central membrane and seeds. I simmered them with the syrup, water, and seeds in a cheesecloth bundle until the rind softened and the jam set up. I felt like the marmalade lacked sweetness and added vanilla bean plus a bit more sugar to smooth out that side of the flavor profile.

The resulting trio of quarter pints, plus a nearly full quarter pint in the fridge, represent my first home-canned goods of 2012. It feels great to be putting up again, though I bet these jars will vanish before I complete another canning project!

Ingredients

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http://houndsinthekitchen.com/2012/01/12/meyer-lemon-marmalade/

Added to Simple Lives Thursday 78.

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Meyer Lemon Marmalade {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Cranberry Sauce, Fresh or For Canning {Recipe}

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:04:32 +0000

Cranberry sauce is the most neglected dish on the Thanksgiving table. It is over-sweetened to the point of tasting like jam, or worse, dumped and sliced from a can, ridge marks remaining.

Why should these tart orbs be subjected to such a fate? Cranberries are easy to obtain fresh in November and full of flavor and vitamin C. It is impossibly easy to make them into an all-natural sauce. And once you do, you’ll find new ways to appreciate the humble cranberry.

This sauce is a tangy antidote to any roast beast, of course. But it also plays beautifully on a charcuterie platter or cheese plate. Any rich dish that could use a balance of tart clear flavor will be improved by a dollop of cranberry sauce.

My sauce recipe is high in acid content and can be canned for use year round. I use an ample amount of apple for natural sweetness and just a bit of honey. Spices are light because they concentrate in the jar. If serving fresh, feel free to increase the spice quantities.

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Cranberry Sauce
Makes: six half pint jars
Time: 30 minutes cooking, 20 minutes canning

1 orange
2 12-ounce bags of fresh cranberries, washed with stems removed
6 medium apples, peeled cored and chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4-3/4 cup honey

1. Peel orange, avoiding pith.
2. Place orange peel and remaining ingredients in a medium pot. Juice orange into pot.
3. Cook over low heat, covered, until apple texture disappear and cranberries ‘pop’. Taste for spice and sweetness, adding more if necessary.
4. Remove orange peel and discard.
5. Serve sauce warm or at room temperature. Refrigerate leftovers and eat within two weeks or freeze for up to a year.
6. Alternately, ladle into sterilized jars with 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from water, cool, and prepare for storage.

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Added to Simples Lives Thursday 70 and Punk Domestics.

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Cranberry Sauce, Fresh or For Canning {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Imperfections {Friday Five}

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:56:31 +0000

Thanks to a generous friend who gave me a huge stash of canning supplies, I have a new favorite jar.

(What? You don’t have favorite jars? Crazy!)

This jar is blue, which is fun, and obviously old. It nearly matches four others I have of the same size and brand. This one is special for a small but significant manufacturing flaw.

See what it says under the Ball name? P rfect Mason. The ‘e’ is missing, clearly a misprint. Eagle eyes will notice the air inclusions that make the jar useless for canning. My new favorite jar is, therefore, an imperfect mason.

I love this jar because it reminds me that life is imperfect. I am imperfect.

Unlike a poorly pressed jar that can only ever hold flowers, we humans can work on our imperfections. We can never achieve perfection but we can be constantly inching towards our better selves. I am intentionally working to improve in these ways:

1) Be Fully Present – Between the pulls of social networks, animals, phone calls, the kid, neighborhood noise, and a natural tendency to wander, I default to a state of distraction. There are half-started projects all over the house. I am consciously trying to overcome distraction and stay fully focused on a single idea until completion – be it a conversation, a preserving project, or something I’m doing with Lil. It feels good to say no to the interruptions and truly be present.

2) Eat Lunch – My stupidest imperfection is that nearly every midday I think I can have a light and healthy meal. It doesn’t work for me and by 4 pm I am a grouchy hungry person. When I eat a full meal with a good dose of protein, I’m not a grump in the afternoon. Solution seems simple, right?

3) Stay with the Hard Stuff – When something is difficult for me or conflict arises, I tend to drop it and run. This isn’t healthy for me. I need to speak my true feelings and not just hide until difficulties pass.

4) Be OK with Mistakes – I tell Lillian constantly that “it’s ok to make mistakes”. But I don’t actually cut myself a break when I make them. Whether I spill, can’t get the perfect photograph, or lose something, I need to take a breath and forgive myself for these little screw-ups. Modeling that little mistakes are ok is as important as saying the words.

5) Be Satisfied – My tendency is to always be striving for something greater. It’s a good quality to have in that I am willing to work hard, but I never relax and enjoy what I have. I have a lot to be satisfied about – a loving husband, healthy kid, warm home, etc. Every day I try to be thankful for the current moment without looking ahead. But a tiny part of me always wants more – I think I will be working on this imperfection my whole life.

What imperfections are you working on now?

PS. Though the idea of a Defense Department is rife with ethical imperfections, I remain thankful for those who serve(d) in the military. I shared Vonnegut’s thoughts on Veteran’s Day last year and I still think his words are fantastic.

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Imperfections {Friday Five} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Great Grandma's Apple Butter {Recipe}

Rachel Tayse — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 01:18:27 +0000

My Great Grandma Davis, mother of my father’s mother Joyce, was an old school home cook. She grew a large garden and Grandpa fished to feed themselves fresh and cheap food. Grandma later used her kitchen experience to serve as a school cook for many years in the decades where everything was prepared from scratch on site.

Because Grandma lived into her nineties, I grew up knowing her. I remember eating a breakfast of biscuits and jams at her house in Missouri as a very young child. Sadly, she died before I was interested in food and could learn from her depth of home cooking knowledge.

I do know that Grandma put up everything she could, including apple butter. For years, I hesitated to remake her recipe because I was afraid I could live up to her version. But for you, dear blog readers, I sifted through recipe cards at my parents’ house and pulled out Great Grandma’s Apple Butter.

Just reading Grandma’s handwriting stirs up sentimental feelings of opening birthday cards and Christmas gifts lovingly addressed by her hand. Click on the card image to see it larger. I love that she simply wrote ‘seal in jars’ as if every woman of her day would know exactly how to do that. I consulted the National Center for Home Food Preservation to find the proper canning time.

I suspect I will never alter this recipe because there is a certain nostalgia in making apple butter exactly as my great grandmother did. Not knowing Leona, however, you might want to substitute some brown sugar for the white and change the spices. Ground ginger would play nicely with the other flavors, as would nutmeg. I did reduce quantities and update the recipe to make it slow cooker friendly.

My father made this recipe a few years ago and noted that he would prefer less vinegar. I think the iteration I made with Liberty Pink applesauce and homemade cider vinegar had a perfect balance. We suspect that the variety of apple makes all the difference and you may wish to taste before adding all the vinegar.

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Great Grandma’s Apple Butter Recipe

makes 6 half pints

4 pints applesauce, or 8 cups stewed and pureed apples

3 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup cider vinegar

1. Stir all ingredients in a slow cooker or oven safe pan.

2. Cook on high uncovered, or 200 degrees F, for 4-6 hours, or until reduced by half.

3. Fill jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. As the apple butter is very thick, jiggle the jars or stir with a chopstick to release any air pockets.

4. Wipe rims and place two part lids on jars. Place in water bath canner and process for 5 minutes.

5. Remove jars from water and allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours. Prepare and store for up to one year.

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More Davis/Tayse family recipes:

Rhubarb Crunch

Gingersnaps

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Great Grandma's Apple Butter {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

After the Pop – How to Manage Home Canned Goods

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 13:00:00 +0000

You’ve heard the most delightful sound in the kitchen – the popping of lids fresh from the canner – and your jars are completely cooled. Now what?

Prepare Jars for Storage

Remove the rings and wipe down the outside of the jar with a warm wet cloth or sponge. Often a bit of juice, brine or jam escapes during the vacuum process. Being outside the seal, this can spoil and rust the lids.

Wash the rings by hand or in the dishwasher and store them in a dry place for later (see below).

Label each lid with the contents and date. You can do this with a sharpie marker or label maker. I love how neat jars look when labeled with my Brother p-touch label maker. Lil gets a kick out of making the labels too.

Where to Store

Home canned goods last longest when they are stored in a dark, dry place with cool and consistent temperature. My basement is great for this. A cool closet, root cellar, or cupboard will also work.

If you have them, I find jar boxes to be excellent for storage of filled or empty jars. The high sides prevent light from discoloring food and the cardboard dividers keep the jars from clanking during transport.

Empty Jars and Rings

In the fall, the larder is full of filled colorful jars. But as winter progresses and the contents are used, what do you do with the rings and empties?

You may reuse the rings for canning so long as they aren’t dented or rusted. You also will need one per jar to keep home canned goods in the fridge after opening.

I store rings in a kitchen drawer with my dish towels. You’ll note some lids in there too; I keep them around for when I want to store leftovers or dry goods. Lids cannot be reused for canning but they are fine for non-sealed storage.

I stash a small selection of empty jars in a kitchen drawer (with some other miscellany like our cider press bag) for storing leftovers. When this drawer overflows, I take the excess down to the basement and sort by size on a shelf. When I have a dozen of a given size, I load them into a box and stack these for use during the next canning season.

I’m sure that my system is not the only one that works. How do you manage canning jars?

Added to Simple Lives Thursday 58.

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After the Pop – How to Manage Home Canned Goods is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Rapid Cannning Trick

Rachel Tayse — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:06:08 +0000

Step 1: Put out a call on Facebook that you are canning. Tell friends you will teach them.

Step 2: Offer to entertain their kids with paper mache when friends respond.

Step 3: Breathe deeply as chaos ensues when friends and kids come over.

Step 4: Enjoy the chatting as you work together to peel and slice ~30 pounds of peaches.

Step 5: Give your friends canning confidence as they help fill jars with peach pieces and make jam from the scraps.

Step 6: Relax as you realize that you just canned in a third of the time as normal. Think about sharing a jar or two with the friends who helped you.

Now, who would like to help mop the floor?

PS. Intrigued by the glass peaches pictured? They are part of the Franklin Park Conservatory’s Hungry Planet exhibit opening August 20.

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Rapid Cannning Trick is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Experimental Jamming

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:14:18 +0000

Homemade jam is a perfect canvass for creativity. Fresh seasonal fruit packs plenty of flavor on its own but thanks to the high acid content, fruit jam can be safely canned with herb and spice additions.

Tired of the same old peach jam I usually make, I asked the family for new ideas. Lil wanted to combine our freshly picked peaches with farmer’s market blueberries. Alex suggested playing with fresh basil from our garden.

And so it was that on Tuesday night I had three pots of jam on the stove.

For the blueberry basil, I added 1 tablespoon washed and chopped fresh basil to 1 cup of blueberries. The peach basil included 1 tablespoon basil to two cups mashed fresh peaches. For the blueberry peach, I mixed 1 cup blueberries with two cups mashed fresh peaches. I added a bit of Pomona’s pectin and sugar to each pot, mostly relying on the natural pectin to set the jams.

With a few years of experimenting in the can, I offer these tips for creating your own flavors:

Use an existing recipe as a base. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has lots of them that have been tested for safety.
Can in small jars. Highly flavored jams tend to be used in specialty dishes and don’t get eaten as fast as standard jams around my house. I like cute quarter pints because there’s less to go through before the jam spoils.
The less sugar you use, the quicker it will spoil after opening. Finding homemade jam spoiled in the fridge is one of the worst feelings in the world so plan jar size and usage carefully for low sugar recipes. I’ve found over time that I prefer the taste, set, and preserving effect of using about 1 part sugar to 4 parts fruit.
Use Pomona’s Pectin if you use pectin at all. Pomona’s can be adjusted to any batch size and any amount of sugar, unlike most brands. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon calcium water and 1 teaspoon pectin powder per cup of fruit.
Do a set test. If you are experimenting off recipe, you definitely want to test the set or gel-ness of the jam. I do this by putting a small spoonful in the freezer for one minute. If it sets then, I know it will set in the jars.
Flavors concentrate over time. What tastes like a hint of spice will become stronger as it ages in the jar. Err on the side of fewer flavor agents.
Use caution when mixing in fresh non-fruit ingredients. To safely can jams, the mixture must maintain acidity above 4.6 pH. Fresh herbs and most vegetables are low acid foods, so they must be used in moderation and/or corrected for acid balance by adding lemon juice.
If you are concerned about canning safely, freeze the jam or store in the fridge for short term use.

Have fun, canning friends!

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

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Experimental Jamming is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Neglected Cucumber Relish {Recipe}

Rachel Tayse — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 14:08:04 +0000

I am a mad woman harvesting Parisian pickling cucumbers every morning and night. I want them at exactly 2-3 inches in length to make into cornichons. Too small and they aren’t worth processing. Much larger and the skin is bitter.

But try as I might, little cukes camouflage themselves under umbrella green leaves. Seemingly overnight, they turn into big honkin’ cucumbers. They can’t be eaten raw and will not make pleasant pickles with thick sharp skin.

I enjoyed this cool pallete cleanser between bites of homemade hot dog (recap of the hotdog making fiasco tomorrow), though I’m not typically a relish eater. The texture is pleasantly crisp and the flavor mildly spicy.

I’m not sure how I feel about the yellow hue given by the tumeric. If Chicago can have fluorescent green relish, maybe Ohio yellow relish is ok?

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Fresh Cucumber Relish
makes approximately 1 1/2 pints

3 cups cucumber peeled, seeded, and minced
1/4 cup onion, minced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
3 cups water
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon caraway seed
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Place onions and cucumber in a bowl. Top with salt and water and rest in fridge for 2-6 hours.
2. Drain liquid.
3. Place onions, cucumber, vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot. Heat to boil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid begins to reduce.
4. Meanwhile, sterilize 3 half pint jars, 3 lids, and 3 rings.
5. Ladle hot relish into sterilized jars. Wipe rim, top with lids and rings. Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes.
6. Cool to room temperature. Label and store in a cool dry place until ready to use. After opening, store in fridge for 3-4 weeks.

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday 52 and Punk Domestics.

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Neglected Cucumber Relish {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!

Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries {Recipe}

Rachel Tayse — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:32:55 +0000

I love a good cocktail but I despise maraschino cherries. The rubbery red-flavored spheres resemble the natural fruit in name alone.

I decided to tackle creating cocktail cherries at home when faced with an extra quart of fresh local sour cherries after making sour cherry preserves.

While searching for a recipe, I discovered a bit of history. Apparently cocktail cherries used to be pitted cherries soaked in maraschino liqueur, hence the name.

During prohibition, one of America’s cultural mistakes, cocktail cherries had to be remade without the alcohol. The sickeningly sweet, artificial maraschino cherry was born.

Most recipes for DIY cocktail cherries either fall in the camp of the traditional (soak in maraschino liqueur) or modern (can in sweet, flavored syrup).

All recipes recommended pitting the cherries but I came across a suggestion that the pits themselves could make a liqueur.

I combined all these ideas into my sour boozy cocktail cherries. They are boiled in vanilla syrup and canned with pits and bourbon. The result is a flavorful hybrid with balanced sweetness that begs to be made into an old fashioned.

My hope is that the pits will age and flavor the syrup so that when the cherries are gone, the syrup will be an enticing liqueur of its own.

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Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries

makes 4 half pints

1 1/2 cups demara sugar

1 cup water

4 allspice berries, crushed

1 vanilla pod, sliced open

4 cups fresh sour cherries, pitted with pits reserved (approximately 1 quart)

2 cups bourbon (we like Bulleit)

1. Mix sugar, water, allspice, and vanilla in a heavy bottomed pan. Heat over medium high until boiling.

2. Add the sour cherries and pits. Boil for 5 minutes.

3. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes. Pour in bourbon.

4. Ladle cherries into sterilized jars. Cover with some of the steeping liquid and pits to quarter inch head space.

5. Top with a new lid and finger tighten a ring. At this point, cherries may be stored in the fridge for up to one month. If you desire to preserve them longer, can using the following directions.

6. Boil in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove to a level surface and allow to cool completely. Remove rings and wipe off jars.

7. If excess syrup remains, strain and use for cocktails or dessert topping. Store in refrigerator.

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Added to Hearth and Soul 55.

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Sour Boozy Cocktail Cherries {Recipe} is a post from Hounds In The Kitchen.
If you like what you read, please consider supporting us with a donation or visit the Hounds in the Kitchen shop for ebooks and favorite tools. Thanks!