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What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)


Anna N

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1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

The Food In Jars Challenge for Feb was salting.  I started these salt cured egg yolks last month but just got around to trying one today.  I used this recipe from "Bon Appétit".  I'm considering trying to smoke a couple per this recipe but haven't decide if I want to bother.

In the salt/sugar cure.  The pan got wrapped in plastic wrap and went into the fridge.  Recipe said 4 days.   Reality was a week.

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Out of the salt.  The two eggs on the right are from the grocery, the others are my usual farmers market specimens.

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Rinsed to remove the excess salt

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Dried in the oven set to 140F (60C) on the convection dehydrator setting.

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Served - microplaned over a bowl of spaghetti carbonara

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Not suggesting that particular dish needs more eggs xD!

 

So, what did they taste like?  Very 'eggy'?  Worth the effort?

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28 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

So, what did they taste like?  Very 'eggy'?  Worth the effort?

Yes, eggy and a little salty.  But so does the carbonara itself so I suspect this was not the best test.  I think it will be nice on something like asparagus or other things that aren't already eggy.

The effort was almost nil.  Just used a little salt, sugar and a few egg yolks and I got to do something new so, yes, worth the effort from that perspective.

And I'll get to make my plate look cool and chefy from time to time xD!

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13 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

How long do they keep and can they be frozen?

Various recipes I've see say they can be stored for 1-3 months.  I think they are fine as long as they are relatively cool and dry. 

I haven't run across any reports of freezing them. You'd have to be careful of condensation when thawing so they don't get gummy.  Unless gummy is the goal......

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@blue_dolphinThat looks great and may be the little boost of motivation I need to try this technique! :)

 

Are you doing all the Food in Jars challenges? I am thinking of joining, even though I am late to the party obviously. Years ago, I had done most if not all of the Charcutepalooza challenges and it was a great experience!

Edited by FrogPrincesse (log)
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41 minutes ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Are you doing all the Food in Jars challenges?

 

Yes, I'm going to try, anyway.  I haven't been formally posting my projects to her site as I've tended to be a little late but I'll work on that.

I made Blood Orange-Campari Marmalade for Jan and salted-preserved limes and the egg yolks for Feb.  

Since this month is jellies and shrubs, I made Rosemary Wine Jelly today (I used rosé wine, so maybe I should call it Rosémary Wine Jelly :D) and it gave me an excuse to order Michael Dietsch's book on Shrubs.  The Pear-Ginger Shrub sounds really nice, if I can manage to make it before summer! 

Edited by blue_dolphin (log)
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In furtherance of my vow to make small batch  "jam" from local stuff this poor image is lemon rind from the tree I was going to remove but which popped back during our bizarre rains plus dates foraged from family fridge (years old) plus water and a hit of brown sugar; Texture is wrong but taste is nice

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new project started today, as I got another fridge I have plenty of space for big boxes. I bought fillets from char, and put them in a special brine and hope within a week they turn into matjes (is this how you call them?) paralell I am dehydrating smoked salmon for salmon powder

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3 minutes ago, ninagluck said:

@blue_dolphin I cured my eggyolks in anchovis paste, which turned  the yolks into a bottarga flavour. I liked it a lot. also used some black salt, so the outside of the yolks is black

That sounds interesting but might take a lot of anchovies!  How did you set it up?

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to be honest, I used ready made anchovy paste. and I used a musslin (actually not musslin, but this bandage from a first aid kit ) between the paste and the yolks. I had some attempts before and the yolks broke, so I thought abt a kind of "protection" and it worked

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Lemon/lime pickle. Some of the limes are from the farmers market, the lemons are from our dwarf tree.

 

Salting the fruit.

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The ingredients, the grated stuff is jaggery, black mustard seeds in the bowl.

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Finished cooking.

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Getting to the end of my tomatoes for canning. I have been making sauce by cooking then straining out the seeds and skins then concentrating. After some discussion with one of my Bendigo Wholefoods (no relation) dudes, this time I just blitzed the tomatoes in the blender (An Aldi knockoff supposedly high-speed blender) to pulverise the skins and seeds then cooked and reduced. Seems much easier and I think they are going to taste ok.

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It's almost never bad to feed someone.

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On 3/6/2017 at 3:37 PM, HungryChris said:

I prepare a 1 quart jar with I TBS kosher salt, about 3/4 TBS of dried dill weed, 3 big cloves of crushed garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to taste. I steam the asparagus until they turn bright green, sample one to be sure they are still crispy, but not too tough, and ice them down in an ice bath. Then I tip the jar on it's side and add the asparagus with a few bay leaves, fill with white vinegar to the 3/4 point, top off with tap water and refrigerate for a week or so. These are a great snack or a great substitute for celery in a Bloody Mary or bloody  Caesar (Thanks to @Anna N  for opening my eyes to that one). They will keep for months.

HC

 

When I lived in an asparagus-producing area I never steamed them first. My recipe was similar to yours but included mustard seed and I packed the jars and processed in the water bath like cucumber pickles. The jars make great gifts.

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It's almost never bad to feed someone.

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On August 21, 2016 at 5:01 PM, ChocoMom said:

No pics, but I dehydrated enough blueberries to get two pint jars filled. ;)  If I can get the kids out of my hair long enough, I am hoping to can more berries with just simple syrup.   And,during the last couple days, the blackberries just started coming in---so I can do those as well. 

 

 

 

I'm curious about dehydrating.  Do I need a dehydrator?  Or can I do it in the oven?  If so, how?

 

Thanks

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I'm sure it can be done in an oven. How efficient that is, I don't know.  I have not dehydrated things in the oven but with a rack set over a cookie sheet, I don't see why it wouldn't work- unless the temperature won't go low enough.  

 I own a smallish dehydrator with 4 layers or so. This particular model allows for more layers to be stacked on, which can be purchased separately.  So, depending on how well you like the finished product, you can add all the layers you'd like- or not.    

Since it comes with a solid plastic layer, I make fruit rollups sometimes as well.    And jerky. Lots of jerky.  I cannot possibly make enough jerky to satisfy the hubby and the teenagers. Its a handy machine, and you're not going to break the bank buying one. 

-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

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My oven has a dehydrator function that allows for low temp settings + convection.  Downside is that it ties up your oven for long stretches.  Check your oven manual to see if yours does it.

If not, you may be able to pick up a dehydrator for a reasonable cost.  Some folks here have gotten them for a song in the thrift shops. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

This is moving week for us- getting all the stuff at the condo, and moving into the re-built house. Getting furniture into rooms was on my list. So, as I was trying to get to a dresser that had been stored out in the pole barn, one of my two year old turkeys charged and body slammed me. I swear it was going to poke my eyes out!  So, I pulled out my 9mm, and dropped it with one shot to the head. What does all this have to do with food preservation,  you might ask.   Well, I had to do something with the turkey meat!  You don't always get a clean shot to the head, and I wanted to make the most of the situation.  The legs and wings were incredibly tough- didn't bother to cut those apart.   I did carve out the breasts and made an enormous pot of turkey-veggie soup, pressure canning it all. Still had another breast to deal with, so I just diced it can canned it too. 

 

Discovered several packs of soup bones that were taking up too much space in the freezer, so I simmered two packs for hours on Saturday, and canned 6 quarts of Beef-barley soup.   The soup was fabulous, so as I come across more soup bones....you can guess where those are going! 

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-Andrea

 

A 'balanced diet' means chocolate in BOTH hands. :biggrin:

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I don't know what impresses me the most – – your marksmanship or your food conservation methods. 

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Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

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1 hour ago, ChocoMom said:

This is moving week for us- getting all the stuff at the condo, and moving into the re-built house. Getting furniture into rooms was on my list. So, as I was trying to get to a dresser that had been stored out in the pole barn, one of my two year old turkeys charged and body slammed me. I swear it was going to poke my eyes out!  So, I pulled out my 9mm, and dropped it with one shot to the head. . . . .

 

Geez, scary woman! Packing a 9mm whilst moving into her new house - and dropped the turkey with one shot to the head! Hell, beware if you ever buy chocolates from this woman and do not like them. Remember the "dropped it with one shot to the head" bit and do not complain! Ha, I find this extreamly funny - it would make an excellent YouTube video! Anyway @ChocoMom hope you survive the move and build on your preserved/canned foods - they do sound interesting!

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Cape Town - At the foot of a flat topped mountain with a tablecloth covering it.

Some time ago we had Johnny Cash, Bob Hope and Steve Jobs. Now we have no Cash, no Hope and no Jobs. Please don't let Kevin Bacon die.

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Persimmon chilli jam.

 

I used four persimmon, about 550 g peeled and chopped, plus 300 g white sugar and simmered those together until the sugar dissolves. Add julienned rind of one lemon, juice of half a lemon and a tsp of dried chilli flakes. Simmer until thick and set, about an hour. These were probably not quite ripe enough to breakdown by themselves, a stick blender helped.

 

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The lemon was from our small tree and the chillies (Birdseye) are also home grown, then dried and ground in a spice grinder. Pour into a sterilised jar with a dash of rum on the inside of the lid.

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This years crop of olives from our grove (ha ha, we have three trees). They've been brining for about six weeks, and are now bathing in a mix of olive oil warmed with garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, fresh thyme and rosemary, fennel seeds, lemon peel and bay leaves. I kept a bunch of smaller ones in brine only, under a layer of olive oil, no picture

 

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We have a small jar left from last year, they keep well. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have been watching my marinated mushrooms disappear with some dismay, lately,IMG_1758.thumb.JPG.161224ea5129a231851ec17b7507b016.JPG so when I happened to see fresh mushrooms on sale at Aldi yesterday, it all came together. Three and a half pounds along with a thinly sliced medium onion is just about the right amount for a 2 quart jar that lasts me a few months.

HC

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Edited by HungryChris (log)
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