What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2006 - 2016)

[Anna N]

Those don't look like the standard Ball or Kerr canning jars I see in  stores. Can you give a make and source?

 

For 8 oz jars, I always use my steel 'pasta pot' with a round cake rack in the bottom. As long as the jars are off the bottom of the pot and don't touch each other you don't need an insert. Works fine. It's not tall enough for pints or quarts - for those I use the big canner.

The jars are by Consumers Glass Company LTD.

[kayb]

I've been in a frenzy of canning and freezing for three days (and my back and hip feel it!), after returning from an excursion to the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Georgia laden with produce. 

 

I brought back what purported to be a bushel bag of Silver Queen (!) sweet white corn. That got cut off the cob, blanched, and frozen -- 20 pints' worth, plus the dozen ears I gave to a friend and the six ears still in my fridge awaiting Sunday dinner tomorrow. That was the biggest "bushel" I ever saw in my life.

 

My process is fairly simple, if repetitive and time consuming. I cut off the kernels, go back over the cob with the backside of my knife to extract the "milk," and then blanche for about 10 minutes. Let cool and freeze.

 

The corn-cutting station:

 

 

I do it in the bottom of one side of the sink. It contains the splatter, of which there is a gracious plenty.

 

Here's the finished product. I ran out of freezer containers, and turned to my "stash" of saved plastic tubs. I knew there was a reason I didn't throw those babies away. Recycling R Us.

 

 

I bought a 25 pound box of Romas for 10 bucks (!). Those became a version of the roasted tomato-garlic sauce. I believe it should ensure my house is vampire-proof for the foreseeable future. I may perhaps have overreached on the garlic.

 

Ready to roast:

 

 

Roasted:

 

 

Canned:

 

 

I also did several pints of tomato chutney. Starting to cook:

 

 

Cooked down and blended with the immersion blender:

 

 

And today, I canned plain tomatoes and tomato juice. Haven't downloaded and edited those photos, but you get the idea.

 

I'm tired.

 

 

 

 

 

[hummingbirdkiss]

everything looks so amazing! I will post photos when the garden slows down LOL! I am overwhelmed with tomatoes plums  and grapes and trying to get the garlic beds ready for Octobers planting …and regular everything that goes on in life ..YAY retirement  and all that rest I thought I would get  ..so now I hauled the juicer out and am making juice out of everything I am not putting in the dehydrator and screaming "STOPPPPPP! " .I never had tomatillos overwinter like this a plant from last year went rogue and they are literally coming up through the lawn ..next week they will be dropping by the pounds ..not complaining ..I am grateful right now my state is on fire and we have no resources ..I will take this food prepared into something to the fire fighters this week with friends 

[ElainaA]

The jars are by Consumers Glass Company LTD.

Thanks Anna. I did some research on this - it seems that the company closed down some years ago. Most of the jams/chutneys/etc. that I make are for gifts so i love different jars - I really like the little 'ears' on these. It seems they are not available anymore.  They look special to me, I'd have trouble giving them away.

 

 

[Anna N]

Thanks Anna. I did some research on this - it seems that the company closed down some years ago. Most of the jams/chutneys/etc. that I make are for gifts so i love different jars - I really like the little 'ears' on these. It seems they are not available anymore.  They look special to me, I'd have trouble giving them away.

Gosh I bought them because I liked the looks of them but I seem to recall they came from a perfectly normal store within the past year. Don't think they came from a thrift store in fact I'm sure they didn't. The lids were definitely brand-new and unused. Damn I wish I could recall where I bought them.

[Shelby]

I love those little jars, too.  I will do some searching.  Maybe with all of us looking we can find an online source.

[FauxPas]

kayb, looks like you had a wonderfully productive day and made darn good use of that lovely produce you brought home! Everything looks wonderful.

 

Those Roma tomatoes were an amazing bargain. I paid quite a bit more per # than you!  Which tomato chutney recipe do you use, if you don't mind me asking? 

 

Quick question about corn - you remove the kerrnels and then blanch, right? I usually blanch the whole cobs and then cool in ice water and then cut the kernels off. Is there a benefit to doing it in the other order? Maybe you make more of a creamed corn? 

 

Thanks! 

 

I've been in a frenzy of canning and freezing for three days (and my back and hip feel it!), after returning from an excursion to the southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains in northeast Georgia laden with produce. 

 

My process is fairly simple, if repetitive and time consuming. I cut off the kernels, go back over the cob with the backside of my knife to extract the "milk," and then blanche for about 10 minutes. Let cool and freeze.

[ElainaA]

I love chutney! Is that an online recipe, by any chance? Or is it one you developed? 

 

I love chutney and have collected recipes.  I have a tomato chutney recipe that I love.  I have handwritten copies from both a sister and a brother but I believe it originally came from a book on Indian cooking. I have also made, and like, the peach chutney (with LOTS of ginger!) in Ziedrich's Joy of Pickling. There are more.......

[ElainaA]

I love those little jars, too.  I will do some searching.  Maybe with all of us looking we can find an online source.

I spent more time than I should have on ebay yesterday looking with no success. I will keep trying....

[Anna N]

I spent more time than I should have on ebay yesterday looking with no success. I will keep trying....

So I did some more checking and sure enough I got them in a thrift store! I certainly had no idea that they were anything but a different shape! Perhaps I can make my fortune (Smile).

[ElainaA]

So I did some more checking and sure enough I got them in a thrift store! I certainly had no idea that they were anything but a different shape! Perhaps I can make my fortune (Smile).

They are so cute, I'd hang on to them. But if you decide to put them on ebay, let me know.  

[kayb]

kayb, looks like you had a wonderfully productive day and made darn good use of that lovely produce you brought home! Everything looks wonderful.

 

Those Roma tomatoes were an amazing bargain. I paid quite a bit more per # than you!  Which tomato chutney recipe do you use, if you don't mind me asking? 

 

Quick question about corn - you remove the kerrnels and then blanch, right? I usually blanch the whole cobs and then cool in ice water and then cut the kernels off. Is there a benefit to doing it in the other order? Maybe you make more of a creamed corn? 

 

Thanks! 

The tomato chutney recipe was one I more or less put together from several sources. It was, roughly:

 

5 pounds Romas, peeled

about 20 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium onions, diced

2 1/2 cups turbinado sugar

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tbsp curry powder

 

The recipe using the curry powder that I drew from called for 3 tbsp for 5 pounds of tomatoes, but I buy my curry powder from a Middle Eastern market and it is curry powder on steroids, so I cut it back a bit.

 

If I had it to do over again, I'd go with the full amount of curry powder, or add some red pepper of some description, and a bit more sugar.

 

On corn, I do cut the kernels off and blanche, essentially because that's the way my Mama always did it so that's the way I do it! Mine is more of a cream style corn; I don't cut too close to the cob, and use the back of my knife to scrape out the "milk" from the cob. Again, that's the way Mama did it.

 

I cooked corn the other night for my eldest daughter, who has the best memories of dinners at her grandparents' house. She tasted it and announced, "Now, that's the real deal." I considered that about the highest compliment I could have been paid.

[FauxPas]

I cooked corn the other night for my eldest daughter, who has the best memories of dinners at her grandparents' house. She tasted it and announced, "Now, that's the real deal." I considered that about the highest compliment I could have been paid.

 

 

That is indeed a lovely compliment! 

 

Thanks for sharing the chutney recipe, also. 

 

I made one last winter that was really good. Like you, I kind of pieced it together from a couple of recipes. It turned out so well that I patted myself on the back for writing down the way I made it. But I've never been able to find the written instructions, and I made no effort to remember because I thought I'd have it on paper/disk. Sigh.

[curls]

Shelby, thank you so much for your summer blog. It was wonderful reading about a week in your life and you gave me the courage and inspiration to put up some tomatoes.

 

[Shelby]

Oh Curls, what a nice thing to say!  Your tomatoes are beautiful and I love those red and white rings!

[hummingbirdkiss]

ok at the end of my harvest since I closed my winter beds due to drought (we had some rain the past few days but it all "rolled off" ) I am now using my dehydrator full force and making vegan raw crackers..they are not the best things in the world I need more practice and apparently better recipes ..but last night I was making soup and put some in there figuring they were just soup ingredients dried anyway …and then I looked online I and I guess this is a "thing"…so  I am just smashing the first few batches to fortify other dishes and now I am feeling very virtuous! 

 

I wish i liked the raw crackers more ..but will keep trying as making them in the dehydrator is so easy! ..my husband said "they would be good if you deep fried them now " he is right they taste ..welll RAW LOL!!! 

 

I am letting whatever else is in the garden go to wildlife, chickens and ducks now ..I am done with this years harvest and going to just sit back and enjoy what is left of summer. 

 

pumpkins were really prolific those I do not pick until the plants die back so nothing better eat those I put chicken wire over them 

[ElsieD]

Inspired by this thread, we bought some fresh corn on the cob at the farmer's market. Once home, we set up a couple of working stations. Husband shucked, I blanched, he took care of ice water and cooling the cobs, I cut the corn off the cobs and packaged it for the freezer, he chopped up the cobs which were put back into the blanching water. We let that simmer away until it reduced to a wonderful corny broth, strained the lot, and it is now in the freezer. This will be used in the winter to add extra flavour to corn chowder. That process worked so well I think I may get another batch and do that up as well.

I am also now thinking of buying a half bushel or so of plum tomatoes and doing something with that as well.

[Shelby]

Oh NICE Elsie!  I should have saved my cobs and done that......

[ElsieD]

The other day I bought a bunch of leeks. I want to preserve them in the freezer which I have never done before. I did some googling and some say blanch first, others say you needn't bother. Some say discard the green tops, others say freeze those too. Some say chop finely, others say to chop into 1" pieces. I know, at least I think I know, that the texture will be mushy when thawed but I am okay with that as I plan to only use them to put into soups. If anyone here freezes leeks for later use, would you mind telling me how you prepare them? Thank you.

[Anna N]

The other day I bought a bunch of leeks. I want to preserve them in the freezer which I have never done before. I did some googling and some say blanch first, others say you needn't bother. Some say discard the green tops, others say freeze those too. Some say chop finely, others say to chop into 1" pieces. I know, at least I think I know, that the texture will be mushy when thawed but I am okay with that as I plan to only use them to put into soups. If anyone here freezes leeks for later use, would you mind telling me how you prepare them? Thank you.

The other day I bought a bunch of leeks. I want to preserve them in the freezer which I have never done before. I did some googling and some say blanch first, others say you needn't bother. Some say discard the green tops, others say freeze those too. Some say chop finely, others say to chop into 1" pieces. I know, at least I think I know, that the texture will be mushy when thawed but I am okay with that as I plan to only use them to put into soups. If anyone here freezes leeks for later use, would you mind telling me how you prepare them? Thank you.

I have done it and this was my method. I cut off and discarded dark green tops because I was ignorant of their value in stocks and also because I had limited freezer room. The white parts I sliced lengthwise in 4 and then crosswise in quarter-inch slices. I tossed these into a very large bowl of water and gave them a thorough washing changing the water a couple of times. I then spread these out on a clean kitchen towel to dry and once they were dry I popped them into zipper bags and froze them. Very handy when you want to make a soup or something else that calls for them to be cooked. I did no blanching. Leeks can be very expensive so it is not a bad idea to stock up when they are cheap and freeze some. Next time I would do the same with the green tops discarding only those that are really in rough shape. I would still freeze them separately though.

[ElainaA]

 

Still canning......

This week: 5 jars of Plum Jam with Lemon and Honey, 11 quarts of tomatoes and 7 pints of "Annie's Salsa". Annie is a canning guru who posts on GardenWeb's Harvest forum. I like this recipe both because it tastes really good but also because she had this recipe tested by her state extension office and certified as safe for water bath canning. Salsa is tricky because the balance of acidity can easily be unsafe due to all the vegetables. 

 

I spent this morning at the Syracuse farmer's market and came home with a bushel of tomatoes - so there is a lot more canning in my future. 

 

Edited, as always, for spelling and typos. (Which initially came out 'typso')

Edited September 5, 2015 by ElainaA (log)

[ElainaA]

I have done it and this was my method. I cut off and discarded dark green tops because I was ignorant of their value in stocks and also because I had limited freezer room. The white parts I sliced lengthwise in 4 and then crosswise in quarter-inch slices. I tossed these into a very large bowl of water and gave them a thorough washing changing the water a couple of times. I then spread these out on a clean kitchen towel to dry and once they were dry I popped them into zipper bags and froze them. Very handy when you want to make a soup or something else that calls for them to be cooked. I did no blanching. Leeks can be very expensive so it is not a bad idea to stock up when they are cheap and freeze some. Next time I would do the same with the green tops discarding only those that are really in rough shape. I would still freeze them separately though.

Anna -Thanks for posting this.  I grow a lot of leeks - more than we can easily eat when they are fresh and they only hold so long in the fridge. I have never frozen them but I'm going to this year.  As you say, they get expensive so I rarely buy them and we love them. It is currently "leek season" here and will be through October. Like carrots they not only survive frost in the garden but get sweeter after they have been 'frosted'.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I have steamed and canned 3 gallons of concord grape juice and guess I will continue because I can not think of another damn thing to do with them now ..I can use the juice later if I want to make jelly and the little grandkids like to drink it so I guess that is it ..unless anyone has any good ideas for concord grapes..the juice is magnificent this year the drought did them good. One more harvest next week and I am done with them but if anyone has suggestions aside from freezing them (no room this year) I am open ..I made grape leather and juice and am eating them ..what else? I can make ketchup I guess? 

[ElainaA]

I have steamed and canned 3 gallons of concord grape juice and guess I will continue because I can not think of another damn thing to do with them now ..I can use the juice later if I want to make jelly and the little grandkids like to drink it so I guess that is it ..unless anyone has any good ideas for concord grapes..the juice is magnificent this year the drought did them good. One more harvest next week and I am done with them but if anyone has suggestions aside from freezing them (no room this year) I am open ..I made grape leather and juice and am eating them ..what else? I can make ketchup I guess? 

In Fine Preserving by Catherine Plagemann, annotated by M.F.K. Fisher, there are recipes for 2 other uses for grapes.

 

One is pickled grapes which has no appeal to me but M.F.K. Fisher loved it. "Wash 3 cups grapes.If the grapes are not seedless, they must be halved and seeded.Place in clean canning jars. Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 cup white vinegar, 3 3" sticks of cinnamon and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer 5 minutes and pout over the grapes, putting a cinnamon stick in each jar. Let stand overnight. They are ready to use the next day. Serve cold and drained, as a relish with meat, poultry or fish or as an accompaniment for curry."  (She doesn't mention processing it. I'd refrigerate it. And probably do it in one large jar rather than 3 small ones.)

 

The other is spiced grapes - also meant as a relish with meat or poultry. This one is specifically meant for Concord grapes. Again, I haven't tried this.

"Wash 4 cups of grapes. Pinch out the inside, reserving the skins. Cook the skins in a small amount of water until really mushy, about 1/2 hr. Put the pulp through a sieve to extract the seeds and add it to the skins. Add: 1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar, 1 pound sugar, 1/4 t. cinnamon, 1/4 t. ground allspice, 1/8 t. ground cloves. Boil gently until it has thickened to suit you. Test on a chilled saucer to see how it is doing. It should be done in 1/2 - 3/4 hour." Plagemann has you seal the jars with paraffin - today considered unsafe. I think you could process it like jam or just refrigerate it.

 

If you try either, let me know how it works out.

[cakewalk]

I have steamed and canned 3 gallons of concord grape juice and guess I will continue because I can not think of another damn thing to do with them now ..I can use the juice later if I want to make jelly and the little grandkids like to drink it so I guess that is it ..unless anyone has any good ideas for concord grapes..the juice is magnificent this year the drought did them good. One more harvest next week and I am done with them but if anyone has suggestions aside from freezing them (no room this year) I am open ..I made grape leather and juice and am eating them ..what else? I can make ketchup I guess? 

Not a preserve, but Concord grapes always make me think of Patricia Wells' Winemaker's Grape Cake. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/winemakers-grape-cake-104222 My only change: she suggests leaving in the seeds for "crunch." I did that the first time I made this cake, but will never make that mistake again! It's a pain in the neck, but I strongly suggest removing the seeds. You can also use other types of grapes (or even raspberries or blueberries), but I really love this cake with the Concord grapes. I also found this video of Patricia Wells and Martha Stewart making this cake (with different grapes), which I had never seen before: http://www.marthastewart.com/990565/patricia-wells-provincial-grape-cake