Some Canning Ideas

I grant you, I have not canned of late. Between moving to another state and not having a simple 4-block walk to the Farmers' Market anymore, I have less farm-fresh produce so close at hand. But here are a couple of recipes I have made in the past and want to share here.

First; Spiced, Pickled Peaches. I made these some years back. Everything looked and tasted good when I made them. Over time, however, they turned dark. Not pretty at all. I suspect that it is because I left in the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. So, leaving them in is optional. I was looking for a powerful spice flavor, so I left them in the jars. This is a matter of choice. There was nothing at all wrong with the peaches. And they tasted great. They just looked unappetizing.

So, what does one do with such unappetizing spiced peaches, you might ask?

I made a Spiced Peach Upside Down Cake. What else? 

That said, somehow I have neglected to get photos of this cake, and yet the cake was truly delightful. I still have some jars of these peaches, so I will just have to make another to post here! 

Spiced Pickled Peaches

Spiced Pickled Peaches

Makes about 4½ to 5 pints

4 - 5 pounds freestone peaches
1 tablespoon whole cloves
5 (3 - 4-inch) cassia cinnamon sticks
1½ teaspoons allspice berries
2 small chunks dried whole ginger, optional
2 cups white vinegar
3 cups granulated sugar

In a large pan, mix together the vinegar and sugar and add in the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves. Use a mesh bag or a tea strainer to contain the allspice and ginger if using, along with the cloves and cinnamon stick if you choose not to leave them in the mixture, and place into the pot. Bring to a boil for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved.

Drop peaches into a pot of boiling water briefly, then into cold water. Slip off skins and cut peaches in half, removing pits. (Alternately, if you have a ceramic bladed peeler, they can be peeled without the boiling water.) As they are prepped, place them into a bowl of cold water with lemon juice to preserve color. Have your canning jars either fresh from the dishwasher or place them in a large pot of simmering water, along with the rings and lids. Place peaches into the vinegar and sugar solution for just a few minutes, until barely tender. As they are ready, place the peaches into the prepared canning jars. Wipe all the rims of the jars before placing on the lids and rings and sealing.

Place the jars into a canning pot with water to cover. Bring to boil and time for 20 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water and set on the counter to wait for the pleasing sound of the jars sealing.

Any preserving of this sort will be tastier if allowed to set for at least 2 weeks before using. 

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Second of my canning recipes that I just have to share here is my Tomato Salsa. When summer's bounty overflows, make salsa. But then, there are just times when there are too many tomatoes, or peppers.  

Tomato  Salsa

When I made this salsa, it did literally take me hours. The reason was that I did not want to use the food processor and possibly pulverize the veggies. I wanted them as distinct as possible, while still being cut very, very small. So, I chopped and chopped and chopped. And the results were just stunningly good, so I guess all the work was truly worth it. Manage your vegetables as you prefer. But the mixture is fantastic. Whether fresh or canned. If you need a really big bowl of fresh salsa, than make this recipe for a party sized occasion.

Tomato  Salsa

Tomato Salsa

Makes about 5 pints

6 pounds tomatoes
3 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped green pepper
½ cup chopped jalapeno (about 5), seeds and membranes removed
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
10 - 12 cloves garlic, minced finely
2/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/3 cup vinegar
¾ cup chopped cilantro

Prepare the tomatoes first. Have a pot of boiling water and place tomatoes into the water for about 1 minute, or until the skins start to split. This can be done in stages. Peel the tomatoes and chop them as desired. Set them into a large colander over a bowl to drain while working with all the rest of the ingredients. Place the drained tomatoes with all the rest of the ingredients except the cilantro into a large stainless steel pot and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 15 minutes, then add the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes more. Have sterile jars ready; fill jars, place on the lids and rings. Process in boiling water bath to cover for 15 minutes.

NOTES: I added a little vinegar to the mixture as added insurance against botulism. Tomatoes have plenty of acid on their own, but the ratio of tomatoes to the rest of the non-acidic ingredients is high.

Just as cumin is not my favorite spice, particularly in salsa, cilantro is not everyone's favorite either. It can be omitted entirely, substituted with an herb or spice of your choice. It is all about which flavors you prefer. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

The Season for Canning and Preserving

When things ripen, they often come in excessive amounts. Too many tomatoes? Too many apples? Whatever it might be that ripens all at once, one great way to preserve some of that wonderful ripe produce is to can it. While I do not can produce in the amounts some of my husband's family will do, still it is very enjoyable in the next year or so, to be able to get a jar from your stash and open it. 

Spiced Tomato Jam

I have tried out quite a few things over the years, and can boast some truly delicious recipes. Apple Butter, both cooked and canned or made in the slow cooker, Bread & Butter Pickles, Chow Chow, Hot Pepper Mustard Relish. These are just a few of my favorites. There are a few more in my Recipe Index. In this blog, I would like to add a few of my oldies to the list. 

When Tomatoes Won't Ripen

When I added in my Chow Chow recipe last year, I was thrilled, as it came out so extremely tasty. When you come to the end of season, and you have green tomatoes that don't want to ripen in autumn's chill, this recipe for Chow Chow makes a great way to use those green tomatoes. Chow Chow is perhaps the common name for this relish, but it exists under other other names, as I found when I began looking at the various recipes for Chow Chow. I had tried a recipe from my mother-in-law many years back, and remembered how the recipe went, so when reading various takes on Chow Chow, I realized that this was essentially the same thing my Mother-in-Law called "Green Tomato Relish." Her recipe calls for a good amount of cabbage, which I left out in my Chow Chow recipe, but otherwise, I really liked some of the other aspects of her Green Tomato Relish. With that in mind, I would like to put her recipe here, as an alternative. I am sure she will be smiling from heaven, about now.

Green Tomato Relish

Green Tomato Relish

Makes 6 pints
 
1 gallon green tomatoes
3 onions
2 bell peppers
½ head of cabbage
Salt
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1 quart cider vinegar
3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons Pickling Spice Mix
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves

My Mother-in-Law used a manual grinder for making this. I happen to have one from my Mom, and I used the medium grind disk. Grind all the vegetables. As you grind, there will be a lot of juice pouring out, so have a large bowl handy. You do not use the juice, but you also do not want it pouring onto the floor. Sprinkle salt all over the ground vegetables, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Alternatively, pulse grind the vegetables in the food processor, not too finely. Drain excess liquids, then pour into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt. Cover with a towel and refrigerate overnight. 

Next day, drain the vegetables and set aside. In a large pot, dissolve together the vinegar, sugar, Pickling Spice, celery and mustard seeds with the ground cinnamon and cloves. Add in the vegetables and bring to a boil. Boil for a half hour, then pack into hot, sterile jars. Wipe rims and threads and place lids. Process pint jars, covered completely in boiling water, and time the jars according to this table:

1 - 1,000 feet above sea level - 10 minutes
1,001 - 6,000 feet above sea level - 15 minutes
Above 6,001 feet above sea level - 20 minutes

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The Bounty of Beets

I might have mentioned (a few dozen times) how much I love beets. Pickled beets (or Beet Pickles) are so delicious, and they are great in so many applications. As is? Delicious. Made into Beets with Horseradish? Serve with ham and drool! Set atop a green salad? It just doesn't get better. 

So, when I was given a slew of beets a few years back, I canned a bunch of Beet Pickles, baked and pureed and froze a bunch, which I used in a couple of iterations of cakes (Chocolate Beet Cake and Beet Spice Cake). Recipes for Beet Pickles abound, and all are fairly similar, but this is my version:

Beet Pickles

Beet Pickles

Makes 6 pints / 3 quarts

4½ - 5 pounds beets
1¼ cups water
1¼ cups sugar
2½ cups cider vinegar
3 teaspoons Kosher salt or pickling salt
1 (4-inch) stick of cassia cinnamon
15 whole cloves
15 whole allspice berries
1 lemon, sliced thinly

Clean the beets well and place into a nonreactive pot (stainless steel or enamel-ware) with water to cover. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and set into cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel the beets and cut them into equal sized pieces.

In a large nonreactive pot (enamel or stainless) combine the water, sugar, vinegar and salt and stir until all the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the cinnamon, cloves and allspice, wrapped in a piece of cheesecloth for easy removal later. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the beets, return to boil, lower heat and cook beets for 10 minutes in the brine. Have ready sterile jars with lids and rings. Ladle beets into the jars, adding in one slice of lemon per jar. Using a table knife, run it around the beets to pack them well into the jar. Top off with enough brine to leave a half-inch headspace. Wipe rim and threads with a damp cloth, place the lid and rings.

Place the jars into a large canning pot with water to cover, bring to boil and maintain the boil for 

30 minutes at up to 1,000 ft, 
35 minutes at 1,000 to 3,000 feet, and 
40 minutes at above 3,000 feet. 

Remove jars from the bath with a jar lifter and allow to cool on the counter. If any jars do not seal, place in the refrigerator to use first.

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The Joy of Ripe Tomatoes

When tomatoes do ripen, they often seem to gang up and do it all at once. This recipe works with most ripe tomatoes, but I prefer using Roma tomatoes, as there is less liquid. The recipe came straight off of the insert from a packet of Sure-Jell® back in the 1970s. I was living in Guatemala and had tomatoes planted. Mom brought me a few packets of Sure Jell®, as I had no access to it down there, at the time. When I discovered the recipe for Spiced Tomato Jam, I was overjoyed, and I loved the jam, as did my children, so I made it repeatedly.

Imagine my shock, when we came back to the U.S to live. I had a slew of tomatoes ripening in my garden and planned to make some more of that delicious Spiced Tomato Jam. I bought a couple of packets of Sure Jell®. Opened the package to check the process of making this favorite - and found that they no longer carried that recipe on their insert! 😲 I was shocked and outraged. How dared they discontinue my favorite recipe? So, I wrote to the company, explaining my dilemma. A few weeks later, I received an apology that they no longer had that recipe in their insert, and they sent the recipe to me, so I could continue making this excellent jam. And here it is.

Spiced Tomato Jam

Spiced Tomato Jam

Makes about 6 (8 fluid ounce) jars

3 cups prepared tomatoes (about 2¼ pounds, fully ripe)
1½ teaspoons grated lemon rind
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
4½ cups granulated sugar (2 pounds)
1 box "Sure Jell" fruit pectin

Prepare the tomatoes. Scald, peel and chop about 2¼ lb tomatoes. Place in saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Measure 3 cups worth into a 6 - 8 quart saucepan. Add lemon rind and juice and the spices.

Measure the sugar and set aside. Mix the Sure Jell into the tomatoes in the saucepan. Place over high heat and stir until mixture comes to a full boil. Immediately add all sugar and stir. Bring to a full rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon. Ladle quickly into hot sterilized jars, filling to within ⅛-inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids and screw bands on tightly. Invert jars for 5 minutes, then turn upright. After 1 hour, check seals.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.