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.

A Great Recipe with Banana Peppers

The first time I tasted this relish, I was just entranced, enchanted, excited and exuberant. Maybe enough alliteration? Still, this relish is just one of the best condiments. It is more versatile than almost anything I have tried. What is it? It is a mustard relish with banana peppers. 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish: good enough to eat by the spoonful!

I originally tasted a version of this relish at the house of my dearest friend, Chris. We have been friends from childhood on, though we are not in touch very much anymore. The time and distance do not dim the memories. I still consider her my best friend. Whenever Chris and I have been together as adults, I have always come away with more fantastic recipes to use. She loves to cook and bake as much as I. When I began looking into gluten-free baking, she was the first person I turned to for advice. She has been on a gluten free regimen for many years, out of choice. 

Last year's Relish

Getting back to this relish, it is known by many names. I don't know where it may have originated. I have seen similar recipes from "Amish Country" in Ohio, where I grew up. More currently, Michael Symon (also from Ohio, BTW), talks about a very similar mixture he calls "Sha Sha Sauce". The amounts of the ingredients may vary a little from one recipe to another, but it is the same basic thing...and it is GOOD!

This year, banana peppers have been very little in evidence. I have been waiting to see them at the Farmers' Market but have so far only seen a few. And now, we are dipping into the higher 30 degree range at night already this far north, and the Farmers' Market will soon be done for the year. Pumpkins and winter squash of all sorts have been out in force. And, some of the most gorgeous bell peppers I have ever seen were out last week. Maybe I will still have an opportunity to find more banana peppers, but for now, I did make one batch of this marvelously flavored relish using half banana peppers and half what appeared to be Anaheims. The Anahaim peppers were so beautiful and big. I had begun removing seeds and membranes before I remembered to get a photo, but you can see how large the Anaheim peppers were from the photo of them, halved, next to my Hammer Stahl Santoku knife with a 7.5-inch blade!

lighter color Banana Peppers left; larger, green Anaheim Peppers right

What is so fantastic about this relish?

You may be wondering why the raptures. Well, the relish is a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy (depending on the heat level of the particular peppers), nice and creamy and mustardy. Somehow, all those things combine into a most indescribably good flavor profile. Here are some of the many uses for this condiment:

• spread on any sandwich; ham, BLT, leftover meatloaf; be creative
• on tortillas for quesadillas
• on toast to pair with eggs for breakfast
• on buns for burgers or hot dogs
• as a veggie dip
• on crackers 
• or just scoop out a spoonful, it is that good!

Until you've tasted it, this relish may not be top of mind. Once tasted, you won't forget it! I introduced it to my son Ken and his wonderful wife, Julia, last year when they came to visit. I sent them home with a jar. They asked for more. This year, just a week or so back, when again visiting, I sent them home with two jars. And that left me with none. I knew I would be making some very soon, so this was no problem.

This year's batch of Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

A few days ago, while I had the Finnish Rye Bread rising, I set about making this relish again. I had made a few changes to the recipe Chris gave me. Still, when looking at the recipe again, I was thinking that not all peppers are created equal. Sometimes banana peppers are long and sometimes not quite so long. How much would the right amount be in cups, I wondered.  This time, while chopping all the peppers, I first weighed them, then cleaned and chopped them and measured the amount. This way there is less guesswork involved. 

When beginning work on the recipe, I thought maybe there were more peppers this year than last year, so I altered the amounts of vinegar, sugar and mustard to reflect this. I used about twice the onion, since the onion was large and fresh from the market also. So, a little more of this, a little more of that, and I had a little bit different a recipe than I started with. None of this changed the excellent flavor. This combination of ingredients just cannot be beat.
 

Hot Pepper Mustard Relish

Makes 8½ cups

1¾ pound banana peppers
2¼ cup white vinegar
2¼ cup yellow mustard
2¾ cup sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon Kosher or canning salt
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced or through a garlic press

chopped peppers left, mixing the recipe right

Set a large canning pot at least halfway filled with water to boil. Set the clean canning jars and rings in the pot. Have lids handy.

Remove stem ends, seeds and membranes from the peppers, then chop into small pieces about ¼ inch in size. There should be about 4 cups. Set aside.

In an 8-quart pot, combine the vinegar, mustard and salt. In a bowl whisk together the flour and sugar and stir into the pot. Add in the onion and garlic and stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring until the mixture thickens. Add the chopped peppers and continue to cook, maintaining a strong simmer and stirring often over medium low to low heat for 20 minutes.

Drop the lid sections of the canning jars into the boiling water with the jars and rings to heat through, but do not leave them for too long. Pack the relish into the sterile jars, top with lids and screw on the rings. Set the sealed jars into a boiling water bath to cover. If the water in the canning pot does not cover the jars, add water until it does. Bring to a boil and time for 20 minutes. Remove and wait from that wonderful sound of the "pop" as lids seal.

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.

Faux Caviar aka Pickled Mustard Seeds

Bread and Butter Pickles 

Summer produce is beginning to hit its stride. Tomatoes are finally ripening up here so far north. And pickling season is in full swing. These last couple of weeks I have made about 8 quarts of Bread and Butter Pickles for my husband. I am not the pickle fanatic he is, though I do love these pickles. It just isn't the thing I think of when sitting down to a meal. Last summer I made about 18 quarts of his Mom's green Lime Chunk Pickles, and he does love them, but I believe he loves the Bread and Butter Pickles more, on a daily basis. So this summer I am focusing on making these. I will keep making them, a bit at a a time until the season ends. It is easy enough to do on a small scale like this. And still very rewarding. I will never be the "Queen of all Things Pickled" that his Mom was, but I hope I am honoring her memory in making these.

My Mom canned some things when I was young, but pickles were not necessarily top of her list. She canned lots of fruit and beets and made some delicious Stewed Tomato relish; she made a lot of jams. Mom and Dad had bought an upright freezer way back then, and mom started freezing a lot of fruit, particularly strawberries and vegetables like green beans, corn and others. Recently I had made some pickled red onions that just taste superb and really set off a sandwich or make a wonderful garnish at any meal. Since I was making those on a 1-quart basis, I have not bothered with getting out the canning pot and doing the water bath. I just pop them straight into the fridge for immediate use. 

While I am not so much into pickling things, I have done my share of canning. When I lived in Guatemala, they had no decent pickles at all. In my later teens I had gotten to like dill pickles, but in Guatemala there were no such things. I had my trusty Joy of Cooking, and made dill pickles from that cookbook, to the delight of all my in-laws there. I grew the cucumbers, going out daily to pick small ones, gathering them up until I had enough to make a few jars. I grew my own dill also. I usually had a few quarts of various canned foods and jams on top of the kitchen cabinets, for when we had company.

Pickled Mustard Seeds

So a few weeks ago I was reading one of my cooking magazines and noticed something about pickled mustard seeds. I read further to find that they will make that little "pop" in the mouth like caviar, and so they have been sometimes called "Faux Caviar." Pickling mustard seeds, I wondered? But why? Once again, it appears that these are a good topping for little appetizers. The pickled seeds can be used like a sweet mustard on a sandwich. They are versatile. I was intrigued. As I usually do, I went online and searched for recipes, finding that there are about as many recipes and techniques as there are people making them. One had a process of boiling them, draining, boiling and draining various times before even getting to making them pickled. Others just tossed all the ingredients into a pan and cooked them. The methods were all over the board, for style. 

I wanted to make these, but not if it involved that much work. I will work for things when I feel it is worth my time, as with making an Indian or a Guatemalan meal. Making pickled mustard seeds was not that high on my list. I had never tried them, never even heard of them, prior to that day. I just wanted to see what they were like. I created a middle-of-the-road recipe.

The results were both surprising and not. Surprising because, though I knew the recipe involved vinegar and sugar, the flavor was much like a whole grain honey mustard. They did have a bit of a pop in the mouth, but not as much as I had anticipated, based on what I had read. Spread on bread for a sandwich, they are amazing. I haven't had cause to use them to garnish an appetizer. Use them to top pork chops. They will brighten any fatty dish. Use them in cole slaw or red cabbage. Try them in a vinaigrette or aioli. They will really brighten up fish. 

Pickled Mustard Seeds or Faux Caviar

So for now, they are in the fridge, waiting for their turn. Here is my recipe, broken out into grams or ounces also:

Pickled Mustard Seeds

Makes about 1¾ cups

Pickled Mustard Seeds or Faux Caviar

½ cup (3 ounces / 85 grams) yellow mustard seeds
1 cup (8 ounces / 240 grams) plain rice vinegar
¼ cup (1.8 ounces / 51 grams) sugar
½ teaspoon (.07 ounces / 2 grams) salt

In a saucepan, combine the mustard seeds and vinegar and allow to soak for 1 hour. Once the hour is elapsed, add the salt and sugar and bring to boil. Lower heat to a simmer and let the seeds cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the seeds are tender and will pop when chewed. Pour into a clean jar with tight fitting lid and let cool. Store in the refrigerator until needed.

Once cooked, the seeds will thicken the liquid significantly. When cooled, the mixture is thick as any mustard.

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.