Apples and Tomatoes!

Everything these days seems to revolve around Apples or Tomatoes. I do have more grapes to pick but I never seem to get around to it. My apple tree is still loaded - I haven't even begun to make a dent in the apples!

This week I have been running the dehydrator 24/7 and have many jars of dried apple slices to show for it. I never make enough of these - we all like to snack on them.

Today I am cooking down tomato sauce. It is satisfying to open a jar of tomato sauce in the winter and know where it came from.

Your turn, what is keeping you busy in your garden this fall?

A very fruitful weekend!

Look how loaded my apple tree is!

A bucket of apples freshly picked - does anyone know what variety they are? They are definitely a pie apple. These apples have not been sprayed - even with anything natural - if you maintain a healthy tree and environment around your tree, your apples will be fine. There is no need to put nasty chemical on your fruit.

A bowl full of apple slices ready to be made into apple pie filling

What I canned this weekend - 6 quarts and 1 pint of diced tomatoes, 7 quarts of apple pie filling and 1 quart of dehydrated apple slices.

My apple tree!

My son is already bugging me to let him open one of the jars of apple pie filling - he likes to just eat it right out of the jar and not wait for pie! My husband is already hoping for spaghetti from the canned tomatoes. I told both of them that for the amount of work that went into canning them, I just want them to sit on the shelf awhile so I can admire them - not see them gone in 30 seconds!

The results of my weekend of canning

It was a busy weekend, but when you can look at your harvest and see what you did, it makes it all worth it.

The end results of my weekend's canning efforts are:
4 quarts of tomato sauce
7 quarts of dill pickle spears canned plus 1 quart of refrigerator dills (they are so much crunchier in the fridge and not canned, but I don't have the room for more than a quart or two here and there).
7 pints of relish
10 pints of french green beans (plus 1 pint that didn't seal that we already ate for dinner).
10 jars of grape jam

I didn't get to the apples yet and I have grape pulp that I need to freeze, but I think I did pretty good.

Food I put up this week

Here is a load of sliced plums on my dehydrator.

Here is a close up of the same plums.

And here they are all ready to come off - see how much they have shrunk and how far apart they are now.

Canned green beans ready for the pantry.

Plum Jam

I just love taking these

and turning them into this!

This was the first batch I made of plum jam from my plum tree.

Last year we got enough plums for fresh eating and I made some fruit leathers.

This year the tree is loaded and there are going to be plums for lots of things.

I may have to find some new plum recipes - anyone have a favorite they would like to share?

To make this plum jam I pretty much followed the directions on the Sure-Jell box (the lower sugar one). Except that instead of finely chopping the plums, I just quartered them and then when they were soft I used a hand blender to puree them.

Plums contain a lot of pectin so you can make plum jam or jelly without adding any commercial pectin at all - but since I haven't done that in years, I stuck with the sure thing for my first batch.

It is so yummy!

Dill Pickles

This is an old recipe of mine - I like this one because it requires no brining at all. It is simple and easy to follow.

Dill Pickles

8 pounds cucumbers
4 cups vinegar
12 cups water
2/3 cup pickling or canning salt (do not use table salt)

Garlic
Fresh Dill
Grape Leaves

Wash cucumbers and cut off blossom end. (The blossoms contain an enzyme that will make your pickles soft and dark)

Soak cucumbers in ice water bath for about 4 hours, adding ice as needed. (this will make them crunchy)

Sterilize 7 to 8 quart jars (or twice as many pint jars if you prefer)

Cut cucumbers into spears if desired.

In a large saucepan or stock pot, combine the vinegar, water and salt. Bring brine to a rapid boil.

In each sterilized jar, place garlic and dill to taste (I use 3 medium cloves garlic halved per jar and 2 heads of dill) and 2 small grape leaves (the grape leaves are optional but if you have them available – don’t leave them out – they will keep your pickles crunchy!)

Fill jars with the cucumbers and then add brine (it should be boiling as you add it). Using a spatula, remove air bubbles, clean the rim of the jars and seal.

Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.

The longer you can wait to open the pickles, the better tasting they will be. I usually try to wait 6 to 8 weeks before testing but sometimes they get opened much quicker!

Making Salsa to can

My home canned salsa is something that my family looks forward to.

Making salsa is a lot of work but oh so worth it.

Step One: Prepare the tomatoes. I cut mine up and run them through a food mill to remove the peels and seeds. If you don't have a food mill, you will need to peel and seed them. You want to cook them down to the consistency of tomato sauce or your finished salsa will be runny. I start with about 8 quarts of tomato puree - for smaller batches, you can cut the recipe down.

The type of tomato that you use will make a big difference. I use roma times that have more meat and less juice.

After I have started the tomatoe puree cooking down, I chop up the rest of the vegetables.

Step Two: Cut up 8 cups of peppers. I make a mild salsa that my child can eat so it is about 3 cups of hot peppers and 5 cups of bell. The hotter you want it, increase the amount of hot peppers while reducing the amount of bell. Also take into account the heat of the peppers you are using - some peppers are hotter than others. Always better if you aren't sure to go milder.

Add the peppers to the tomato puree as it continues to simmer and cook down.

Step Three: Next chop and add 5 cups of onions. I use a mixture of red and white onions, but any will do.

Step Four: Next I mince 6 cloves of garlic. Use less if you aren't a garlic fan. I am of the school that you can never have too much garlic in anything. It is so healthy and good for you and I just like the taste.

Step Five: Add 1 1/2 cups of vinegar. This is a necessary step to raise the acidity of the salsa so you can safely can it in a boiling water bath.

Step Six: Add 1 tablespoon of salt. Always use canning/pickling salt - never use table salt - it will discolor.

Step Seven: Optional - add minced fresh cilantro. I add it if I have it but don't worry about it if I don't.

Step Eight: Let the salsa cook down until it is a good consistency. To test I take some and put it in a small dish and put it in the refrigerator to cool. Then test it on a chip and see if it is too runny. This is also a good time to see if the flavor needs adjusting before canning.

The salsa has cooked down to the right consistency. I have about 6 quarts in my 8 quart stock pot. The tomatoes have reduced themselves by about half - it was down to 6 quarts when I added the other vegetables and that brought it back up to full, now it has cooked down again to the 6 quart mark.

The salsa in a small dish for sampling.

Nice and thick on the chip.

Step Nine: Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Making sure you sterilize the jars and lids right before using.

The finished salsa. This recipe makes 6 quarts.

How to can rhubarb

I canned 18 pints of rhubarb today. Rhubarb is easy to can. You can do it in a boiling water bath - you don't need a pressure canner. Rhubarb is also easy to freeze - I always freeze some for crisps, but I love stewed rhubarb on my waffles in the morning.

To can -

1. Prepare your rhubarb. Wash and cut into small pieces. Place the rhubarb in a sauce pan or stock pot and add just enough water to the bottom so it doesn't scorch - you don't need much, rhubarb has plenty of water in it. Bring to a boil stirring once in awhile to get the stewed pieces up from the bottom and the still hard pieces from the top down into the liquid. Sweeten to taste with your choice of sweetener.

2. Steralize your jars - either in boiling water or a dishwasher.

3. Fill your jars with rhubarb - use a non metal spatula to release any air bubbles that may be trapped along the side of your jars - wipe the rims of your jars off with a paper towel - put new lids on top and fasten with jar rings.

4. Place in a boiling water bath and process for 15 minutes (from the time that the water returns to a boil) - making sure the jars are all submerged.

5. Remove and cool. When cool, test to make sure they have all sealed.

Easy Peasy.

Canning Green Beans Step by Step

My green beans are producing late this year. I freeze most of my beans, but Andy seems to like canned beans better so I canned some today.

Here are step by step instructions:


First cut up your beans to the size desired - I frenched mine. You can leave them whole or cut them up - just make sure the pieces are pretty uniform.


This is my frenching machine - it clamps to the table - I have no idea where I got it - I've had it for years.


Sterilize your jars - if you have a dishwasher, that will work - I don't so I use the canner - I fill them with water and bring to a boil.


Pack the raw green beans into the jars - pack them tightly.


Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt per pint (salt is totally optional).


Pour boiling water over the beans - fill up the top of the beans leaving at least 1/2 inch headspace.


Run a knife or spatula inside the jar to release air bubbles that might be trapped. This is a very important step - skip it and you may end up with jars that do not seal.


Wipe the rims of the jars off with a clean cloth.


Put lids and bans on jars. And put into a pressure canner. You cannot can green beans using the open kettle method - you must have a pressure canner.


Follow your manufacturer's directions - mine say to add 3 quarts of boiling water and then the jars (on the rack - never use it without a rack). Put the lid on and lock - but don't put the pentcock on yet - let steam freely come out the valve for 5 to 10 minutes.


After you have vented the steam out, put the pentcock on and watch the pressure - you will start timing once it gets to 11 lbs. Adjust the heat to keep the pressure steady at the 11 lbs.


Set the timer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes turn off the heat and let the pressure cooker cool naturally. When the pressure drops to zero, remove the pentcock - wait at least 5 minutes and then open the lid - making sure you open it away from you so the steam doesn't burn you. Let the jars cool in the pressure cooker for at least 5 minutes to get used to the temperature change.


Then let cool on a towel. When cool check to make sure that they sealed.

I've been trying to make sugar free jelly

I haven't been blogging because I've been in my kitchen experimenting.

The goal - to make an all natural sugar free jelly that tastes good.

The problem - sugar is a big part of what makes jelly "jell" so making one without any sugar is tricky. I don't want to used processed nutrient dead calorie rich white sugar. I also don't want to use artificial sweeteners. It also has to be gluten free and casein free. Since sugar also acts as a preservative in jellies, if I do succeed it will probably have a shorter shelf life.

I didn't want to use honey or maple syrup for fear they would add too much flavor - I really want to taste the fruit.

I decided to use stevia for my first trials. I also picked currants to be the fruit since I have a bumper crop of them this year and I won't be upset if I ruin a batch or two.

Batch #1 was a complete bust. It did not jell at all and wasn't even thick enough to use as syrup. It was also way too tart.

I decided to increase the pectin and the stevia and try again.

Batch #2 was better. It jelled. A soft jell that set up a little firmer in the fridge - definitely a texture I could be happy with. But it was still way too tart.

I'm not sure what to do next. I'm not sure if I need to add more stevia or less. Stevia can get bitter if you use too much so you want to use it sparingly. It wasn't bitter though so I think I could add more - or should I just switch to a different sweetener?

I'm going to mull it over a bit before I give it another go. I'll keep you all posted and post a final recipe and pictures when I get it all figured out.

My Garden will continue to sustain me throughout the winter

I belong to a bargain hunting board on the internet and the ladies love to post pictures of their stashes that they got for next to nothing. Well, this is along the same lines - but this is my gardening stash. But it wasn't free - it cost me a lot of labor and love - but I know that every bite of it is 100% pure and natural and exactly where it came from. Is it enough to keep me from having to buy fruits and veggies all winter long? No - but it all helps.


Here are 11 dozen jars of jelly and jam. They are not full dozens as we have taken some out to enjoy and share with friends - but they were all full. And we won't eat all of this - much of this will make it's way into gift baskets this holiday season.


This section contains stewed tomatoes, salsa, green chilis, applesauce and catsup.


Here are dried apples, more applesauce, tomato sauce and apple pie filling.


A look inside my freezer.


A glance into the bottom of my freezer.


And my dried herbs.

Making Apple Pie Filling to Can

Today was a nice cool fall day - a perfect day to heat up the kitchen by canning.


First slice up the apples - I do this over several days and store in the fridge. I don't know exactly how many I cut up - I just keep cutting - if I end up with too many I can always throw them in the dehydrator. When I first starting playing with this recipe, it said to cut up 16 cups of apples and it would yield 4 quarts of apple pie filling - well, what I ended up with was more filling than apples and they would float to the top - the apples shrink as they cook and different varieties of apples cook up differently - so you really just have to experiment for yourself. I probably had 4 two and three quart bowls full of sliced apples when I started this morning.


This recipe calls for quick cooking tapioca and a lot of people aren't sure what that is - so here is a picture of the Minute Tapioca that I use.


In a large stock pot, mix 4 1/2 cups sugar (I use a combination of rapadura and white sugar - I am moving towards totally eliminating white sugar from our diet), 1 cup quick cooking tapioca, 4 teaspoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon nutmeg.


Stir in 10 cups of water.


Cook on medium high heat - you will see the little beads of tapioca in it - they will thicken as it cooks and you will not see them in the finished product - it will just be a thick syrup.


Make sure you stir it so it doesn't stick to the bottom and burn - you can see the beads are starting to thicken.


When it comes to a boil, boil and stir for 2 minutes.


Add the apples.


I add as many apples as I can and still have room to stir in the pot - if you fill it too full you don't have any room to manipulate the apples around.


Bring to a full rolling boil and cook 1 minute. A full rolling boil is one that you cannot stir down - in other words if you stir it while it is boiling, it continues to boil.


Ladle into jars and run a knife or spatula along the edges to release any trapped air bubbles.


Wipe the tops clean (I use a disposable paper towel) - if there is any sticky residue on the tops, it will interfer with the seals.


Process in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes.


And here is the finished product.

Now, I had a little bit of the sauce left over so I mixed it with the sliced apples that I hadn't used and cooked them up all nice and soft. I divided them into 8 custard cups and topped with a crumb topping. I put them in the oven and baked at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.


And I have dessert for tonight.

For the crumb topping I used:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cold margarine
Mix the flour and sugar and then cut in the margarine until crumbly.