Pear + Apples = Sauce

It's been a busy week...but canning is relaxing for me.
I know...I weird.

I have a bucket of apples and a handful of pears. 
What better way to spend my day than making applesauce.
There are two recipes that I want to try.
One recipe is perfect for this adorable, smiley little girl that I know. She could use some all-natural, no additions, pear and apple goodness.
The second recipe is perfect for a cold winter day when I need some apple love with a hint of cinnamon.

Pear-Applesauce
Adapted from Simply Canning

Ingredients:
5 quarts peeled, cored, and sliced apples
1 quart peeled, cored, and sliced pears
1 cup water
4 Tbls. fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Pour water and lemon juice into a large pot.
2. As you peel, core, and slice your apples, place them in the pot with the lemon/water to prevent browning.

3. Bring the apples/pears to a simmer and cook down until it has the correct "saucy" consistency.

4. Canning: Fill sterilized pint jars to 1/2-inch headspace, then process in a water-bath canner for 25 minutes.

Applesauce
Recipe and Directions From Local Kitchen

Ingredients:
6 lbs local apples
6 cinnamon sticks
1 and 1/4 cups freshly pressed apple cider or juice
4 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp sea salt (I omitted this...)

Directions:
(Directly from Local Kitchen)
1. Measure lemon juice and cider into a large stockpot.

2.Peel, core and quarter apples. As you peel them, drop into the pot and toss in the lemon juice/cider to prevent browning.

3. Toast the cinnamon sticks: Using kitchen tongs and a heavy duty oven mitt, hold the cinnamon sticks, one or two at a time, over the flame of a gas range, turning frequently, for about 1 minute, until they darken and smell fragrant. Try not to burn them – if you hold them too close to the flame, they will flame and burn. You can also toast the sticks by laying them directly on a (clean) electric burner for about 20 to 30 seconds per side.

4. Add the cinnamon sticks and salt to the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir well, then lower heat as low as it will go, partially cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples break down to a saucy consistency (1 to 2 hours).

5. When the applesauce has achieved the desired consistency, taste and adjust salt if necessary; remove cinnamon sticks.

6. To can, fill sterilized pint or half-pint jars to 1/2-inch headspace. Process in a water-bath canner for 20 minutes.

My house smells amazing and I just love hearing the pop, pop, pop of the jars sealing.  Though this process took me all afternoon, the process was easy and the reward is great.  I can't wait to share these lovely jars with those I love.

And I can't wait to make more!!!

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Free

Throughout my childhood, I grew up next to a peach orchard. 

For some kids this might not be that great, but for me...
                                ...there were millions of peaches, peaches for FREE!

Okay, the peaches weren't free at all, but when you hop over the fence and climb the tree, they were free in my world.  I also remember get yelled at by the cranky owner.  He probably wasn't really all that cranky.  Instead, all of us kids eating his profits probably made him cranky.  But those peaches were incredible delicious.  Every summer we couldn't wait for our face and hands to be covered in sticky, sweet drippings from all of our peach snatching.  I guess that's why I'm still so excited to see peaches each summer.  The difference is that this year I'm going to can them to enjoy all winter long.  Yumma!

Pause.
Peach Break.

Donut Peaches

Delicious.  This was the last official weekend for these beauties, so I've been munching on them all day.  They're not suitable for canning, but they're perfect for munching. ;0)

Canning peaches is a labor of love.  It's not an easy process, but you will be thankful during those cold winter nights, when you want something to bring you a little hint of summer.

Honey Peaches with Cinnamon

recipe modified
from
Ball Blue Book of Preserving

This is a great resource for people wanting to can.  Even if you've been canning for awhile, go get it because it has a great amount of basic information to keep your canning safe.




Ingredients:
20 lbs. of Peaches
Raw Honey- 42oz.
Water
1 Tbl. Cinnamon
Fruit Fresh- ascorbic acid

Directions:
Prepping the peaches...this is the time-consuming part. 
         To peel the skins: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill another large bowl with ice water.
Gently drop 3-4 peaches into the water, then fish them out with a slotted spoon after 30 seconds to 1 minute. I used my water-steamer...It has a large basket that I could dip in and out of the water.  Slip off the peels. With either method, place the peaches directly into the bowl of ice-water.  Once peeled, slice into quarters, and then place them in a bowl.  Sprinkle the Fruit fresh over the peaches according to the package directions.  This will help keep your fruit pretty.

Heat the water-bath canner and have your sterilized jars and lids ready.  Refer to the Blue Book for additional directions.






The syrup…
In a medium-sized pot, combine the honey, water, and cinnamon.  Bring it to a boil.
-For a light syrup: 1 1/2 cups honey and 4 cups water
-For medium syrup: 2 cups honey and 4 cups water
Either amount will work well...for 20 lbs. of peaches...double the syrup amount.

Pack the peaches into the jars…
Pack peaches tightly into the jars, leaving 1 inch headspace at the top. Ladle the hot syrup into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Prepare peach jars for canner...
Use a knife or chopstick to remove air bubbles around the inside of each jar. Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it’s finger-tight.

Water-Bath Canner
Return the jars to the water in the canning pot, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and boil pints for 25 minutes or quarts for 30 minutes. Remove the jars to a folded towel and do not disturb for at least 12 hours. I like to leave them untouched for 24 hours.

Check Your Seals
After 1 hour, check that the lids have sealed by pressing down on the center of each; if it can be pushed down, it hasn’t sealed, and the jar should be refrigerated immediately. Label the sealed jars and store in cool, dark place.  My basement is perfect for storage.  :0)

Now, I didn't can millions of peaches, but 20 lbs of peaches gave me 14 pints, and 1 quart of peaches to enjoy all winter.  It should be enough to remind me that winter will eventually be over and the summer sun will return. Until then...

Butter Me up...with Apples

Most children love cake.  I wasn't like most children.

I'm not saying that I don't like cake.  I do.  I like cake just fine.  Especially if that cake is made by my mom...but nothing...I mean NOTHING compared to my love of the apple. 

When my birthday came around, I didn't want cake.  I wanted apple pie.  And not just any apple pie, my mom's apple pie.  I love apple pie, because I love apples.  Raw, baked, sauced...it doesn't matter, I love 'em!

So to continue my trend of preserving food for the winter, today I made apple butter.  Creamy, smooth, lovely apple butter.  It's like I warm hug from your mom.  No, really...it is.  If not your mom, then it's a warm hug from me.




Crockpot Apple Butter
recipe from Simple Canning
http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-apple-butter.html
This is a great site...tasty and simple recipes for canning.  Love it!

Ingredients

• apples -peeled and sliced thinly...prepare enough to fill your crock pot very full.
• 1 -2 cups sugar (to taste) I used 1 1/2 cups :0)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

1. Fill your crockpot with sliced apples.

2. In a bowl mix sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour this mixture over the apples.

3. Cover and cook approximately 10 hours. Stir occasionally.

Tip: Start these in the evening. Cook on high for an hour just before going to bed. Turn down to low and give them a good stir. In the morning whisk them up. (This is a great tip! It worked perfectly.)

4. As the apples cook you will be able to go from stirring with a spoon to a whisk. They will whisk up nice and smooth.

5.Cook, cook, and cook.  The color will get darker and your house will smell AMAZING!

This is after 10 hours.

6. You can leave the lid off for the last hour or two to get a thicker consistency. Fill your sterilized and prepared jars (refer to the National Center for Home Preservation if needed) leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims clean, remove any air bubbles and place your lids.

7. Process to seal.

Processing:

If this is your first time canning, please read up on the process at the The National Center for Home Food Preservation website. http://nchfp.uga.edu/
FYI- I process half-pint and pint jars for 10 minutes.

Toast time!

A toast to my favorite fruit!

Oops...I couldn't wait to take a bite.  Yep, it was that good.

A warm hug in my tum. :0)

Got Zucchini?

Who doesn't, right? 

Zucchini...it seems to be the veggie that people ditch on your doorstep and try to throw in your direction.  But it doesn't have to be a thorn in your side.  It can be something new and spicy.

I love to preserve food, and this summer I wanted to try pickling.  Now, for me, I don't really like pickles.  I guess you could say that I'm picky about my pickles or pickled items.  I like them a bit sweet and a bit sour. 

My guidebook for pickling is this beautiful book.

 http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/art-of-preserving-cookbook/

This week I received some zucchini and summer squash in my CSA box and thought that I would try and different take on this troublesome veggie.


Pickled Zucchini Relish
By Rick Field and Rebecca Courchesne
Recipe copied from the book listed above

2lbs. zucchini ( I mixed in squash too- half and half)
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 Tbsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Chop, chop, chop...Chop zucchini (and squash), onion, and red bell pepper into small pieces.  Place in a non-reactive bowl with the salt.  Mix to combine.  Cover and let it sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours, but you can leave it sitting for a whole day.

2. The next day...have your jars and lids ready to go.

3. Drain and rinse the zucchini mixture a couple times.

4. Place the zucchini mixture into a saucepan and add the sugar, vinegar, celery seeds, nutmeg, turmeric, pepper, and 1 cup of water.  Stir. This smells so good!

5. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Let it simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until it becomes slightly thickened.

6. Ladle the hot relish into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.  Remove bubbles and adjust the headspace.  Wipe the rims and seal with the lids.

7. Process jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

8.  The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to a year.  :0)

One of my favorite comfort foods is egg salad.  I love egg salad.  When I'm having a bad day, nothing makes me feel better like yummy egg salad, well, and a cookie.   This is a good alternative to pickled relish and will be a perfect addition to my comforting egg salad.

Now I need a sandwich...at least I have the relish ready! :0)

Jars of Love

Jam, jam, jam!  I just can't make enough and to those who receive it, hopefully they agree! :0) The berries carefully picked for the latest batch of jam were...
Tayberries...

and Marionberries...

When I make jam, I really make jam.  Meaning, I make a lot of jam.  Jammin' is messy and requires a lot of supplies.  Therefore I like to make the mess, but if I can just have that mess for one day, then that's even better!

Jars!! :0)

The wide-mouthed, half-pint are my favorite!

Since I generally jam alone, I like to set everything up while the water-bath canner is warming up.  I have all of the jars and bands sterilized and waiting hot in the dishwasher.  All of the supplies are out on the counter...like I said...messy.

Some people like to use a food processor for their jam.  Me, I like to use the old-fashioned potato masher.

The potato masher, lets you, the "jammer", mash it to your liking.  I like my berries to still kind of look like berries.

When I make jam, I literally follow the direction in the Ball pectin box.  It's never let me down, and people love it!  The next few steps are hot...so be carefully!

I have burned myself a few times from the sputtering hot jam.  Like I said...be careful. 

Once you make jam the first time, you will have towels that are designated "jam towels."  I use these towels to cover the counter for ladling the jam in the jars and for the cooling stage.  They wash up pretty well, but there will always be a few stains.

Add the two-piece lids and place into the water-bath canner.

Set the timer according to the directions and your altitude.

Do you like my pink towel? It wasn't always pink!

If you are like me, and love the process of jammin',

you will repeat this process a few more times and then...

Jam is complete and ready to bring someone joy. 

When I picture someone opening my jam,

I like to picture sparkly confetti flying in the air.  :0)

BOOM! CONFETTI ATTACK!