Curried Tomato Soup - with Canning directions

WARNING!!  THIS RECIPE IS NOT USDA APPROVED!  I HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT MY FOOD COULD CAUSE DEATH!  CAN AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

There.  That's done.

Ok - so I love Heidi Swanson's recipe for Indian Spiced Tomato Soup.  It's a bit blah on it's own, but top it with the stir-ins below and it is fantastic!!!!  Seriously, you have to have the coconut milk at least, but I try to have them all on hand to serve.  But, there are a few changes that need to be made to be able to can safely. I changed the amount of onions, no water, and also no butter - hard to can.  But the spices are the same, so it still tastes about right.

Here is my altered version:

4 qts. tomatoes (skinned, seeded (if desired), crushed - I don't bother with skinning or seeding)
4C chopped onion
1.5T curry powder
1.5 teaspoon coriander
1.5 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sweat the onions with 1C water (do not use oil or butter) until tender.  Add tomatoes and spices and  simmer 20 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Liquify in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender, if desired. (I crushed my tomatoes and onions in the food processor, so I didn't need to blend mine again)

Pour into hot jars, leave 1" headspace.  Process in a pressure canner: Pints - 20 minutes at 10lbs, Quarts 25min @ 10lbs..

To Serve:
Heat soup to a simmer serve over cooked brown rice, barley, etc.  Have these on hand to serve on top:

• hard boiled eggs, chopped
• cilantro, chopped
• toasted slivered/sliced almonds
• coconut cream (open a can of full-fat coconut milk without shaking it - scoop the thick cream from the top of the can)
• lemon or lime wedges

Spaghetti Sauce with Meat

Adapted from the Blue Ball Book to use less meat and more tomatoes.  This is a double batch, about 9-10 quarts, depending on how much you simmer it down.


5lbs ground meat
4C chopped onions
2C chopped green peppers
25C chopped/crushed tomatoes
24oz tomato paste
1/4C brown sugar
1/4C dried parsley
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons oregano
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4C apple cider vinegar

1. Brown ground beef in a 3 gal. pot.  Drain.  add onions and peppers and sautee until tender.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until desired thickness (about an hour and mine was thick enough to stand up my wooden spoon)
3. Ladle into hot jars, leaving 1" head space.
4. Process in a pressure canner at 10lbs - Pints, 1 hour.  Quarts, 1 hour fifteen minutes

Kara's Blue Ball Salsa

This recipe is basically the one from the Blue Ball Canning Book - but I got it from Kara, and she and I have both made notes and changes, so here it is!


10C crushed tomatoes (peeled and seeded if you like - I don't do it)
5C chopped tomatoes
5C onions, chopped
2.5C jalapenos, seeded and chopped
6 cloves garlic
1/2C cilantro, chopped
3 teaspoons salt
1.25C apple cider vinegar

1. Combine ingredients, simmer 10 minutes.
2. Process in boiling water bath - Pints or quarts, 15 minutes.

Last year I only used 1C jalapenos, and the salsa was quite mild, but had great flavor.  I drained the juices off the vegetables to make it thicker. 

Last year I skinned & seeded the tomatoes, then drained my veggies ot make my salsa thicker.  It wasn't all that thick adn I got 3.5 quarts.

This year I did not skin or seed my tomatoes, and I did not drain the veggies.  I got 5.5 quarts.  You decide.

The Great Pectin Debate - liquid vs. powdered - with Jalapeno Jelly Experiment

Jalapeno Jelly - a bit too green...

So, it was inevitable - soon after starting to can, I start reading recipes that called for ONLY liquid pectin, or ONLY powdered pectin.  I checked online, in my Blue Ball Cookbook, and everyone says NOT INTERCHANGEABLE!!! 


But why?  Liquid pectin is usually well over 2x more expensive, plus you need more of it, which makes the cost go up even more.  Powdered pectin can be bought bulk in a jar, which makes it even cheaper than per box.  I wanted to know for sure whether or not I could convert a liquid pectin recipe to a powdered one.  So I did a little experiment.


Below is a recipe for Jalapeno Jelly from my friend Naomi S. - basically the one from the Ball Blue Book, but with the addition of a bell pepper to give the jelly more chunks. (I didn't have a bell pepper on hand, so my jelly is rather chunk-less)  I had enough jalapenos to make 1 batch, so I divided it into 2 half-batches.  One would use the original liquid pectin just as the recipe states, and the other I would try to convert to powder.


Short Story - both batches turned out perfectly.  Below I will list both recipes and you can take your pick!!


Longer story - it is true that you cannot just substitute liquid and powdered pectin, because they work in different ways.  You have to change the recipe.

• For liquid pectin, you bring all ingredients to a boil, boil for 10 minutes, then squeeze in the liquid pectin, boil for 1 minute, then process.
• For powdered pectin you bring all ingredients (including powdered pectin) except sugar to a boil.  add sugar all at once, boil 1 minute, then process.

 So that's what I did.

• For the original jelly recipe, I brought it all to a boil for 10 minutes, added liquid pectin, boiled 1 minute, poured into jars, processed.  Jelly set on the sides of the pan while I was pouring, perfectly stiff jelly after boiling bath.  
• For my experiment recipe I brought everything except the sugar to a boil, added sugar, returned to a boil for 1 minute, poured into jars, processed.  Jelly set on the sides of the pan while I was pouring, jelly still slightly liquid straight out of the bath, set very firm by morning.

Fini!  Code cracked, mystery solved.  I'm still not sure why they need 2 kinds of pectin, or why one would be preferable to the other.  I've heard that the powdered pectin lends a dark/muddy tint, and it certainly looked that way in the pan - darker than the liquid pectin batch.  But the processed jars look the same to me.  I did use the food coloring to help with the color on both batches.  Cooked jalapenos are not very pretty.  Think 'overdone broccoli'.


Please feel free to use the recipe below to make Jalapeno Jelly out of liquid or powdered pectin, and enjoy the fruits of your labor!! Another bonus of using the powdered pectin, is that you don't have to cook 'n' stir for 10 minutes!!

Jalapeno Jelly - using liquid pectin

8 large or 12 small jalapenos (12 oz)

1 whole bell pepper, seeded (orange or red preferably)

6 C sugar
2C white vinegar, divided

2 pouches liquid pectin 
3-5 drops green food coloring

1. Remove the tops and seeds of all peppers (keep 1 jalapeno with the seeds in for mild heat, more if you like). Grind all seeded peppers in food processor or blender with 1C of the vinegar.  Add peppers, SUGAR and remaining vinegar into a sauce pan.  
2. Bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes.  Add pectin and return to rolling boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in food coloring, 1-2 drops at a time (I used like 8 drops accidentally, and it's WAAAAYYYY too green and fake looking :-(
   
3. Pour into hot jars, adjust lids and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Jalapeno Jelly - using powdered pectin

8 large or 12 small jalapenos (12 oz)

1 whole bell pepper, seeded (orange or red preferably)

6 C sugar - pre-measured into a bowl

2C white vinegar, divided

1 box powdered pectin (6 tablespoons from a bulk jar)

3-5 drops green food coloring

1.  Remove the tops and seeds of all peppers (keep 1 jalapeno with the seeds in for mild heat, more if you like). Grind all seeded peppers in food processor or blender with 1C of the vinegar.  Add peppers, PECTIN and remaining vinegar into a sauce pan. 
2. Bring to a rolling boil, add sugar all at once, then stir until melted.  If your jelly starts to set immediately (mine did) you might find it helpful to use a whisk.  But it will all melt eventually, so don't worry.  Bring back to a rolling boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in food coloring 1-2 drops at a time (I used like 8 drops accidentally, and it's WAAAAYYYY too green and fake looking :-(
3. Pour into hot jars, adjust lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
   

Sweet Garden Relish

Hot jars waiting for labels

I based my version on a recipe here.  I added a couple of spices, and some squash.  Otherwise, the recipe is about the same.

Utensils:
food processor (or a knife, cutting board and lots of time)

jar lifter
magnetic lid lifter
funnel
ladle/measuring cup
wooden spoon

Veggies:
6C chopped cucumbers
3C chopped yellow squash
3 red/green bell peppers
2 onions
1/2C canning/pickling salt
cold tap water

Pickling Spices:
2C apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon celery seed
1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 Tablespoon peppercorns (I used mixed colored)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid (optional, to protect color)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1. Wash and dry 10 half pint jars and lids.
2. Run all your veggies through a food processor until your desired dice.  Chunky or fine, it's up to you.  Place them in a large bowl and mix well.  Sprinkle salt over all, cover with cold tap water and soak for 2 hours.
3. Start your water bath canner heating on the stove - cover it to speed the process up.
4. Drain veggies in a colander then rinse well with cold water - DO NOT SKIP THE RINSING! I nearly ruined a batch by forgetting to rinse the salt out.  After the veggies taste unsalted again, leave in the colander to drain for 20 minutes or so.  We want as much water out as possible - you can press and squeeze to speed this up.
5. Meanwhile, mix together all the pickling spices in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
6. When the veggies are drained, add to the pickling spices pot.  Stir well and bring to a simmer.
7. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, turn off, and add your lids.
8. Your water bath should be boiling by now (if not, turn off your relish and then bring it back to a simmer when your water is boiling)  I like to use my water bath to sanitize my jars, so put your 10 jars down into the boiling water - it helps to hold your jar on the end of a wooden spoon, then lower it down slowly.  
9. After 3-5 minutes sanitizing, you are ready to pack.  Use your jar lifter to bring out 1 jar and pour the boiling water back into the canner.  Set it on a dry washcloth or towel near your stove, relish, lids and rings.  Use a funnel and ladle to fill your jar to about halfway up the threads - leaving 1/2" headspace.  If your relish is chunky, run a chopstick up and down the inside a few times to release bubbles.
10. Wipe the rim with a wet washcloth, use the magnetic lid lifter to bring a lid out of the hot water, place on jar and add a ring - only fingertip tight.  Set the packed jar on the counter near your waterbath.
11. Fill all jars the same way - I got 9 half-pints from my batch.  I always prep an extra jar or 2 just in case.
12. Add your jars to the waterbath, then wait for it to return to a good rolling boil.  Time it for 10 minutes.
13. Remove jars to a thick towel or cooling rack - they must not touch, and need to be undisturbed for 12 hours.
14. After 12 hours, check for seal - the lid should not pop up and down.  Any that are not sealed may be reprocessed, or just stored in the fridge and eaten first.

Eat on hotdogs, burgers, brauts, chips - anything!

Sweet Garden Relish

Hot jars waiting for labels

I based my version on a recipe here.  I added a couple of spices, and some squash.  Otherwise, the recipe is about the same.

Utensils:
food processor (or a knife, cutting board and lots of time)

jar lifter
magnetic lid lifter
funnel
ladle/measuring cup
wooden spoon

Veggies:
6C chopped cucumbers
3C chopped yellow squash
3 red/green bell peppers
2 onions
1/2C canning/pickling salt
cold tap water

Pickling Spices:
2C apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon celery seed
1 Tablespoon mustard seeds
1/2 Tablespoon peppercorns (I used mixed colored)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon citric acid (optional, to protect color)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (optional)

1. Wash and dry 10 half pint jars and lids.
2. Run all your veggies through a food processor until your desired dice.  Chunky or fine, it's up to you.  Place them in a large bowl and mix well.  Sprinkle salt over all, cover with cold tap water and soak for 2 hours.
3. Start your water bath canner heating on the stove - cover it to speed the process up.
4. Drain veggies in a colander then rinse well with cold water - DO NOT SKIP THE RINSING! I nearly ruined a batch by forgetting to rinse the salt out.  After the veggies taste unsalted again, leave in the colander to drain for 20 minutes or so.  We want as much water out as possible - you can press and squeeze to speed this up.
5. Meanwhile, mix together all the pickling spices in a large pot and bring to a simmer.
6. When the veggies are drained, add to the pickling spices pot.  Stir well and bring to a simmer.
7. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, turn off, and add your lids.
8. Your water bath should be boiling by now (if not, turn off your relish and then bring it back to a simmer when your water is boiling)  I like to use my water bath to sanitize my jars, so put your 10 jars down into the boiling water - it helps to hold your jar on the end of a wooden spoon, then lower it down slowly.  
9. After 3-5 minutes sanitizing, you are ready to pack.  Use your jar lifter to bring out 1 jar and pour the boiling water back into the canner.  Set it on a dry washcloth or towel near your stove, relish, lids and rings.  Use a funnel and ladle to fill your jar to about halfway up the threads - leaving 1/2" headspace.  If your relish is chunky, run a chopstick up and down the inside a few times to release bubbles.
10. Wipe the rim with a wet washcloth, use the magnetic lid lifter to bring a lid out of the hot water, place on jar and add a ring - only fingertip tight.  Set the packed jar on the counter near your waterbath.
11. Fill all jars the same way - I got 9 half-pints from my batch.  I always prep an extra jar or 2 just in case.
12. Add your jars to the waterbath, then wait for it to return to a good rolling boil.  Time it for 10 minutes.
13. Remove jars to a thick towel or cooling rack - they must not touch, and need to be undisturbed for 12 hours.
14. After 12 hours, check for seal - the lid should not pop up and down.  Any that are not sealed may be reprocessed, or just stored in the fridge and eaten first.

Eat on hotdogs, burgers, brauts, chips - anything!

Garlic Dill Pickles - for 12 pints

This recipe is from Joel Johnson's mom, Debbie.  It makes crisp, crunchy dill pickles - sliced or whole!!

Helpful Utensils:
Funnel
Ladle or Measuring Cup
Magnetic lid Lifter
Jar Lifter

Stovetop:
3qt water
1qt apple cider vinegar
1 cup canning/pickling salt (or plain non-iodized)
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.  Pack jars while simmering.

Jars:
12 pint jars, lids and rings
8-12 cucumbers (depending on size) well scrubbed
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced in half
fresh or dried dill heads - see note in recipe

Prep:
Bring pickling liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer.


Bring water bath canner to a boil.  This recipe processes quickly, so I just used my biggest stock pot and worked in batches.

Wash jars and lids thoroughly.  Place jars in boiling canning-water for a few minutes to sterilize, then remove to a thick towel to cool.  Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil, turn off, and place lids in the water to sterilize and remain clean.

For dill - Dill flowers are not as strongly flavored as dill seeds.  If you have flowering heads, use about 1 whole head per jar.  If your dill heads have already gone to seed, break off about 4 small seed-stalks per jar.

Slice your cucumbers (see below for whole pickle instructions) and be sure to discard the stalk and flowering ends.

Packing:
Place a few slices of cucumber on the bottom of a jar.  Add 1/2 the dill and 1/2 a piece of garlic (if you are using 1 whole head, try to tuck it down the side of the jar - it's pretty!)  Fill the jar to the bottom of the threads with cucumber slices.  Try to alternate the slices so they are not stuck together in stacks - there needs to be room for the liquid to circulate.   Add the other 1/2 of the garlic and dill on top.

Use the funnel and a ladle to add simmering pickling liquid to the jar.  Fill to about 1/2 way up the threads - leaving around 1/2" headspace.  Be sure the cucumbers are under the liquid - remove a slice or 2 if necessary.

Use a wooden spoon handle, chopstick, or other long thin utensil to slide up and down around the inside of the jar to remove bubbles stuck between the slices.  Press the cucumbers down to push them under the liquid again.

Wipe the rim with a hot, wet washcloth, place a hot lid on top, and tighten the ring finger-tight.  Do not over tighten.

Processing:
Place jars (as many as you can fit) into the boiling water canner.  Once water has returned to a rolling boil, time for 5 minutes.  Use the jar lifter to remove jars to a thick, folded towel or a cooling rack.  Be sure the jars are not touching, and will not get splashed by water, or need to be moved for 12 hours.  After 12 hours, check for seal by tapping the top with a spoon or your fingernail - it should have a high pitched ring, not a dull thud.  The top should be flexed down toward the jar, and should not move when pressed.  Any un-sealed jars can be re-processed within 24 hours, or just keep them in the fridge.

Curing:
Pickles should be allowed to cure for 8 weeks or longer before eating.  Mark the lid with process date and earliest opening date.

For Whole Pickles:
Follow the recipe exactly, except the whole pickles must be first soaked in ice water for a minimum of 2 hours, and up to 8 hours.  Be sure to trim off both ends (the stem is tough, and the blossom end can harbor bacteria)

NOTE - The USDA recommends processing pickles for 15 minutes.  This original recipe states 5 minutes only.  Personally, I feel confident that the amount of vinegar and salt will preserve the pickles and make them safe to eat - the processing is only to make the jar air-tight enough to prevent new bacteria from entering the jar.  If you process for 15 minutes, the pickles may or may not retain their crunch.  Proceed as your conscience dictates.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce With Canning Directions

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce 

With Canning Directions

Hi All!  This year, I will be "putting up" lots of vegetables, most of them being tomatoes.  So before my kitchen starts overflowing with fruit, I'm spending some time finding recipes I really like.  Today I'm trying Spaghetti Sauce.

The original recipe is from the USDA.  I altered it a bit and did the forbidden - I increased the amount of bell peppers and onions!  GASP!  I'm sure we will all die now.  I did chop them finely in the food processor so they can cook themselves to death and get rid of all those pesky germies.  Also, since I'm doing this in winter, and don't have 30lbs of tomatoes, I'm using 4 pints of tomatoes I canned a while back - the recipe below is for a 1/2 batch.


Homemade Spaghetti Sauce, without meat - for Pressure Canning

Olive Oil Spray (or 1Tablespoon oil - I used spray)
4 pints of crushed or diced tomatoes (I weighed the tomatoes and it was 8lbs - original recipe called for
           7.5lbs fresh - i might have too many tomatoes for the rest of the ingredients...)
1/4C chopped onion (I used 1 whole onion)
1/4C bell peppers, diced (I used 1 whole pepper)
1 clove garlic, minced
2Tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I added this ingredient)
1Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
.5 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf (I added this one too)
1Tablespoon brown sugar (optional, if necessary)

Spray large pot with EVOO spray or add oil.  Saute onions and peppers until tender.  I whirred mine in the food processor to make them as small as my crushed tomatoes.  When tender, add the remaining ingredients, except sugar.

Simmer, stirring frequently, until "serving thickness", which should be reduced about 1/2.  Neat trick for this - use a dry erase marker (or even permanent) to make a mark on the outside of your pot at about the level of your sauce.  Then you know when it's reduced by half!  It washes right off - even a sharpie.

Ladle into well washed, hot jars.  Wipe rims, fix lids, place in pressure canner with 2-3" of simmering water.  Lock lid onto canner, increase heat to high, and time 10 minutes after steam pours out of the vent.  Place the weight onto canner and process as per below.  When the time is elapsed, turn off heat and allow to cool naturally until pressure is zero.  Remove jars to a towel or cooling rack and do not disturb for at least 12 hours.  Check to see that lids are sealed, wipe jars off with a wet cloth, label and store.


PROCESSING:
Pints - 20min @ 10lbs (15lbs for above 1,000ft)
Quarts - 25min @ 10lbs (15lbs for above 1,000ft)