How To Make Herbal Mustards, Pickles And Sauces

Mustards

Mustards are delicious and give a lift to all sorts of savory foods. We all know the English, French and German varieties, but these recipes give them an extra lift and would make marvelous gifts for a mustard lover.

Minty Mustards

1 8oz jar wholegrain coarse mustard
4 tsp dry mint leaves, finely crumbled

Mix these two ingredients well and either return the mixture to the original jar or put it in smaller jars to give as part of a set of small mustards.

Tarragon Mustard with Vermouth

large handful fresh tarragon leaves
4 oz chopped spring onions
2 8 oz jars Dijon mustard
1 tbsp dry vermouth

Chop the tarragon leaves well and add the spring onions, mustard and vermouth. Mix together very thoroughly. Pour into a clean jar and seal with a tight-fitting lid. This mustard can be stored in the refrigerator for about one month.

Pickles

Pickles can add their own special zing to a meal and are particularly good with cold cuts of meat or poultry. Most vegetables will pickle, so here are some recipes that are especially good.

Dilly Cucumbers

24 small ridge cucumbers
5 pints water
1/2 pint vinegar
4 oz sea salt
1 large handful fresh dill heads
1 large or several small chili peppers

Soak the cucumbers overnight in a solution of salt and water, using 8 oz of sea salt to every pint of water. Then boil together the water, vinegar and sea salt and allow to cool. Drain the cucumbers and arrange in clean canning jars interspersed with layers of dill heads. The cucumbers can be left whole or cut into slices. Add a small chili pepper or pieces of a larger one to each jar. Cover with the vinegar solution and secure the lids.

Sweet Pickled Onions

2 lb pickling onions
1 bunch tarragon
1 bunch mint
1 bunch sweet chervil
4 oz sea salt
1 pint cider vinegar
6 oz granulated sugar

Peel the onions then arrange them on a tray, sprinkle with the sea salt and leave overnight. Carefully wipe all the salt and moisture off the onions and place in clean jars. Put a couple of sprigs of each herb in every jar. Heat the vinegar and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved, then leave to cool. Pour the vinegar over the onions, leaving a very small amount of room in the top of each jar. Secure the lids of the jars. The onions will be ready in about two to three weeks but are a lot tastier after about six to eight weeks, if you can wait that long!

Mint and Tomato Chow Chow

6 average tomatoes
1 onion
1 green pepper, chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/2 pint cider vinegar
2 tbsp finely chopped mint

Peel the tomatoes by placing them in boiling water for a few seconds and then carefully removing the skins. Peel the onion and chop the tomatoes and onion finely. Put all the ingredients in a lidded casserole dish and cook at 300F until the onion is quite tender (about one to two hours). Remove from the oven and leave to cool. Pour into wide-mouthed jars and cover each jar with a circle of waxed paper, then cover with cellophane and add a label.

Mint Relish

1 pint mint leaves
1 lb onions, peeled and chopped
1 lb apples, peeled and chopped
1/2 lb green tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 lb sultanas (gold raisins)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp French mustard
1 pint white wine vinegar
1 lb granulated sugar

Heat 1/4 pint of vinegar with the sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Leave to cool. Place the remaining vinegar in a saucepan with the salt and mustard. Put the green tomatoes in a food processor for a few seconds until they are mushy, then add to the saucepan. Repeat the process with the mint leaves, apples, onions and sultanas, adding them all to the saucepan. Then simmer all the ingredients until soft. Pour in the vinegar and sugar mixture. Boil the mixture for a couple of minutes and then leave to cool a little. Pour the relish into warm clean jars and cover with waxed paper circles. When completely cool, add cellophane lids and labels.

Sauces

Sauces make a very unusual gift. Although you must provide clear labeling to indicate whether they need to be refrigerated or not, a basket containing a selection of sauces could be very welcome, especially at Christmas. At a time when plenty of ingenuity is needed to use up the inevitable leftovers, a Christmas gift of delicious and unusual sauces could be a real winner!

Pesto

This very Italian sauce is delicious with many foods, as well as pasta. Mixed with mayonnaise it makes a lovely sauce for cold turkey, or you could use it when stuffing some tiny tomatoes or mushrooms. Although you need fresh basil for this recipe, once it has been made, the sauce lasts in the fridge for at least a month or freezes indefinitely.

1 lb fresh sweet basil leaves
4 oz parsley
8 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
8 oz pine nuts
3/4 pint virgin olive oil
8 oz Parmesan cheese
sea salt and pepper

Combine the basil, parsley, garlic and pine nuts in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles a coarse paste. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream, with the processor switched on, until all the oil is used up. Add the cheese, sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper and process again for a couple of seconds. Depending on how you plan to package your gift, scrape the mixture into plastic or glass containers. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the pesto to prevent discoloration, then seal.

Hot Tomato and Coriander Sauce

4 large tomatoes, weighing approximately 1 lb
8 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
2 small hot chili peppers, fresh or canned
2 large onions, weighing approximately 8 oz
2 tbsp garlic vinegar

Put all the ingredients into a food processor and process finely for a few seconds. Alternatively, you can mince all the ingredients well and combine them in a bowl. Taste and add salt if required. Allow to cool, then pour into clean bottles and label. This sauce is delicious served chilled with vegetable or meat dishes.

Tomato Sauce with Olives and Oregano

1 lb peeled tomatoes
3 tbsp green pepper, chopped
1/2 large onion
1 to 2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
10 green olives, stoned and chopped finely
1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

Chop the onion and garlic finely and cook in the olive oil until softened and transparent. Add all the other ingredients, seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. If you would like a smoother sauce, you can combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and then return to the pan. Simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool, then pour into bottles, seal and label them. This sauce is ideal with cheese dishes, pasta or pork.

Alcoholic Herbal Sauce

1 pint vegetable or chicken stock
8 fl oz white wine, preferably medium-sweet German
1 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 tbsp fresh dill
1/2 tbsp fresh tarragon
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1/2 tbsp lemon peel, finely chopped

Mix the stock, wine and herbs together and simmer until reduced by 10 to 20 percent. Melt the butter in a pan and add the flour, stirring vigorously, then cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add the stock and wine mixture to the fat and flour by whisking it in with a small balloon whisk. Add the lemon peel and some salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Strain the sauce to remove the herbs, allow to cool, then pour into bottles, seal and label. This sauce is delicious served hot with vegetables or poultry.

Mango and Coriander Sauce

1 medium mango
4 spring onions (shallots)
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger root
1/2 tsp garam masala (recipe follows)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)
1 tbsp sunflower or grapeseed oil

Heat the oil and gently cook the chopped spring onions (shallots) and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook for another couple of minutes.

Chop the mango flesh finely, then add it and all the remaining ingredients to the pan. Stir well, then chill overnight in a covered container in the fridge. The sauce can then be served as it is or processed in a blender to make it a little smoother. Allow to cool, then pour into bottles, seal and label them. This sauce is delicious with cold seafood, fish or chicken.

Garam Masala

This is the most aromatic and fragrant of all Indian spice blends. Used throughout North India in all types of dishes - from appetizers and soups to yogurt salad and main courses - this blend is indispensable to Moghul and North Indian cooking. It is widely available, but my homemade version is more fragrant and, of course, fresher.

2 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
2 tablespoons cardamom seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up
1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)

Put the cumin, coriander, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves in a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the spices, stirring occasionally, until they turn several shades darker and give off a sweet smoky aroma, about 10 minutes. Do not raise the heat to quicken the process, or the spices will brown prematurely, leaving the insides undercooked. Cool completely.

Working in batches if necessary, transfer the mixture to a spice mill or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Stir in the nutmeg and saffron. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Garam Masala keeps for 3 months.

Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup

Coriander Barbeque Sauce

12 oz finely chopped onions
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 oz butter
12 fl oz tomato ketchup
1/4 pint cheap brandy or sherry
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 pint cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 fl oz water
1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves

Soften the onions and garlic in the butter but do not let them brown. Add all the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil, stirring well. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool for a short while and then pour into jars. Cover tightly and label.

Packaging Your Goodies

When making mustards, savory sauces and pickles, you can cover the lids in the same way as for sweet jams and jellies, but it can also look attractive to use hessian or calico. Plain calico is very inexpensive and could be stenciled to decorate the tops of sauces or pickles.

Packing a whole meal is an unusual idea with the barbeque sauces you could package a bottle of the sauce with a pair of oven mitts, a packet of dried herbs to throw on to the barbeque and a pair of tongs. Gift-wrap all these together and you have something different for Father's Day! The pickles could be given with a decorated ham or just included in a hamper presentation.

How To Make Your Own Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

During the summer months, I like to make my own homemade spaghetti sauce. Once I have it made, I will freeze or can it for future use. This particular sauce is great for spaghetti, lasagna, rigatoni, ravioli and manicotti.

Italian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

6 lbs. lean ground beef
2 (8 ounce) packages of pepperoni
2 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (15 ounce) cans Italian tomato sauce
5 (29 ounce) cans tomato puree
2 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons garlic salt 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried onion
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Brown the lean ground beef in a large frying pan, drain off burger grease. In a large stock pot, combine cooked beef, pepperoni, tomato paste, tomato sauce and tomato puree. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Turn heat down to simmer and stir in all of the spices. Simmer the sauce for 45 to 60 minutes to allow all of the spices to infuse into the sauce mixture.

How to can your spaghetti sauce:

Sterilize and clean your canning jars. (I prefer using quart-sized wide mouth jars). Ladle hot mixture into hot jars. Clean the rims of jars with a clean cotton towel. Seal jars and then process in a water bath canner for 30 minutes. Remove jars from canner and allow them to cool down in a non-drafty area of your kitchen.

Note: You can also freeze the spaghetti sauce in freezer safe airtight containers.

Homemade Marinara Sauce and How to Make It

Make your own marinara sauce for pizza and pasta. It takes a little time but it's well worth it. You can use exactly the spices that you like and fresh tomatoes make a very different sauce than canned. (But if you have a ton or tomatoes, you can bottle what you don't use fresh.)

How to Chop and Seed Tomatoes

1. Bring a pan of water to boil. Place four or five tomatoes at a time in the hot water and leave them in the bath for one minute. Remove them from the water and start another batch. Let the tomatoes cool to where you can handle them.

2. Peel the tomatoes by starting a small slit in the skin with a knife at the tip of a tomato. Grasp the edge of the skin and peel the skin from the tomato in strips. Repeat with each tomato.

3. Cut away the top of the tomato. Cut the tomato in half. With your thumb, loosen the seeds and press them into a bowl or into the sink. With Roma tomatoes, only the flesh will remain. With other tomatoes, you can remove most of the seeds. Throw the seeds away. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes.

Tools for Removing the Seeds from Tomatoes

While it's easy to peel and seed tomatoes by hand, you can do it in less time with tools. A Victorio strainer, a food mill, or potato ricer will do it if the screens are small enough. (It takes 2.2 millimeter screen or smaller to catch tomato seeds.) A Victorio strainer has a hopper on the top and a twist handle and will handle a lot of produce in a hurry. It catches both the seeds and the skins and it is available with different sized screens to make anything from raspberry jelly to applesauce to salsa. You can get the same results from a food mill but without the large hopper and screw type crank of the vireo strainer, it is not as quick. A ricer is a simple hand press used to press one tomato at a time through a screen. It also is used to rice potatoes and other produce. Choose the tool that meets your needs.

Canning Your Tomato Sauce

If you love your own tomato sauce, can it. Maybe you like the spice blend th at you are using. Maybe it's the idea of doing it yourself, maybe canning your own tomatoes. Maybe it's to save money but it's great to can your own tomato sauce. Just make a bigger batch and can it according to the instructions from a reliable source such as your equipment manual or a government source.

Tomato Sauce for Pizza or Pasta

2 to 3 cups peeled and seeded Roma or other tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon crushed, dried oregano or a tablespoon of fresh
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves or two teaspoons fresh
2 tablespoons olive oil

Baker's note: Add garlic, oregano, and basil to suit your tastes. Fresh herbs can be substituted for the dried one but it will take more for the same flavor.

Directions

Chop the seeded tomatoes in a food processor or blender. Cook the tomatoes along with the seasoni ngs and sugar for ten minutes or until it starts to thicken, stirring frequently. Add the olive oil. Let cool.

Home Canning is Making a Comeback

Having been raised in rural Alabama, I must confess, I'm a bit domesticated. Growing up on my Grandmother's farm, I spent many a summer shelling peas and canning them in her kitchen. As I got older, we moved away from near my Grandmother, and my canning days were ended.

About 20 years ago, I got the wild idea to try home canning again, after finding a pressure canner in a catalog. I bought two and I have been canning ever since. Every year at Christmas my husband and I can about 75 quarts of pasta sauce and give them out as gifts. All of my friends and family look forward to it. I love to can and have been collecting canning recipes for years.

Home canning is a great way to save Summer's bounty, and shopping for fruits and vegetables at local farmer's markets can save you money. Using local farmer's markets also help the environment beca use the food is locally grown, and therefore no shipping is involved.

For those of you who are new to canning, or those who need a refresher, get the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning, or go to the USDA website and download their Complete Guide to Home Canning. Both of these are great resources.

To a lot of people, home canning can be intimidating, but if you plan your steps well, and gather all of your equipment before starting it can be a fun job for the whole family. You will also need some good recipes to follow. Always double check your recipes and read the manufacturers directions on your canners. This will help to avoid mistakes.
Why Do Your Own Home Canning?

Disregard the value of your time, canning homegrown or locally produced food can save you half of the cost of purchased canned food. Canning favorite and special products to be enjoyed by your friends and family can be very rewarding. Home canning has changed greatly in the 170 odd years since it was first introduced.

New developments in technology have resulted in safer, higher quality products. Home canning is a great way to take advantage of a great harvest, and preserve all of those fresh vegetables and fruits.

What Kind Of Equipment Do I Need

I would invest in a good quality pressure canner. You will need this to can low acid foods like vegetables, and meats. It can also be used as a water bath canner. I would advise that you purchase a 16-17 quart canner with a good pressure gauge, and petcock.

Use only standard Mason, Kerr or Ball type home canning jars and two piece self-sealing lids. Mayonnaise jars are not recommended for canning. The jars that you get from the Classico spaghetti sauce are good because they are Mason jars. Canning jars are available in a variety of sizes including 1/2 pints, pints, and quarts. Pint and quart jars are most commonly used, but some foods like crab meat and mushrooms should only be canned in 1/2 pint jars. Wide mouth jars are more easily filled and emptied, but they cost more than standard jars.

You will also need a good timer, an open mouth funnel, to fill jars with, a jar lifter, and tongs. And of course pot holders and baking racks or towels to set the hot jars on after canning. Other items that you will need are, a ladle with a lip, a sieve, a colander, a food mill, and sharp knives. Some of these items you will only need if making jams and jellies.

Home canning can be one of t he most enjoyable experiences that you will ever have. Get the whole family involved. It will make many great, lasting memories that your family will always have. You'll find pleasure in the canning process, and pride in your home canned jars of food. Remember, they also make great gifts!

Ro Pat

For some great canning recipes:  http://www.green-living-healthy-home.com/canning-recipes-ebook2.html

Homemade Canning - Eat Healthier And Save Money Canning Your Own Meals

Home canning is recognized as the best way of having a healthier and less priced meal. You can preserve and enjoy the vegetables and fruits grown at your own gardens throughout the year. If you adopt the right preserving methods, you can be assured that your fruits and vegetables have the same amount of nutrients as a fresh vegetable and fruit has. In fact in some cases it can be even better than the fresh or packed ones.

If you select a fruit from your garden and can it within first 24 hours then it will have a higher nutrition value than the one you get from the market. This is because most of the fruits and vegetables reach their customers several days after the harvesting. Canning food done with the right recipes is the safest way of preserving the foods. Canned fruits have equal level of Vitamins A and C compared with their fresh and frozen counterparts.

An organic or non-adulterated food is the best that everyone enjoys. Soups especially during winters are liked by all. Home canning soup is a good way for saving your money and it also saves time. Pressure canners are the best for shelving the canned soups. Also soups should be clear and any additions like thickeners, oils, noodles should not be added to it. The process of canning the soups will help you preserve your own crop along with getting the best nutritional value anytime of the year.

Tomatoes are another very popular food item and also very useful throughout the year. You can use the preserved tomato sauces when preparing meals like pastas and pizzas which is liked by kids especially. Tomato can be easily grown at your backyard garden and the excess can be canned and kept for adding taste and flavor to most of the foods. You have a choice of preserving the whole tomato or can puree it and store. Canning tomato sauce can be done by hot water bath canner method or pressure method. Home canned tomatoes are always preferred because the grocery tomato sauces are high in salt and additives, which should not be eaten if you have any health problems.

Even canned beans are a good option and can be easily added to any fresh soups, salads and many other dishes. Beans are very good for health and have a lot of valuable vitamins and minerals, which is essential for our body to function properly. All the beans like black beans, pinto beans, green been, and garbanzo beans can be canned in a very easy manner at home. Always pick crisp and mature beans for preservation.

Homemade canning saves you a lot of money when compared with the grocery market rates. Look for the in-season vegetables and cheap jars and cans. Found to be very economical and healthier than other ways, home canning is the best way to preserve foods.

How To Can Homemade Blueberry and Peach Pie Fillings

During the summer and fall months, I enjoy going to our local orchard and farmers markets here in Pennsylvania and purchasing our fresh fruits. I will bring them home and freeze or can them for use during the winter months.

One of my favorite things to can is homemade pie fillings. Canning is not hard to do and there are many books out in the marketplace that will explain how to do home canning. You can find free information on the internet that will also explain how to do home canning, along with the supplies that you will need to do the processing.

The following 2 recipes are the ones I use to make homemade blueberry and peach pie filling.

Blueberry Pie Filling
4 1/2 quarts of fresh blueberries
1/2 cup lemon juice
rind of one lemon, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon mace
5 1/2 cups granulated sugar
6 1/2 cups water

Wash and remove stems from blueberries and then drain. Combine lemon juice, grated lemon rind, ground nutmeg, mace, granulated sugar and water in a large pan. Cook until the mixture begins to boil. Fold in the blueberries and cook for an additional minute. Ladle mixture into clean hot jars. Clean the jar rims and seal. Process quart jars in a water bath canner for 30 minutes.

Peach Pie Filling

6 lbs. fresh peaches
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 3/4 cups water
5 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Wash, peel, pit, and slice peaches. Loosen skins in boiling water for 35 seconds, then submerge in cold water. Gently peel off the skins. Place slices in a container of water until all peaches are sliced. Combine lemon juice, water, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Stir and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. Drain peaches and add to syrup mixture. Cook for 3 minutes. Ladle the mixture into hot jars. Clean the jar rims and seal using water bath canner for 30 minutes.

Simple and Healthy - Staying Healthy On The Road: How to Make Salad With A Teaspoon

There's something about travel that captures my imagination. Seeing exotic places, meeting interesting people, experiencing things you just don't get at home. And of course finding new taste sensations (chilli fried grasshoppers with lime anyone?). Even traveling for work can be fun. Takeoffs and landings. Fancy (and not so fancy) hotels. The security of a corporate credit card. Traveling to places that the average tourist wouldn't ever think to visit. But there are times when the constant eating out and room service can make you feel a little bleeah. Which is exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago when I was traveling for work. Four days into the trip, I found myself badly missing my kitchen and craving a big salad. Not those tiny mixed leaf room service options with bad dressing, floury tomatoes and exorbitant price tags - but a seriously big healthy salad - preferably made by my own hand.
And so it was that I found myself wandering though a supermarket close to the hotel, racking my brain as to what I could cook for dinner that would be: A. Healthy and involve salad and B. Able to be prepared with the cooking equipment in my hotel room - namely a teaspoon.
Lets just say thank heavens for prewashed bags of mixed salad leaves. And for things in cans - with self opening lids. And that lemons can be persuaded to give out their juice with a teaspoon. Who would have thought? Since then I've been experimenting with minimalist, low prep salads. The tuna chilli is definitely a favourite. The chickpea and parmesan comes a close second. I had it for lunch at work the other day. One of the guys from marketing commented on my lunch saying 'That looks amazing - where did you get your salad?" Do you think he would have believed me if I told him I made it with a teaspoon?
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tuna chilli salad serves 1
Tuna with chilli oil is my new favourite thing, but feel free to choose plain tuna if you aren't up for a little spice. I like to use the oil from the tuna as a bit of dressing for the salad. By all means use tuna in springwater (drained) if you have a low fat fetish.
1 bag pre washed salad leaves 1 small or medium can tuna in oil with chilli 1 lemon
Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the tuna. Flake tuna and chilli oil into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Enjoy.
chickpea & parmesan salad serves 1
The tricky thing with this salad is that a whole tin of chickpeas can be quite a big eat. If you're not super hungry feel free to ditch some of the chickpeas. I was also a little worried about not being able to properly wash the chickpeas but they tasted lovely with a little canning juice left on. It's been a long time since I last used pre-shredded cheese. If you are preparing in the luxury of a kitchen - or somewhere with a cheese grater handy at least - I'd recommend going with better quality parmesan. But the pre shredded stuff was surprisingly good.
1 bag pre washed salad leaves 1 can 400g (14oz) chickpeas, drained 1 lemon 1 small handful shredded parmesan cheese, optional
Open salad and pick out few leaves to make room for the chickpeas. Add the desired amount of into the salad bag and shake a little. Punch lemon with the handle of a teaspoon (see image below) squeeze lemon juice over salad through the hole. Sprinkle over cheese if using.