Canning - Hot Pepper, Corn and Cucumber Pickle Relish Recipes

During the summer and fall months, I like to spend time in the kitchen canning foods that we have harvested from our backyard garden. Canning is easy to do and you can preserve for your foods for up to 1 year by canning them.

One of our favorite things to make with our excess garden vegetables is homemade relishes. To make the following recipes, I suggest using a food processor to finely chop up your vegetables to get them to the consistency that is needed for the recipes.

Here are 3 of our favorite recipes that we enjoy making.

Hot Pepper Relish

1 quart hot pepper sauce
1 large onion
1 tablespoon table salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 pint white vinegar

Mix together the first 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Cover the bowl and let stand for 4 hours. Stir in the granulated sugar and white vinegar. Cook in a medium-sized pan, stirring frequently for 45 minutes. Pour mixture into hot jars and seal in a water bath canner. Makes 1 1/2 pints. This recipe can be easily doubled.
Corn Relish

2 dozen ears of corn
3 large red peppers, finely chopped
3 large green peppers, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 cups of granulated sugar
5 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons salt
4 cups white vinegar

Blanch corn cobs for 3 minutes in boiling water. Remove from pan and rinse under tap water. Cut corn from cobs and place in a stock pot. Stir in the finely chopped peppers and celery. Stir in the granulated sugar, mustard, salt and vinegar. Bring mixture to a full boil and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and ladle into hot jars. Seal jars in the water bath canner according to your canner's instructions.

Cucumber Pickle Relish

12 cucumber pickles
6 green peppers
6 red peppers
5 large onions
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons celery seeds
5 1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 1/2 cups white vinegar

In a food processor, grind up your cumber pickles, green and red peppers, and your onions. Sprinkle on the salt. Cover your container and let stand overnight. Drain the juice well. In a large pot, bring the celery seeds, granulated sugar and vinegar to a boil. Stir in the vegetables and boil for 20 to 25 minutes. Ladle mixture into hot sterilized jars and process in your water bath canner according to manufacturer's instructions.

Homemade Canning - Where's the Beef? Canning Your Meat, Poultry, and More!

Why limit your home canning to produce? Scoop up a great seasonal deal on meat, poultry, or fish and experience the ease of meal preparation with canned meat. The best part is you know what is in the jar, there are no added flavors, no undisclosed spices, and no MSG.

The Art of Mince Meat

Mincemeat is really an overlooked delicacy and method of preserving meat our ancestors came up with. Originally, it was a mix of lean beef, suet, apples, citrus fruits, raisins, brandy or hard cider, and various spices. There is no need to stick with older recipes that call for a long list of ingredients that are exotic by today's standards. Unless your family has a taste for old-fashioned mincemeat, feel free to come up with your own version.

Simply use a roast beef recipe and cook as directed. Add such spices as garlic, onions, savory, marjoram, salt and pepper or use your favorite blend. When the meat can easily be pulled apart and chopped, allow it to cool and then chop it up. It will then be ready to slip into the freshly boiled and cooled jars and slipped into a homemade canning device.

Roast carrots, whole onion, garlic cloves, and potatoes or other vegetables like cauliflower and chop them up with the meat. Drain excess broth before canning the meat and vegetable mixture. Can the broth separately. Now you have jars of ready-to-go beef broth and jars of meat that are perfect for sandwiches or one-dish meals that are perfectly seasoned.

Poultry is Easily Preserved Too

Home-canned chicken and chicken broth can put the store-bought products to shame. Not only is it more cost-efficient, it is tastier and healthier too. Make low-sodium versions or salt-free versions delicately seasoned with your blend of seasonings such as poultry seasoning, garlic, onions, or even add chopped up vegetables to the broth and strain before canning it to add a healthy and tasty twist.

Canned chicken, once drained of the broth, makes an easy addition to salads, soups, one-dish meals, and meals heated up in less than 30 minutes. Leave the aforementioned vegetables in with the chicken or can them separately. Either way, all you need to do is add the two jars, chicken or broth, to a saucepan and some noodles for a nearly instant chicken noodle soup.

Don't Overlook Fish When Canning

If you live in an area where fresh fish is in season, such as salmon in coastal areas or pike around the great lakes, don't overlook homemade canning as a method of reserving the bounty.

Store-bought canned fish can have additives such as excess salt, or a funny fish taste if the fish was off-season or previously frozen when canned. Following your favorite plain canned poultry recipe, go ahead and can the season's catch. The best part is, it's one of the foods that doesn't need to be precooked, just add it to the boiled jars and pressure can it.

When homemade canning, do not overlook the possibilities of canning your own meat, poultry, or fish and preserving the seasonal bounty or fresh game. Canned meats are quick and easy meals and unlike freezing the meat, it won't get freezer burn. Canned beef, chicken, and even some fish can be made into salads, for sandwiches, potato toppers, or side dishes and are great additions to freshly boiled noodles for delicious and quick soups.

Store Garden Produce #3-How to Dry Mushrooms & Dry Beans Storage

During my 30 + years of gardening experience, I have encountered many situations where I have had to improvise in order to adjust to the changes within our environment to accommodate my plants needs. I have adjusted and learned so much and would like to share my experience and success, as well as my "mishaps" along the way. This article is not inclusive and should be shared with Parts 1 & 2 of this series. (See Below)

Dry Beans Storage: Beans can be stored in moisture-resistant, air-tight containers. With proper preparation before storage, they can last up to 30 years. Dried beans are best stored without the presence of oxygen and light. Oxygen will cause the oil produced from the beans to become rancid. Light will quickly discolor the beans. Neither is compatible with long-term storage. Furthermore, colder storage temperatures as well as low humidity will enhance and prolong shelf life.

Beans stored in food grade, polyethylene bags have about a one-year life span. This situation is commonly found in most commercialized products and is not a suitable storage containment option over the long term.

Canning dried beans: I first make sure that the inside of the jars are washed and thoroughly dried. Remember- moisture breeds decay- quickly. Oxygen absorbent packets should be added to the jars to remove oxygen and to extend shelf life.

Fill the jars about 95% full and make sure that the gasket on the lid is in good condition. Close the jar tightly then store in a cool, dry, dark place. Note: Oxygen absorber packets should be kept in a sealed container until ready for use. Only remove as needed within a 20 to 30 minute time frame.

If you are using plastic buckets, first place one ounce of dry ice per gallon in the bottom of the bucket. Pour the beans over the dry ice to within one inch of the top. Place the lid on the bucket but do not completely seal it until the dry ice has dispersed.When the bottom of the bucket begins to feel warmer, place the lid on tightly. If it begins to bulge after a few minutes, open slightly to release the pressure. Watch to make sure the pressure has subsided-this might take several days for accuracy. As a precaution-do not stack your buckets more than three high as the weight could damage the lower containers.

How to freeze beans: Frozen dried beans will only last for about 2-3 months.As a general rule of thumb, for every pound or 2 cups of dried beans, use 6 cups of water to re-hydrate. Pour the appropriate amount of beans and water into a large cooking pot. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp of oil and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil then cover the pot and allow it to simmer. Always make sure that the beans are completely covered by adding additional hot water when needed. The amount of cooking time will vary with the type of bean cooked. This could be as little as 30 minutes up to 3 hours. The beans are finished when they are just about tender, but not quite. If you completely cook the beans and then freeze them, they tend to loose their shape and texture when de-thawed.Allow the beans to completely cool at room temperature before placing them in the freezer.

Store Garden Produce #6-Storing & Freezing Green Beans Types

As the cooler months take hold, you might have an abundance of green beans left over from your summer crops. Did you know that "Green Beans" actually derived its name from the young pods of the bean plants that are picked before the pods ripen or dry? Only then are they tender enough to be called "Green Beans" meaning "green" for the unripe fruit of the bean; many in fact are not green in color at all. The pod colors of "green beans" can be green, golden, purple, red, or streaked. Many people associate "green beans" to the recipes for green bean casserole or 3 beans salads. But Green Beans have many more attributes€ This article is not inclusive and should be shared with Parts 1-10 of this series. Part 7 of this series will provide tips and techniques on Storing Cherries & Freezing Apples as well as preserving other orchard fruits. (See Link Below)

List of Legumes: There are over 7 million tons of green beans produced annually worldwide. Green beans are actually considered a legume which describes a pod, such as that of a pea or bean, that splits into two; with the seeds considered a fruit and the pod considered a vegetable. Shapes can range from the thin "filet" beans to the wide "romano" types with the more common types in between. Green, Runner, French, Broad, Yellow Wax, Sting, and Snap Green Beans€whichever you prefer-- Green bean types have been bred especially for the bright color, crisp texture, and juicy vegetable flavor of their pods. They all describe one thing in common€all are harvested and preserved in the same fashion. Click the link below for a chart on the different types of green beans.

Green Beans Types: There are basically three commonly known types of green beans: string or runner beans, string less or french beans, and snap beans. Snap green beans are the ones usually grown when green bean gardening at home. They are named for the sound they make at the perfect ripening stage. They have a thin flat pod that requires less cooking time. Sting less or french beans are generally named due to whether the pod has a tough, fibrous "string" running along its length. And string or runner beans have long, flat pods that have a coarse textured skin. More mature beans display a pronounced fibrous string running down both sides. All green beans used to be called string beans because older varieties had fibrous side strings. Just before use, remove the strings and trim the ends. Generally purple beans and yellow wax beans are identical in taste and texture compared to true colored green beans.

Pole Beans Vs Bush Beans: To make matters even more confusing, when green bean gardening, beans are then split into two sub-categories: bush beans and pole or running beans. Bush beans are short plants, growing to approximately two feet in height, without requiring supports. They generally reach maturity and produce all of their fruit in a relatively short period of time, then stop production. Growing pole beans or runners requires a bean trellis in which to climb as they grow. There really is no difference between pole beans and bush beans, other than how they are grown. One may fit into your garden architecture better than the other or you may prefer the look of one to another. Some of the most popular bush beans are Blue Lake 274, Kentucky Wonder, Festiva and Burpee's Tenderpod. Some popular pole beans are Kentucky Blue, Kentucky Wonder and Blue Lake. Check out the link at the bottom for a better distinction amongst the different green beans types.

Winter Dinners in a Jar

The reason I mention heritage fruits and vegetable is that with items such as tomatoes, you will not need to add another acid to your mix. However if you choose to buy your fruits in the grocery, you will need to add some lemon juice to your mix. The rule of thumb here is two tablespoons lemon juice or teaspoon citric acid into each quart of tomatoes, added before you fill your jars.With spring around the corner, farm markets and road side stands are getting ready to offer you a wide variety of organically grown heritage food stuff. Now is the time to start thinking about your foods for the summer and next winter. And canned dinners is a good place as any to begin.Planning dinners so far in advance can seem not only time consuming, but a daunting prospect. The simplest thing to do is to go into your cabinets and see what store-bought goods you already have there. Most of us havespaghetti sauce,pizza sauce,baked beans and BBQ sauce -great for sweet and saucy ribs. And if you have children, canned pastas seems to be the mainstay.

There is very little information on canning your own pasta dinners out there. Yet the major companies as well as homesteaders have been doing this for years. The problems occur with what types of pasta you want to can and how much of it you stuff into a jar. You will need only enough to loosely fit into the can/jar, never jam pack it in, or fill it to the brim. As with any home canning you need to leave at least inch of head space. Elbow macaroni, shells or spaghetti noodles are the easiest. It is not recommended that you can pasta because dense foods are harder to heat all the way through during processing.Homemade pastas are simple, and something that everyone should try their hand at. And you can add your own twist, or flavoring, to the noodles, like beet, spinach or Parmesan. Once you have your noodles, forming them into shapes is simple, pack them into the jar, loosely and then add your sauce. Kids love meat ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, and beef and macaroni. Processing takes the same amount of time as your meats do, 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts at 10 pounds pressure, unless you live at an altitude more than 1,000 feet; consult your canning manual for directions for increasing your pressure.

Soups, like chicken noodle soup, are a wonderful item to always have on hand. Any of the soups you buy at the store can be modified to your taste, removing or adding certain vegetables, seasoning, and salt . If you have meats in your stock, processing time will take longer then a plain, chicken, meat or vegetable stock. Stews, like roast beef, are the same.And speaking of meats, canning your own meats, poultry, fish and seafood is very rewarding. These items are cooked and stewed in their own juices creating an extra tender meal in a natural stock. Canned Beef strips make an excellent stroganoff. Canned chicken works wonders as a quick chicken with almond rice, while canned salmon makes an irresistible salmon and raisin pie.Which ever dinner tempts your the most, remember that healthy eating requires that you know what is in your food, that you follow all the canning instructions carefully, never eat anything that isn't sealed properly, and throughly cook all your foods. And most importantly, enjoy.

Grow Your Own Green Beans

There's nothing quite like the pleasure of growing, harvesting and eating your own vegetables. Absolutely nothing can be fresher than vegetables that you grow yourself. My family always had a small garden and we grew tomatoes and peppers, some lettuce and eggplant. This year we added green beans to our list of vegetables. My husband and I love them and I found them a "snap" to grow, freeze and cook.

We decided on a pole variety of green beans for our garden. Pole green bean varieties produce for a longer season than do bush varieties. We grew the variety of pole beans called Kentucky Wonder. It was our first year and we were pleased with the amount of harvest that we had from this particular bean. I think that next year we'll try a colored bean, but I wanted to grow Kentucky Wonder this year as they remind me of fresh green beans we had as kids. All colored green beans, ones that are gold or yellow or purple, have the same taste as green beans.

When we harvested the beans I froze what I couldn't cook within a few days. I found that freezing worked well for me. It was easy as all it required was a pot to boil water, a bowl of ice water and freezer bags. We have quite a few string beans in the freezer now, more than enough to last us through for several months. Perhaps next year I'll consider canning them. Where frozen green beans are good up to 18 months some experts say that properly canned green beans last up to five years (due to the fact that they are low-acid) although I don't think I'd want to eat them if they're that old. Canning is relatively simple but requires a lot more equipment than freezing does.

Of course the best thing about growing your own green beans is eating them. My husband's favorite green bean recipe is very simple, they're boiled in chicken stock. Boiled, boiled and boiled. Most "gourmets" will tell you not to overcook green beans. This recipe simmers the beans for at least 45 minutes. I drain them add butter, salt and pepper to taste. I don't think that I'll be using any of my frozen green beans in the Thanksgiving green bean casserole though. Store bought canned or frozen string beans work just fine in that recipe. I'll save my home grown green beans for recipes where they'll really shine through.

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.