Fruit and vegetable canning, freezing, recipes

On this page you will find directions for canning or otherwise preserving various types of fresh vegetables and fruit.  Herbs will have their own page for preserving and recipes.  Not all aspects of canning and preserving are covered.  There are two articles at the top about canning in general.  Then preservation strategies and recipes for each type of fruit or vegetable follow in alphabetical order.

Many of these articles come from the Examiner cooking site that was recently closed.  Some come from my book- Knacks Guide to Canning, Pickling and Preserving.  Some have been in the blog posts/newsletters at various times.  Not all fruits and vegetables are found here yet but I’ll be adding new articles from time to time.  New articles will go in the blog first, and then I’ll move them to this page for easy reference.

Amounts of produce needed for canning

The farm markets are full of wonderful produce or your garden is abundantly producing and you’d like to try canning some of the bounty for those winter days when fresh fruits and veggies are very scarce.  But how much do you need to buy or pick for your planned canning adventure?

First you need to think about what amounts of canned goods your family is likely to use until the next harvest, what supplies you have and how much time you have for processing food.  Don’t can more than what your family will eat in a year.  There are people who have canned foods in their cellars and cupboards that have been there for many years.  But canned food loses quality and nutrients if it’s stored too long and can even become unsafe. 

Once you have decided what amount of a certain type of food your family will consume over a year, decide what size jars you want to use for the project.  Use the size that you would most often use in a single meal, such as quart jars for spaghetti sauce, pint jars for corn, or use the size jars the recipe you intend to follow directs you to use.   Don’t mix two sizes of jars in a canning batch and plan to can only things that take the same processing time in each batch.

It’s a temptation to use up damaged or over ripe produce in canning but research has shown that isn’t wise, these items are more likely to spoil in storage.  Small damaged areas can be cut out of otherwise good produce but try to use the best quality produce for canning and the rest you should use immediately or discard. 

Here’s a list that will help you decide how much produce to buy for your canning project.  Remember the size of produce, and the condition it’s in can change the quantities you’ll actually have to can.  If you need to remove a lot of over ripe fruit or insect damaged vegetables from your ingredients then you’ll end up with less to can. 

This is the amount of fresh, unpeeled or cored produce to buy or gather to fill the size jar listed after you get it ready to can.  There are 2 pints to a quart, if you want to change jar sizes.

Apples 3 pounds per quart sliced -3-1/2 pounds for sauce or pie filling per quart

        Apples - a bushel will make about 18 quarts

Blackberries, blueberries and raspberries- about 2 pounds, (1-1/2  boxes) per quart

        Cherries- 2 pounds per quart

Melons-( cantaloupe, honeydew) 1 large with rind removed and chunked per quart

Peaches - 2-1/2 pounds per quart- a bushel will make 20- 24 quarts

        Pears -2-1/2 pounds per quart, bushel makes about 18 quarts

        Strawberries whole or sliced- 2-1/2 pounds per quart

       

Asparagus- 2-1/2 pounds per quart

        Broccoli- 2-1/2 pounds per quart

        Carrots-about 1-1/2 pounds per pint

        Corn- 4 pounds in husks for a quart jar of kernels

Corn - one bushel of corn in husks will make about 8 quarts, or 16 pints kernels

Cucumber (pickles) about 2 pounds per quart, bushel will make 26-28 quarts

        Green Beans- 2 pounds per quart, bushel about 18 quarts

        Peas- 2 pounds in pods per pint

        Peppers- about  3/4 pound per pint

        Potatoes- 3 pounds per quart, bushel will make about 20 quarts

        Pumpkin and squash about 2-1/2 pounds per quart

Tomatoes, 3 pounds per quart, bushel makes 18 quarts canned diced or whole

Tomatoes, 3-1/2 pounds per quart, bushel makes about 15 quarts canned as sauce.

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Canning Basics- Pro’s and Cons of canning

The harvest is on in our gardens and at farm stands.  It’s easy to eat locally right now, with a good selection of vegetables and fruits on the market. But if you want to continue to eat locally throughout the winter months you need to preserve some food now while it’s abundant. 

There are several ways to preserve fresh food for later winter use.  Freezing is probably the easiest, but drying, pickling and canning deserve some attention too. Canning is making a strong comeback in this country  and many large chain stores such as Meijer’s, Walmart and even Family Dollar now sell canning supplies.  In this article the pros and cons of canning are discussed.  Future articles will discuss other aspects of home canning.

Canning is a method of preserving food sealed in airtight glass jars.  The food is then able to be stored for a year or so.  Done properly, canning preserves the taste and nutrition of food quite well.   Home canning began about 200 years ago, so compared to many other methods of preserving food we can say it’s a modern way to preserve food.

With the event of modern electric freezers, and cheap canned goods at grocery stores, canning began to slowly fade out.  The popularity of canning rose a bit in the 1970’s as the back to the land - survivalist movement took hold but then faded again.  Canning is again popular because people are worried about the safety of the food supply and want to control what their family eats.  Economics play a part as well, as does the “eat local” movement.

Why can your own instead of buying commercially canned products?

If you grow an abundance of food or can get it locally it makes sense to preserve your own food.  After the initial purchase of canning supplies you’ll probably save money by canning your own food.  Canning jars are re-useable, keeping all those metal cans, (which to be fair can be re-cycled but how many are?), out of the landfill.  Canning jars can be used for at least ten years; many have been used for far more years.  

When you can your own food you control the seasonings, portion sizes, and the quality of the food.  You know where the food was prepared and by who.  Home canned food is packed into glass jars.  Food packed in metal cans with lead seams were suspected of being contaminated by the lead and metal used.  When plastic liners were added to cans people at first assumed they were safer, now it’s believed that chemicals from the plastic liners may be absorbed by some foods.

If food is grown or purchased locally and home canned it doesn’t use much gasoline to transport the food to the place it’s canned, or to get it to your home shelves.  Cardboard cases don’t need to be made to transport the food.

Finally there is a lot of satisfaction in knowing you have the skills to store food if survival on that food becomes necessary.  But there is also a lot of satisfaction in filling the home shelves with good, nutritious food that does not have chemical preservatives and unknown substances added to it.

Why can instead of freezing food? 

Canned food does not need electricity to keep it safe.  It’s a lot easier and cheaper to add more shelves to store jars of food than to add more freezer space.  In an emergency canned food can be transported without keeping it cold.  And if the power goes out the canned food is still safe.

Freezing supplies seem cheaper, but your canning jars and metal rims can be used for many years if cared for properly.  Freezing supplies are generally plastic, although paper can be used for some things.   There is a concern that plastic leaches chemicals into food, and of course it takes a bigger environmental impact to produce plastic.

What are some disadvantages of canning?

When canning you will need to purchase either a water bath canner, which is a large pot with a removable rack inside, or a pressure canner, which is a lot like a pressure cooker, or both, depending on what types of food you intend to can.  These can be expensive, although you may be able to borrow them or buy them at garage sales.  Sometimes they can be used to cook with too.  And they will last a long time with good care.

Canning heats up the house in the summer when produce is abundant.  Your grandmother may have had an outside or basement kitchen for canning. Some foods can be frozen until cooler weather then canned to make more freezer space. Modern homes may have air conditioning or at least good fans.  But there is no doubt that canning can be hot, labor intensive work.  As you gain experience though, you’ll learn many tricks to make the job easier for you.

Some foods are better tasting and more versatile in cooking when frozen rather than canned.  Meat and fish are good examples.  Meat and fish can be easily canned but the texture is soft as the meat is cooked in the canning process.  It’s good for soups and stews but not so good for roasting or frying.   You may want to can older, tougher pieces of meat and freeze other cuts.

Canned food is packed in breakable jars and while a power outage should not affect canned foods, things like floods where jars are submerged, earthquakes and fires can destroy the canned goods.  They would probably destroy frozen food too.   If you are home canning food you will probably need more storage space than if you are purchasing commercially canned foods when you need them.

Canning is not recommended for those who can’t follow directions and use measurements carefully.  You must follow the directions exactly in a reputable canning guide for proper processing times, preparation and proportions of ingredients to prepare safe food for your family.  Experimentation and not properly measuring ingredients could end up killing someone or at least causing a lot of wasted food.

For the homeowner who wants to preserve food grown locally a mixture of freezing and canning, as well as drying is recommended.  Start small the first canning season, maybe with one or two items.   Water bath canning of tomatoes, jams and jellies and quick process pickles is a good beginning.  If your family loves the food and you enjoy canning it your next season can expand into more production.

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Apples

 Here are all things related to apples.

Making an old fashioned apple pie filling

Start with peeled, sliced apples.  You’ll need 3 cups of filling for a small pie, 4-5 for a large.  If you want the apples to remain light in color you’ll need to slice them into a color preservative of 1/2 cup lemon juice to 1/2 gallon of water.

Homemade apple pie

This first recipe makes an old fashioned apple pie filling for 1 pie that is darker and softer than a commercial pie filling.  Take 2 cups of the apple slices or 3 if making a large pie and add 1 to 1-1/2 cups of sugar depending on how sweet you like the pie.  Also add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon allspice and a 1/2 cup of apple juice or water. 

Bring the apple mixture to a boil and cook about 10 minutes until the apples are soft and breaking down.   Remove from the heat and fold in 1 cup of raw sliced apples or 1-1/2 to 2 cups if the pie will be large.  

Place your bottom pie crust in a pan.  See recipe below.  Fill the pan with your filling mix and then cover with the top crust.  Seal the edges of the bottom and top crust together by pinching them together with your thumbs.  Make a few slits in the top crust.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the top crust is brown and filling is bubbling.

Clear gel filling for 4 apple pies

This recipe will make about four pies and requires a special product called Clear Jel.  You can find Clear Jel in some stores by the canning products or order it from Amazon.com or other mail order resources.  It makes a filling that looks much like commercial canned filling and doesn’t have a starchy taste like some thickeners leave.  You can freeze any filling you don’t use for later.

You will need 8 pounds of apples, peeled and sliced.  Use a color preservative to slice the apples into that consists of 1/2 cup lemon juice to a 1/2 gallon of water.

First blanch the apple slices by putting them into a large strainer or colander and dipping them into boiling water for one minute.  Work in batches, let the slices drain well after blanching and keep them warm in a bowl while you work.

Next mix together;

        2-1/2 cups apple juice,

        1 cup water

        3 cups of sugar

        3/4 cup Clear Jel

        1/4 cup lemon juice

        1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

        1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

        1/2 teaspoon allspice

Bring this mixture to boil in a large pot, stirring until thickened and bubbly.  Remove from heat and fold in drained apple slices.  Let cool until lukewarm before filling pie crusts.  Add top crusts and crimp crusts together.  Slit tops in several places.

Bake in a 400 degree oven about 30 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Apple cake

Do you have lots of fresh apples at your house?  Fall is a great time to fire up the oven to do a little baking with those apples.  Let the spicy warm scent of apples cooking lift your spirits on those gloomy wet fall days.  This cake is easy to make using a prepared cake mix and is a good potluck or tailgate dessert.  You can use any kind of apples in this recipe but tart, crisp apples are best.

You will need:

       

        6 cups of peeled and sliced apples

        4 tablespoons of butter

        1 cup of brown sugar, packed

        1 spice cake mix

        eggs and oil called for in the mix

        1 jar of caramel ice cream topping

Melt the butter in a large skillet, add the brown sugar and apple slices, cover pan and cook on low heat until the apple slices are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir the cooking apples frequently.

Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 cake pan with cooking spray.  Instead of spraying a pan it could be lined with non-stick foil for an easy clean up.

When the apples are tender, pour skillet contents in the cake pan and spread them evenly over the bottom of the cake pan.

Prepare the cake mix according to the directions.  Pour the mix over the apples in the pan.  Bake the cake at 350 degrees until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean- 30-40 minutes.   

Let the cake cool about 5 minutes then poke holes evenly across the surface with the handle of a wooden spoon, skewer or similar item.   Pour the caramel ice cream topping over the cake evenly, it will be absorbed by the cake.

This cake is great served warm with cool whip or ice cream.  It also freezes well.

Applesauce, crockpot recipes

Turn some of those apples that are so abundant into delicious apples sauce.  You can make applesauce from fresh apples or from apple slices you have frozen.  On a cold fall day in start up a batch of crock pot applesauce and fill your home with a delightful aroma.

Applesauce can also be made on a pot on the stove.  It takes less time but requires  careful watching and occasional stirring.  Using a crock pot lets you do other things while the sauce cooks and makes a great product.

You will need about 3 pounds of apples per quart of sauce you want to make.  You can flavor the homemade apple sauce in a number of ways and make it as sweet as you like. You can leave it chunky or make it smooth. Your finished applesauce can be canned in a water bath canner or frozen. 

You will need:

        Apples, washed, peeled and cored, sliced or chunked

Sugar, white or brown, about 4 tablespoons per 4 cups apple pieces

        Cinnamon - optional to your taste

        Nutmeg - optional to your taste

        Cloves - optional

For light colored applesauce slice the peeled apples into color preservative such as a 1/2 cup of lemon juice mixed with a quart of water or citric acid solution prepared as directed on the package.   Let apple pieces soak a few minutes and drain, before putting them in the crock pot.  If the color of the sauce doesn’t faze you, you can slice the apples directly into the crock pot.  Frozen apples do not need to be thawed before using.

Place your apples in the crock pot.  For children and sweet loving adults add sugar - most people will like the taste of about a tablespoon per quart of apple slices.  If the apples are very tart more may be needed.  Brown sugar has a slightly different taste but will make the applesauce browner.

Some people like the taste of cinnamon and other spices in their applesauce.  Add spices in very small amounts.   For a couple quarts of apple pieces a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon and less of other spices is suggested to start.  Taste the sauce after it’s cooked and add more spice if needed.  Apple pie or pumpkin pie spice mix can be used if you like it.

Do not add water.  Set the crock pot on high and let the apples cook until they are soft.  This can take 3-6 hours on high in the crock pot. When the apples are soft mash them to the consistency that pleases you.  For really smooth sauce press the cooked apples through a strainer or whip with electric beaters on low speed or run through a food processor.  Add more spices if desired and blend into applesauce.

Canning applesauce

Bring the applesauce to a boil.  You may have to put it in a pot on the stove to do this.  Ladle boiling hot applesauce into hot, clean canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the rim.  Run a knife blade through each jar to remove bubbles, wipe the rim and add lids and bands.

Process applesauce in a boiling water canner 15 minutes for pints or smaller jars, 20 minutes for quarts.

Freezing applesauce

You can freeze applesauce in single use size containers, either freezer bags or plastic containers.  Wait until hot applesauce cools to room temperature before placing them in the freezer. 

Let applesauce thaw in the refrigerator overnight before use.  It may separate a bit as it thaws but stirring should restore the consistency.

Pink applesauce  

To make pink applesauce make sure the apple pieces are sliced into a color preservative before cooking.  Then you can simply add red food coloring to your color preference or you can do a more natural coloring job.  Add frozen or fresh cherries, cranberries or raspberries in the proportion of about 1/2 cup of the red item to 3-4 cups of sliced apples to the crock pot and cook with the apples.  This will flavor the applesauce slightly.

Another, different flavored pink applesauce can be made with red hot candies.  For about 6-8 cups of apple pieces use a 1/2 cup of red hot candies.  Don’t use other spices with these, although you may want to add sugar.  Put the red hot candies in 1/4 cup of water and heat until they dissolve, then pour in the crock pot with apple pieces.

Uses for applesauce

Applesauce is great eaten just as it is but it’s also great to cook a pork roast or pork chops in it.  It can be added to any cake mix for moisture in place of oil.  It can be used with some slices of apple to make pie filling.   It’s great for making apple cake or bread.  Applesauce can also be used to make swallowing pills easier.

If you make your own applesauce you know what kind of ingredients and care went into it.  You can serve it with confidence to your family.

Apple juice

If all the talk about arsenic and other chemicals in apple juice scares you and apple juice is the favorite drink of your family you may want to consider making and canning some of your own apple juice.  Michigan is blessed with an abundant apple crop and we grow more varieties of apples than any other state.  You may have apples in your own yard or have an orchard nearby.  And apples are a fall staple in Michigan farm markets.  Making your own apple juice will take a little time but it isn’t hard to do. 

Apple or cider can last a long time without refrigeration but it may turn hard or alcoholic through fermentation.  And sometimes even refrigerated and pasteurized apple juice will spoil. Because few of us want to have alcohol in our children’s apple juice and we want to avoid food borne illness homemade apple juice should be canned or frozen.  The canned product can sit in the cupboard and not take up freezer space.  You’ll need a simple water bath canner, (see this article) and some quart or pint jars with lids to can your own apple juice.  You’ll also need some cheesecloth, or an old clean pillowcase, or some large coffee filters and a colander or strainer.

You can make apple juice at any time of the year but fall is ideal because apples are abundant, fresh and cheaper in the fall.  The apples don’t need to be perfect, you’ll want to avoid wormy ones but lumpy, scabby ones are fine.  A mixture of apple varieties usually makes the best juice or cider.  A small percentage of not quite ripe apples can be used but the majority of apples used in juice should be fully ripe.

In some places you can buy organically grown apples if you aren’t growing your own.  (Wash these apples before use because they can be contaminated with things other than pesticides.) But conventionally grown apples from Michigan are perfectly safe if washed before using.   Michigan does not allow the use of arsenic in pesticides and orchard growers use care in the selection of pesticides they do use. 

Using cider to make apple juice

There are two main ways to make apple juice.  The easiest way is to start with cold pressed apple cider from a cider mill.  This method gives you less control over the juice as you did not select the apples.  It will also be more expensive. You may be able to find cider made from organic apples but chances are the apples will be conventionally grown.  Cold pressed commercial cider will probably be pasteurized but you will still need to heat and can the final product for storage.

To make apple juice from cider simply let your cider sit in the refrigerator undisturbed for 2 days.  Then carefully pour off the clearer fluid from the top of the jugs, leaving as much sediment as you can behind.  Strain that clearer juice through a colander lined with cheese cloth or a coffee filter.  Each gallon of cider will give you about 3 quarts of strained juice.

Put your strained juice into a pan and bring to boiling.  Boil one minute. Then pour hot juice into sterilized jars to a 1/4 inch from the top, add lids and screw bands and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for pint or quart sized jars.

Making heat processed juice

If you want the most control over the apple juice contents or have an abundance of home raised apples to use this is a good method to make juice.  Cooking the apples a little makes them yield more juice and you won’t need a mechanical press. 

Wash the apples and then chop them in chunks.  There is no need to peel or core them.  In a large pot combine 1 cup of water for every 3 cups of chopped apples.  Cover the pot and let the apples simmer for about 25 minutes or until they are soft.   Pour off excess water.  You will then need to mash or puree the apples.  You can do that in the pot by hand or with an electric beater.  Or you can put small amounts at a time in a food processor. 

Pour the apple puree through a strainer lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter and collect the juice.   If you have a lot of puree you can put it in an old thin pillowcase and suspend that over a collection pot.  You can buy what is called a jelly bag for that purpose but it isn’t very large.

Do not press or squeeze the puree through the strainer.  Let it drip slowly for several hours.  Take your collected juice and bring it to a boil, boil 1 minute, pour into sterilized canning jars to a 1/4 inch from the rim, add lids and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes for both quarts and pints.

If you like sweetened apple juice, add sugar to your taste preferences at the stage where you boil the juice just prior to filling the jars.  A suggestion is a 1/2 cup sugar to every 3 cups of juice. Do not use artificial sweeteners as they will turn bitter during heating.

Freezing apple juice

After making apple juice in either method above it can be poured into freezer containers instead of canning jars and frozen.  If your family likes a lot of apple juice this may not be the method for you as the juice will need a lot of freezer space.  The frozen juice may separate a bit as it thaws but will just need to be stirred or shaken before use.

Uses for apple juice

Besides a refreshing, natural drink apple juice can be used to make gelatin, turned into jelly or used as a cooking fluid for meat such as pork, to lend a delightful taste.   It can also be blended with more expensive juices.  Always refrigerate opened jars or defrosted containers of apple juice and use them within a week.

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Asparagus

Asparagus is available in local farmers markets in May up to late June in Michigan.  It’s also easy to grow this vegetable in home gardens.   But asparagus is a little tricky to cook.  If you enjoy this spring treat here are some ways to cook and serve it.

Some asparagus needs to be peeled before cooking.  If the stems are larger in diameter than a pencil they are probably a bit tough and need to be peeled.  To peel, simply slice off a thin layer of outer skin with a paring knife up to the start of the tip area.

Boiling asparagus

Bundle asparagus stems in groups of 6-8 stems by wrapping them with a bit of string at the bottom and just below the tips.  Make sure the pot you use will accommodate the length of the stems.  If left unwrapped asparagus stems bump together and break up the tips.

Bring water to boil in the pot and add a little salt- about a teaspoon.  Add the asparagus bundles.  Cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes or until the stalk part is softened.  Remove by hooking the string with a fork or use tongs. 

Boiled asparagus is usually served with a cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce

        * 2 Tablespoons butter

        * 2 Tablespoons flour

        * 1 cup milk

* 1 cup of water- use the water the asparagus boiled in for best taste

        * 1/4 cup grated Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese

        * salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour.  Turn heat to low and let it bubble for 1-2 minutes.  Add milk and water gradually, stirring constantly.  Simmer, stirring frequently until sauce is thick.  Stir in the cheese, and seasoning.  Pour hot over cooked asparagus.  Will make about 4 servings.

Asparagus steamed in the microwave

Peel asparagus.   Wrap several stems in a two-3 layers of soaked and wrung out white paper towel.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes, test stems for softness, microwave for additional minutes at a time until soft enough.

Skillet fried asparagus

       

        * 2 pounds of asparagus stalks

        * 8 tablespoons butter

        * 3 tablespoons soy sauce

        * 1 tablespoon lemon juice

        * salt and pepper to taste

Peel asparagus and slice very thinly, diagonal slices work best; slices should not be more than a 1/4 inch thick.  Par-boil slices by putting them in a colander and dipping them into boiling water for 1 minute.  Drain.

Heat butter in a frying pan with soy sauce and lemon juice.  When bubbling add asparagus slices and stir and toss until they are crisp and the butter lightly browned.

Will serve 4-6.

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Blueberries

Blueberries are packed with nutrition and low in calories.  And this good for you fruit tastes good in a wide range of dishes.  Always choose dark blue, plump blueberries and reject greenish ones, shriveled or moldy berries. Blueberries naturally have a silvery cast to them, called a bloom, overlaying the blue color.  Blueberries don’t ripen after picking and will hold about 5 days refrigerated before you use or preserve them.   Don’t wash blueberries until just before you use them.

Freezing blueberries

To freeze whole blueberries spread them on a cookie sheet a single layer thick, put in the freezer about an hour and then dump into a zip close bag or plastic container.  You can freeze and add more berries to the container as you get them. 

Freezing blueberries in a single layer then pouring them into a container keeps them from sticking together and makes removing some for a recipe easy.  When using berries from the freezer container, take out the berries and promptly return the container to the freezer so they don’t begin to thaw and stick together.

When blueberries are defrosted they hold their shape, but the texture is softer than fresh berries.  They need to be used quickly after defrosting.  If baking you can just throw frozen blueberries in the recipe without defrosting.

Canning blueberries

Blueberries are best canned in syrup or made into pie filling and canned. They can be canned in water or apple juice but the results may not be as pleasing. They can also be made into preserves or jam for canning.  It takes about 1-1/2 quarts of blueberries for 1 quart or 2 pint jars.

Can blueberries in pints or quarts, whichever size suits most of your cooking uses.    Wash jars and lids.  Sort and wash blueberries.  Bring two pots of water to boil - a large one for blanching berries and one to heat the packing liquid to boiling.  Blanch small batches of blueberries at a time by putting them into a colander and dipping them into boiling water for 30 seconds. 

       

Packing liquid choices

        Water

        Unsweetened apple juice

Syrup - combine 1-3/4 cups sugar with one quart water, bring to a boil and stir to         dissolve sugar.

Bring packing liquid to a boil, and then keep hot. Put 1/2 cup of packing liquid into the bottom of each quart jar, 1/4 cup in each pint jar, fill jars with blanched blueberries to a 1/2 inch from the top.  Pour in hot packing liquid to 1/2 inch from the top.  Wipe the rims and put on lids and screw bands.  Process in a water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts.   Cool jars and make sure they have sealed, label and store.

Blueberry Jam

This will make about 7 half pint jars.  Sterilize the jars and lids before filling and let them sit in hot water until just before filling.  Combine 9 cups of crushed blueberries with 6 cups of sugar in a large pot.  Do not add water!  Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, turn up heat slowly and bring to a full boil.  Cook and stir until the mixture is very thick. 

Pour the jam into hot jars to a 1/4 inch from the rim.  Wipe the rim, put on lids and tighten bands.  Process jars for 5 minutes in a water bath canner.  Cool on a towel, make sure they have sealed and label jars before storing.

Note:  A water bath canner is simply a large kettle with a rack in it for jars and a lid.   You fill it with water to 2 inches above the jars. Use warm water when adding hot jars.  Bring the water to a boil and then start counting your minutes for processing.

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Cherries

Michigan is usually the number one producer of tart cherries and 2nd or 3rd in the production of sweet cherries in the nation.  In southeast Michigan cherries are generally easy to find at farm markets beginning in late June.  Sweet cherries are a week or two later.  A trip to the northwest part of the state in mid July should allow you to buy all the cherries you’ll need.   Many grocery stores feature Michigan cherries when they are in season also.

Cherries are good tasting and full of healthy antioxidants.  They are said to relieve arthritic pain.  When they are in season you’ll want to eat as many fresh cherries as you can.  Cherry cobbler, cherry pie, cherry ice cream and even cherry sauce over your favorite meat are some uses for cherries other than eating them fresh.

Tart cherries are generally red but sweet cherries can be any color from yellow to almost black.  Make sure cherries are ripe when you pick or buy them because they won’t ripen after picking.  Don’t wash cherries until just before you are ready to eat them or use them in a recipe and store them in the refrigerator.

Pitting cherries 

Cherries have one teeny, tiny flaw in their design, the stone hard pit.  Bite down on one of them and you can break a tooth.  You can eat them whole and spit out the pit but for cooking you’ll want to remove the pit so no one gets a surprise.  It won’t hurt you to swallow one or two pits, but eating a lot of pits could be a problem as each pit contains a small amount of cyanide.

If you use a lot of cherries you can purchase an inexpensive cherry pitter in the kitchen gadgets section of your local store.  An olive pitter also works fine on cherries.  This makes the work a bit easier.  If you are going to can or freeze a lot of cherries you can buy cherry pitters with hoppers that will pit many cherries quickly.

If you aren’t a gadget person and want to pit cherries by hand here’s the technique. Wash the cherries well. Pull the cherry stem off.   Poke the tip of a potato peeler through the stem area, move it around the pit to loosen it and pop it out.  Some people use a nut pick, or a good long fingernail.   You can also use a stiff drinking straw to push the pit right through the cherry.  

Here’s another pitting tip.  If you are going to be freezing or cooking the cherries right after pitting, stick them in the freezer about 30 minutes until they are half frozen.  The firm cherries are easier to pit.  And no matter how you pit cherries, remember that they can stain the hands and clothing.

Freezing cherries

You can only eat so many cherries while they are in season.  But you can eat local Michigan cherries all winter long if you freeze them.  You can freeze both tart and sweet cherries but for cherry recipes most people prefer tart or pie cherries.

The very best way to freeze tart or sweet cherries is to use a sugar pack.  Cherries frozen in a sugar pack look better when used in recipes later. It’s a quick simple process that will give great results.  For every 4 cups of washed, pitted cherries use 2 cups of white sugar.  The cherries can be whole or halved. Place the cherries and sugar in a large bowl and toss gently.  Let stand 20 minutes. 

The sugar draws out the cherry juice and forms syrup.  If some of the sugar is still granular after 20 minutes don’t worry.  Pack the cherries in freezer containers, date and label the bags and freeze.  Tart cherries may need additional sugar when they are eventually used.

You can also freeze cherries without sugar for low calorie recipes. After washing and pitting the cherries cut them in half and lay them on cookie sheets.  Place them in the freezer until frozen solid then combine them in freezer bags or containers. 

If you want frozen whole cherries, such as for garnishes, without a sugar pack, you’ll need to blanch the cherries before freezing.  You need a pot of boiling water and a metal strainer you can dip into the pot, and a bowl of ice water the strainer will fit into.  Wash and pit the cherries.  Place them in the strainer; dip the strainer in the boiling water, wait 30 seconds then dip in ice water for one minute.  Drain, arrange on cookie sheets and freeze.  Frozen whole cherries may not look as red or as nice as sugar packed frozen cherries after thawing.

With a good stash of frozen Michigan cherries in your home you can spend the long cold Michigan winters turning them into jelly, sauces, pies and cobblers.

For a great book on canning and preserving read Knacks Canning, Pickling and Preserving. http://www.amazon.com/Knack-Canning-Pickling-Preserving-Techniques/dp/1599219506/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1278534596&sr=8-1-fkmr2

 

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Cucumbers/Pickles

Cucumbers are now available at farm markets and there’s nothing tastier and cooler than fresh cucumbers.  Did you know that cucumbers are actually 10 degrees cooler inside than the outside air?  Michigan grows cucumbers for the table and also for pickling.  There is a national pickle company processing plant in Imlay City, Michigan, (Pinnacle Foods).  Unless you pickle them, cucumbers don’t store long, but that’s ok because there are so many ways to enjoy them.

Cucumbers are mostly water- about 95% water but they do pack some nutrition, especially in the peel.  Cucumbers are very high in potassium.  Here are a couple of cucumber recipes to enjoy this summer.

Cucumbers in yogurt sauce

3 medium cucumbers, washed and thinly sliced

1/2 cup of plain yogurt- Greek is good

3 tablespoons of salad dressing such as Miracle Whip

1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill leaf

1/4 teaspoon of celery salt

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Blend yogurt and salad dressing with spices.  Add cucumber slices and gently toss to cover.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.  3-4 average servings.

Instant pickles

2 thinly sliced and peeled cucumbers

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup cold water

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 dill flower or a few chopped leaves

Combine everything in a bowl and let marinate in the refrigerator for 15-minutes to an hour.  It can sit longer but the longer it sits the saltier the cukes become.  Discard after 1 day.

The two recipes above are great with cucumbers that have gotten a little large.  Salad cucumbers should be picked while young and skinny. 

Dill pickles

Summer is here and cucumbers, the basic ingredient for pickles, are on the  farm market and in home gardens.  Making your own pickles is not hard to do and gives you a great feeling of accomplishment.  You’ll need a water bath canner and some clean glass canning jars with new lids.  The recipe in this article is for dill pickles.

You can pickle any kind of cucumber but the best pickles are made from pickling cucumbers.  These are shorter than table varieties as a rule and may have more spines than table cucumbers.  Ask the farm market sellers if they have pickling or table cucumbers.

While you are at the farm market pick up some fresh dill.  You may have this growing in the garden also harvest the flowers and some stem to use in your pickles.  Keep dill stems in water until you are ready to use the flowers. If you can’t find fresh dill you can substitute dill seed, found in most spice aisles.

Ingredients:

8 pounds of 4-5” cucumbers or use 8-9 pounds of tiny baby cukes

14 dill flowers or 5 tablespoons of dill seed

2½ tablespoons mustard seed

14 peppercorns

5 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon turmeric

3 cups of white vinegar

3 cups of water

6 tablespoons of kosher or pickling salt

Supplies:

7 clean, hot, pint size canning jars with new lids

Water bath canner with rack

Bubble stick

Pan

Measuring spoons and cup

Directions

Wash your cucumbers under clean running water and cut off a small slice on the blossom end. That’s the end opposite the stem or stem scar.  Remove any stems that are left. 

Cut your cucumbers into the type of pieces you prefer.  You can make spears, rounds or use small cucumbers whole.  Make sure the pieces will fit in the jars with about a 1/2 inch of space left at the top.

In each clean jar put 2 dill flowers, against the sides of the jar, yellow side facing out.  If you are using dill seed put 1½ teaspoons in the bottom of each jar.  Add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seed and 2 peppercorns to each jar.  Divide the garlic evenly between the jars.

Next pack the cucumber pieces in the jars as tightly as possible.  Leave 1/2 inch of space at the top.

Put the turmeric, salt, water and vinegar in a pan and bring the liquid to a boil.

Warning: don’t use less than the amount of salt given.  Never use salt substitute or iodized salt.

Pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers in the jars covering the cucumbers completely but leaving just under a 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar.

Run a bubble stick through the each jar and add more liquid if it settled.  If you don’t have a bubble stick you can use a butter knife blade to run through the jar to remove bubbles.  Run a bubble stick slowly around the jar sides and between pieces of pickles.

Wipe the rim of the jar with a clean paper towel and put on the lid and screw band.  Tighten screw bands.

Place the filled jars in the rack of a water bath canner and cover the jars with about 2 inches of water.  Cover the canner, place it on the stove and bring the water to a boil.

As soon as the water begins to boil, start timing.  In Michigan your pickles should boil for 15 minutes.  Other places may want to consult a canning guide for processing time.

Turn off the heat after 15 minutes of boiling.  Remove the canner cover and let the jars sit for 5-10 minutes in the canner.  Then carefully remove them and sit them on a towel in a spot where they won’t be moved or jostled for a while.

Warning -Don’t ever put jars in cold water or cold air to cool them.  They will break or not seal.

After 12 hours check the jar to see if it sealed.  If it sealed there will be an indentation in the jar lid.   Wipe the jars clean and label them with a date and what’s inside.  Now you take off the screw band if you want. 

Store your pickles in a cool dark place.

If a jar didn’t seal you can put it in the refrigerator and use the pickles right away.  Otherwise let your pickles sit for a few weeks before you eat them to develop the best flavor.

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Eggplant

Late summer finds eggplants ready in n gardens and on farm market stands.  Not only does eggplant come in the familiar purple-black globe shape but it comes in a variety of shapes and colors.  All the varieties taste the same and can be prepared in a many ways. Eggplant is sometimes called aubergine in older cookbooks.

Eggplant is often featured in Italian, Chinese and Southern American cooking.  It makes a great summer meal addition or even the main course.  Eggplant goes well with vegetables like tomatoes, onions and peppers and with spices such as allspice, garlic, oregano, basil, and chile powder.  Vegetarians will want to know how to cook eggplant as eggplant’s firm texture is a good meat substitute.  This article will give you the basics of preparing fresh eggplant for cooking and some ways to cook it.

Choosing, storing and preparing eggplant

Look for young tender eggplant fruits with thin skin.  The fruit should feel firm, without soft spots or bruises.

Look for eggplant that has a smooth, round blossom end, (the end opposite the stem). That generally indicates a male fruit, which has fewer seeds.  Seeds are responsible for some of eggplants bitterness, especially in older fruits.  Female fruits generally have a small concave area on the blossom end.

Select eggplants with green or purple colored stems, which indicate freshness.  Yellowed or brown stems indicate the eggplant was picked many days ago.

Wash all eggplants well under clean running water just before use. Remove a thin slice off each end of the eggplant.

You can peel eggplant with a potato peeler or knife if your recipe calls for it or leave the peel on.  When grilling or baking large pieces of eggplant the skin is usually left on.

Salting eggplant before cooking will remove some of the bitterness, especially with older eggplants. To salt eggplant cut it in the pieces called for in your recipe.  Lightly oil a cookie sheet. Liberally sprinkle both sides of each eggplant piece with a non-iodized salt. Let the pieces sit for 15 minutes, then brush off the salt and pat dry with clean paper towels. The pieces will not be salty tasting.

Store your fresh eggplant unwashed, loosely wrapped in plastic, in the crisper bin of the refrigerator.  Try not to store it more than 3 days.

Freeze blanched, sliced or chunked eggplant in freezer bags or containers for up to six months.

Some eggplant recipes

Below you’ll find some ways to cook and serve eggplant that will make you and eggplant fan in no time. 

Grilled Eggplant and Portabella Burgers

This is an excellent sandwich to serve vegetarians.

Ingredients

Servings: 4

4 slices of eggplant 1½” thick,(3.8 cm) unpeeled and salted (see prep above)

2 large portabella mushrooms, gills scraped off

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp. chili powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp. melted butter

4 hamburger buns

2 tbsp mayo or salad dressing

4 thick slices mozzarella cheese

1 large beefsteak type tomato, sliced into 4 rounds

Lettuce or spinach leaves, washed and trimmed

Blend together the chili powder, salt, pepper and garlic.

Brush both sides of the eggplant slices and the mushrooms with olive oil with a basting brush.  Lay them on a plate.

Sprinkle the spice mix on both sides of the oiled eggplant and mushrooms.

Place the oiled mushroom and eggplant slices on a medium hot grill.

Cook eggplant slices about 3 minutes on each side.  The eggplant will be soft and smooth. Remove the eggplant slices with a spatula onto a plate.

Cook the portabella slices about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove them with a spatula to a plate. 

Peel the hot skin off the eggplant slices carefully.

Cut each mushroom into 2 flat slices when they are cool enough to handle.

Brush the underside of each bun half with melted butter using a basting brush.  Place the buttered side on the grill and lightly toast the buns.

Assemble “burgers” by brushing mayo or salad dressing on both sides of each bun, adding a mushroom slice, then an eggplant slice, then a slice of mozzarella cheese, then a slice of tomato and some lettuce to the bottom of each bun and finally adding the bun top.

Southern Style Fried Eggplant

The secret to this is to get everything prepared, get the frying pan hot and fry each eggplant slice as soon as it is dipped in the batter.  This is a dish you are standing by to eat as it comes from the fryer.

Ingredients

Servings: 2

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup panko or Italian bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 eggs, beaten with 1 tbsp. cold water

1 young eggplant, peeled, sliced thinly, salted, and tossed with lemon juice

Oil for frying

Blend together the flour, breadcrumbs, salt, onion powder, pepper and garlic powder in a large bowl.

Place the eggs in another bowl.

Put a 1/4” of frying oil in a frying pan and heat to 350 degrees F.

Using tongs, dip each piece of eggplant in this order.

        a. First dip the eggplant slice into the egg

        b. Next dip the eggplant slice into the flour-breadcrumb mixture.

        c. Next dip the eggplant slice into the egg mixture again.

Using tongs, immediately add each eggplant slice to the frying oil after the last dip.

Let the eggplant slice cook until lightly brown on one side and then flip it and let the other side brown.  Fry only a few slices at a time and pay careful attention to them.

Remove the fried eggplant slices with a slotted spatula to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Eat the fried slices as soon as they are cool enough to eat.

Breakfast Eggplant

With a name like eggplant what better meal to serve eggplant with than breakfast?  This is kind of a stir-fry-omelet combination.

Ingredients

Servings: 4

1/2 lb. of ground sausage

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup sweet red pepper, finely chopped

1½ cup eggplant, peeled and chopped in small pieces

6 large eggs

2 tbsp. cream or milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1tbsp. butter or margarine

Place the sausage, onion, and pepper in a large frying pan on low heat and lightly brown the sausage. 

Add the eggplant pieces to the frying pan and cook until softened, stirring with a spatula occasionally.

When the sausage is cooked and the eggplant, pepper and onion are softened, turn off the heat.

Using a fork beat together the eggs and cream or milk in a large bowl.

Blend the salt, pepper and garlic powder into the egg-cream mixture.

Turn the heat on under the frying pan to low.

Add the butter or margarine to the pan with the sausage and vegetables and let it melt.

Slowly pour the egg mixture into the frying pan.

Cook and stir with the spatula until the eggs are yellow and fluffy and most of the moisture is gone.  Serve warm.

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Green beans - how to can and freeze

Green beans taste best when they are freshly picked and cooked but the next best tasting green beans are those you canned or froze at home.  If you don’t have enough green beans in your own garden for a good canning batch the farmers’ market vendors should be able to provide you with enough for your needs.

Wax beans or yellow beans can be treated the same way as green beans.  The purple pod beans you find or grow generally turn green when cooked and are also prepared the same way as green beans.  Choose only the top beans for processing, those that are young with small bean “bumps” inside and that are firm and crisp.  Discard yellowish green beans, limp, insect munched or moldy beans.

Should you can or freeze the green and wax beans?  Canned beans are ready to eat with just a warm up after canning.  They don’t need electricity to stay preserved.  Freezing beans lets you process very small batches at a time and the process is a bit simpler than canning.  Frozen beans require cooking before eating but some believe the flavor is better than canned beans.

Green bean preparation

Follow these steps whether you are going to can or freeze your green beans.

Wash the beans well under clean running water.

Pick through the beans with clean hands and discard insect damaged, limp or moldy looking beans.

Cut off both tips of the bean pod with scissors or a sharp knife.

Some old fashioned green bean varieties have a “string” or cord like structure that runs down one side of the bean pod.  You can pull it out with your fingers, leaving it in makes for a tough, chewy green bean.

Cut or break the beans into 3-4” pieces or run them through a French bean slicer, (found in kitchen gadget aisles).

Freezing green beans

You can freeze a few cups of beans or a big batch.  Make sure to use freezer bags or containers meant for freezing for storage.  You must blanch (pre-cook) green beans for them to retain color and flavor when frozen.  You will need a pot for cooking the beans, a colander or strainer and a pot or bowl for ice water.  You will also need a flat surface to dry the beans and freezer bags or containers.

Place the bean pieces in a heat proof colander or strainer. 

Put the colander full of beans into a pot of water so that all the beans are covered.

Bring the water to a boil and start timing when the water begins to boil.

Boil beans for 3 minutes.  Do not overcook.

Remove the beans from the boiling water and plunge the colander into a large bowl or pan of ice water so that all the beans are covered.

When the beans are cool to the touch (about 5 minutes) pull the colander up and let the beans drain.

Spread the beans out on a clean flat surface and let them air dry for 10-15 minutes.

Pack the beans into freezer bags or containers, label containers with the date and freeze.

Frozen green beans will be good for a year.

Canning green beans

You will probably want to have enough green beans to can several jars at a time.  You need about a pound of fresh beans per pint of canned beans.  Green and wax beans must be canned with a pressure canner; it’s not safe to can them any other way.  Besides the pressure canner you will need clean pint canning jars for this recipe, new lids and screw bands.  You will also need a large pot to pre-cook the green beans and a ladle or large spoon.

Place the green beans in a large pot with enough water to cover them.

Bring the water to boil and start timing when it starts boiling.

Boil the beans for 5 minutes.  Don’t over cook.

Put a 1/2 teaspoon of canning or kosher salt in the bottom of each pint jar.  Most people prefer the taste of salted beans but the salt can be omitted if you are on a salt free diet.  Do not use iodized salt.

Ladle the hot beans and cooking fluid into your clean pint jars.  Pack the beans tightly, leaving 1 inch of headspace at the top of the jar.  Make sure all the beans are covered with fluid.

Shake the jars lightly and run a bubble stick or the blade of a butter knife through the beans to remove bubbles.  Add more fluid to cover the green beans if needed.  If you don’t have enough cooking fluid you can use some boiling water.

Wipe the rim of the jar and put the lid and screw band on.  Tighten the screw bands.

Can only well filled jars of green beans.  Use leftovers for dinner or store refrigerated and use as soon as possible.

Place the jars in the rack of the pressure canner and add water according to your pressure canners directions.  Bring the canner to a boil, allow it to vent for 10 minutes then close the vent or add weights and begin timing.  Please read and follow your pressure canner directions carefully if you have never canned with one.

In Michigan, bring dial gauges to 12 pound of pressure or for weighted gauges use 15 pounds of pressure.  Process the green beans in either type of canner for 20 minutes.

Allow the canner to cool and then remove jars.  Allow the jars to cool and seal in a safe place where they won’t be moved or handled.   This usually takes about 12 hours.

Check for a seal, the lid should feel concave in the center.  Then label your jars with a date and store in a cool dark place.  Canned beans store for at least a year.

If a jar doesn’t seal, refrigerate it and use as soon as possible. 

If you are canning green beans in a state other than Michigan you need to consult a good canning guide for the pressure to use and processing time.  These vary with your altitude.

Canning or freezing your own green beans lets you have locally, grown, fresh and nutritious food all year round.  While the process may seem daunting at first, especially canning, you will soon be a pro at it and proud of your accomplishments.

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Melons- muskmelon and cantaloupes - preparing and freezing

Late summer brings a special treat.  Roadside stands are heaped with Michigan honeyrocks, a type of muskmelon.   Although the honeyrock was developed by Michigan State and remains an heirloom favorite, many other types of muskmelon and cantaloupe are also grown in Michigan.  What most people in Michigan refer to as cantaloupe is actually muskmelon.  Muskmelons are more suited to Michigan growing.

Muskmelons have netted, rough skins and cantaloupes have smoother skins with ribs or warts.  Muskmelon flesh is orange, true cantaloupe flesh is green.  Honeydew melons are a form of green fleshed muskmelon.  They aren’t grown as widely in Michigan because they take a long time to mature.   True cantaloupes and other types of melons can be grown in Michigan but aren’t as common.

The best way to pick a ripe muskmelon or honeyrock melon is to look for a yellow coloring under the brown netting, particularly on the side that lay on the ground.  But you should also smell the melon, ripe honeyrocks or muskmelon have a distinct strong melon smell.  Avoid melons that feel soft or have punctures in the rind that go through to the flesh.

Washing and storing fresh melons

Melons are great for fresh eating, but must be washed carefully to prevent foodborne illness like salmonella and listeria. Even though the rind isn’t eaten, melons should be scrubbed before cutting. Bacteria are on the melon skin but contaminate the flesh when the melon is cut.  Melon is also contaminated when sliced pieces are stacked, with the rind touching the flesh of another slice.

Studies have shown that scrubbing melons for about a minute with a clean scrub brush under running water can effectively clean them.  Some people like to use a mild dishwashing liquid to scrub with.  It’s important to start with a clean scrub brush- dip yours in a bleach solution of 1cup water to 1/4 cup household bleach and rinse before using.  Or you can use the sterilize setting on a dishwasher to clean brushes.   Short contact with soap or bleach will not flavor an uncut melon.  Do not soak melons; this causes more contamination if disease organisms are present.

Don’t wash the melons until just before you cut them.  Place the clean melon on a clean plate after washing.  Don’t stack melon slices with rind.  Cutting off chunks of melon or making melon balls is the best way to store fresh melon.  It must be kept refrigerated until served.  Cut melon easily picks up flavors in the refrigerator and also lends its flavor to other things so keep melon covered tightly.

Using honeyrock and cantaloupe

Fruit salad is, of course, always a hit with a blend of various melons.  But why not try a few bolder uses for honeyrocks?    To make a chilled soup cut the flesh of a medium cantaloupe in chunks, place in food processor with a 1/2 cup of orange juice and blend until smooth, add 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, blend well, pour in a bowl and then stir in another cup of orange juice.  Chill before serving.   If you have peach or apricot nectar it makes a good substitute for orange juice.

Try making a fruit smoothie with honeyrock.  Freeze pureed honeyrock in plastic cups with a stick for a fruit ‘popsicle”.    Chunks or balls of fresh honeyrock are excellent in a chicken salad.   How about honeyrock salsa?  Finely chop 2 cups of honeyrock melon. Add 3/4 cup of diced red pepper, 1/2 cup of diced sweet onion, 1/4 cup of diced jalapeño pepper, 1/4 cup of diced fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Blend well and chill before serving.

Freezing melon

Freezing fresh melon is about the only way to preserve it.  You can freeze it with or without a syrup.  First wash your melon as described above and then cut it off the rind in chunks or make melon balls.  Never freeze melon with the rinds on.  Pack your melon pieces in freezer bags or containers and freeze.

To make a syrup for freezing melon pieces blend 1-3/4 cups sugar with 4 cups of water and make sure the syrup covers the melon pieces.  Melon frozen in syrup usually looks better thawed than melon frozen without syrup.  All melon will be soft when thawed.  It’s smart to add partially defrosted melon to fruit salad or other dishes just before serving.

Michigan honeyrocks and other melons have only a short season, so when you see them snatch them up.  Save the flavor by freezing some for a winter treat.

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Peaches and nectarines

Luscious, juicy peaches are hitting the farm markets and roadside stands.  You will of course want to let the juice run down your chin as you eat them fresh at least a few times, but peaches are an ideal fruit for preserving for those long winter days when their golden sweetness will remind you of summer.   Michigan ranks 6th among the states for peach production.

When you shop for peaches look for good sized, fully ripe peaches without too much bruising. Peaches do not ripen after picking although they do soften a bit.  A ripe peach usually has a reddish blush over a yellow background color.  They feel slightly soft to the touch and smell very “peachy”.  Peach flesh varies from light to deep yellow depending on variety. There are also some white fleshed peaches but those are seldom seen in Michigan.   Peaches have a fuzzy skin that is usually removed before eating.

There are two main types of peaches, freestone and clingstone with advocates for both.  When cut in half a freestone peach gives up the hard pit easily.  This is the kind preferred for canning, freezing and cooking.  Clingstone peaches can also be used for all of the previous things, although the pit takes a bit more persuading to release the peach flesh.  Some people think the taste is better than freestone for fresh eating.

If you are harvesting your own peaches pick them when they are fully ripe, then let them stand a day or two before eating or preserving for best taste.  Peaches must be stored and handled carefully to prevent bruising, which soon turns into a rotted spot.  Use peaches within a few days of picking or buying.   Do not wash them until just before use.

Nectarines are often grown and sold where peaches are sold.  They have smooth skins and can be used in place of peaches in any recipe as the taste is very similar. 

Freezing peaches

Peaches can be frozen sliced, frozen in syrup or sugar, frozen as a puree or nectar.  Peaches darken after slicing and ascorbic acid, found with canning supplies, should be used if you want nice golden peaches when they thaw.  Follow package directions.  Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a natural product.   Lemon juice can be used in place of ascorbic acid - 1/2 cup of lemon juice to a 1/2 gallon of water- although it will add its own flavor.

To easily peel peaches dip them into boiling water in a metal strainer for one minute, then plunge your strainer into ice water.  The peels will slip right off.  Peaches can also be peeled with a paring knife although that is much more tedious.

After peeling peaches slice them into either ascorbic acid solution or lemon juice solution to prevent darkening or if the label directs you some ascorbic acid products are sprinkled on dry.  After a few minutes drain the slices, arrange them on a cookie sheet and put into the freezer until frozen.  Then pack slices into containers to label and put back in the freezer. Frozen peaches will be soft when defrosted. 

To sugar pack peaches for freezing toss peach slices with a 1/2 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of sliced peaches.  Allow them to sit for 15 minutes and then freeze.

To syrup pack peaches for freezing, peel as above slice into ascorbic acid or lemon as above then put peaches into freezer containers.  Bring a solution of 2-3/4 cups of sugar and 1 quart of water to boil and pour over the peaches. Let cool to room temperature and freeze.

Any recipe you made with peaches such as pie filling or pureed peaches can be frozen in freezer safe containers. 

Canning peaches

Peel peaches as described in freezing.  You can cut them in slices or use halves.  Most people can peaches in quart sized containers. For the canning fluid you can use a syrup- 2-3/4 cups of sugar to a quart of water, brought to a boil, boiling water or boiling apple juice.

Pack sliced or halved peaches into clean, hot jars.  If you use halves place the cut side down.  Pour your boiling fluid of choice over the peaches to within 1/2 from the jar rim. Use a stick or spatula to gently run around the jar sides, to release trapped bubbles.  If needed add more fluid.  Fluid should cover the peach pieces totally but the peaches and fluid must be a 1/2 inch from the rim.  Wipe the rim, add your lid and screw band.

Process quart jars of peaches in a water bath canner for 30 minutes.  A pint jar would take 25 minutes.  Although it’s not necessary peaches can be canned in a pressure canner.  Set the pressure at 6 pounds for Michigan and process for 10 minutes, either pints or quarts.

Make sure to label all your canned or frozen peaches with the date you preserved them.   Also indicate on the container that its peaches inside.

With a little time preserving them at harvest time peaches could be on your menu all year round. 

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Plums

Plums used to be eaten far more often than they are today.  Stewed plums, canned plums and prunes (dried plums) were dietary staples.  Try looking for canned plums in your grocery today.  You probably won’t find them.   But plums are a delicious and healthy fruit that should be included in our diets.  In Michigan we are lucky.  Michigan is second in the nation in the production of plums. The 2010 the Michigan plum crop was 1,800 tons and had a wholesale value of a billion dollars.  Not only can we eat a wide variety of fresh plums in season but there are plenty of plums for canning and drying.

Plums come into Michigan markets in late summer, about the same time as peaches.  There are a variety of plum colors from yellow to deep purple- black.  Michigan’s top plum varieties are Stanley and Damson, both are great for canning or preserves.  Plums are egg shaped generally, although there are some more rounded varieties.  They have a thin skin, juicy flesh and a small pit.  They are packed with phyto-nutrients, potassium and vitamin C and as many people know, plums have a nice regulatory effect on the bowels.

Plums are best canned or dried for winter use.  They don’t survive freezing very well.  They also make excellent juice, jellies and preserves.  You can use fresh plums in place of peaches in recipes for a delicious new taste.

Choose plums that are plump, slightly firm and completely ripe. Avoid plums with soft spots.  Plums do not ripen after picking but taste better if allowed to sit for a day after picking.  They will store in the refrigerator for several days.   Some plums are better for specific uses such as drying or fresh eating.  Like peaches some plums separate from their pits easier than others. They are called freestone varieties and are best to use if you will be halving or pitting plums for canning, although many plums are canned whole with pits.

Canning plums

For every quart of plums you want to can you will need about 2-1/2 pounds of plums.  Wash plums well.  If you want pitted plums half the plum and remove the pit.   If you are going to can the plums whole prick the skin of each plum with a toothpick in several places.  This is to keep them from splitting during canning, which makes the product look less appealing.

Pack the plums into hot clean jars to within a 1/2 inch from the rims.  Pour boiling water or syrup ( 2-1/2 cups of sugar to a quart of water, bring to boiling) over the plums to a 1/2 inch from the rim. Run a knife or “bubble stick” around the jar sides and around plums to remove bubbles.  Add more liquid if needed.  Wipe the rim, add lid and screw band.  Process in a water bath canner for 25 minutes.

Plum Preserves

Preserves are like jelly, but with pieces of fruit in it.  Plum preserves are excellent on a toasted English muffin or even poured on ice cream.

Sterilize 5 half pint jars.  Keep them covered in hot water until used.  Combine 5 cups of chopped plums with 4 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in a large pot.  Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.  Drain jars, pour hot preserves into jars to within a 1/4 inch from the top.  Wipe the rim; add lids and screw bands and process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes.

Alternately you can make preserves as above but instead of using canning jars use freezer containers and freeze the preserves until used.   Store opened jars or containers in the refrigerator.

Drying Plums

If you have a dehydrator plums can be dehydrated to make prunes.  Plums should be pitted or cut in half before drying.  Rinse plums in very hot water and pat dry.  Then place the plums on the trays according to your dehydrator instructions.  It will take 24-36 hours to dry plums.

To prolong shelf life and make the color better plums can be soaked in a solution of 1-1/2 teaspoons sodium bisulfite per quart of water for 15 minutes prior to drying.  Plums should be halved for this.  Find the sodium bisufite with canning supplies, wine making supplies or at a drugstore.  Make sure it is food grade.  Caution- some people are allergic to sulfite treated fruit.

Plums can be dipped in a honey solution prior to drying and they will taste more like store prunes, which are often sweetened.  Bring a 1/2 cup of sugar and 1-1/2 cups of water to boiling, turn off heat and stir in 1/2 cup of honey.  Let it cool to lukewarm, and then soak plums in it for 5 minutes, let them drain and proceed with drying.

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Pumpkin

Its fall and pumpkins are available locally.  Most of the pumpkins on the market are going to be turned into Jack O’ Lanterns but there are some good recipes that utilize pumpkins and they are not all pie recipes.  Pumpkin is used in a variety of dishes from soups to desserts.  It’s tasty and good for you too.  Why not turn some of the pumpkins you grew or bought at the market into some delightful dishes?

While pie type pumpkins are best for cooking, any pumpkin can be cooked. This article will give you the scoop on cooking, caning and freezing fresh pumpkins.  Winter squashes can also be cooked, canned and frozen exactly like pumpkin.

Preparing pumpkin

Here’s how to prepare a pumpkin for fresh use in a recipe. 

Select ripe, firm pumpkins.  Do not use pumpkins that have been frosted or frozen.

Wash the pumpkin well under clean, running water.

Cut the pumpkin in half.

Scoop out the stringy goop and seeds in the center of the pumpkin.  Save the seeds for roasting if you want.

Scrape the inner side of the pumpkin with the blade of a spoon until all the stringy matter is gone.

Cut the pumpkin into 1 inch chunks unless you are roasting or grilling it.  In those cases cut it into 3-4 inch chunks.

Stand each chunk on end and slice off the rind or skin with a sharp knife.  There is a color change between the hard rind and the fleshy part.  Discard the rind.

Proceed with your recipe directions or see cooking tips below.

Cooking fresh pumpkin

There are two main ways to cook a fresh pumpkin.  You can place chunks of prepared pumpkin flesh in a pan with enough water to cover them and cook on low heat until it is softened. Drain off the cooking water.  For most recipes you will then mash the pumpkin with a potato masher, blender or even a spoon.  In some soup recipes the pumpkin chunks will be cooked in other fluids.

You can also bake or grill larger pumpkin pieces.  Lightly spray the grill or a cookie sheet with olive oil or a butter spray. Place the pumpkin pieces on it.  Bake at 325º or grill on medium heat until the pumpkin is softened.  Occasionally halved or quartered cleaned pumpkins are baked.  Consult your recipe but generally baked and grilled pumpkin is also mashed or pureed.

Canning pumpkin

The easiest way to have cooked pumpkin on hand for recipes is to can it.  This allows you the convenience of having cooked pumpkin for recipes throughout the year also.  You will need a pressure canner to can pumpkin.  When you can pumpkin at home you are making good use of a local and seasonal food source.

It is not safe to can mashed pumpkin as the center of the pumpkin in the jar is too dense to allow proper heating to prevent bacterial growth.  Leave the mashing to when you open the can to use it.  It will be soft and easy to mash.  Also add spices just before using the pumpkin for best flavor.

You will need 18-20 pounds of whole pumpkin to can 7 quarts of pumpkin.

Clean and prepare pumpkin as outlined in the beginning of the article.

Clean 7 quart jars, rims and lids in hot water and keep warm.

Place the pumpkin chunks in a large pot and add water to cover them. 

Bring the pot to a boil and then boil for 3 minutes.  The pieces should still feel firm. Save the cooking water and keep it hot.

With tongs remove chunks of pumpkin and pack your jars with them to 1 inch from the top.  Do not mash the pumpkin.

Ladle the hot, saved cooking water over the pumpkin pieces, leave one inch of space at the top.

Run a bubble stick through the jars to remove bubbles, wipe the rim and add the lid and screw band.

Place the jars in a pressure canner and process for 90 minutes.  Set pressure on a dial gauge at 11 pounds at up to 2,000 feet altitude, 2000-4000 feet at 12 pounds, 4000-6000 at 13 pounds and above 6000 feet altitude at 14 pounds.  For weighted gauges set them at 10 pounds up to 2000 feet altitude and 15 pounds above 2,000 feet altitude.

Remove jars and allow them to cool.  Check seals and label before storage.

Freezing pumpkin

You can freeze chunks of pumpkin that have been blanched and finish cooking them later or you can cook, mash and season pumpkin before freezing.  To blanch pumpkin cut it into chunks, and place the chunks in boiling water for 3 minutes.  Drain the pumpkin pieces and freeze in freezer bags or containers.

To freeze mashed pumpkin cook the pumpkin as described earlier in the article.  Mash the pumpkin and put it in freezer bags or containers to freeze.  You can season the pumpkin before freezing but not seasoning it before freezing allows you more flexibility later when you use it.

Now that you have some canned or frozen pumpkin to work with you can experiment with all of the great pumpkin recipes and surprise someone you love.

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Rhubarb - Cooking and preserving 

Rhubarb is a great sweet-tart spring treat.  It’s available in Michigan farm markets beginning in May and of course, you can grow your own rhubarb. For how to grow rhubarb see this article.  www.examiner.com/gardening-in-detroit/growing-rhubarb   If harvesting your own cut it with a sharp knife near the stem base and don’t remove more than 1/3 of the stalks each season.  Stop harvesting when plants flower, usually mid June in Michigan.

Rhubarb stalks are the only safe part of the plant to eat; the plants contain high amounts of oxalic acid.  The stem color of rhubarb varies from bright cherry red to greenish red, depending on variety.  Many people just like to munch on a crispy tart stalk and that’s fine.  This article will give you some ideas on how to cook and preserve the rhubarb harvest.

Some people leave the ‘skin” on when cooking rhubarb, others prefer to carefully skin the stalks. You can usually remove the “skin” with your fingers, it strips right off.  The peel often pulls away in attractive curls that can be used for garnishes.  Tender young stalks won’t need peeling.  Always wash rhubarb before proceeding with a recipe.

Rhubarb pairs beautifully with strawberries and pineapple.  You substitute rhubarb pieces in any zucchini bread or cake recipe.  That’s a good reason to freeze some rhubarb chunks, in case the zucchini crop fails.

Rhubarb cake

Cooked Rhubarb Sauce

       

        * Rhubarb stalks, washed

        * sugar

       

Cut the rhubarb stalks into 1/2 inch slices.  Measure your pieces. Put in a sauce pan.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of rhubarb pieces.   Toss the mixture with a spoon.  You can adjust the sweetness to suit you.  Let the rhubarb and sugar sit until you notice some fluid being drawn out of the rhubarb, probably 30 minutes.  Then heat the rhubarb and sugar until gently boiling.  Cook, stirring often, until the rhubarb pieces soften, about 5 minutes.

Use the sauce on pound cake slices or over vanilla ice cream.

Cooking rhubarb for use in pies and cakes

Cut the rhubarb in 1/2 slices.  Fill a metal strainer or colander with pieces.  Get a large pot of water boiling.  Immerse strainer or colander with rhubarb pieces in it for 2-3 minutes.  Drain and use in recipe.

Freezing rhubarb

Blanch rhubarb in boiling water as above, but only immerse for 1 minute.  Dip colander into a large pot of cold water immediately.  Let drain.  Pack into freezer safe containers and freeze.

Canning rhubarb

Follow the directions above for rhubarb sauce.  It takes about 2 cups of rhubarb pieces for each pint jar. As soon as rhubarb is removed from the stove, pour it into clean pint jars to 1/2 inch from rims.  Remove bubbles by gently running a knife through filled jars.  Clean the rims and apply lids.  Process in water bath canner for 15 minutes.  For more canning information please see this book - Knack Canning, Pickling and Preserving.

http://www.amazon.com/Knack-Canning-Pickling-Preserving-Techniques/dp/1599219506/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1278534596&sr=8-1-fkmr2

Rhubarb and pineapple cake recipe

This cake is fairly easy to prepare and tastes delicious.  You could frost it, but it’s great with a scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, especially while warm.  It’s not as sweet as some cakes, but soft, moist and flavorful. This makes a good potluck dessert, something different.  Rhubarb and pineapple cake also freezes well.

        * 2 cups of peeled, sliced rhubarb

        * 3/4 cup of sugar

        * 3 tablespoons butter (or margarine)

        * 1 yellow cake mix

        * 1 20 oz. can of unsweetened crushed pineapple, don’t drain.

        * 3 eggs

Grease a 13x9 inch cake pan.  Preheat oven to 350. 

In a microwave safe bowl combine rhubarb and sugar.  Cover bowl and microwave on high for about 3 minutes.  The rhubarb should look like the consistency of the crushed pineapple. 

Add the butter to the rhubarb bowl and let it melt.  In the meantime combine the cake mix, 3 eggs and can of pineapple in a big bowl.  Pour in the rhubarb-butter mixture.

Beat with the electric beaters until the cake mix and other ingredients are well combined, about 2 minutes.  Pour into greased pan and bake for about 35 minutes- until a knife inserted comes out clean.  Cool slightly and serve.

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Strawberries

It’s quite easy to preserve strawberries and they are an excellent choice for a beginner in food preservation.  Whether you pick the berries yourself or buy them at the market look for fully red berries right down to the tip.  Strawberries don’t ripen after they are picked.  Avoid berries with soft, mushy gray spots, they are over ripe.   Often medium sized and small berries have a better flavor than the super huge berries.

Do not wash your berries until just before you use them and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to wash and clean them.  Wet berries grow mold in storage or turn mushy.  You can use a finger nail to pop off the green strawberry cap or the small end of a potato peeler or small paring knife.  Wash berries well in cold water, pick through and discard overly green or mushy berries.  Small spots can be cut out of otherwise nice strawberries.

Strawberries are generally preserved by freezing or by being turned into strawberry jam.  You can freeze straw berries now and turn them into jam later.  Strawberries shouldn’t be canned and make only fair candidates for drying.

Freezing strawberries

First wash berries and remove leafy caps.  Whole or halved berries can be placed on a cookie sheet so that they don’t touch, frozen until firm and then placed in freezer bags or containers.  These will be easy to separate and remove a few at a time for use.  When unfrozen they will be softer than fresh berries but still make a good presentation.

To sugar pack strawberries slice cleaned berries and measure how many cups you have.  For every 4 cups of sliced berries add 3/4 cup of sugar.  Toss the sugar and berries gently with a large spoon until most of the sugar has dissolved.  Let berries and sugar stand for 15 minutes then pack into freezer bags or containers.  Never add water to this mix.  The sugar draws fluid out of the berries and makes a nice juice.  Rigid containers need about a 1/2 inch of space left at the top to allow for expansion as the strawberries freeze.

Note:  You can also freeze the strawberry jam made from the recipe below.

Traditional strawberry jam

A candy or jelly thermometer, found in most stores, is advised for jam making.  Don’t double jam recipes, the flavor is better if jam is made in small batches because it doesn’t need to cook as long.

 

First clean and sterilize 8, 1/2 pint glass canning jars and new lids.  Place the jars into a large kettle of boiling water, making sure they are filled and covered with water and boil for ten minutes. Drop lids in just before the time is up.  Turn off the water but leave jars covered with the hot water until ready to use.  You can also use a dishwasher to sterilize jars if it has a sterilize cycle.  Keep jars in dishwasher until ready to use.

Clean and slice about 16 cups or 4 quarts of fresh berries.  Measure out 8 cups of berries after slicing and place in a large saucepan with 6 cups of white sugar.  You must use this ratio to get a good “gel.”

Crush the strawberries with a potato masher or large spoon until you get lots of juice and stir until most of the sugar is dissolved.  Bring the mixture to a boil slowly, stirring constantly.  Then turn the heat to a medium setting and cook the mixture about 35 minutes, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan.  Check the mixture often with the candy/jelly thermometer - or leave it in the pan attached to the pan rim with a clip.   Turn off the heat when the temperature reaches 220ºF.

If you don’t have a thermometer cook until the jam is thick and shiny.  Jam gets thicker as it cools.  You can check for the right consistency by placing a spoonful in a freezer and testing in 5 minutes.   If it is as thick as store jam it’s done.  You can turn off the heat under the jam while you are testing.  Bring back just to a boil before filling jars if it’s thick enough.

Don’t overcook jam, it will get grainy and may taste like burnt sugar.  Jam that is too thin can be cooked a bit longer but overcooked jam can’t be fixed.

When the jam is the right consistency/ temperature pour it hot into your sterilized jars.  (Drain out water first).  Fill to 1/4 inch from the jar rim, wipe the rim of the jar and then add the lids, first the flat piece, seal side down, then the screw band.  Tighten screw bands.

Place the jars in a water bath canner.  For more information about canning please see the book Knacks Canning, Pickling and Preserving. http://www.amazon.com/Knack-Canning-Pickling-Preserving-Techniques/dp/1599219506/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1278534596&sr=8-1-fkmr2

A water bath canner is a large pot that will hold all the jars with about 2 inches of water over the top of them. This can be the pot you sterilized the jars in.   A rack that holds the jars is advised- it keeps them from knocking together or turning over.   These are found with canning supplies.

The water should be brought to a boil, and then timed for exactly ten minutes. Turn off the heat, lift the jars out with tongs and place on a dishcloth set on a table or counter.  Don’t handle the jars until you hear a ping, or see a depression in the center of the lid, meaning the jar has sealed. 

Label the jars with the contents and a date.  Then store in a dark place where temperatures remain above freezing.

You can avoid all the canning hassle by pouring your jam into freezer containers and freezing it.  It must be stored in the freezer until used.  Thaw before use. All opened jam should be stored in the refrigerator, including canned jam.

Strawberry jam without added sugar

You can make strawberry jam that is without added sugar, but because the sugar in regular jam is what makes it thicken, you need to add a thickener called pectin to get the jam to “jell”.  While this jam is without added sugar it does have some natural sugar from the fruit itself.    And this strawberry jam has fewer calories than regular jam, but is not calorie free.  Each tablespoon of jam will have less than 10 calories.

Jam made with artificial sweeteners needs to be frozen or refrigerated for storage.  The long cooking required to can jam for shelf storage would make the sweetener taste bitter.  This recipe calls for liquid artificial sweetener, available at most grocery stores.  The pectin called for can also be found in grocery stores- they usually have a small canning section near the baking or seasoning products.

Strawberry jam made with artificial sweeteners isn’t the pretty red of jam made with sugar.  To make it more appealing some people opt to add red food coloring, although you can leave it out without harming the recipe.

You’ll need 3 half pint containers with covers that can be frozen or refrigerated safely for this recipe.  They don’t need to be sterilized but should be clean and dry. Freeze the jam if it will take you more than 2 weeks to use it and just unthaw one container at a time.  Keep thawed jam in the refrigerator.

Ingredients       

        1 quart of strawberries, washed with caps ( green top) removed.

        3 teaspoons of liquid artificial sweetener- do not use powders.

        1 package of powdered fruit pectin

        1 tablespoon of lemon juice

        red food coloring if desired

Crush the strawberries with a large spoon in a medium saucepan.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  When boiling begins, time cooking for 1 minute, stirring all the time, then turn off heat.  Continue to stir until you notice mixture thickening, about 2 minutes.  Pour into your containers and freeze or refrigerate.

Uncooked strawberry jam

If you don’t like heating up the kitchen on a summer day or just like shortcuts, here’s a strawberry jam recipe for you.   This is a freezer jam- which means it needs to be stored in the freezer if not used within 2 weeks.  Store thawed jam in the refrigerator.

This recipe makes 4- half pints.  Most families will use small quantities of strawberry jam at a time so dividing the recipe into half pints makes sense.  Make jam in small batches for the best results and don’t double recipes. Any clean, dry containers with a tight fitting lid that will withstand freezing can be used.

You can find liquid pectin in most grocery stores; it’s generally sold near canning supplies, which are usually in the baking or seasoning ingredients aisles. 

Ingredients

       

1 quart of fresh strawberries, washed and caps, (leafy area on top), removed

        4 cups of sugar

        2 tablespoons lemon juice- fresh squeezed or concentrate

        1 pouch of liquid pectin

Slice and crush strawberries.  Measure out 1- 3/4 cups of crushed berries.  Eat the rest.   In a large bowl combine the strawberries and the sugar, toss gently and let the mix stand for 10 minutes. 

Put the lemon juice into a measuring cup and add the liquid pectin.  Stir well.  Pour this mixture into the strawberries as you continue to stir.  Keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken, about 3 minutes. Fill your containers.  Cover each container and let sit in the refrigerator until the jam is thick, this could take a day.  After the jam is thickened freeze any containers you won’t immediately use.  Store thawed jam in the refrigerator.

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Tomatoes

Canning and freezing

Tomatoes are a favorite vegetable- or fruit- of most of most Michigan gardeners.  And if you don’t garden Michigan farm markets are bursting with the juicy red globes from July through September.  While they are great to eat fresh, local tomatoes can turn up on the table all through winter if you take the time to can or freeze some. 

Tomatoes will also store for a few months if picked green at the end of the season.  Wrap each green tomato in a piece of newspaper and store them in a single layer in a dark, 50-70 degree area.  Take out a few at a time to ripen in a sunny window.  This can often get you fresh tomatoes until Thanksgiving.   The taste won’t be the same as tomatoes vine ripened in the sun, but they will taste as good as the ones shipped in from other states and foreign countries.

Our bodies find it easier to absorb the vitamins and antioxidants that tomatoes are loaded with if the tomatoes are first cooked.  And since tomatoes are a part of many wonderful recipes from spaghetti to soup it makes sense to have a good supply of canned tomatoes on hand.  Tomatoes can be canned whole or made into sauces, salsa, paste, juice and condiments.  Canning is the preferred method of preserving tomatoes, but they can also be frozen or dried.

Any kind or color of tomato can be canned.   Even unripe, green tomatoes can be used in some recipes.   However, medium sized, round, meaty tomatoes are best for canning.  Paste type tomatoes are generally smaller and oblong and these are, of course, better for paste and sauce because they have thicker, less watery flesh.  Plant catalogs often describe varieties as good for canning. 

Canning tomatoes

Tomatoes are easy to can in dozens of ways.  They are often the beginning canners first project.  When canning tomatoes make sure to follow modern recipes,(before the 90’s),  and canning instructions for food safety.  Most tomato products can be canned in a simple water bath canner, but they need additional acid added and should never be just hot packed into jars and allowed to seal.  They must be processed in a canner.    Your grandmother may have done things differently but research has shown that adding acid and processing tomato products in a canner greatly diminishes food spoilage and enhances food safety.

Start by choosing firm ripe, but not too ripe tomatoes.  They can have minor blemishes but avoid fruit that is infected with fungal diseases that can show up as large black spots, rotted areas, or hard, white areas.  These tomatoes will increase spoilage odds, even if the bad areas are removed.  Wash all tomatoes well, even organically grown ones, just before you are ready to use them.

Many recipes call for peeled tomatoes. To peel tomatoes, get a pot of water boiling and also prepare a pot of cold water.  Using a wire strainer or metal colander, dip several tomatoes at a time in the boiling water for 1 minute.  You should see the skins crack.  Then dip them in cold water for a minute.  The skins should easily slip off.  Then the core of the tomato is generally cut out.  

You will need 4-5 medium tomatoes per quart if canned whole, and 8-10 medium tomatoes if cut.  Wash and peel the tomatoes. Leave whole or cut into the desired size pieces.  Bring a pot of clean water or tomato juice to boiling.  At the bottom of each clean, hot canning quart jar add either two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon citric acid.  Add 1 teaspoon salt to each jar. ( Salt can be adjusted or left out.) 

Now pack tomatoes into jars, leaving a 1/2 inch space to the jar rim. Pour boiling water or tomato juice over the tomatoes, leaving 1/2 space at the top.  Run a thin knife blade or “bubble stick” through the tomatoes and around the sides to remove trapped air.  Add more liquid if needed.  Wipe the jar rim and put on your lid and screw band.  Process in a water bath canner for 45 minutes if water is used as the packing liquid and 90 minutes if tomato juice was used.

If you add vegetables such as peppers or onions to tomato products the processing time will change.  Tomato products like sauces and pastes will also require different processing times.  Follow the recipe and processing times in a good canning book such as Knacks Canning, Pickling and Preserving.  Don’t experiment with canning recipes. You may end up with a product that will kill you.  Don’t substitute ingredients or change percentages of ingredients in a recipe unless the recipe lists safe substitutes.

Freezing tomatoes

Freezing whole tomatoes is only done if you intend to later turn them into sauce or juice.  Thawed tomatoes turn into a watery mess.  If you want to process tomatoes later, when the weather is cool, you can wash them, remove stems and freeze in freezer bags.  When you are ready to make sauce or paste, if the recipe calls for peeled tomatoes, pop the frozen tomatoes into boiling water and the skins will easily slide off.   If skins will be removed by a sieve, just thaw tomatoes until soft and proceed with the recipe.

Any cooked tomato sauce or paste, diced or stewed tomatoes and tomato juice can also be made according to a recipe and then frozen in freezer containers or bags.

Tomatoes are a cooking staple. With your cupboard lined with gleaming red jars of tomatoes or your freezer packed with tasty tomato sauce you’ll be prepared to cook all winter.  So head out to the garden or farmers market and get some Michigan tomatoes.

Bacon and tomato jam

There’s a recipe floating around the internet, through offices and gatherings that sounds intriguing and promises to help you use up all those extra tomatoes.  With little originality at all, most of the authors give the same recipe- which is understandable- but also almost word for word the same opening paragraphs.  The recipe is for bacon and tomato jam, a BLT in a jar sort of thing. Sounds different, doesn’t it? 

A close scrutiny of the recipe reveals one thing- it’s basically a ketchup recipe with maybe a tad more sugar added and some bacon pieces thrown in.   It tastes like sweet ketchup with chunks.  Fifty years ago when more people made their own ketchup this recipe would have been ketchup- after it was passed through a strainer or colander.  The bacon probably wouldn’t have been added and the results probably would have been canned instead of frozen.  Tomato jam isn’t bad though, and you may want to give it a try.

The recipe is going to be given below- without the bacon.   It’s probably better if you put the tomato jam on toast then add some nice cooked bacon and some lettuce.  Without the bacon added, your tomato jam can also be used on other things, without the bacon flavor.  One of the best ways to use this tomato jam is to slather it on some home fried potatoes.  It’s also good on crackers, meatloaf and grilled cheese sandwiches.

If do any canning and preserving you’ll know that this recipe is quite adaptable- you don’t need to follow it exactly.    You can make it less sweet- use a little more vinegar and a 1/4 cup less sugar, you can add finely chopped green or hot peppers, you can vary the spices to suit your taste.  Taste the product as you go and realize that as it cooks down the flavors will intensify.  Sugar is part of what makes the thick, jam like texture, so don’t use sugar substitutes.

If you want to try the bacon tomato jam, cook about a half pound of bacon until it’s crispy, crumble it and add to the jam about half way through the cooking.  If you think you would rather have ketchup then jam, use peeled tomatoes, push the tomato pulp through a colander to remove the seeds then use 4 cups of pulp and the rest of the recipe below.  Blend after cooking until it’s smooth. 

Here’s a tip on cooking.  You can use a saucepan and slowly simmer this recipe until it cooks down. You’ll need to hover around the kitchen and stir occasionally, especially near the end when it’s getting thick, to keep it from scorching.  But you can also put the recipe in a microwave safe bowl- uncovered- and cook it.  You won’t have to watch it quite as closely although it will take almost as long to cook.   It helps to open the microwave door every half hour to let steam out and wipe off moisture inside with a paper towel.

The time will vary depending on a lot of things; expect at least an hour of cooking time.  It’s done when you have reduced it to about half; in the recipe below that would be about 2 cups of jam.  It will thicken as it cools too.  So here’s the recipe for tomato jam.

4 cups of very ripe, finely chopped tomatoes

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 cup of sugar

2½ tablespoons vinegar

1½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Put all of the above in a pan and cook until reduced to about half the volume and the jam looks thick and shiny.   This will take from 1-2 hours.  Let the jam cool then divide into small portions.  Freeze what you don’t think you will eat within two days.  Refrigerate any jam that isn’t put in the freezer until used.  Jam in the freezer will keep for 2 months.

This makes about 2 cups of tomato jam.

Quick tomato sauce

If you have about two hours where you can be near the kitchen you can quickly turn excess garden tomatoes into a sauce.   This is great for small batches of tomatoes, when you have too many to eat, but not enough to can.  Wash tomatoes well and place them in a large pot.  A four quart pot loosely filled with whole tomatoes will yield a generous quart of sauce.  Any kind of tomatoes will work.  You can also make this sauce in the winter from frozen tomatoes.

You will need a 4 quart or larger pot with a lid, try to size the pot with the amount of tomatoes you want to cook.  You will also want a metal strainer or colander, a big spoon, some metal tongs and something to freeze your completed sauce in, such as freezer bags or containers.  Spices and seasonings are optional.

Put a small amount of water on the pot bottom- barely enough to cover the bottom.  Then chop up the first 2 or three tomatoes to add a little juice.  Next just add the whole, washed tomatoes to within 2 inches of the pot top.  Add a lid and place on the stove on low heat.

After 5-10 minutes the water should be simmering and the pot steamy.  Remove the lid There will be a lot of fluid in the pot now. You can add chopped onion, peppers or fresh herbs at this stage, according to taste.  Season with salt, garlic and black pepper to your taste.  Go a little light on spices as they will intensify as the sauce cooks.  You can always add more later.  You may prefer to add nothing and season the sauce later when you use it in cooking.

Let the sauce cook slowly at the lowest setting of a burner, uncovered. The sauce should be steaming but not heavily boiling. You want water to evaporate off, thickening the sauce.  As it does you will need to stir the sauce frequently, (that’s why you need to be around the kitchen), so it won’t stick to the bottom of the pan.  You don’t need to stir constantly - but do stir every few minutes.

After about an hour of cooking you will want to strain the sauce.   If you don’t mind seeds and some tomato pulp in the sauce use a colander.  If you want a smoother sauce, use a metal strainer.   Use a large bowl or another pan under your strainer or colander to collect the tomato juice and carefully pour the contents of the hot pot into the strainer or colander.  A lot of fluid will simply pour through.  Mash the pulp and skins left in the strainer or colander with the back of your spoon, pressing juice through the holes, for several minutes.  Then discard the strainer or colander contents.  Put the thick juice you collected back on low heat, in the original cooking pot or another smaller one. 

Cook the thin sauce uncovered and stirring frequently until it thickens to your liking.  This is the time to taste it carefully and adjust the seasoning if you want it seasoned.  Do not add thickening agents like cornstarch or flour!   Depending on the type of tomatoes it will probably take about 30 more minutes of cooking to spaghetti sauce consistency.  You may want it thinner for soups or chili base or thicker for a paste like texture.

When the sauce is thick enough let it cool to the point where it feels warm but not hot enough to burn.  Then pour or ladle into bags or containers and freeze.  Label the bags with the date and what spices were put in the tomatoes if any.  Make sure bags are frozen promptly or refrigerated and used within a few days.  Freeze in quantities you are likely to use in a single recipe.

For more tomato recipes, how to can tomatoes, make sauces of various kinds and even homemade ketchup try this book- Knacks Quick and Easy Guide to Canning, Pickling and Preserving.   It features gorgeous colored pictures, step by step directions and bonus recipes for using canned and preserved food.

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