Doris and Jilly Cook » Preservation

Applesauce vs. Applesauce

dorisandjilly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:55:57 +0000

Last year, you may recall, I made a lot of applesauce. When I had time, I canned it; when I was lazy, I just stuck it in the freezer. Nine months later, we’ve been eating lots of each. The results?

No contest.

The canned applesacue is sooooo much better than the frozen. It has excellent texture, a great taste, and you don’t have to remember to thaw it. The freezer applesauce is…well…gummy. It’s fine to bake with, but I’d only eat it in a pinch. I suppose it’s possible that all of the gummy apples ended up in the freezer batches, but that seems highly unlikely, no?

If you, too, want to can applesauce, you have some choices. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts in a boiling water bath. If you’d rather use a pressure cooker, they recommend 8 minutes for pints, 10 minutes for quarts, both at 5 pounds of pressure. When I’ve done this, I’ve always used 10 pounds of pressure for 0 minutes, which seems to work pretty well, too, but note that you do so at your own risk.

IgnitePhilly postmortem

dorisandjilly — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:49:47 +0000

(Thanks to relaxing for the photo, via Flickr.)

IgnitePhilly was awesome! Thanks so much to the crew for inviting me, to all of you who came out to pack the room, and to the other presenters for putting on such a great show. There was so much clamour and din at Johnny Brenda’s that several conversations got cut short, so this post is my attempt to answer your questions. Please drop me a line at dorisandjilly@gmail.com if you have others.

Do you teach classes?

Sure! I can do interactive classes on water-bath canning, pressure canning, and pressure cooking for groups of 6 to 12. If you have more than 12 people, it will be more of a demonstration, but we can talk about it. Just drop me a line (and remember that I’m in Philadelphia).

Where do you get the jars?

Hardware stores. They used to be harder to find, but there’s been so much interest in canning this year that stores are keeping them in stock. If you don’t see them, talk to the manager. You’re asking for “canning jars and lids.” The typical sizes are half-pint (aka, jelly jars), pint, and quart. They also come in regular and wide-mouth styles. If you’re new to canning and plan to use a stock pot for your water bath, regular-mouth pint jars will be the most useful size.

What’s the process, again?

Check out this post on rhubarb compote and this one on canning chicken stock for step-by-step instructions. If you’re interested in the USDA’s safety regulations and the philosophy of canning, check out this entry on the basics of canning tomatoes.

But aren’t canned things all syrupy?

Well, that depends on what you put in the jars, now, doesn’t it?

Fruit’s expensive!

No it’s not. Strategies to save money here.

Brandied Pears

dorisandjilly — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:55:44 +0000

Like regular canned pears, only drunk.

Brandied Pears

5 pounds ripe, yet firm, pears
Sugar syrup, at your preferred level of sweetness (I like 1 sugar: 2 water)
Several cups brandy

1) Put on a pot for a boiling water bath and sterilize your jars. I used 2 quarts and 2 pints. Life will be easier if you use wide-mouth jars. Heat up appropriate lids to match.

2) Heat up (or make) your simple syrup.

3) Peel and core your pears. Stuff them as tightly as possible into the jars, cut-side down. Pour 1 c. brandy into each of the quart jars and 1/2 c. brandy into each of the pint jars. Top them off with syrup. Run a spatula or knife around the edges to remove air bubbles, then add more syrup if necessary.

4) Screw on the lids and transfer the jars to the hot water bath. Process pints 20 minutes and quarts 25 minutes.

Let these sit for at least a month before opening to allow the flavors to pervade the fruit. Eat them on their own or over ice cream, and don’t forget the best part: pear brandy. You could boil it down to make a sauce, if you wanted, or just serve it in little tiny portions as a digestif.

Canned Pears with Star Anise

dorisandjilly — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:55:31 +0000

Normally, I am a fan of the hot-pack approach to canning fruit, as it helps you fit more fruit into each jar. A recipe in last month’s New York Times, however, convinced me that it’s silly to poach pears separately, since a water-bath canning process will effectively poach the pears for you. I found their recipe, with its thyme, vinegar, and peppercorns, a bit fussy and decided to take a more straightforward approach: simple syrup + star anise. Since I still had some Seckel pears left over from my last trip to Mood’s, I left them whole. It really is the kind of thing that invites endless variation: if you like peppercorns and thyme with your pears, then by all means, you should try it. I suspect ginger would be particularly nice.

Canned Pears with Star Anise

5 pounds pears
4 cups syrup, at your preferred level of sweetness (I like 1:2 sugar: water)
Juice of one lemon
4 star anise

1) Start a boiling water bath large enough to cover 2 quart jars or 4 pint jars. Dissolve the sugar in water and bring the syrup to a boil. Add the lemon juice. While you’re waiting, peel your pears. If they’re small, leave them whole; if they’re large, cut them in half and remove the core. Cut out any bad spots. Don’t forget to warm up your lids.

2) Fit as many pears as possible into each jar, along with 1 star anise per pint jar or 2 per quart jar. Of course, you may need more jars. Cover the pears with syrup, run a knife or spatula along the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles, and add more syrup if necessary.

3) Process quarts for 25 minutes or pints for 20 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remember to remove the bands and wipe down the jars, as they may be sticky.

Peach Syrup

dorisandjilly — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:01:38 +0000

Should you be so lucky as to still have access to peaches, and should you decide to can some, may I recommend a) that you drown them in honey and b) that you can the leftover juice/syrup/nectar as a base for delicious cocktails for sometime in the future?

Peaches in Honey (for canning)

Straight out of the Ball Blue Book: Make a syrup with a ratio of 1 sugar to 2 honey to 4 water. Peel your peaches, cut them in half, and bring them to boil in the syrup. Transfer the peaches facedown to clean, hot jars and cover with syrup. Run a knife or spatula around the edges to remove air bubbles, then add more syrup if necessary. Adjust two-piece lids and process in a boiling water bath, 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.

Peach Syrup

Now look in the pan. There’s still syrup! Drink it now, or drink it later. To can: transfer into clean, hot jars, adjust the lids, and process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remember to remove the bands and wipe down the jars before storing them—they will be sticky.

Cherry Raspberry Jam

dorisandjilly — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:55:51 +0000

It’s not too late for raspberries! Cherries came and went long ago, but if you happened to freeze some, you can still make a fabulous, sweet-tart jam that tastes like summer. The raspberries melt into a luscious sauce studded with the cherries. It’s by far my favorite jam—the kind you hate to open because the contents are so precious.

Cherry Raspberry Jam

1 quart fresh raspberries, cleaned
Approximately 1 quart frozen cherries—less if you froze them without the pits
3 cups sugar—more if you used cherries that were frozen without sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice

1) Gently mix the raspberries and the sugar in a big pot and bring them to a boil. Meanwhile, pit the cherries, if necessary. Add them to the pot with the lemon juice.

2) Boil the mixture to the gelling point, stirring constantly. Forget what I said earlier this summer about 218°F—cook it to 214°F for the perfect spreadable texture.

3) Meanwhile, prepare a boiling water bath, 5 half-pint jars, and 5 lids. (You’ll probably only need 4, but better to have an extra than to come up short.) When the jam’s ready, transfer the hot jam into the hot jars and adjust the lids. Process for 10 minutes.

Saving Seeds

dorisandjilly — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:29:21 +0000

Harvest season is winding down—within a month or so we’ll be posting on what we did with all that food we canned, instead of how to can it. Meanwhile, it’s our last chance to squirrel away some seeds for next year. This is my first time attempting to save seeds, so I’m winging it. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

Beans: Let them hang on the plants for a very, very long time, ideally until the pods are brown. You probably won’t want to do this during the middle of the growing season, as it will discourage further bean production. Unless, of course, you’re trying to discourage bean production.

Tomatoes: The jury’s out on whether or not your plants will cross-pollinate. The internets tell me that tomatoes planted close together mostly self-pollinate, but that you should expect a cross-pollination of 5 to 10%. Also, remember that seeds from hybrid plants will not breed true. It’s only worth saving the seeds from heirloom tomatoes. Tomato seeds are encased in a protective coating that needs to be removed before you save the seeds. To do this, squeeze the seeds and pulp into a jar with some water and let it sit a few days. When it’s foamy and smells nasty, you’re done. Pour off the tomato bits and any seeds that float, rinse the remaining seeds in a few washes of water, and transfer them to a plate to dry.

Peppers: Alas, peppers are promiscuous. If you’re growing a bunch of peppers together, or if you garden in a community garden, chances are that your plants have cross-pollinated and the seeds will not breed true. Of course, if you’re interested in hobby plant breeding, save away! Just cut out the seeds and let them dry.

Cukes, zukes, and melons: No idea if they cross-pollinate, since mine almost always die. I did, however, get one gorgeous melon. Melon seeds also benefit from fermentation. Just treat them like tomatoes. Who knows what will sprout from those seeds next year?

Lettuces, arugula, spinach, basil, etc.: Just let them go to seed and collect the dried flowers.

Potatoes and sweet potatoes: Set a few aside for next year.

Flowers: Cut off the heads of some you like and dry them.

These are the only things that I’ve tried, but I’m curious to hear your experiences. Any words or caution or wisdom?

Roasted Tomato Salsa

dorisandjilly — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:22:51 +0000

My problem with homemade canned tomato salsa is that it always ends up tasting cooked—but not in a good way—from the canning process. It’s as if you made a batch of pico de gallo, boiled it for 20 minutes, then chilled it and served it. Nothin’ but nasty. I’ve eventually come to the conclusion that the only way around this is to focus my canning efforts on cooked salsa. Salsa verde is a great example. Roasted tomato salsa is another good solution.

Roasted Tomato Salsa (for canning)

About 8 pounds of tomatoes (18 medium)
3 small onions or 1 large onion, hacked into large pieces
1 cup cilantro, thick stems removed
Several dried peppers: I used 3 dried bird peppers and 1 dried ancho pepper
6 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt
1/2 cup lime juice

1) Cut the tomatoes in half and arrange them in a roasting pan. Broil for 3–5 minutes, until the skins are charred. If your broiler is unpredictable, you can also roast them for about 30 minutes at 450°F.

2) Meanwhile, soak your dried peppers in boiling water to cover. When they’re pliable, cut them open and remove the seeds. If you want a hotter salsa, leave them in.

3) Also meanwhile, bring a water bath to boil for canning. Sterilize your jars and warm the lids (this made 6 half pints and 1 pint for me, but you might want to have some other pint jars ready in case yours makes more….or just eat the extra).

4) When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, throw them in a food processor with the onions, the garlic, the cilantro, and the peppers. You may have to work in batches. Transfer the chopped vegetable mixture to a stockpot with the lime juice and 1 T salt (more or less to taste). Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5) Transfer the hot salsa to the hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Run a spatula around the edge to remove air bubbles and add more salsa if necessary. Wipe the rims and adjust the lids. As seems to be the case for most salsas, processing time recommendations vary somewhat, but based on the National Center for Home Food Preservation‘s guidelines for other salsas, you should be fine with 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. After all, this is basically a recipe for roasted tomatoes, garnished with onions, drowned in lime juice.

The Day After the Canvolution

dorisgoat — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:28:23 +0000

Yesterday we celebrated the Canvolution, a day of food preservation to celebrate tradition, the harvest, and local foodways. I spent the morning doing a “dry demo” at the Clark Park Farmer’s Market, then taught my inaugural water-bath canning class. I hope those of you who stopped by to ask a question or attended the class had as much fun as I did—thanks so much for your enthusiasm, your questions, and your patience.

Lessons for next time:

(1) Buy a new jar lifter.

(2) Figure out a way for participants to transport hot jars.

(3) Remember to explain that my name isn’t actually Doris.

(4) Buy smaller peaches.

(5) Magically summon two extra stovetop burners and pans.

If you attended the class and have feedback, or missed it and want to arrange another one on any food preservation topic in the Philadelphia area, just drop me a line at dorisandjilly@gmail.com. Fan mail, is, of course, welcome below. Happy canning!

Canning Kit Winner

dorisandjilly — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:59:08 +0000

The winner of the canning kit is Jane Cambell, from Manchester, Missouri. Congratulations! And thank you to everyone else who left those wonderful comments. Please read them if you have a chance—the stories of perserverance, family traditions, and loved ones no longer with us will warm your heart.

And Era, for goodness sake: please buy yourself a jar lifter, or at least a good pair of tongs! And Michele, I hope you’re using a pressure cooker for that meat??