Posts Tagged ‘ preserving ’

Tangerine Syrup

Tangerine Syrup

December means citrus around here – lots and lots of citrus. Two of my neighbors have trees that they can’t keep up with, so we’re eating tangerines and oranges hand over fist. When I ran across a recipe for tangerine syrup over on the hip girl’s guide to homemaking, I wondered if it was something we’d use. (I’m famous for going all gung-ho and canning a bunch of stuff that seems like a good idea, but in retrospect is just not something my family will eat – hello, mint jelly!) The list of possible uses that the hip girl included with her recipe sold me. Add it to sparkling water for a citrus-y soda! Make a marinade! Sweeten granola! How could I not try it? The recipe was really very simple and easy to do. Since this was the only canning project I had going on, I processed the small jars in my stock pot, rather than heating up my big canner. The cute little jar you see up above was not processed; it will go into the fridge for my neighbor. Hip girl suggests using 3 cups of tangerine juice, or up to 4-5 cups juice for a...

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Save Those Green Tomatoes – Make A Batch of Chow Chow

Save Those Green Tomatoes – Make A Batch of Chow Chow

Circa 1970s: The old metal grinder is firmly mounted to my mom’s kitchen table, the abundance of our summer garden stacked in bowls and baskets around us. As often as I could, I’d take a turn at the grinder, cranking the handle despite my stinging, watering eyes.  I watched as onions, bell peppers, and green tomatoes were pulled into the turning screw, a crunching sound coming to my ears over the noise of the squeaky handle turning. Mom hovered, sure that with every turn of the handle one of my tender young fingers might join the mix in the pot that was catching the crushed green vegetables. Clear juices, tinted green, dripped from every point of the old grinder, running down to my elbow and then to the floor where a large towel was ready to catch the overflow. The bright green pulp from the unripe remains of a bountiful harvest would be transformed into a relish with the funny name, “chow chow.” Circa twenty-first century: As times have changed, so too have my methods.  Nowadays, an electric food processor makes quick work of the unripe tomatoes, peppers, and onions. But while I am feeling nostalgic about the days...

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Spicy Chorizo Soup and Chow Chow

Spicy Chorizo Soup and Chow Chow

As the weather cools in the States, gardens are slowing down and many of us are shifting to meals that warm us up. Over on Popcorn Homestead, you’ll find one of my family’s go-to cool season meals: chorizo soup. Whip it up with fresh tomatoes and peppers from the garden and top it with the salty crunch of tortilla chips or baked tortillas and you’ll soon know why it’s a family favorite. And if you’re pondering what to do with the green tomatoes still hanging on the vine as autumn approaches, may I suggest a batch of chow-chow? I shared a little bit of nostalgia as well as my recipe for this relish made from green tomatoes over on New Life on a Homestead recently. It’s an excellent addition to a hot dog bun, though not like anything you’d find in a store.   Photo: Flickr user dickdotcom

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A Cure for Watery Homegrown Tomato Sauce

A Cure for Watery Homegrown Tomato Sauce

With many gardeners in the thick of their tomato harvest, stock pots are bubbling with tomato sauce, marinara sauce, pizza sauce, homemade ketchup, and lots of other bright red tomato goodness. If you’ve ever made sauce from fresh tomatoes, you know that no matter how much you cook it down, the sauce often separates, leaving an unappealing watery puddle under your pasta. Not good. Even worse is a watery pizza sauce (soggy crust!) or ketchup. Years ago I figured out a way to combat this problem. When I feel that the sauce has cooked down to the right consistency, I pull out my metal sieve and set it right on top of the boiling sauce. As the sauce bubbles, the thinner liquid boils up through the mesh. I use a bulb baster to suction it off, saving the flavorful juice to add to soups or stews. Be careful – at this stage the sauce can be quite volcanic in its bubbling, and your hands will be right in there as you work. If there’s still a fair amount of liquid in your sauce, the sieve will fill quickly and may become submerged. I usually try to prop it up...

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Recipe: Tomato Chutney

Recipe: Tomato Chutney

My friend Claudette is a personal chef. She cooks professionally for people who can afford such things, and sometimes for people like me who scoff at the idea of hiring a personal chef while on vacation. When Claudette cooks, people pay attention. My kids love to have dinner at her house because it is guaranteed to be a noteworthy meal.  She makes these amazing sausage rolls and serves them with a tomato chutney that is to die for. I enjoy the sausage rolls, but I have to admit, I’m fully prepared to forgo the rolls and resort to a spoon for the chutney. Seriously. That good. Claudette is not one of those high-falutin’ chefs that keeps her recipes secret, though. So when I raved (over and over again) about the chutney, she shared her recipe with me. Claudette makes hers in small batches, but if I’m chopping and cooking, I’d just as soon make a pot full, so I increased the recipe substantially. I’m happy to report that it’s just as good as Claudette’s. Tomato Chutney Makes 8-1/2 pints Mix the following ingredients in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. 2-1/2 cups red wine vinegar 3-3/4...

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Home Canning Hack: Sterilize the Lids and the Rings

Home Canning Hack: Sterilize the Lids and the Rings

I used to sterilize my jar lids in boiling water as directed by the canning experts, but I always fumbled to get them out of the water with tongs. Nowadays, those experts recommend a magnet for easily lifting jar lids out of the water. Pah. One more expense, one more piece of equipment to store, one more bit of packaging the world doesn’t need. Instead of buying a magnet for your home canning, try this: put your lids and rings together before you put them in the water to sterilize them. When you’re ready to put them on your jars, it’s easy peasy to grab hold of each set with tongs and place it on your jar. I learned this little trick courtesy of the Master Canners at my local extension office a number of years ago. Brilliant!

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Preserving Tomatoes as Salsa

Preserving Tomatoes as Salsa

While my summertime has been wet enough to mean very few tomatoes, I know many of you are just seeing the fruits of your labors in the form of juicy red tomatoes. Salsa time! Salsa is one of our favorite canned goods; we use it not only as a snack, but it’s also a staple ingredient that I use in chili and Mexican dishes. It’s a great way for me to preserve not only the tomatoes, but peppers and onions from the garden, too. I’ve tried a number of recipes over the years, and this one is a keeper, getting thumbs up from my entire family. This recipe calls for chopped vegetables. My easy, cheat-y way to do this is with a food processor using the metal blade. I simply core and quarter the washed tomatoes (I do NOT peel them; who’s got time for that?), pulse them until they’re the consistency I like in a salsa, and then measure them directly into the stock pot. I do the same with the peppers and garlic. If you don’t have a food processor, use a knife and aim for a quarter-inch dice on the tomatoes and onions and an even...

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Dilly Green Beans

Dilly Green Beans

I’ve been harvesting green beans from the garden for a month or so. On one of those days when my harvest didn’t quite match up with my dinner plans, I found myself with more beans than I’d be able to use fresh, so I decided to preserve some. I’ve not had much luck in the past with crispy cucumber pickles, but I like dill green beans. They maintain a nice snap. These don’t need to be processed – just keep them in the refrigerator. It took me about half an hour to put these up – faster, even, than a trip to the grocery store!   Dilly Green Beans 3 pounds of green beans 2 tablespoons dried dill weed (or 1 cup chopped fresh dill if you have it) 4 cloves garlic, sliced 2 cups water 2 cups white vinegar 2 tablespoons salt 4 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes Wash and trim the ends from beans. Cook the beans in boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until crisp but tender. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process. Pack beans into glass jars, snug but not too snug (you’ll fill 2-3 pint...

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Plastic-Free Freezer Storage

Plastic-Free Freezer Storage

We’ve been talking a bit over on the Attainable Sustainable Facebook page about how to store food in the freezer without using plastic containers. It’s a big stumbling block for people like me who want to preserve garden bounty (I freeze vegetables like green beans; their acid content is too low for water bath canning) or things like soup stock and premade meals without the health risks of plastic. Here are some options to consider: Glass storage containers: This collection of Pyrex glass containers is on my wish list. These are oven safe, plus they’re good for both refrigerator and freezer storage and they have glass lids as well as plastic. I have some glass containers that I use for freezing, but they have plastic lids that are beginning to crack and I’m having a heck of a time finding replacements. Glass lids are so much more durable. If you are the parent of a baby and making your own baby food, rejoice! Check out these super cool freezer safe glass baby food storage containers. Alas, these aren’t exactly inexpensive options. Life Without Plastic has some great bpa-free storage options, but again, not cheap. Glass jars: I freeze some...

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Easy Homemade Jelly in the Middle of Winter

One of my sons is a P,B & J hound so I’ve got to keep jam and jelly in the house. The trouble is, almost every single brand of jelly that my grocery store carries is made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I don’t like that. One local brand does use sugar instead of HFCS and there are organic options, but sheesh, it’s expensive! More than five bucks for slightly more than a cup of jam? This is why I’ve been making my own jam and jelly for years. I know that some of you are suffering through snow flurries and blizzards right now, but what better way to spend a snow day than to whip up a batch of jelly? Making freezer jam or jelly is so easy. Truly. And get this: you don’t even need to have fresh fruit to make jelly. The freezer or juice aisle of your grocery store is your ticket to HFCS-free jelly in the middle of winter. Look for ready-to-serve 100% juice in the drink aisle (you may have to seek out a natural food store) or a frozen concentrate (Welch’s is one brand that offers 100% juice). It may not...

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Welcome

It’s one thing to think, “Hey, I’d love to be more self-sufficient!” and quite another to implement a lifestyle change that might require learning some new skills.

Attainable Sustainable is about bridging the gap between wanting change and making it happen without becoming overwhelmed. Nobody’s saying you have to go get a tractor and a cow. Attainable Sustainable is about discovering – one step at a time – how to make changes in your life to support a sustainable lifestyle.

The Author

Kris Bordessa has been gardening for most of her life. She's been authoring books and writing features for the past ten years or so. It's about time she combined the two, don't you think? [More about the author]