Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: Beekissed on July 26, 2016, 02:49
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Canned 16 qt. of sweet corn this weekend. Hope to get 40+ qts of corn canned this season. Soon it will be tomatoes...hope to can up some tomato soup, salsa and sauce. The beans started slow this year but I usually see a huge set on of beans come the end of August and into September.
I'm hoping to set up a summer kitchen situation out in the carport so that I can keep most of my canning mess and heat out there, as well as use it for processing of the chickens this fall. Currently looking for a second hand laundry sink for that purpose and also a second hand gas range.
Anyone else excited about canning season? (http://thefrontporchswing.freeforums.org/images/smilies/running-around-smiley-emoticon_.gif)
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I don't know how you can face it again Bees, it seems so soon after last years mammoth sessions you told us about. I've still got last years fruit in the freezer. Do you not freeze any thing? When you say canned is it into tins or glass jars?
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What we call bottling, the States calls canning :) Its a bit of a dying art here as people do tend to freeze stuff, but I've dabbled a bit and it is very satisfying to do.
I haven't started anything yet, but I did a big audit on all my glass jars yesterday. They are all lined up now in order just waiting to go and I'm starting to look at recipes for pickles and preserves to see what is on the 'must make' list this year.
I really like the idea of an outdoor processing set-up :D I wish I had the room for one.
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Yes an outdoor kitchen would be good, pickling smells invade all of the house. I do a few chutneys & jams usually but not anything else really. There is a limit to how much jam & pickle you can or want to eat though, plus my waistline will suffer. I need to look at alternatives for cherries again, as now I've got the fruit cage up & running I've got loads to pick, but they are morello so no eating without cooking
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I usually only bottle tomatoes and my passata. I make a batch of chutney, 1 of marmalade and 1 of jam.
Last year I made Tosca's ( :( ) harvest veg in vinegar and it was lovely, but by the start of the New Year the remaining jars started to look murky, so were thrown away to be on the safe-side.
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I don't know how you can face it again Bees, it seems so soon after last years mammoth sessions you told us about. I've still got last years fruit in the freezer. Do you not freeze any thing? When you say canned is it into tins or glass jars?
I don't freeze much....the power goes out here a lot, particularly in big storms and can be off for over 2 wks time, so anything in the freezer can be lost. Learned my lesson some years back when we had a huge dericho come through, power out for over two weeks, stinkin' hot weather after and I had 50 meat chickens I had raised from chicks, all processed here and packaged up in my freezer. Parted all those out to those who still had power...got one grocery bag back of spare parts.
If I have small batches of things I don't mind losing, I'll freeze it, but that's not much....got 4 qt. of peaches in the freezer right now from one of the trees. Last year I canned them.
Canned means jarred or bottled here in the states, don't know why that is but that's what it's called.
I look forward to canning like others look forward to Black Friday sales or after the holidays sales...canning is what replenishes my cupboards and allows me to store fresher, more pure, foods than can be found at the store. It's like having a mini market in the house. :D Saves me money!
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I love canning too! This is one of my favourite times of year.
Been a slow year here for me and the veg patch kind of ended up taking a second seat to the animals which have been challenging this year. The squash are only just getting going and the beans will be soon. Tomatoes and chillies are way behind but fingers crossed for some soon. Have got enough pickled walnuts to keep me going for the next couple of years and the first of the damsons will be ready in just a few days. Have hopefully also got enough rhubarb to get be through the year!
I freeze a bit but the freezer is mainly for meat. I also really like the instant availability of canned stuff, really want to do some instant meals like soup and sauces this year.
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Tomatoes are coming on quick, so canning is here whether I like it or not! :D Had new red potates and new sweet corn out of the garden the other day, smothered in butter with a little salt and pepper. Better than anything one could get in the finest restaurants! Simple, sweet, silky and good!
Can't wait to have those shelves lined with pretty jars all in a row! :)
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Can't wait to have those shelves lined with pretty jars all in a row! :)
Oh yes, jars all filled on a shelf are a heart warming sight. I've been inspired to start a thread so we can share as well :lol: There are more than a few jar enthusiasts around on here ;)
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=124043.0
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Canned up 15 qts and 7 pts of salsa today and am currently canning tomato soup....don't know how many I'll end up with but not likely to have more than 8 qt. and 16 pts of that.
Will start on corn again on Friday and hope to finish out the corn needs for the winter then.
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At the moment it is Bread and Butter pickles that are filling up my shelves but planning on going scrumping in the nearby abandoned orchard for plums as the trees there are groaning with fruit, pears will be next month or Oct.
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In the last few days I have made Val's Blackberry & Apple jam and her Damson jam (thanks Val :D). Both are delicious and a huge hit with my boys. All I had to buy was the sugar as we have blackberries, Bramley apples and Damsons galore at the moment. I've run out of jars so will need to fix that before the next batch.
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Finished up the corn and need to finish up with the tomato soup. Cutting up peaches for freezing right now...a late bearing white peach that produced very well but had to be picked while most of the fruit was still green due to the dog and birds eating all the fruit, right off the tree.
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Finished up the tomato soup tonight....ended up with 12 qts and 6 pts. Very good flavor and a real pretty jar....pure goodness! This soup recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/moms-best-tomato-soup-canning-recipe-44058 (http://www.food.com/recipe/moms-best-tomato-soup-canning-recipe-44058)
Of course, I tweaked it a little....added the salt and sugar to taste instead of the amounts called for. Also used a little bit of carrots in the soup.
Tomato soup in the front, salsa in the back....
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/content/type/61/id/7547448/width/500/height/1000/flags/LL)
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All this canning, where do you folks keep all this stuff, must be jam jars everywhere,?
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Yes, even in boxes under the bed :D
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All this canning, where do you folks keep all this stuff, must be jam jars everywhere,?
We have a sort of all purpose room...guess you could call it a pantry. It has three shelving units in it...one for canned goods, one for miscellaneous household items such as blenders, canners, soap making supplies, crockpots, stored water,etc., and one for bins that hold tools, tapes, paints, cleaners, etc. Once I get all this canned stuff organized and on the shelves where it will be for the winter, I'll get a pic to show the size of these shelves...they are 2 ft. x 6.5 ft. and are of heavy duty resin construction.
And, yes...I even have some jars under my bed. :lol: Nice, dark and cool under there. ;)
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I'll be adding around 40-50 jars to this before the season is over, but this is the space I have currently for canned goods and it's very nearly filled, but I can shuffle a few containers and storage things off there and add the additional canned goods
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/19973326/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
This unit has a very top shelf that I couldn't get into the pic properly and it also has a bottom shelf that is just holding empty jars right now.
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/19973333/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
Each shelf is 2 ft. wide and 3 ft. long...
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/19973339/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/19973341/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/19973344/width/900/height/900/flags/LL)
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Butchering and canning up chicken this week. The stock smells heavenly and I can't wait to have all this meat in the jar and ready for winter eating. Butchered 6 old hens of my sister's today and added 4 more from the freezer that was processed earlier in the year...deboned the meat this year for more compact canning and better use of jar space, as well as concentrating the stock more for the same reason.
These old hens had plenty of golden, rich fat on them so I'll have some schmaltz for freezing and that's a blessing.
I'll be doing a dozen or more birds in addition to these and am hoping to get those done before it turns too cold...right now we are having unseasonably warm temps, so we are working hard while the sun shines. Been splitting wood this week too and have a huge pile of oak and cherry yet to split and haul. We are pretty late getting in our wood this year...latest I can remember, so I'm feeling pretty blessed to have the good weather holding on for us.
Thanking the Lord for the blessing of meat and wood He has provided for us this year. Nothing like wood heat and rich, flavorful home grown chicken for the winter. I feel rich!
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Another 5 birds processed this morning, all 6 mo. old cockerels. Beautiful birds every one, easier to do than tough old hens and nearly had as much fat stored, which is pretty unusual for roosters. Not much feed has went into these birds, just really good forage, especially this past few months...fall forage is just designed to lay fat on a bird for the winter.
Hope to get them in the jar today and continue culling the flock tomorrow with a few older hens, a few of this year's pullets, along with another cockerel. Hope to cull another 4-6 birds tomorrow.
All of that will add amazingly flavorful and healthy meat to the shelf and cut way down on the feed bill just when it's needed the most, when the best of the foraging is nigh done, it's turning cold, and the birds start eating more grain based feed here.
The stock done this last batch was concentrated and a pretty dark amber color when finished...the flavor is phenomenal!
(http://www.backyardchickens.com/image/id/20340668/width/700/height/700/flags/LL)
...and the schmaltz is silky and lovely from these old hens.
(http://www.theeasygarden.com/attachments/100_5188-jpg.17176/)
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Hi Beekissed
That looks lovely - how will you eat the canned chicken? Casseroles, or on its own?
What is schmaltz; it's not a term we're familiar with over here.
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Schmaltz (also spelled schmalz or shmalz) is rendered (clarified) chicken or goose fat used for frying or as a spread on bread in Central European cuisine, and in the United States, particularly identified with Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. Rendered waterfowl fat is also used in the cuisine of Southwestern France. As an effect of cross-cultural influences of the Jewish Ashkenazi, Polish, and Ukrainian cuisine, it is also popular in Poland and Ukraine, where rendered fats (including lard) are called smalec, with schmaltz derived from geese being popular as gęsi smalec.
We use this canned chicken in any recipe that calls for chicken and most anything I'm just making off the cuff. Stir fry, soup, stew, pot pie, casseroles, omelettes, salads, Mexican dishes, chili, etc.
Canning the chicken tenderizes everything and seals in all the fats and flavors found in the meat, so it's more intensely flavorful and moist than the typical stewed or roasted bird.
The schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, is used in any recipe needing more flavor, fat and silkiness of texture. I didn't used to cook with chicken fat many years ago, but after trying it once I can't believe we weren't doing that all along...it imparts a luxurious unctuousness to any dish.
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That's fascinating, thanks BK :)
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Will have done 5 packed qts of meat this batch(no bones in) and most likely 2-3 qts of concentrated stock. Still have maybe 6 more birds to butcher before the fall chicken harvest is done. I'll be glad to get that over with and move on to canning some pumpkin, cushaw and butternut.
Still haven't decided just how I'll can those up but would like to find something to can that utilizes some of this pumpkin with the jalapenos from the last pepper plant...I've found many recipes that combine these two ingredients but I'm also thinking of making up something on my own. Will also just try to can up some regular puree of pumpkin and squash so that I can utilize it in various recipes such as soups, breads, dips, etc.
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I love looking at your shelves of goodies beekissed. Mine are much more modest for sure!
I have two sets of three shelves and a small cupboard in the garage, where the jars or preserves, sauces, dried beans etc and bottles go. Potatoes are in sacks under the counter top, wrapped in thick cloth for insulation stood on thick cardboard so they are not in contact with the concrete floor. Marrows are on the counter top but will come inside if freezing weather threatens. Onions and shallots are in single layers in stacked trays. Beetroot and carrots are in boxes of compost
The fridge in the garage acts as an apple store, and anything that may not last unless chillies, like pesto and peppers & tomatoes in oil.
Squashes are along the top of the bookcase upstairs, although there are not many this year, with pears waiting to ripen.
And then there is the freezer of course; French beans, runner beans, calabrese, broccoli, peas, redcurrants (waiting for sauce to be made) fruit pie fillings, apple slices.. and so on.
Drying/dried chillies are hanging up in the kitchen, dried herbs & spices are in jars in a kitchen cupboard.
Lovely to look round and see the results of our labour all around us, ready to eat
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I bet that makes for a lovely, aromatic home!!! It sounds like you've gotten real good at utilizing all spaces in the home. I struggle for that here too, as this is not a large home and one large part of it stays WAY too warm in the winter time to store anything there.
I'm currently, as I type, in the middle of cleaning out this pantry/mud room where my canned goods are stored, just trying to clear more space for storing things properly. I'm running out of room on my canning shelves right now, so cleaning this out is imperative if I'm going to fit those last few jars of the season in there.
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... trying to clear more space for storing things properly. I'm running out of room ...
I thought we all knew that there will never be enough space for storing the harvest!!! ;) :lol: 8)
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That's when you know how blessed you are, huh? :) I've even got canning jars of food under my bed! :lol:
Was looking at what's on the shelf right now and I'm mighty pleased with the good variety this year. I tried to confine my canning to only those things we eat the most frequently and also tried to conserve jar and shelf space by processing more on the front end like deboning the meats before canning and also condensing the stock more.
Found some recipes for jalapenos and pumpkin and would like to try canning some jalapeno pumpkin spread/butter and also some pumpkin jalapeno soups, salsas and dips. That's the two things from the garden I've still yet to can and I can't imagine we'll use too much pumpkin pie mix, though I will can some jars of pumpkin and squash puree so I can use them in breads and such later on.
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Aha! Pumpkin in bread. Now that's a good idea. I am a newly resuscitated baker, with hand made with fresh yeast rather than machine and quick acting dried yeast and have had some really good results. When (as I do) need to ensure I don't over eat and have a good balance of carbs, having decent bread has suddenly become a "must" in our lives.
Pumpkin bread sounds aa really good one to try, so thank you for the inspiration Beekissed 😀
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Sunshine, take a gander at THIS one...this is the one I really must try....
http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2016/10/11/one-bowl-chocolate-pumpkin-bread/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork (http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2016/10/11/one-bowl-chocolate-pumpkin-bread/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork)
(http://www.runningwithspoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/One-Bowl-Chocolate-Pumpkin-Bread2.jpg)
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Oh Beekissed I am positively droooooooling. Can't do it now as we are going away for a couple of weeks so I have saved the link and will definitely be giving it a go when I get back.
Thank you very much for providing such a wonderful sounding, reasonably healthy recipe 😁😁😁😊
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Still butchering the flock, canning meat and making up stock...took a few pics of the same that seemed sort of pretty to me. The light at this time of year really brings everything on the kitchen table to life.
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15027578_1560790273936030_4016133648747933160_n.jpg?oh=47288dd8b50d11f4e4bda0caa92d6c75&oe=58D503BF)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15094498_1560790403936017_5012792799433876653_n.jpg?oh=15ee7e49691bb44f37d7dce6199cdc06&oe=58C3647B)
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15079026_1560790573936000_6154109909293966798_n.jpg?oh=0ccc0d180851985728587df796abf201&oe=58C61EE6)
How's this for gelatinous stock? Used the legs this year and that really sets up a stock.
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15135750_1560790473936010_4066074321325455160_n.jpg?oh=4956ea8a3e55ebc1e85657f6ab0fbabf&oe=58BD903A)
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That is a lovely looking chicken stock :) Ideal to have on hand for any number of dishes.
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That is a lovely looking chicken stock :) Ideal to have on hand for any number of dishes.
It would melt in just beautifully!
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Killed six more chickens today and am currently canning the meat and cooking down the stock. Six packed qts. of boneless meat out of six birds, so I'm pretty pleased by that.
Only have about six more to kill for the season and hope to get that all done on Friday so I can move on to pumpkin and squash if I find a recipe or two that I will actually consume later on.
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What about soup? I usually end up blending squash and pumpkin soup anyway, so if it came out of a jar to start with, it would be fine. You could use some of that lovely chicken stock at the same time :)
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I've never had pumpkin soup but I found a recipe for using the pumpkin along with the jalapenos in a soup...if I try it and it's good, I'll can up some of the same. Unfortunately, I have some HUGE Rouge Vif Detampes to use and I can't imagine using that much pumpkin in a year's time....I'll put up some in puree for breads later on, some in soup, and I hope to use some in a fire jam recipe...can't find one of those, but hope to develop a successful one for canning up.
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I make a roasted pumpkin soup with red Thai curry paste & coconut milk, very spicy.
Here's the recipe, I had it from a friend, don't know where it originates from.
Pumpkin soup:
Ingredients:
• 1 large onion,
• 1lb pumpkin,
• 1 table spoon Thai red curry paste,
• Tin coconut milk,
• 1 pint of stock,
• 1TBSP tomato purée,
• 1 garlic clove,
• Fresh coriander.
Method:
• Cook onion and garlic.
• add curry paste and purée.
• Add coconut and boil.
• Add stock and pumpkin.
• Simmer for 35 minutes.
• Blend.
• Top with coriander.