Showing posts with label Tigress Can Jam. Show all posts

Wednesday, 29 December 2010

2010 Canning Adventures ~ The Bread Experience

I’ve caught the canning bug. In 2010, I canned something every month. I participated in the tigress can jam and I canned on my own. Some months, I made jams from fruits that I got from my favorite farms or the local market. Other months, I pickled in-season vegetables from my garden or from the local farmer’s market.

Each month, in the can jam, we canned something different. In fact, I canned some things that I would never have thought to try much less can on my own. Participating in the tigress can jam challenge was a wonderful learning experience and definitely broadened my horizons.

I had never even heard of an allium before, but we canned them. If you’re wondering, the allium family consists of green scallions, chives, scapes, ramps, leeks, husky onions, shallots, and garlic. I made caramelized red onion relish. We also canned herbs, peppers, carrots, dried fruits and of course, lot’s of delicious fruits. I even made rhubarb jam and I liked it. Who knew!

I had lot’s of fun jamming and pickling this past year. Here is a slideshow of my 2010 Canning Adventures. Enjoy!

Here are the jams and other items I canned throughout 2010 listed in the order posted on the blog. Feel free to try some of these for yourself.

The fun goes on...

The tigress can jam is continuing in 2011. Look for more details on tigress in a jam.

Happy Canning from The Bread Experience!

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

Monday, 6 December 2010

Spiced Cranberry Preserves: tigress can jam

I wanted to make something special for the December tigress can jam. The theme for this month is dried fruit. It took me a little while, but I finally found a festive recipe that included dried fruit. This particular recipe uses fresh fruit and dried golden raisins. I think you’ll like it.

These Spiced Cranberry Preserves go well with ice cream, frozen yogurt, cake or rice pudding. As a festive Holiday treat, I think I’m going to serve them with my favorite pound cake for Christmas dinner.

Spiced Cranberry Preserves

Recipe from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Makes: 4 cups

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 large pear, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/3 cup orange liqueur

Directions:

Combine cranberries, apple, pear, raisins, sugar, orange rind, orange juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan.

Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and stir in liqueur.

While the preserves are cooking, prepare canner, jars and lids. Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove hot jars from canner and ladle preserves into jars within 1/2 inch of rim (headspace). Wipe rims. Center lids on jars. Screw bands down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Process 10 minutes for half-pint jars and 15 minutes for pint jars. Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and serve.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

Wednesday, 17 November 2010

Maple Apple Butter in Crockpot: tigress can jam

It’s November and guess what! We’re canning apples for the tigress can jam. I was a little disappointed last month that apples weren’t on the list, but I needn’t have worried. We’re all in different growing seasons so even though it’s November, apples are still available. I got a half peck of Winesap Apples from my favorite farm and made this delicious Maple Apple Butter in the crock pot.

I was trying to decide which apple butter recipe I was going to use when I ran across Tracy of Sugarcrafter’s post on Maple Apple Butter. She used an adapted version of Michelle at BigBlackDogs.net’s Maple Apple Butter recipe. It sounded so delicious and it’s made completely in the crock pot. That’s it! I thought. I’m sold.

I had wanted to make apple butter, but was not looking forward to the long drawn out process that I went through last year. The first time I made apple butter, it was a bit of a pain because I didn’t have a food mill or an apple peeler. It tasted great so all was eventually forgiven, but I made up my mind that never again would I go through that exhausting process.

The next time I made Apple Butter was much easier with the food mill, but it still took a while to cook all of the puree in the pot over the stove. So when I saw that Tracy’s and Michele’s method of making the apple butter used the crock pot, that seemed like the perfect solution.

I opted to use an adapted version of the Apple Butter Recipe from The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich.and make it in the crock pot. I had so much fun that I made two batches this way.

Maple Apple Butter

Adapted from The Joy of Jams, Jellies and Other Sweet Preserves by Linda Ziedrich.

Makes: about 3 1/2 to 4 pints

Ingredients:

6 pounds cored and quartered apples (unpeeled)
About 4 cups light brown sugar (I used 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups granulated sugar and about 3/4 cups maple sugar. It was definitely sweet!)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground mace or ground nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

I didn’t peel or core the apples. I just washed them, cut them into quarters and plopped them in the crock pot, seeds, cores and all.

Although I liked the thought of cooking everything in the crock pot, I didn’t want to waste any maple syrup or brown sugar so I didn’t put all of the ingredients in the crock pot to begin with.

Linda’s recipe has you measure the volume of the puree to determine how much sugar to add. That method made more sense to me. So, to begin with, I just cooked the apples (cores, peels and all) on low for about 4 hours until they were soft. I didn’t add any water but I did add some lemon juice.

Then I ran the softened apples through the food mill using the coarse screen as the recipe suggested.

I noticed some seeds had gotten through the coarse screen so I switched to the medium screen and ran the puree through the food mill again. It didn’t take very long and was definitely worth the effort.

Here is what the puree looked like.

I ended up with 8 cups of puree. According to instructions, you measure the volume of the puree, and add half as much light brown sugar which would be 4 cups. I couldn’t bring myself to use that much brown sugar, so instead, I added 1 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 cup maple syrup and 2 cups of granulated sugar. It was really sweet, but delicious!

Then I added the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and cooked the mixture in the crock pot on low until it was thick, about 4 more hours. I started it on high, then turned it down after about 30 minutes or so.

After the butter had thickened, I ladled it into mason jars, added lids and rings, and processed the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

This maple apple butter was simple to make and it tastes great! I made two batches for a total of 12 half-pints and 5 pints. I’ve already given some away as gifts and am looking forward to sharing more. I was so tempted to buy more apples and make more butter, but I refrained.

As Linda relates in the book, Apple Butter is uniquely American. It is a comfort food associated with warm bread, a warm fire, and rain or snow on the windowpane.

I invite you to enjoy some of this delicious Maple Apple Butter for yourself.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

We've been making jams or pickling every month in 2010. For more info, click on the button. Check out the November Can Jam Roundup to see what the other can jammers have been canning.

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

Wednesday, 20 October 2010

Roasted Red Pepper Spread: tigress can jam

This is the 10th month of the tigress can jam challenge. Since it’s October, I really thought we would be canning apples being that it’s Fall and all. But as the host mentioned, this is supposed to be a challenge so she chose peppers instead. Well it was definitely a challenge. I had a hard time coming up with something for this one because all I have left in my garden (besides herbs) are tomatoes and Jalapeños.

After searching through all my canning cookbooks, I went back to the trusty Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving to find a recipe. I finally decided on this tasty one.

It called for Red Bell Peppers and tomatoes.

I didn’t have enough Plum Tomatoes so I used a combination of Roma and Black Russian Tomatoes.

I used the red peppers and tomatoes, along with some garlic, onions and basil, to make…

Roasted Red Pepper Spread

The robust flavor of the roasted vegetables in this spread makes it perfect for toasted crusty breads. Use it instead of tomatoes to make bruschetta.

Makes: about five 8-ounce (250 mL) Jars
Recipe from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Ingredients

6 pounds red bell peppers
1 pound Italian plum tomatoes
2 large cloves garlic (unpeeled)
1 small white onion
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Under a broiler or on a grill at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C), roast red peppers, tomatoes, garlic and onion. I needed some roasted garlic for something else so I roasted extra.

Broil the vegetables, turning to roast all sides, until tomatoes and peppers are blistered, blackened and softened and garlic and onion are blackened in spots, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Let garlic and onion cool. Place peppers and tomatoes in paper bags. Secure openings and let cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes.

Peel papery skins off garlic and onion. Finely chop garlic and set aside. Finely chop onion, measure 1/4 cup and set aside. Peel and seed peppers and tomatoes. Working in batches, place peppers and tomatoes in a blender or food processor fitted with a metal blade.

Puree until smooth

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomato and pepper puree, garlic, onion, vinegar, basil, sugar and salt.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Reduce heat and boil gently until mixture thickens and mounds on a spoon, about 20 minutes.

Ladle hot spread into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch (1 cm) headspace.

Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot spread.

Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.

Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and serve.

I had some of the spread left after I filled the jars I had prepared so I put it in a smaller jar.

I used some of the extra red pepper spread on this Healthy Bread in Five Minutes Garlic Studded Baguette. Yum!

We're making jams or pickling every month in 2010. For more info, click on the button. Check out the October Can Jam Roundup to see what the other can jammers canned.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures.

Friday, 17 September 2010

Georgia Pickled Ginger Peaches: tigress can jam

The theme for this month's tigress can jam is stone fruits. Stone fruits belong to the genus Prunus which includes apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines and plums. Georgia is known for it's peaches so I was all over this one.

I've made two batches of peach jam already so I needed to come up with something different. I thought about making peach butter, but I still have some left from last year because, um, I went a little crazy canning last year. I also considered making peach salsa since I have a bunch of tomatoes and peaches ...

Then I saw a recipe for pickled peaches in Sheri Brooks Vinton's new cookbook Put 'em Up! These pickled peaches are uniquely Southern. I've never had pickled peaches before, the combination just seemed a little weird to me. However, after reading the rest of the ingredients in this recipe, I decided these pickled peaches sounded delicious. I asked some of my friends and family whether they would eat them if I made them and they said "yes". Some reluctantly, some enthusiastically.

If that wasn't enough to convince me, last weekend, I went to the Atlanta Food Blog Forum. At the conference, I met Virginia Willis, the author of Bon Appétite, Y'all. The recipe in Put 'em Up! is actually based on Virginia's recipe. So, that settled it! The Pickled Ginger Peaches were meant to be.

Pickled Peaches. Now say that three times...

What I really like about these pickled peaches is that you don't have to serve them for dessert. You can serve them with a holiday meal. Now that's a great idea!

Pickled Ginger Peaches

Makes: about 2 quarts but I used pint-sized jars instead

Recipe found in Put 'em Up! by Sheri Brooks Vinton

Ingredients:

6 (500 mg) vitamin C tablets, crushed

2 quarts cold water

2 cups ice

5 pounds peaches (10-12)

4 cups distilled white vinegar

4 cups sugar

1 (2-inch) knob ginger, sliced into coins

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon whole cloves

Directions:

In a large nonreactive bowl, cooler, or your impeccably clean kitchen sink, create an antibrowning ascorbi-acid bath by dissolving the crushed vitamin C tablets in the cold water. Add the ice. I opted to use a stainless steel bowl for this part.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Working in batches of 2 peaches at a time, blanch the fruit in the boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen the skins.

Scoop the peaches out of the water and plunge them into the prepared ice water.

Repeat with the remaining peaches. Drain. Using a small paring knife, peel, pit, and halve the peaches, returning them to the ice bath as you go.

Bring the vinegar, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves to a boil in a large nonreactive saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Add the drained peaches, return to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

At this point, you can refrigerate the pickled peaches for up to 3 weeks or, can them using the boiling-water method. I opted for the water-bath canning method, of course, since this is what this challenge is all about.

Ladle the peaches into clean, hot quart (or pint) canning jars, covering the peaches by 1/2 inch with liquid. Leave 1/2 inch headspace between the top of the liquid and the lid. Screw the lids on the jars temporarily. Gently swirl each jar to release trapped air bubbles. Remove the lids and add syrup, if necessary to achieve proper headspace. Wipe the rims clean; center lids on jars and screw on jar bands.

Process for 20 minutes. If you live in a higher altitude or need more detailed instructions on water-bath canning, please refer to the instructions at the National Center for Home Preservation.

Turn off heat, remove canner lid, and let jars rest in the water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and set aside for 24 hours. Check seals, then store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Click for tigress can jam food blog challenge

We're making jams or pickling every month in 2010. For more info, click on the button. Check out the September Can Jam Roundup to see what the other can jammers canned.

Happy Canning and Baking!
Cathy

Here are some of the references I use in my canning adventures. You might enjoy them as well: