It was such a good feeling to be standing at the sink, chopping vegetables for homemade canned sweet pickle relish - the difference between patience and convenience. Although some days convenience wins me over.
I need more patience.
And of course homemade relish is much healthier (no high fructose corn syrup, GMO-white vinegar, locust bean gum, or other not-good-for-you ingredients) than what you find in the store. It's my ingredient for many dishes, making it a versatile canned good. I use a hand chopper to make this, and this is the recipe I've been using over the years.
Fill 4, sterilized, hot pint jars, and new lids, and use water bath method to can your jars. Process 10 minutes.
I need more patience.
And of course homemade relish is much healthier (no high fructose corn syrup, GMO-white vinegar, locust bean gum, or other not-good-for-you ingredients) than what you find in the store. It's my ingredient for many dishes, making it a versatile canned good. I use a hand chopper to make this, and this is the recipe I've been using over the years.
1 quart chopped organic cucumber
2 cups chopped organic onions
1 cup chopped organic carrots, and 1/4 cup pickling salt
Cover the ingredients with cold water.
Cover and let sit 2 hours.
This is where you go clean the chicken coop, check the garden, walk the dog, or other chores. Or you could grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and "take 5" for yourself.
Drain well, and squeeze out excess water.
Fill a pot with 2 cups of organic apple cider vinegar, 3 cups of sugar, 1 Tbsp. celery seeds, and 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds. Bring to a boil, add vegetables and boil 10 minutes.
Fill a pot with 2 cups of organic apple cider vinegar, 3 cups of sugar, 1 Tbsp. celery seeds, and 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds. Bring to a boil, add vegetables and boil 10 minutes.
Fill 4, sterilized, hot pint jars, and new lids, and use water bath method to can your jars. Process 10 minutes.
Yield: 4 pints
Oh happy day!
With the garden demise this year, it's more important for me to stick with versatile canned goods - the basics to create many meals. I will miss my canned potatoes, and some other canned goods, like pizza sauce, but we are adapting. I am still hoping (and praying) for a good supply of tomato sauce.
It's hard to say just exactly what is the most important to can for a family our size, but I feel we must stick with the basics this year. Oh, I cannot wait until our plum, peach, and apple trees produce. We never seem to have enough fruit for winter storage. At least I know we'll have enough jam/jelly for PB and J sandwiches.
Patience. There's that word again.
What are your basic, versatile, canned goods for winter?
With the garden demise this year, it's more important for me to stick with versatile canned goods - the basics to create many meals. I will miss my canned potatoes, and some other canned goods, like pizza sauce, but we are adapting. I am still hoping (and praying) for a good supply of tomato sauce.
It's hard to say just exactly what is the most important to can for a family our size, but I feel we must stick with the basics this year. Oh, I cannot wait until our plum, peach, and apple trees produce. We never seem to have enough fruit for winter storage. At least I know we'll have enough jam/jelly for PB and J sandwiches.
Patience. There's that word again.
What are your basic, versatile, canned goods for winter?
Comments
I freeze all my veggies which qualify as a BIG staple for us. But as far as canning goes, it's strawberry jam (for my strawberry lovin' hubby), applesauce that we use as a "dessert" all winter long, and both dill and bread and butter pickles.
Once we get a growing house (aka hoop house/greenhouse) or two going, I'm planning on getting back to canning my year's supply of tomato products.
God bless.
RB
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