August is Here...Let's make Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly!

August is Raspberry Month...
At least it is on my calendar...it is also sunflower month, but that's another story.  I am so looking forward to Fall.  It's been a long hot summer.  I glad I'm not the only one who hasn't posted as often...it has to be the heat...and the busy-ness of summer vacations.  I am an Autumn Woman...not only in the seasons of my life, but in my love of the golden waning of the year.  This week I have been taking down the red, white and blue in my home and replacing it with the reds of apples and the golds of sunflowers.  I am also getting ready for the tons of tomatoes that will soon be ready for canning.   Our garden is pretty limited this year...my husband's company has been busy with a complicated job that requires more of his attention than usual.  Tomatoes and Peppers...that's it!  We had planted green beans, but they didn't come up.  Which is okay by me...canning beans can be very tedious.  I'd rather do crafts!  Who's with me? 

Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly

 

Technically...it's a jam...but "jam" doesn't flow off the tongue like "jelly." A few years ago, after spending more than $6 for a small jar of raspberry jalapeno jelly at a craft boutique...and loving it...we decided to make our own.  After all, it should cost less than $36 to make six half-pints of sweet and spicy goodness.   This recipe quickly became a family favorite.  We use it on taquitos (flautas), pork chops, and with turkey...instead of cranberry sauce.  I love it with Swedish meatballs in place of the lingonberry jam they sell at Ikea.  You should try it on cornbread muffins...OMGoodness!

 

My first batch...2011.

 

I love how pretty the bright red jelly looks!  Since I was using Tattler Reusable Canning Jar Lids, from Tattler Reusable Canning Lids, I didn't want to write the contents on the top, so I made some little tags, just to make them extra fun.  We found a great recipe at Greens and Jeans.  The only change we made was to use 5 jalapenos intead of 2.

Greens and Jeans Raspberry Pepper Jam

Makes 6 half-pint jars

Ingredients:

5 cups fresh raspberries

2 jalapeno peppers, (we used 5, 2 with seeds)

1 red or green bell pepper

4 cups sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 package powdered pectin.

Directions:

Wash and pick through raspberries.  Crush berries and place in a large pot.  Chop the bell peppers and jalapenos (wear gloves!)  Add the chopped peppers to the pot along with the sugar and vinegar.

Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring often until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 15 minutes.  At this point, stir in the pectin.  Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 1 to 2 minutes.  Ladel into hot half-pint jars and process in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. 

 

That's it...short and sweet as a ripe raspberry!

More fun will follow as the days grow cooler.

 

 

 

Provident Living...Adventures in Dry Pack Canning!

150 lbs. of Sugar in 45 Minutes!
I've been trying to convince my neighbors and church ladies how easy it is to package bulk foods in #10 cans.  So today I am going to show everyone just how simple it is.

We purchased 150 lbs. of sugar at Costco, joking about it being used as future currency when the country collapses.  (If Glenn Beck says it...it must be so.)  We plan to buy another 150 lbs. next week.

Lindon Home Storage Center
We went to the home storage center to get the cans, lids and boxes.  We figure we will need 48 cans and lids and 8 boxes...each holds 6 cans.  The friendly workers loaded them on a cart for us and we were on our way.  So far, so good.

 This is a dry pack canner for #10 cans, which hold about a gallon in volume.  We have our own, but the Lindon Home Storage Center lends them out for no charge.  They also sell bulk foods like sugar, wheat, beans, nonfat dry milk...several dozen different items.  We bought the canner last year when we decided to help our married children with their emergency food storage.  It's available to any of my neighbors, relatives and friends who want to use it.  It waits patiently on a table in the downstairs kitchen.

Canning the Sugar...
George fills the cans.  One 25 lb. bag of sugar fills 4 cans.  Sugar doesn't require the use of an oxygen absorber, so it is the fastest and easiest item to package.  After the cans are filled, the metal lids are put in place.

Our canner is manual, but there are also electric canners to use at the home storage center. The can is put onto the machine and with only a few turns of the wheel the can is sealed.  Sugar will store for at least 30 years.  We label  and date the cans, then box them up and put them in the store room.  I enjoy seeing the cases of different foods filling up the shelves.  Another time we'll do a post on organizing a store room...it'll make me do a better job on mine.

Cannery Info for Highland 12th Ward...
The four cans on the right took less than 10 minutes to do.  I know you have bags of bulk things sitting in your pantries needing to be packaged.  Here are some things you should know.

1. The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2. You can check out a canner, or do it at the center.  No appointment is needed. First come, first served.
3. Canners checked out on Tuesday are returned Thursday...but if you check one out on Thursday, you can use it all weekend!
4. Most of the canners go out on Thursday.
5. If you are in the Highland 12th Ward (or one of my relatives) you can borrow my canner.
6. The address of the Lindon Home Storage Center is 940 W. Center Street in Lindon, Utah.
7. Phone is 801-785-0997
8. For bulk items pricing and ordering cans, you can print an order form at providentliving.org

Wasn't this fun and easy?  Yes...it is a rhetorical question.  Have another beautful Fall day!

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the Winter storms begin.

Provident Living...Freezable Foods!

Freezable Foods...
Are you emulating the little squirrels, busily storing nuts for winter?  We've been bottling food this fall, but I know a lot of you like to fill your freezers with the fruits of your labors.  I came across a website called Simple Organized Living.  Andrea, the author, has a list of freezable foods. She says, "While I don't claim to be a "Freezable Foods Expert", I have frozen more than my share of foods over the last few years; and I've taught classes on freezing, drying and canning.  So with that said..."

Andrea's List...
She's personally had success freezing everything listed below:

1.  Baked Goods.

• Brownies and Cookies...resealable bags or storage containers.
• Breads, Buns, Muffins and Rolls...double bag to prevent freezer burn and they should be fine for several months.
• Cupcakes and Cakes...You can frost cakes before or after freezing, but if you use store-bought frosting, wait until you defrost the cake.
• Granola...freeze in mason jars or zip-top bags.
• Pies...freeze before baking.

2.  Baking Supplies
"I freeze many of my baking supplies in shoe boxes in our freezer."

• Chocolate..."I store all my baking chocolates in the freezer because I think they keep for much longer this way and taste fresher."
• Nuts...Store nuts in the freezer to keep the oils from going rancid.  She got this tip from Rachel Ray..."so it must be true!"
• Flour and Sugar...I've frozen whole wheat flour, but never considered freezing sugar.

3.  Dairy
Most dairy products should keep at least 6 months.

• Butter/Margerine...just stick the whole package in the freezer.  I date my butter so I can rotate it better.
• Block Cheese...Remember to slice or shred before freezing or it may crumble.
• Cream Cheese...it may be a bit "lumpy" after defrosting, but it stll tastes the same.
• Milk...a good idea if you're leaving on vacation.  Just remember to remove a cup of milk first, because it expands.
• Yogurt...yogurt can be frozen for a delicious, healthy treat.

4.  Fruits and Vegetables
Most of the following tips pertain to fruits.  Andrea has put together a list of 20 vegetables and how to freeze them.  Vegetable Freezing Chart  Herbs can be frozen in ice-cube trays.  Fruit: wash, dry and divide fruit into small portions...this makes it easy to grab what you need.  Fruit should keep for up to a year if properly sealed.

• All Fruits...You can pretty much freeze any fruit you plan to use in smoothies. It will probably be too soggy to just eat when defrosted.
• Berries...Freeze all kinds of berries for pancakes and smoothies.  Keep 2-cup containers of crushed berries for making jam, ice-cream toppings or for berry shortcake.
• Bananas...peel your over-ripe bananas and put 4 in a bag or freezer container.  Most recipes call for 3-5 bananas...so you're probably good with 4.
• Jams and Jellies...the quickest and easiest way to make jam.

5.  Meals
If you make double batches of your favorite foods, you'll always have something ready to defrost for busy days.

• Soups, Stews and Broths...Divide these into 1 or 2 cup portions to defrost quicker.
• Casseroles...you can freeze everything from lasagna, fajitas, enchiladas, chicken dishes and more.  Just make sure the dishes are fully cooked before freezing.
• Pasta Sauce...Freeze leftover pasta sauce and save for the next meal.
• Meat...Freeze any meat, fresh or cooked.  Just make sure it's properly sealed to prevent freezer burn.  Andrea had a well-wrapped turkey in the freezer for 18 months and it was "delicious!"

A Blast of Cold Air From the Past!
Remember when the freezer would get so choked with frost that it looked like the picture on the left?  Whenever I had to "defrost" the "Fridgidaire" the air would be blue with naughty cuss words.  You had to pry everything out...if you could...and turn the knob to "defrost."  What an exercise in misery!  We tried to hurry the process with bowls of hot water...and a hammer and chisel! 

I was still defrosting in the 80's.  Do you mean to tell me I could have had a frost-free Westinghouse?  Grandma Zetta's "Fridgidaire" (her term for all refrigerators) had only a tiny freezer compartment, about the size of a cereal box.  She never froze her left-overs...she gave them to us!

Have a Frosty Freezy Day!

If you know any more tips for freezing food, please tell us in the Comments section!