Canning: Fun, Simple, Tasty!

Canning Tomatoes...A Summer Tradition 

Hello my friends,

Before I begin, I would like to say that my comments are not working properly (for several posts now) and once in a while I find them in spam, but for the most part, when they do come in, and I click "publish" Blogger doesn't publish them. I am still trying to figure out the issue, but please feel free to comment, as once this is fixed, they will all be published. Thank you so much for visiting.

Now on to canning tomatoes.

As stated in my last post, my tomatoes have been coming in very sporadically this year, which makes it a pain. But, then the other day, just like that, about 30 or so pounds came "due" and I really wanted to harvest them fresh, and took the plunge. For those who have never canned, this post is for you. I will give you the basic steps, and a very general salsa recipe to get you started. If you never considered canning, or don't grow tomatoes, then your local farmer's market is a great place to start. It is so very nutrias and tasty in the cold, dark winter to have fresh salsa, tomato sauce, or even whole tomatoes for recipes. The flavor is so superior, that store-bought tomatoes will be a thing of the past for you.

There are many great websites that give very detailed information, that are easy to google. Here is my favorite: Fresh Preserving. I will provide only very basic information, mainly to show how easy this process really is.

Here are the basics you will need:

Canning jars (size depends on what you want to can, and how much)

Jar holder

canning funnel 

Lids (lids and rings)

Canning pot and rack that goes inside

Lemon juice

Tomatoes (I won't bother to can unless I have at least 20 lbs)

Wooden or plastic chopstick (or a long thin knife or long metal spoon handle for getting rid of air bubbles)

Wet cloth

Tongs

I will be canning by water bath. This type of canning is for highly acidic produce and a pressure canner (one I hope to get sometime in the future) is for anything that is not acidic enough for a water bath.

First - wash all your jars and lids. 

I have a tiny kitchen, so I get out my smaller canning pot and fill with hot water and soap and let them soak a bit. I put this on the counter, which frees up my sink for other duties. You may wash them in the dishwasher, and keep the dry heat on until you are ready to use. I prefer a soapy wash, then place the jars into the canning pot with very hot water, and lids in a small pan on low heat.

I am making three types of tomatoes today. I am making a seasoned tomatoes sauce, a salsa, and canning quartered tomatoes. 

First,  I will show you how I make my seasoned sauce. For the sauce, I used about 20lbs of fresh, washed tomatoes. One med white onion, four garlic cloves, fresh basil, and a little salt. 

I diced up the onion, and sauté it in olive oil on med heat until clear. 

While my onions are sautéing, I take my chopped garlic cloves and my fresh basil (about a handful - I like basil) and begin to mince it. I grow it fresh, and this purple basis has THE best taste ever. For 20 lbs of tomatoes (more or less), I would use at least 6-10 leaves. I probably used a bit more.

Mincing can be done with a number of kitchen gadgets, but I prefer to use my vintage mortar and pestle. A bit more work, but gives me complete control at the exact consistency I like. 

I cut my tomatoes (grew yellow this year, which was so pretty) and ended up with about 16 cups. You will read many recipes about removing the skins, seeds and so on - which I do for other times, but NOT for my sauce. I have an extra step with a new kitchen gadget that saves so much time, that leaving skins and seeds in tact is just fine. I grow mine organic, absolutely no chemicals, so I want all the nutrients that I can get - which the skins have. 

Once the onions are fairly clear, I add the basil and garlic mixture to the onions, and then I toss in the quartered tomatoes all into the same pan and cook on med heat for about 20 minutes, stirring it all together and coat everything with the onions, garlic and basil.

I then take take my tomatoes and mixture out of the pan and put it in my new Vitamix blender (love this new machine). I puree it on "10" for severe minutes - and presto! NO seeds or skin to be seen.

Because I want it to be extra sooth, I let it strain down for extra silky sauce. But the left over "pulp" that was left in the sieve was so minimal, this step could actually be skipped. 

Note: I pureed my tomatoes in batches - just easier that way. I love the pumpkiny color that came from mixing in the yellow tomatoes. I then put the sauce BACK IN THE PAN and cook on medium heat to reduce it down to almost half. This thickens it a bit, and makes it rich.

After the sauce is reduced, I add one tablespoon of lemon juice, then ladle the sauce into my very hot jars. I then take my plastic chopstick (or thin knife) and insert it and move it around carefully to release any air bubbles. I wipe down the edges with a damp cloth and then place on the lid and tighten the ring with gentle pressure. 

I place the jars in the water bath on the rack and lower into the water. (Use your jar holder for this! Don't drop down into the water.) The jars must be completely covered at least an inch to ensure proper sealing. Depending on your location, altitude and size of jar, will depend on how long to process. Just check your jar box, which should have guidelines. I then place processed jars on a dish towel, which is on a thick cutting board. As they cool, you will hear a "pop" from the lid - that means it is now sealed! After 24 hours, you should check all lids by gently pushing down on the center of the lid, and if properly sealed, then it will be firm and not move. If not sealed properly, it will "pop" as it flexes up and down. You may either reprocess, or just stick it in the fridge and eat it first. 

Now on to my salsa:

For me, salsa is so personal. Meaning, some like it hot, very hot, or very mild and everything between. I hate cilantro and so I don't add it (I know, I am from Texas, and actually hate its staple vegetable.) I make it mild, if I am to give the salsa away as gifts, and then let the receiver add as much spice to it as they wish. I personally add about three Serrano peppers, 4-6 garlic cloves, lime, onion (white, red, or both) and green bell pepper. 

I also use smokey red pepper spice, chili powder, salt and a little bit of sugar. I don't mean to aggravate you by not giving exact amounts, as I cook so often by look, tastes, and quantity.  But to give you an idea, for about 15 pounds of tomatoes, I used 2 med-large onions, juice of two limes, 5 cloves of garlic, about 1.5 tablespoons of salt (or more) and just enough sugar to cut down any bitterness from the flavors. Other spices such as chili powder and smokey red pepper is done to taste. 

I coarsely cut up my onion and pulse it in my processor/blender. I then let it drain while I prepare the other ingredients. I add a little bit of salt to help it drain. If you want your salsa really spicy, you can add this "onion juice" to your recipe, but I find it has too much of an onion taste with all that juice. 

While the onions are draining, I chop up my tomatoes and toss tomatoes (seeds and skin), garlic, and peppers into the processor and coarsely pulse.

I then, coarsely chop up more tomatoes and add to the mixture.

So while my tomato sauce was processing (on left) my salsa was cooking on the right. I cooked the salsa on med heat for about 15 minutes. The photo below sorta looks like a crazy woman cooks in there!  :-)

I add my tablespoon of lemon juice, then ladle in the salsa, remove the air bubbles with my chopstick, wipe down the edges of the rim, then place on the lid and tighten the rim with gentle pressure. I put into the bath and process according to my altitude. Please see your canning box (or look it up online) the exact processing time for your area. 

Now, with my left over tomatoes, I just want to can them with no seasonings. I plop the whole tomato into boiling water for a minute or two and then place them in ice water to remove the skins easily. Yes, I remove the skins when canning just plain, everyday tomatoes. It makes my cooking them later in recipes easier. Then skins will crack in the boiling water and you can see how they crack in the image below as they cooled a bit in the ice water.

Once I peel all the tomatoes, then I quarter them and core out the white center. I personally don't bother removing all the seeds. Most fall out on their own and those go down the drain, but some remain behind which is fine with me.

The procedure is simple: I put in my tablespoon of lemon juice in the jar, put in the tomatoes, pour in any water (or tomato juice) to fill the jar, remove air bubbles, wipe the edges down, add the lid and tighten the rim and process for the amount of time for your altitude. Easy peasy. 

Here are a few reminders and tips to show you just how easy this is:

Wash all tomatoes, remove any dark spots or bruises.

If pureeing, skins and seeds are fine - even nutritious. 

Lemon juice in every jar - don't forget!

Make sure jars are at least 1" below the water line when processing.

And once you have your product ready (be it a sauce, salsa, or plain tomatoes) the steps are all the same:

Lemon juice in jar

Fill jar (leave one inch space from top)

Wipe jar rim

Remove air bubbles

Put on lid and tighten rim

Process in water bath for correct amount of time

Like I said, Easy Peasy!

Salsas, sauces, yellow tomatoes, plain tomatoes, and even some apple spice topping and one jar of peach jam are in my cabinet. I am hoping I will process about 30 or 40 more pounds of tomatoes by the end of the month. Everything you see (except for the three apple and peach jars) were processes in one afternoon. It takes only a little practice and actually, the prep time takes more time than the actual processing. But so worth it all when in the dark winter days of February you can pull out zesty sauce and make a big batch of spaghetti and meatballs and let it simmer all afternoon...makes those cold days seems so inviting. 

I hope this helps a little. There are so many website and You Tube videos that explain it all so much better than I do. But I just wanted to show that it really isn't complicated and the rewards are so satisfying.  If you can produce or have a great recipe for canning, please feel free to share with me - would love to learn!

from my house to your house,

If My Life was a Pie...

Hello!

I hope you are all well, happy, and getting ready for the fall! First, I want to thank my precious guest blogger, my little Lulu, the faux Brit pug, who wrote my last post, as I have been here, there, and everywhere and still have to download photos! Thank you Lulu for doing a wonderful job. Lulu asks me to tell you she loved all your comments, but she didn't know how to reply, but she loved them!  :-)

I have lots to share, but it may be a bit before I can get to my adventure photos as I am on a deadline for a fun project, so in the meantime, I wanted to share with you a wonderful project that is about to come out very soon!

A new book is about to come out that Jo Packham, editor-in-chief of Where Women Cook, called Pieography. Where Pie Meets Biography. 

Pieography

This book can be pre-ordered now on Amazon, just click on the title above for the link. This is a fabulous book that I am honored to be a small part of. Jo asked many creative women (not sure how many, over 30) what kind of pie captures the essence of their life? We were to write a short essay on what kind of pie would capture us best, and then give out our recipe and in some cases, we could photograph our pie. And yes, I photographed my pie.  Jo Packham is a creative author, publisher, editor, artist, writer and much more and you may also know her as the originator of Where Women Create.

I can't tell you what an honor it was to be asked to participate in such a beautiful book. I have no idea of who else in it and I have only seen a couple of photos, but by the cover and the little I have seen, I am very humbled. 

I am going to share with you what kind of pie I felt best captured the essence of my life, but not my recipe! Not for a while....yes, of course...I want you to support Jo's efforts and these women in the book, so hopefully by sharing some photos that weren't used in the book, that will inspire you to pre-order, or at least think about giving it as a gift to that special baker in your life. Honestly, I am not just saying this, but this would be a book that I would love to get as a gift...and think about it...you could bookmark the recipe that you "would just love to try" and the baker in your life would just have to make it for you! 

It would be the gift that keeps on giving....hahaha.

The assignment isn't as easy as it sounds...we got only 300 words, if I remember correctly. What kind of pie? What kind of pie, I wondered. A fruit pie? I am a little fruity? A pecan pie? That is pretty Texan, if you ask me. Or how about at cream pie? I don't think so...I'm not that diplomatic lately...hmmmm. 

After much thought, I realized my life couldn't be expressed in just one pie....nope. I have had way too many adventures, walked (ran actually) on way too many paths, and plan to do so many more things, that my life just couldn't be contained in one big ole pie dish. In fact, I realized, my life couldn't be contained at all...phooey on the baking dish....

So, I decided, that Little Fried Pies...those best captured the essence of my life. They are from the South, as I am. You get a whole pie to yourself, as I throw my whole self into work, fun, friendships and adventures. They are handy...no plate, or fork needed...perfect for on the go, just like my adventures...on the go, go, go. And mostly? The fillings are all different...you just never know what you are going to get...sorta like an adventure with every pie...

Well, after the book comes out, I will share with you my essay. And those of you who know me, or have been reading for me years, you can decide from what you know about me, if Little Fried Pies seem to capture what you know about me or not.

But what about you? What kind of pie do you think would capture the essence of your life? It is kind of fun to think about. What kind of pie would capture a moment, circumstance or situation your experienced in your life? 

I grew up with these little fried pies. My father favored the pecan pies and my mother loved the coconut cream filled. We always had a freezer full of the day-old 10 cent Mrs. Baird's fried pies. Actually, I love frozen fried pies. I love to eat a lot of stuff frozen, actually. I know, weird. But my gal pal, Gretchen, is my frozen buddy...she loves to eat frozen food too!

Something fun to do? Get with a gal pal and decide on what kind of pie you think you would be and why and decide what kind of pie you think your buddy would be and why and then guess what each other's type of pie you chose for yourselves and for each other and why. It is fun!

In the book I give a fab recipe on how to make the dough and give all sorts of ideas for the fillings.

On my next post, I will show you how I boxed them up last Christmas as gifts and show you how I made them as well! Just in time for you to make them maybe this year for your holidays, if you like giving aways treats as gifts.

By then, I should be off my deadline for my current project and have my photos downloaded to share with you my wonderful adventures. Hopefully this post will inspire you to start thinking about some homemade ways to give gifts this year, as money always seems tight, but for some reason, giving homemade goodies is always appreciated. 

I adore homemade gifts, and while you, my readers, are the Queens (and Kings!) of crafting, cooking, and creating...think of all those shoppers in the malls next month or so, rushing around, buying whatever their credit limit will allow...fighting the weather, the crowds, and noise. 

And if you choose to make goodies, you can be warm in your own kitchen, listening to your own music, around your own family, saving money, and creating memories without racking up the credit cards. Just something to consider.

Until then, enjoy the fall weather and know that no matter the gift and no matter its cost; it's the created memories that never wear out.

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Handmade Holidays...Homemade Madness...

Hello! Hello!

Is it windy? Are the leaves falling? Are hints of the holidays just around the corner? 

I decided to take some time off, well, some time off to do some stuff. Most wouldn't call that time off, they would call that "time doing some stuff," but I call it time off to finally do some stuff. Stuff like getting my office in order, finishing up some computer work, resting, reading some articles, taking a photo class...some cooking... and getting ready for the holidays! I haven't taken time to actually get ready for the holidays in years. I always throw it all together the days prior because I just work up to the last minute.

This is my living room in the photo. This is how neglected it is lately. No, not really...hahahaha. But it is a photo I took, and yes, styled, for a shoot. Yes, styling can entail trash and waiting for just the right light to hit (if you use only natural light, that is). 

But I share it only because it reminds me of how I usually feel AFTER the holidays are over: A mess, worn out, and pooped. I am determined not to end up feeling this way this year and I hope that for you too. So, I figured, I would share with you some of the few items I made last year for some of my friends, as I can't show you what I am attempting to make this year, yet. 

And maybe by showing a few simple things I made last year, even thought it is before Thanksgiving, it will give you some very simple ideas that may get you through the holidays with some ease. And maybe when the new year arrives...you won't feel how this photo looks when it is all over.  :-)

Below are some of the crafty gifts I made for friends last year. Just remember I had a post not long ago that said, "Artsy does not mean crafty." 

This little tree in a silver creamer was actually a gift to me from my friend, Renee. Isn't is adorable? I just love it! It is made so simply. I added the watch faces and then took some photos of it and then took the photos and made some cards from it. And then I took a photo and framed it for Renee for her home. See below:

This little farmhouse frame was used to frame the photo of Renee's tree and then on the back I put a little photo and note for her. So instead of just taking one of my own photos and framing it I took a photo of something she made for me.

Below is are little sour cream pound cakes that I made and handed out to family and friends with the recipe on a card that was on the bottom. The cake is really good and I love wrapping it in such simple paper. The recipe is at the end of the post. This pound cake is everyone's favorite.

This photo I gave to my seamstress, Maureen. She is a wizard with scissors and I wanted something personal for her. 

And these scissor photos were given to a friend that just completed her super cool craft room where we girls gather and do fun projects. What a better way to celebrate a project room than with a creative project from a friend that loves you?

I was shopping with some fun girlfriends (Debbie and Renee) at an out of town flea-market where we spent the night, had tons of laughter and non-stop talking, and eating pie. While shopping I came across antique lap trays. All in mahogany. I bought them all and then painted them, aged them and painted the names of my girlfriends on them. I saved one tray for a friend's husband, Terry. It was so cute, because Terry loves to use his bed as his office desk, which drives my girlfriend crazy, since I designed custom bedding for her. So I decided to paint a lap tray for his laptop and coordinate it with her bedding. I left it on their doorstop, and he was so surprised and it turns out he loved it and uses it all the time. He says the little lip on it keeps his laptop from getting too hot and keeps his lap cool too. That made me happy he liked it so much. Who knew?

I made a batch of caramels as well. One year, I wrapped the caramels and placed them in little chinese take-out boxes and then wrote little "Chinese" proverbs on the scrolls and inserted them in the boxes. I never took photos of those...must have been yet another year where I made my gifts only days prior to the holidays. I will make caramels this year and take photos and give you the recipe - early enough so you can make them too! It is time consuming, but worth it.

Here is Elizabeth's Sour Cream Pound Cake...I have had this recipe for 28 years...I still read the recipe off the original paper I wrote it on...over the years I made some changes as I made this recipe countless times and adjusted it. Over time, friends just started to call it "Elizabeth's Sour Cream Pound Cake," although I don't know where the original recipe came from. I think I have it memorized, plus my additions, after all this time...

Here is the recipe with a few more instructions and my own additions and tips over the years:

"Elizabeth's" Sour Cream Pound Cake

Oven 350 degrees
Bake 45 minutes


3 Cups of flour
3 Cups of Sugar
6 Eggs
8 oz Sour Cream plus 1/4 cup
2 Sticks of Butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbs rum flavoring
1 Tbs almond flavoring


In electric mixer (if you have one it is easier) cream butter and sugar.
Add 3 eggs 1 at a time
Add 1/2 of the flour and mix in
Add rest of eggs 1 at a time
Add in the rest of the flour and mix
Add in the other ingredients and mix


Tips: 


Have sticks of butter at semi-room temp. Not too soft and not too hard.


Crack eggs one at a time in small bowl and THEN add to the mixing bowl  (this avoids any shells getting into the recipe)


When flouring the baking pans, I use lots of flour and tap out ALL flour, especially in the corners


When baking, I just slightly under bake the cakes where the toothpick comes out just slightly wet when poked in the center. Once the cake is cooled, the cake will be extra, extra moist and heavy and will stay moist over the next few days and not dry out.


I wrap in wax paper and then use a large zip lock baggie to store them in if not giving them out right away. This keeps them very moist and heavy.


The batter will be very heavy and you will need to spoon out the batter, it will not pour.


This will make two regular loaf pans or several small loaf pans.


I do not double the batch. I make two batches instead. 

Hope you enjoy the pound cake as much as I have for so many years. You will want to make quite a few....they don't last long. And yes, you may freeze them as well.

I will try to get a batch of caramels made soon and get that out to you. I hope showing you that even a very non-crafty person can make some gifts and with funds being tight, we can still come up with some personal and fun gifts. I think the most fun is the taking some down time and enjoying the process. When I finally found the time to make these projects....my regret was that I didn't slow down to enjoy it all because I just ran out of time. But when I got into the projects, I enjoyed it so much...all the more reason I wanted to slow down this season.  

You know how I like to keep it real on my blog, so even in my rush, I took some  very quick behind the scenes photos to show you how the above "pretty photos" weren't so pretty behind the all the rush - hence the rest of the name of this post...Homemade Madness!!

The madness began with making the pound cakes...thinking as they bake...I will just "do everything else."  Remember how I think I can do a week worth's of work in one night? Well, below shows how my thinking is so waaayyy off.... hahaha

I begin with my sour cream pound cakes...while they bake, I will just make all the other things....yeah....right....

I still need to get my photos done of the little tree...and make cards...and make the gift of the photo framed....and then I notice....ahhhhhh!!! The damn cat had made her way into the caramel tray sometime earlier that day and "sampled" it!! I now have to make a new batch...or...maybe just cut that chunk out...no one will know....right??? But I ended up making more because it was a big-ass chunk and I was so mad....and now back to the kitchen.

I am feeling pleased...I got my "sample" tray done and the others are drying...and look! it is still daylight!

I come up with this bright idea of something I saw somewhere that inspired me. But I decided to do "my take" on it. To make some chicken wire trees in my window seat - THREE of them, all lined up and then stuff paper all around them with lights...I thought...that would be so easy!

Several hours later, and one scraggly tree with no paper on it yet and I am pooped and not liking it....

Oh, did I mention all this was taking place on December 23rd? So, I scrap the damn tree idea and decide to go down to Flower Row before they close and go buy all fresh greenery, which I usually do every year, but didn't find time because of my schedule...as you can see, it is now dark....

I am standing here, as you can see, by the roll of chicken $#@& wire on the right, debating and trying to convince myself that once all the paper is on it and all three are lined up, that it will really be "cool looking" now that I have an European grain sack wrapped around it. Yeah, right, a SACK makes it so much better.....NOT....

I am feeling a little more merrier now (something to do with the bottle of wine, I think) and the smell of pine and greenery. As you can see, it is pitch black out. The pound cakes are baked and smelling good too. As you can see, I haven't given up on the damn tree...NOW, I have tried waxed paper thinking that might work...but NOT.

But then....damn! I realize that I need to get the cards done...and my markers are old and drying up...must get new ones this year. So, now I am in my office...forget the trees....and down to the basement is my one lonely tree and there it still sits, mocking me. 

Sometimes, seeing my crappy pictures, my crappy, messy house, and my crappy attempts of "crafting" makes me laugh NOW.  But at that moment, I was thinking...."Geesh, Elizabeth...get...it...together!!" When in reality, I should just in the moment give myself a break. Because if I were reading this on someone else's blog, I would just laugh and think...OMG...I am just like her...a real spaz! 

Why are we so hard on ourselves to perform...especially when it is just our own selves? I mean, no one was even coming over...I wasn't even entertaining....I wasn't having a dinner or anything...and yet, I was beating myself up for waiting until the last minute. Although, I didn't really "wait," I was working so hard, I just didn't have time. That makes sense to me NOW, but last year, I didn't see it that way...I saw it as not using my time wisely and not "having it together." 

I really hope for you this season that you aren't as mean to yourself as I can be to myself. I hope  if you find yourself saying mean things to yourself, you click on my blog and scroll right past all the pretty photos and go right to my mess and think....I have a Spazzy Cyber Sister...I am not alone!! And give yourself a break.  I know I am giving myself a break this year and I want the same for you too - because I love you.

Big messy hug to you.


from my homemade mad house to your house,