Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Meat Canning

Cut raw beef or venison into 2 in. by 2 in. chunks.  Fill sterilized jars half full of meat chunks.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp. beef bullion granules.  Add more chunks of meat, packing as well as possible to 3/4 in. from top of jar.  Place beef suet, about 1-2 Tbsp. on top of meat.  No need to add any liquid as processing will create liquid in jar.  Seal jars and process in enamel canner 3 hrs.  Let stand 24 hrs. until cool on folded bath towels.  Place in pantry or cellar (cool, dry place).

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Applesauce

Quarter & core apples (about ¾ of a bushel) & place in Dutch oven.  Cook on low, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.  Do not add any water, because it makes the applesauce too soupy.  After 15-20 min., the apples should be soft. Pour some of hot sauce into food mill & stir.  Separates sauce from peel.  Spoon sauce into freezer containers & let cool before placing in freezer, or pour into sterilized jars and process 10 min. for pts. 20 min. for qts. 

Using 2-3 different kinds of apples, i.e. Jonathans, McIntosh, Courtlands, creates a delicious applesauce.

If you prefer a chunkier sauce, peel, quarter and core apples and place in kettle or microwave safe bowl.  Add ¼ c. water & cook on high 5-6 min., stirring halfway through cooking process.  Cook until desired consistency.  Can add some cinnamon, if desired.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Freezer Corn

6 c. raw  corn (I use electric knife to cut off corn from cob)
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 ½ tsp. salt
1 c. water
Boil 3 min.  Pour on to cookie sheet.  Cool.  Place in labeled freezer qt. bag freezer bags & put in freezer.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Peaches

Canned Peaches:

(MI peaches work the best; don’t turn brown)
If peaches are not quite ripe, lay them out on newspaper in cool place.  Do not allow peaches to touch each other, ort they will quickly spoil.  Check them daily to see if they are ripe.

Scald peaches in boiling water about 2-3 min.  Place in ice water, slide off peal (like tomatoes), slice, remove pit & place in sterilized qt. jars.  Pour hot syrup --2  ½ c. sugar to 5 c. water (estimate amount of syrup you will need to make—if any is left over, you can refrigerate and use for other fruit you wish to can) over peaches leaving ½ in. space at top of jar.  Seal & process ½ hr.

Frozen Peaches:

Prepare peaches as for canning.  Place sliced, pitted peaches in 4 c. increments in qt. freezer bags.  Sprinkle ¼-1/2 c. sugar sporadically over peaches as you peel & slice.  Mark amount of sugar you used on outside of freezer bag.  Seal & freeze.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Sweet Pickle Relish

Put through food processor:
 4 c. onions 4 c. green tomatoes
 4 c. cabbage     12 green peppers  
 4 c. cucumbers   6 red peppers

Add:  ½ c. salt, & let stand at least 1 hr.  Drain through cheesecloth to get rid of most of the liquid.

Mix in:  6 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. mustard seed, 1 Tbsp. celery seed, 4 c. cider vinegar, 11/2 tsp. tumeric powder, 2 c. water.

Heat to boil, simmer 3 min. & place in hot pt. jars.  Makes 9 pts.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Dill Pickle

5 qts. water
1 qt. white vinegar (Heinz works the best)
1-1/2 c. canning salt, depending on taste

In large pot add all above ingredients & bring to boil.  In the meantime, stuff washed & sterilized pt. or qt. jars with 1 head dill, 1 clove garlic, pickles (I like the baby dills the best)& another head of dill. For added crispness sprinkl, sprinkle ¼ tsp. alum on top of pts. (1/2 tsp. for qts.).  Place heavy-duty cookie sheets in 250 degree oven.  Place jars on cookie sheets & bake 30 min.  Place jars on clean bath towels & let sit for 24 hrs.  Place in pantry.  Wait 4-6 wks. before eating.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: "Clausen" Pickles

5 qt. ice cream pail with cover
cucumbers, washed, quartered, sliced
2-3 large, white onions, cut in rings
4-6 garlic cloves, cut in pieces.1/2 tsp. mustard seed
4-6 heads dill

Place onions, garlic, mustard seed & dill on bottom of pail.

Brine:  1 ½ qts. water, 1 pt. white or apple cider vinegar, ½ c. canning salt.
Heat brine to boiling.  Pour over cucumbers.  Let stand uncovered 3 days.  Cover & refrigerate.  Will keep up to one year (if they last that long).  Can place in smaller containers (I use glass qt. jars) after 3 days.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Dilly Beans

2 lbs. trimmed green beans
4 heads dill
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 ½ c. white vinegar
2 ½ c. water
¼ c. canning salt

Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving ¼ in. head space.  To each pt., add 1 head dill.  Combine remaining ingredients in a large enamel kettle.  Bring to a boil.  Pour hot liquid over bans, leaving 1/2 in. head space.  Remove air bubbles (use knife).  Seal.  Process pts. & qts. 10 min. in boiling water bath.  Yield:  about 4 pts.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Pickled Asparagus

1 ½ qts, water
5 Tbsp. plain, non-iodized salt (can use canning salt)
2 Tbsp. pickling spices-remove as many cloves as possible
7 lbs. fresh asparagus
4 garlic cloves, 1 per qt. or ½ per pt. (I use wide-mouth pt. jars)
4 hot chili peppers ½-1 per qt.

1. Bring water, vinegar & salt to boil for 15 min.
2. Wrap remaining spices in cheesecloth or tea holder & hang in vinegar mixture.
3. Break off ends of asparagus & blanch 1 ½-2 min., then plunge into ice water,
4. Place ½ -1 garlic clove and ½-1 pepper into each jar.  Pack asparagus into jars standing on end, then pour vinegar mixture into jars making sure it’s very hot at time to ensure a good seal on jars.  Cool.
5. Store in pantry for 2 ½-3 mos, before use.

Grow It! Can It! Eat It!: Beet Pickles

Approximately 42 med.-large red beets, 60-70 small beets, cooked until tender.  Skin.  Cut large beets into halves.  Sprinkle with canning or kosher salt.  Let stand 30 min.
Syrup
3 c. white vinegar
2 c. water
4 c. sugar

Place all ingredients in kettle.  Cook about 5 min.  Heat beets in syrup & simmer 5 min.  Fill jars first with beets and then add enough syrup until beets are covered, leaving a ½ in. space from lip of jar.  Seal & allow to cool.  These do not have to be processed in canner.