Category Archives: Preserving

Bread, Drying, Food Storage, Preserving

Reviving My Baking Passion with Fresh Sprouts

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While re-adjusting to our move, I am slowly re-learning what I loved to do. One thing is baking. The second, is sprouting. I used to love having fresh alfalfa sprouts in the fridge.

So, I decided to experiment with the supplies I already have on hand. That brings us to this video. These are the original grains (white wheat, red wheat, and barley) that I used to make my sprouted grain video 6 YEARS AGO! I show you how I had them stored and we play the game of “Will they sprout?”

It turns out they all did! The barley was the quickest to sprout, followed closely by the white wheat, then the red, which took a bit longer. They are all currently in my dehydrators, which I’m using this time instead of the oven, as it allows for more even drying and better preservation of flavors. I can’t wait to bake something with these! The anticipation is building as I think about the wonderful bread, muffins, or pastries I could create using this freshly dehydrated grain mix. The unique flavors and textures they will bring to my baked goods are sure to impress anyone who gets a taste!

Here’s the link to my original post:

Sprouted Grain Flour!
Canning, Food Storage

Easy Oven-Roasted Nut Storage Method

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This is so easy!

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F.

Take whatever nuts you want to store. Shell them or just make sure there are no bits of shell or debris.

Place the nuts in whatever size jars you want and place new lids and rings on.

Place your jars on a baking tray (for stability), and bake for one hour. Remove and let cool.

As long as they are sealed, they will store almost forever.

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

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Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

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Home Canned Meats

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:

Description

Canning meats at home is simple once you have all of the right tools.

Ingredients

Home Canned Meats

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Wash jars and lids.
  2. Cut meat into cubes.
  3. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
  4. Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
  5. Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
  6. Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Remember to add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your water to prevent mineral buildup on your jars.
  7. Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
  8. Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
  9. Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
  10. As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

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I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

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Homemade Corned Beef

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 12

Description

It’s so much easier than I thought!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. To Cure:

    Mix all of the other ingredients, ensuring the salts dissolve.

    Remove as much fat as you want, leaving a minimum of roughly 1/4 to 1/8 inch.

    Place your meat and the brine in a container that will allow the meat to remain submerged. Submerging the meat is key to proper curing. Exposure to air introduces bacteria. I prefer plastic freezer bags. This allows me to actually remove all of the air and turn the meat with less mess.

    Place the container in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5 days, with 7 being preferred. Turn once per day. Now, it’s ready to cook or freeze.

     

  1. To Cook:

    Place the meat in a large pot along with enough hot water to cover it by at least 1″ and put the lid on. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a low simmer and keep it simmering for 30 minutes. If you boil it, it will get tough and shrink. Beware that the meat is cold, so when it warms the water will slowly move from simmer to boil. Keep an eye on it and try not to let it boil.

    After 30 minutes, dump out the water and cover 1″ over the meat with fresh hot water. Bring to a low simmer again, this time for 3 hours or until it is fork tender. Keep the meat submerged with a small plate.

    For Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, remove the meat and let it rest. Now add sliced carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the cooking liquid. Simmer until the carrots are tender.  

    Slice the meat across the grain and serve.

Keywords: corned, beef, brisket, pastrami, home, made

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Canning, Food Storage, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canning Milk

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Look! I discovered an easy method to can milk at home. We never have straight-up milk, unless we plan on eating cereal or need it for some other “only milk will do” reason. So, I used this method on half and half. As a test, I let a pint jar sit for 3 years. It became solid as it sat but retained a seal and, when I opened it, there was no smell, no strange colors, it just looked like it had separated into curds and whey. Needless to say, I didn’t consume it but I don’t see why this will not keep for at least a year on the shelf.

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Canned Milk

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated Cost: $ 1

Description

Home canned evaporated milk

Instructions

  1. Fill your pressure canner with about 2 inches of room temperature water. Do not turn on your burner yet.

    Fill your clean and sterilized room temperature jars with just about room temperature milk, leaving an inch of head space (usually just below the threads of the jar). Wipe the rim of the jars with vinegar (to eliminate any possible fats or liquids). Place your lid, then ring on the jar, hand tighten, then place in your pressure canner.

    Once the canner is filled, put your lid on and turn the burner on medium-high to high. Once a steady stream of steam is shooting through the vent, set your timer for 10 minutes. Place your weight on the vent, then when it gets up to pressure (sea level is 10 pounds), turn off the burner (if you have an electric cook top,  move the canner to a cold burner) and let the pressure canner sit until the pressure gauge reads zero.

    Remove the weight, the lid, and place the jars on a towel covered rack to cool. After 24 hours, remove the rings, wash the jars, label and store in a cool, dark place.  These should be good for 1 year.

Note

Keywords: milk, dairy, pressure, can, food, storage

Now is the time to learn techniques that have been safely used for decades before the USDA eliminates this knowledge altogether.

Canning, Drying, Food Storage, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Wendy Dewitt’s Food Storage Seminars

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Disclaimer: I originally posted this 11 years ago but felt the need to update it and include more information.

Whether or not you have your food storage in place or are just beginning, there is so much to learn from Wendy Dewitt (Everything Under The Sun). I always thought Wendy Dewitt had a great food storage plan on her website but it’s even better because she has video taped a few seminars based on her plan. She does love her Sun Oven (I do not have one yet) and if you choose to purchase one or any other type of alternate cooking device, I suggest you use it NOW! There is a learning curve to alternate anything (whether that’s cooking or baking with sourdough) and you do not want to be learning (and failing) when you are operating from a place of scarcity.

Despite the fact that she is Mormon (and speaking to Mormons), she is not overly religious in her presentation. I am only mentioning her religion for those who may be offended by anything religious (or not of your religion).

I have found three (2 older ones and 1 updated version of her seminar) on YouTube and the quality of them shows (the oldest one was recorded in 2008). I downloaded them, did my best to adjust the quality (there is only so much I could do with the audio), and uploaded them to my channel.

Here are the download links for the handouts for the first two videos (in English and Spanish):

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN 2010 wordDownload
Todo-de-una-manera-sencilla-dewitt-in-SpanishDownload

Filmed in 2005 in Gilbert, Arizona:

Filmed in November of 2008:

And this is her updated seminar (and handout), “Sensible Food Storage” from 2011

Everything Made SimpleDownload
Preserving, Recipe, Weeds

Candied Orange Peel And Other Goodies

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I know this isn’t what I have posted for quite some time but I made Candied Orange Peels for the first time.  They were not labor intensive, just time consuming.  They were well worth it!  My goal is to have enough candied fruit to eventually make my own Panettone.  At the bottom of this page are recipes for other candied goodies!

I decided to make candied orange peels because I bought a five pound bag of oranges and no one was eating them (and eventually I want to have enough candied fruit to make panettone).

So, I pulled out the old trusty Joy of Cooking and got busy!

Candied Citrus Peel

  • Peel of 3 oranges, 2 grapefruits, or 6 lemons, removed in large strips
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons light corn syrup (I used honey)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Wash the oranges, then peel them (I used the meat of the oranges for marmalade).

Add water to cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with fresh cold water, and simmer until tender.

Drain, refresh under cold water, and remove any remaining pulp or pith by scraping it away with a spoon (now, I tried this with one of our “good” spoons and the edge wasn’t sharp enough. So, I pulled out one of the spoons I set aside for my husband to put in his lunch box).

Cut the peel into 2 X 1/4-inch strips. Combine 1 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons light corn syrup (honey) and 3/4 cup water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the fruit peel and cook very gently over low heat until most of the syrup is absorbed (if your stock pot isn’t the best, like mine, place it on top of a cast iron griddle. This works great and have never had any scorching).

After about 12 hours the orange peels absorbed most of the sugar/water mixture. I drained the peels into another pot, thinking I could use the orange syrup for something (not sure what though).

To dry the peels, I propped up an old window screen I use for drying. I lined the screen with wax paper, poured the second 1 cup of sugar on the paper, scattered the drained orange peels on the sugar, and tossed them to ensure even coverage.

I put more wax paper over the top and weighed it down. It took about a week for them to get dry enough (the recipe says to let dry one hour then place in the refrigerator. I didn’t like that, so let them completely dry).

I ended up with about a gallon and a half of candied orange peels (1 1/2 gallon sized Ziploc freezer bags). I’m storing them in the freezer (just to be safe). I reserved the orange sugar, thinking I could use it for something! 🙂 You know those orange slices by Brachs? These taste just like those, just a bit more tart. My step-daughter loves them!

Candied Ginger

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 water
  • 1 piece fresh ginger, sliced or julienne

Peel, cut into coins or make long strips (julienne). Immerse in simple syrup (1 part sugar to 1 part water). Cook 15 minutes or till translucent. Dry on cake rack over paper until almost dry. Roll in sugar and place on parchment paper to dry.

Cactus Candy
Yield: 6 servings
From: Arizona Cookbook

  • 3 c Granulated sugar
  • 1 c Water
  • 2 tb Orange juice
  • 1 tb Lemon juice

Select prickly pear cactus (or small barrel cactus if you own this type of cactus, since it’s illegal to remove it from the desert). Remove spines and outside layer with large knife. Cut pulp across in slices one-inch thick. Soak overnight in cold water. Remove from water, cut in one-inch cubes and cook in boiling water til tender. Drain. Cook slowly in the following syrup until nearly all the syrup is absorbed. Do not scorch!

SYRUP for 2 QUARTS of CACTUS CUBES

Heat all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Then add cactus. Remove cactus from syrup, drain and roll in granulated or powdered sugar. For colored cactus candy, any vegetable food coloring may be added to the syrup.

Coltsfoot Candy
“An enjoyable way to soothe a cough”
Yield: 4 Servings

  • 1 liter Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) leaves
  • 600 ml Water
  • 450 g Sugar
  • 450 g Golden syrup
  • 50 g Butter
  • 2 1/2 g Baking soda

Boil the washed coltsfoot leaves in the water, and drain off the liquid. Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a pan and add the liquid. Bring to the boil, stirring, then continue to boil until a little of the candy turns brittle when dropped into a bowl of cold water. Take off the heat and add the soda Beat the mixture very well until it is almost stiff, then pour into a shallow, oiled baking tray. Allow to set, then break up into pieces and store in a jar.

Avril Rodway’s ‘Food From The Countryside’

Peppermint Candy

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh peppermint leaves
  • green food coloring (optional)

Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until very stiff. Add the confectioners sugar and beat until very thick. Gently fold in the peppermint. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250F for approx. 35 minutes or until dry. Allow to cool. Keep stored in airtight containers.

Preserving

How to Build a Rotating Canned Food Shelf

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How to Build a Rotating Canned Food Shelf

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Storing canned food in your kitchen cabinets is an inefficient use of space and you will often find old cans in the back. This easy-to-build shelf system will solve the problem by rotating the cans. The cost is a small fraction of the price of retail canned food systems. There are many variations so modify the plans to suit your needs and abilities.

Steps

  1. Decide the size and number of shelves you need. This article will cover a 5-shelf system that is 32in wide, 24in deep, and 64in tall.
  2. Cut the plywood on a table saw or with a circular saw.

    1. Cut one full sheet in half length-wise. From each half, cut a shelf at 32in. (should leave 64in for the sides).

    2. Cut the other full sheet in half length-wise also. Cut each half in thirds at 32in each.

    3. Cut the half-sheet of plywood at 32in. Cut the 32×48 piece in half (24×32). Set the remaining 16×48 piece aside for later. You should have 2-24×64 and 10-24×32.


     


  3. Using a router and straight edge, route slots into the sides 3/4in. wide and 1/4in. deep.(An alternative is to attach rails that the shelves will rest on. The slot method is stronger and will not interfere with the rolling cans.)

    • The shelves need to have a 1:12 slope (1in. drop for each 12in. run).

    • For standard cans, the distance from the top of the input shelf to the top of the corresponding output shelf is 8in.

    • For standard cans, the distance from the top of the input shelf, to the top of the next output shelf is 4in.

    • For standard cans, the input shelf is 3.5in shorter than the output shelf.

    • For larger cans, add 1 inch to these dimensions.

    • Draw outlines for all slots.


     


  4. Trim the shelves. The finished outside width of the shelf system will be 32in. The shelves will fit in a slot 1/4in deep. Therefore, the width of the shelves is actually 31in. Each input shelf also needs to be trimmed on the back to allow a space for the can to drop. For standard cans, this gap needs to be 3.5in.
  5. Lay one side flat on the ground with the slots facing up. Insert the shelves into the slots and place the other side on top.
  6. Drive 2in. screws through the side and into the edge of the shelf. Put two screws in each shelf.
  7. Turn the unit over and drive screws in this side also.
  8. Turn the unit over so the back is facing up. Attach the pieces that were cut from the input shelves to prevent the cans from falling off the back.
  9. From the 16×48 scrap plywood, cut 5 pieces 2x32in. Turn the unit over so the front is facing up. Attach the 2x32in. pieces to block the cans from falling out the front.
  10. With the remaining plywood and/or additional scrap you have laying around, build a base that the casters will attach to. Stand the unit upright and attach it to the base.
  11. Decide the configuration of cans that you need. Each row will need to be about 1/2in wider than the can. On the table saw, rip 1/4in-wide strips from plywood, MDF, or dimensional lumber. MDF and lumber work best. Attach them to the shelves with wood glue.
  12. One problem you may have is the cans getting mis-aligned when they drop down.

    • A solution for this is to add a divider connecting the row dividing strips, filling the gap. Cut cardboard in a trapezoidal shape to fit over the two row dividers. Cut out the center material of the cardboard and glue the flaps to the row dividers.


     


  13. Another problem occurs when the gap is too large for the cans. The can can get blocked, preventing other cans from dropping down.

    • A solution for this problem is to glue wedges at the back of the lower shelf. This will cause the can to roll forward before the next one locks it in. The wedges can be cut from the same material used for the row dividers. They should be large enough to move the can forward.


     


  14. The rotating canned food shelf is ready for use. Add labels to the front of each row to identify the contents and load cans in the top portion of each shelf.

Tips

  • A simpler design is possible when you have easy access to the back. This allows you to load the cans in the back and they simply roll forward.
  • This shelf system can accommodate any can size – even #10 cans. Just measure the diameter and length of the can and allow at least 1/2 inch clearance.
  • The casters are very important. Experience has shown the mobility they add is a valuable convenience.
  • The same concepts can be applied to build this shelf system fixed in a closet. Just use rails (screwed into studs) to support the shelves.
  • For added stability make the base larger than the footprint of the shelf unit. The casters should provide support a couple inches in front of and behind the shelf unit.

Warnings

  • Power tools can be dangerous. Be careful.
  • Always wear safety glasses when operating or using any type of power tool.

Things You’ll Need

  • 4 casters (3 inch)
  • 2.5 sheets 3/4″ plywood
  • MDF or lumber
  • Wood glue
  • 2 inch screws
  • Table saw
  • Circular saw
  • Router with 3/4in bit
  • Drill

Related wikiHows

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Build a Rotating Canned Food Shelf. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Canning, Food Storage, Potatoes

Canning Potatoes

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Yesterday, I canned my first batch of potatoes. I will be canning both red potatoes and sweet potatoes. I purchased two 10 pound bags of red potatoes (I figured this was the best choice, since the only other option was russet potatoes) and two 10 pound boxes of sweet potatoes.

This was one of the easiest things to do! I left the skins on, cut them in half or quarters (depending on their size), and followed the directions here: http://jordansfarm.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/canning-potatoes/. They all sealed beautifully and only two sucked up some of the water (the jars are about half full of water) so those will be used first (miss paranoid here).

The 20 pounds of red potatoes filled 19 quart jars (with a few left over so I could enjoy them with dinner) and 20 pounds of sweet potatoes filled 14 jars (actually 16 but I did not want to pressure can 2 jars so mashed sweet potatoes were for lunch and dinner the next day).

Further down on the web page above page is instructions for canning sweet potatoes. That is how I will be doing the sweet potatoes tonight:

Sweet Potatoes canned:

Boil first for about 5 min. so as the skins will rub off.

Leave small ones whole/ or cut,

Pack into jars

Fill with water or med. syrup (med. syrup: 3 1/4 cup sugar and 5 cups water= 7 cups syrup)

Leave 1 inch head space, remove air bubbles

Pressure can 10 pounds for:

Pints: 1 hour 5 minutes
Quarts: 1 hour and 30 minutes

I packed in syrup but a light syrup instead. I went looking around for light syrup recipes that would allow me to incorporate honey. I found this page (http://www.pickyourown.org/sugarsolution.htm), and it turns out you can replace half the sugar with honey! That’s what I did!

I love fresh sweet potatoes but after seeing how the red potatoes bleached out (no longer red) I am afraid of blah, bland sweet potatoes. I have not tried the sweet potatoes yet but last night we had corned beef hash with the canned red potatoes. I cubed them, put plenty of oil in the pan, let it brown without moving it around much, then removed them from the pan. We added them back right before the eggs were set. They tasted wonderful! They did not have that canned potato smell when we opened up the jar, and tasted just like boiled potatoes right out of the jar!

Canning, Chicken, Food Storage, Pressure, Soup

I Got My Pressure Canner!

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Presto Canner


After 20 years of waiting, I have finally gotten a pressure canner! I am so excited I can hardly think straight. This was my Christmas present from my husband (in addition to loving me, I think it was mostly to get me to stop bugging him about it). It’s a Presto 16 quart.

The third day, I was re-canning some of my #10 cans of food. I never wanted to open the cans because I did not want to freeze the leftovers. I processed all foods for the recommended times/pressure settings and they all turned out really nice! All except my beets. They look bleached out but one thing I noticed as I was opening up the can of pickled beets. They use high fructose corn syrup! I’ll be making my own from now on.

My first big canning project is going to be chicken. Yeah, I know. Meat first? Yup. See, we buy a lot of whole chickens and load up the freezer. Canning most of the chicken will free up that freezer space for something else.

The majority of the time, we only use whole chickens for my husband’s tacos and enchiladas. Those recipes require us to boil, then de-bone the chicken so why not cut those steps out?

So I went searching around and found this great blog:

http://lovehugsandgiggles.blogspot.com/2008/11/canning-chicken.html

Then I’ll use the bones for chicken soup. Can you tell I’m excited?