Canning, Food Storage, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canning Milk

1 Comment

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.

Print Recipe

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.

Bread, Recipe

Buttermilk Recipes

Leave a comment

For years, I have been told that the perfect replacement for buttermilk is milk with 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar added to it. That’s all I had been using in recipes that require buttermilk. I never knew there was a difference because I did not have anything to compare it to. The first time I tasted buttermilk was when I was 4 years old (the flavor left that large of an impression). I decided from that day on I would never have buttermilk in my house.

So, 37 years later I’m surfing the internet looking for the “perfect” pancake recipe. I found this one:

Print Recipe

The Best Buttermilk Pancakes

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 9 Estimated Cost: $ 1

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Heat electric griddle to 375° (or medium heat for a non-electric griddle). Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, and 4 tablespoons butter; whisk to combine. Batter should have small to medium lumps.

    Test griddle by sprinkling a few drops of water on it. If water bounces and spatters off griddle, it is hot enough. Using a pastry brush, brush remaining 1/2 teaspoon of butter or reserved bacon fat onto griddle. Wipe off excess.

    Using a 4-ounce ladle, about 1/2 cup, pour pancake batter, in pools 2 inches away from one other. When pancakes have bubbles on top and are slightly dry around edges, about 2 1/2 minutes, flip over. Cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute.

    Repeat with remaining batter, keeping finished pancakes on a heatproof plate in oven. Serve warm.

Note

Keywords: buttermilk, pancake, breakfast, quick, bread,

How could I go wrong with a recipe from a website called “Perfect Pancake”? So, I made the recipe with my tried and (what I thought was) true buttermilk replacement. The batter was so thin I ended up adding at least one more cup of flour and the resulting pancakes were too ‘flour-y’. I thought I was just doomed to not have good pancakes (since I refuse to buy pancake mix).

Then, my husband broke down and bought some buttermilk. His mother always cooked with buttermilk but I can be one stubborn woman. I hate buying one item (or ingredient) that will only be used for one recipe.

So, we made the recipe as written and wouldn’t you know these were/are the best pancakes I have ever made! They also make the best waffles! So, I have been on a buttermilk kick!

I had never understood what buttermilk was. I know traditionally it was the milk left over from the process of making butter but also knew that is not what we buy in the store. That’s when I found this web page:

Making Buttermilk:

Making Buttermilk, Illustrated

Thanks to this web page, I have made one and a half gallons (it would have been even more but we needed to have waffles last night before the latest batch was finished … had to use 3 cups of the store bought buttermilk for the recipe) from a half gallon container.

So now I am hunting around for recipes that call for buttermilk. I found one that I just had to try:

From “Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book – Revised and Enlarged” circa 1958:

“Delicately soft and cake-like” is the perfect description for these cookies. They are VERY soft and have the consistency of a flattened cupcake. They are also very mildly flavored. I’m not sure what I expected prior to making this recipe but know I did not get what I wanted. I did not like the cinnamon on top but I’m not sure what I could have replaced it with so I would really like these cookies. I will not make this recipe again but thought I would share … I’m sure some will like this recipe.

I will not give up my search for buttermilk recipes! I’ll share more as I find them!

Chicken, Dinner, Low Carb, Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs

Leave a comment

I am finally, after 4 months, starting to really feel better.  I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, energy, and prayers.  It is very difficult to not over-do it but today I have a craving.  I made these a few weeks ago before I relapsed and they were phenomenal.  Perfect for those who are not looking to cut fat from their diet!

Print Recipe

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

    Rinse the chicken thighs, then pat dry.  Sprinkle with as much as you want: Savory, Salt, and Pepper.  Wrap each thigh with two pieces of bacon, ensuring the entire thigh is covered.  Place the racks on the cookie sheets then place the bacon wrapped chicken thighs on the racks.  Bake for about an hour, until the bacon is crispy and the juices of the chicken thighs runs clear.

Keywords: Atkins, bacon, carb, chicken, dinner, level 1, low, keto,

That’s it!  I will serve these tonight with homemade rice-a-roni and steamed veggies.  I figure it will make everyone feel better if there is at least one healthy item on the menu!  LOL!

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

Wendy Dewitt’s Food Storage Seminars

Leave a comment

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

Leave a comment

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

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Notes

Notes

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

Print Recipe
Notes

Notes

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

Print Recipe
Notes

Notes

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

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Notes

Notes

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

Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Notes

Notes

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

Leave a comment

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.

Garden

Great Depression Cooking with Clara

3 Comments

I hope and pray that all those that can are preparing for the growing season. Now is the time, especially with the state of our nation. I see this time as a combination of rationing during World War II and the Great Depression. If we do not now take care of ourselves as much as possible, there may be no one there who can (or will). Even if all you have is a giant pot of dirt, plant something. Ask a friend who has a yard if you can utilize some of their land for growing food in exchange for a share of it (or a share of the prepared food). We need to do this if we are to survive the coming financial storms. Oh, and just so you know I am not even close to being a great gardener (like Gladgrower), I’ll take a few pictures of my house and yard when it stops raining (I won’t even clean up the mess my dog made of a bag of cans). It was bad this past year. I am to change that this year!

On that note, I found the neatest website! It’s called “Depression Cooking with Clara”. She has some You Tube videos of some dishes her mom made when she was growing up.

Canning, Food Storage, Potatoes

Canning Potatoes

2 Comments

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!

Leave a comment
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?

Lemon, Recipe, Wine

Update on Lemon Wine

Leave a comment
Lemons, Lemons, Everywhere!

The first bottle of Lemon Wine I made in April was opened Friday. It’s sweet … very sweet. I wasn’t even sure there was alcohol in it until about five minutes after I finished the glass. To me, it tasted like lemon syrup.

I sent a bottle up to my sister’s house so they could try it. My oldest sister had to be forced to even try it. My older sister said it tasted more like lemon liquor (suggesting mixing it with club soda), and my brother-in-law tried it over ice.

I’m glad I had them try it because I really didn’t know if I liked it or not. At least none of us keeled over dead from it! LOL!

Scroll Up