preserving

Canning season

August 12, 2018 Marie Leave a Comment

A lot of years I have been terrible about canning up our tomatoes. I’ll freeze them for later and then forget about them in the deep freezer never to see them again.

This year I’m trying to be better. Small batch recipes are my favorite, simply because they’re quick to make with my limited time. So far I’ve made pizza sauce, which we have been using a lot of for homemade pizzas, and today I’m doing crushed tomatoes for use with pasta recipes. There’s still a pile of tomatoes ripening in the garden so I’ll have to research more recipe ideas (or just load up on pizza sauce)

Maybe this is just what we needed

October 9, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

Pears

I kept busy this weekend with canning. The store had some produce on sale, so I came home with ingredients to make strawberry lemon jam, more sriracha peach sauce, apples for applesauce, cider for a mustard glaze (need to find the mustard seed in bulk, first), and got to work. And then, today, after going thrift store shopping for clothes for the Little Mr (because winter is coming and he’s growing like a weed), my mom handed me this. A giant basket of free pears straight from her tree. Free produce to can and preserve and feed us through winter, should we need it.

Maybe this job loss is what I needed. A reason to get back to my roots, my canning and preserving and being more frugal. Though, it probably would have been better if I had been the one to lose my job, instead, so I’d have more time to make foods from scratch for cheap… but it is what it is.

Anyone have some pear recipes they love they’re willing to share?

Peach Jam

June 29, 2017 Marie Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago the Peach Truck, as it is known, was supposed to visit our town. My best friend and I agreed to buy a box and split it, and when her husband went to buy them for us we were sorely disappointed to learn the truck broke down and wouldn’t be visiting our area at all. I had everything planned out to make – pie, jam, grilled with some pork… all of those plans were over.

Today at the local farmers market was a vendor who had Georgia peaches. And even getting there right around opening time the large boxes were still sold before I got to them. So, $10 later, I came home with about 10 really large, crazy delicious peaches. 7 of them are getting turned into small batch jam (salted brown sugar and sriracha, both from “Preserving by the Pint”), the kid and I ate one, and there is just two left. Maybe I’ll grill those.

It feels really good to be in the kitchen and doing what I used to love. I’m trying lately to really make an effort to not let the kid prevent me from, well, being me. It’s so easy to say “I can’t do that anymore because he always makes it harder” but he is getting better about things. And if I don’t take time out to do the things I love then I’m going to be a batshitcrazy nightmare to be around (which I’ve totally been these last few days). Also, the tv makes an excellent babysitter when need be, and any parent who says otherwise is lying. :)

Lilac Jelly

May 22, 2016 Marie Leave a Comment

lilac-jelly

Lilacs? Edible? Oh YES.

A while ago – probably two years ago, really, when I first learned I could make jelly with the cute little violets in our yard – I learned Lilac Jelly was a thing. The trouble was… I didn’t have lilacs. Our neighbors do, but theirs haven’t really bloomed much in the last few years for me to even be able to ask. This recipe has pretty much just hung around in the back of my mind, waiting for a time where I might get my hands on some lilacs at just the right time to try it.

And then this week happened. My new job has lilacs in the flower beds. My coworker went out to pick some to bring into the office, so I asked if she thought it would be okay if I snagged some to take home to try this jelly thing. She didn’t seem to think it was an issue, so on my way out the door for the weekend I snagged a few branches of them.

Now, let me tell you: I had my doubts. The violets don’t smell like lilacs do. And these lilacs were so strong smelling that I really worried that the resulting jelly would be…. well, overpoweringly floral. I doubted myself through this entire process, because even after the lilacs steeped the resulting “tea” was still strong smelling. And even as I cooked it and added the sugar I could still smell it. But I was committed to this process, and it was too late to turn back now. I poured the jelly into the jars, popped them into the water bath canner, and then dug into the leftovers that stuck in the pot with my finger. Yes, that’s right – I ate the jelly straight. Without bread.

And you know? It’s DAMN GOOD. I can’t decide what flavor it reminds me of. The violet jelly reminds me a bit of berries… this lilac jelly version has a hint of peach, I think? I could be crazy, though. And now I know, if the apocalypse ever hits, that I have one more thing I can forage and cook/eat. :)

Edit to add: This is the recipe I used, but I only used it loosely since it looked to be the exact same process as I’ve been using for the violet jelly version.

Spring jelly

April 23, 2016 Marie 2 Comments

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Hello friends! Spring brings rain and wind this year, but my violets arrive as well. The Little Mr and I went into the yard to pick as many as we could (there is still plenty, but a toddler’s attention span is tiny) before coming in to boil up water to steep them up for jelly making. Tonight the husband is gone to a Crew game (soccer) so after I put the little guy to bed I’ll be pouring myself a little wine, digging into my canning equipment, and making jelly. Maybe even a loaf of homemade bread to go with it for breakfast tomorrow.

I made a job transition this week. I’m incredibly overwhelmed with it all, but I think this change brings a lot of good with it. Most notably, more time because I’m closer to home. And feeling more valued at work has had a huge impact on my mental health, so I’m coming home exhausted BUT I’m finding my excitement again for things I loved doing. Not that I have much time for it anymore, but I’m squeezing in things here and there when I can (like tonight’s jelly making).

My next goal is to get that garden cleaned up. It’s so full of weeds and, besides, needs more compost added to the beds. I just need a nice day and a long nap time to get it done. Whenever hell freezes over, probably, haha.