Corn Harvest

We have some very generous neighbors out here on the farm.  Just the other day the neighbors called to let us know that the sweet corn is in!  They pretty much let us pick what we want, although we let them know what we wanted before picking just to be sure.  I don't have an exact count but I'm pretty sure it was over 150 ears of corn.  We took the kids and were in and out of the field and back home within 45 minutes - we did good.


It's very easy to get lost in the corn.

Good stuff!

We put quite a bit of corn in the back of the van.

We shucked the ears and then had to wipe them down to get some of the silk off because apparently you can "strangle" on that stuff, according to my dear mother-in-law. 

Unclean!  Had to get some of that silk off those ears.

Then we cooked them for approximately 3 minutes, I didn't time it but that's what I aimed for.  I have trouble remembering numbers and we had 2 pots going - it was cooked for a short period of time, that's all I know.

Yummy!

Then the fun begins!  This is my mother-in-law cutting corn off the cobs and bagging it to put in the freezer.  When you cut corn off the cob it flies everywhere!  I cleared off my counters so it would be an easy clean-up but we still had to scrub the counters quite a bit.  Corn has a lot of sugar and when it dries, it's like glue. 

Mama-in-law cutting corn.

When all was said and done, we ended up with 28 quart bags of corn.  Didn't seem like enough to me after all that work.  It didn't nearly fill the back of the van as it did before.  I was amazed how much we reduced the volume, how much we put in the compost pile and how much is in the bags.  It's a lot of work but I know we'll appreciate it come January when we have "fresh" frozen corn in the freezer.

Did Someone Say Zucchini Relish?!?!

It's that time of year again when everyone has an abundance of zucchini in their garden.  About 10 or more years ago, my mother-in-law and I made our first batch of zucchini relish.  We have a recipe passed on to us by my Aunti Ann in-law.  This stuff has a strange cult following, the people who love it, really, really love it.  Two years ago I had a friend actually buy me zucchini to make some relish because she had to have her fix.  I have to admit, it's pretty good stuff.  We eat it on just about everything - ham, chicken, turkey, burgers, salmon - it's all good.

So, to start out, you need to get yourself a 50 year old food processor.  Yup!  Everytime I make relish I have to use this food processor, my new, fancy food processor just doesn't get it done like this one.

My Mother-In-Law's Food Processor
(She received it as a wedding gift)

Here is the ingredient list. I always go over and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't but this is a good place to start.

10 C. Shredded Zucchini
4 C. Thin Sliced Onions
1 Lg. Green Pepper Chopped
3 T. Salt

John shredding the zucchini

Put all this stuff in a large bowl, cover with water and let it sit overnight.




That food processor makes the best shreds!




Green Pepper!



Onion!



Zucchini mixture covered with water.

2.5 C. Cider Vinegar
5 C. Sugar
1 T. Black Pepper (you can adjust to your taste)
1 t. Tumeric
1 T. Dry Mustard
2 t. Celery Seed

The next day, drain  your zucchini and  put it in a large pot with the above ingredients.  Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. 

Fill sterile jars and seal.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy - right?!?! 



Voila!  Zucchini Relish!



Easiest Pickles Ever!

A couple of weeks ago, my son John and I were at a local farmer's market and bought some homemade pickles from B'more Bill's Dills, they were called "Half Sours".  I had never heard of half sours before and questioned the gentleman extensively on the process because the pickles were quite yummy.  The pickles we bought had a crunchy, garlicky flavor but did not have vinegar or dill, which after eating a couple of pickles, I started to miss.  I started my search for a pickle recipe, I didn't want to make another mushy, flavorless cooked pickle.  I started seeing a lot of recipes for refrigerator pickles, I've never heard of refrigerator pickles.  A refrigerator pickle isn't cooked, it's soaked in a briney juice and kept in the fridge instead of canning and hot water bathing.  After reading several recipes and instructions, I got the gist of it.  Below is my recipe, I like it because it's easy to increase/decrease depending on your cucumber supplies.

Basic Dill Refrigerator Pickles

6 Cups Water
2 Cups Vinegar
1/2 Cup Salt
Onion  (1.5 medium)
Garlic  (8-10 cloves)
Fresh Dill  (1 oz. prepackaged fresh dill)
Cucumbers

Brine:  Bring water, vinegar and salt to a boil.  Turn the burner off after the mix is boiling and the salt is dissolved.

Pickles:  Scrub your cucumbers.  You can leave your cucumbers whole (if you're using pickling cucumbers - because they are small enough, just cut off the bloom end), or slice them however you like.  We did spears and slices.  The grocery store didn't have pickling cucumbers so we bought regular cukes and sliced them.  We had also bought some pickling cucumbers at the farmer's market that we cut into spears.   

After you're done slicing (or not) your cucumbers, slice your onion and garlic and break all the stems off your dill.  These are the quantities I used and how much I yielded from it, you can change the recipe according to your taste.  I used 5 regular cucumbers and got 2.5 quarts of pickle slices and 8 pickling cucumbers that we cut into quarters for spears and that made 2 pints.  I used 1.5 medium size onions and 8-10 cloves of garlic.  Hope that is helpful.

When you're done slicing everything, start layering them in the jars:  cucumber, onion, garlic and dill.  I put onion, garlic and dill on the bottom of the jar, layered in cucumbers till the jar was half full, added more onion, garlic and dill and filled the jar with more cucumber slices, then added more onion garlic and dill on the top.  After that you take your brine and fill the jar to the top.  Continue until you're out of cucumbers.  I did run out of brine but quickly mixed up a quarter of the recipe to fill the last jar.

Let the jars sit on the counter for a few hours (3-4), then stick them in the fridge.  They are ready to eat in 3-4 days. 

We couldn't resist and had to try them - they are delicious!

Have a blessed day, I'm off to water the garden!

Strawberry Jammin'!

I have been making strawberry jam for more than 10 years.  I've tried full sugar, no sugar, sweetened with fruit juice and finally decided the best recipe for us is half sugar.  My family agrees with me and that's the only opinion that really matters because they are the people that eat it. 


Yesterday I picked up 12 lbs. of strawberries from my Mom who got them on sale at Aldi grocery store for $1.49/lb.  While I do grow strawberries, the quantity you need for jam just isn't popping up in my garden every day so I still buy them.  The berries she bought me were soft and fragrant - almost like I did grow them. 

I basically follow the recipe and instructions inside the pectin package except I use 4 lbs. of berries, instead of 3. You get about 2 cups of chopped berries per lb. 

The first thing I do when making jam is gather all my supplies, it's a pain when you get to a critical point and don't have what you need.

You will need:  Large pot for cooking jam (8 quart stock pot is good)
                          Food processor (optional)
                          10 Canning jars, lids and rings
                          Pan for sterilizing jars (roasting pan works nicely)
                          Magnetic lid lifter, jar lifter, funnel, spatula, ladle & spoon
                          4 lbs. Strawberries, *Sure Jell No Sugar Needed pectin, 4 c. Sugar,
                          Damp towel for wiping off jars
                          Strawberry huller      
                    

                      

The first thing you need to do is wash your jars, lids and rings in hot, soapy water and get them in the pan.  If I'm using half pints I can usually get 6 at a time in the pan and I add more as I take them out.  This recipe will make 8-10 half pints.  Set your pan on a burner and get it going at a medium heat, when it starts to bubble a little you can turn it down some.  This pan is heavy and I've killed 2 burners on my stove already because of the weight.  It's also good to keep hot water on hand so you can add to the pan as it evaporates.  I use my tea kettle and keep it hot.  Don't add cold water, it will crack your jars!  Here's what my pan usually looks like:

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I have some pint jars in here so I can't fit as many.

After you get that on the stove you want to start cleaning your strawberries. Rinse and hull them and put them in the food processor.

Make sure you get this part out of your berries!

Strawberry huller.

 

It isn't necessary to have a food processor and if you buy fresh strawberries that are soft you can just mash them with a potato masher.  If using store bought berries, they tend to be a bit hard so you will need to chop them or use your food processor or blender. If your berries seem a bit dry, add 1/2 c. water.  You don't want strawberry juice, just a nice chop. Mine are never uniform and I like it that way, I mix a fine chop with chunks and that suits us fine.  You can do whatever you like, it's your jam!

Dump your chopped berries into your pot.  Mix 1/4 c. sugar with the pectin and dump that in and mix it up.  I also add about 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter to keep the foam down.  You will still get some foam but it won't be as much.  Heat on medium-medium high, stirring frequently, till you reach a full rolling boil (when boiling does not stop while you are stirring).  After it comes to a full rolling boil, add the sugar and stir until it's all disolved then back again to a rolling boil.  Boil for 1 minute stirring constantly, then remove from heat.  You now have strawberry jam.

Time to get that yummy stuff into jars! 

Using your jar lifter, carefully pick up a jar out of your pan and dump the water out - make sure it doesn't run down your arm, this hurts (trust me, I know).  Put your funnel on top and ladle in jam to about 1/4" from the top.  Take your damp towel and wipe the rim of the jar so there is no jam residue and it's nice and clean.

Now grab your handy, dandy magnetic jar lifter and pull a lid out of the pan and gently place it on top of the jar.  Next grab a ring, place it on top and screw it down - not too tight, just snug.  You may need to hold the jar for this - use your jar lifter or the damp towel so you don't burn your hand.  Repeat this until your jam is all packed up nice and neat in pretty little jars.

Now you can do your hot water bath (if you want).  I don't use a hot water bath for my jams, the jars seal themselves.  If they don't seal (if the pop-up button in the middle of the lid stays up) I just put them in the fridge or give them away and tell the person to refrigerate it and use it right away.  I don't sell my jam so I don't feel compelled to do this step.

Blue Ribbon Preserves by Linda J. Amendt is my all-time favorite book that helped me get started making jam and jelly.  It's the only one I have ever needed and the only one I own.  The author does a great job explaining everything.  After experimenting a bit I've found that simple jam works best for us but there are some great recipes in this book that are nice for gift giving. 

So, are you ready to make some jam? 

*Sure Jell No Sugar Pectin is my preferred brand.  I recently tried the Ball Low or No Sugar Needed Pectin and have had similar results but I still prefer the Sure Jell.  Try a few different kinds and see what works best for you.  The only suggestion I have is do not use regular pectin for a low or no sugar jam, it really doesn't work.