Tag: Recipes

Canning/Harvest, Recipes

Apple pie filling

Keira

I got a ton of apples from my tree this year. I don’t need that much applesauce. I don’t need that much apple juice. And I don’t have any pie filling. It took a long time to cut each tiny apple into a decent size for a pie, but I think it was worth it. The bigger ones, I used my VICTORIO Apple peeler-corer-slicer. Love that thing. Mine is the suction-cup bottom, but I wish it was the clamp-based one.

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I think they turned out well. and both Ranger and I will be satisfied. He likes the thin apples in apple pie. I like to take a bite of the pie and actually get an apple, instead of a thin wisp of many layers of apples. Sure there’s less apples in my pie, but more flavor. To each his own. I left out any thinkening agent, because

  1. I’m allergic to corn and corn starch is the #1 canning choice, with very few tapioca flour safety tests.
  2. It’s finicky in the canning process and leaves the filling looking clumpy.
  3. It’s much better and tastes much fresher if you add it after bottling.
Apple pie filling
Author: Keira @ Searchforseven.com
Ingredients
  • 12-15 quarts cut up apples (12 with the apple peeler-corer-slicer, 15 if cutting by hand. Make small slices! *about 13 lbs*)
  • 4 1/2 c sugar
  • 4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 5 tbs lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Mix it around a little. Let sit 30 minutes.
  2. When there’s a good amount of liquid on the bottom, and after 30 minutes, simmer until apples are soft, but still hold their shape. Thin apples take about 7 minutes. Thicker, about 10.
  3. After apples are soft, ladle into jars, packing them in as you go. I highly recommend wide-mouth jars for this!
  4. Place hot lids/rings. Water-bath for 35 minutes, adjusting for altitude (I’m around 5000 feet).
Canning/Harvest, Recipes

Apple Pectin

Keira

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I think I love this recipe. Mostly because I can’t handle commercial pectin that tends to be full of corn. It was my first batch of pectin (I mostly borrowed the recipe from pick-your-own but I love the information provided by Forager’s Harvest  (The site has had a major overhaul since I first found it, so it’s not as useful, now, but still good for a read). I highly recommend reading both links before trying out your pectin. I didn’t cook my pectin long enough, so it’s kind of soupy still. Next year I’ll boil it longer. I also want to make citrus pectin, but I keep procrastinating. Some day.

Apple Pectin
 
Recipe Type: Canning
Cuisine: Whole
Author: Keira @ Searchforseven.com
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 3 lb unripe apples
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 T lemon juice
Instructions
  1. Cut any yucky spots out of your apples. Cores and stems are fine. Bruises are okay, but from what I understand, they are not going to help the pectin set up, as they don’t have any. They are good for applesauce, though, so I keep them in. Cut the apples into chunks (quarters for bigger apples. It doesn’t really matter on shape, just try to get them fairly uniform.
  2. Place apples into a large pot. Pour in water and lemon juice. Simmer until the apples are completely tender, but not a big pile of mush (about 30 minutes).
  3. Strain the results through a jelly bag to extract only the liquid. I don’t have a jelly bag, because I’m not sure I want one until I’m in the middle of doing something like this, then I always debate about getting one. I just line a bucket with a few layers of cheese cloth with enough hanging over the sides that I can squeeze the big gooey apple blob when it doesn’t drip fast enough for my standards. Many people don’t like squeezing out extra liquid because it makes the jams/jellies cloudy. I say get as much out of it as you can.
  4. Set the apple mass aside (I use it for applesauce later in the season. It’s a little bit tart, but I just mix it with a little sweeter variety of apple). Return liquid to the pot. Boil the strained liquid until reduced by half. Stir occasionally. You want to avoid getting a film. Test the pectin periodically to see if it will set up. You will need to cool the pectin. Some sources say put a bowl in the freezer, others place a spoon on top of an ice cube. either way, cool a bit of the pectin and then add a swish of rubbing alcohol. If it stays set up, it’s good. If it still spreads out, keep reducing.
  5. Let cool.
  6. Some people process the pectin in a jar, but I can’t find processing time. I just freeze mine. I think it saves a step. Plus, then I can get exactly how much I need instead of having to open a whole bottle.
Other sites to give more information:
 

Canning/Harvest, Recipes

Pectin-free Strawberry Jam

Keira

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My last trial of strawberry jam, I actually followed someone else’s recipe. Katharine from Allrecipes had her version of strawberry jam, and it followed a few others, so I tried it. I like that it doesn’t have pectin. However, it was WAY too sweet. Next year, when I make it, I will use less sugar. It means more processing time in order to get it set up, but I might just add some homemade pectin, too. I’ll see what the year brings.

Canning/Harvest, Recipes

Strawberry Lime Jam

Keira

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In all of my trying new recipes, I came across a recipe that called for lemon rind in the strawberry jam. I found it intriguing, so I added lime to my strawberry jam. I used apple pectin, because I was in a hurry to get them done, but next year I’m going to use citrus pectin. It makes much more sense to keep citrus with citrus.

 

Strawberry Lime Jam
Recipe Type: Canning
Cuisine: Whole
Author: Keira @ Searchforseven.com
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 8 half-pints
Ingredients
  • 5 cups crushed strawberries (about 5 lbs)
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 3 cups sugar (more, to taste. I don’t like super-sweet jam)
  • zest from 1 lime
  • apple pectin (amount varies by product)
Instructions
  1. Combine strawberries and lime juice in saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer.
  2. Add a cube at a time of frozen apple pectin. Test the pectin level by placing 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol in a small bowl and adding a few drops of your simmered fruit. A low-pectin mixture creates little strings of pectin while a high pectin mixture will form a single little blob. since we haven’t added the sugar yet, we don’t quite need the blob, but we definitely want it to hold its shape pretty well.
  3. Add sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 3 minutes, stirring constantly (I have to turn my stove down slightly). Remove from heat.
  4. Pour hot jam into jars. Jams usually need 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. place heated lid onto jar, and spin on a ring.
  5. Water-bath process for 15 minutes (10 for sea-level).
Canning/Harvest, Recipes

Strawberry Preserves

Keira

I’ve been experimenting with different preservation techniques over the past few years. I’m not really a jam/jelly fan, and I think it is because of all of the corn included in commercial pectin. I know there are other sources for pectin, and I have heard good reviews, but I haven’t purchased any yet. For now, I’m trying recipes that don’t call for pectin or using homemade pectin. The nice thing about preserves is that they are cooked down, so that they don’t require additional pectin to set up. And preserves just sound fancy. The drawbacks to preserves are that it 1) takes WAY more time (1-2 days!) and 2) the longer you cook a fruit, the more you break down the nutritional benefits within the fruit. I guess it’s a toss-up. less sugar and corny ingredients. More nutritional breakdown.

That’s why you make some of each, right?

I haven’t opened the jars yet, but they sure look purdy.

Strawberry Preserves
Author: Keira @ Searchforseven.com
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 half-pints
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs rinsed and hulled strawberries
  • 2-5 cups sugar (to taste. I like mine less sweet. It does make it a softer set, though)
  • 1/3 c strained fresh lemon juice [bottled has more consistent Ph, but I can’t have the sulfur preservatives]
Instructions
  1. Layer the strawberries and sugar in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hrs.
  2. Transfer strawberries and sugar in 6-8 qt saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, being careful to not break up the fruit. Cook until sugar dissolves.
  3. Add lemon juice [I had to add the lemon juice before the sugar dissolved because it was just caramelizing the sugar. I think my strawberries were too fresh]. Bring to boil and cook to jelly stage220°, approximately 30 minutes
  4. Pour into cake pan. Let stand uncovered in cool place for 12-24 hrs.
  5. Return to saucepan and bring fruit and syrup to a boil.
  6. Remove from heat, skim foam. Immediately fill hot sterile ½ pt jars leaving ¼” head-space. Carefully remove trapped air bubbles with non-metallic tool (I use the end of a plastic spoon. You can also use a chopstick or canning knife
  7. Wipe jars clean, add lids and rings, and process in water-bath for 10 minutes [5 minutes at sea-level].
Notes
If you like more solid strawberries, you can boil for 10 minutes, strain juice, and then cook down the juice for another 15 minutes. I didn’t do this, but I might, after I try how these came out.[br]I double the recipe when I make it. It works just fine doubled.

 

 

Canning/Harvest, Recipes

2014 Strawberry Preservation

Keira

I didn’t get nearly as many strawberries as I wanted to, this year. By the time I realized I wouldn’t be moving “any day,” most of the strawberries were already gone. and there was that time I waited too long when I HAD purchased some strawberries and I had to throw most of them away. We won’t get into how happy THAT made me. Especially because my brother saw the boxes of strawberries and said I must really love him to have bought that many, and if I weren’t his sister he’d think I was intending some romantic gesture. For my not-so-affectionate little bro, that’s huge.

I did get some strawberries in the freezer, and I dehydrated a TON (That somehow only filled 1/2 a gallon bag. Seriously, if my little miss didn’t like them so much, I wouldn’t do them. But she won’t each much fruit, so the fact that she loves dehydrated strawberries makes them totally worth the work).

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The rest of the strawberries turned into strawberry preserves and strawberry jam. I am experimenting this year, so I tried a few different recipes.

Strawberry Preserves

Strawberry Lime Jam with Apple Pectin

Pectin-Free Strawberry Jam