Garden Recipes: Canning Memories

Ad-Free Blog

Hello, sweet Readers!

So, I know we ALL have our favorite recipes for eating from the garden. One of the favorites here is Pickles: dill, sweet, refrigerator pickles, and my last post was fresh Danish Dill pickles.

Refrigerator Fresh Danish Dill Pickles: HERE!

A photo from last year,  Green Gardening with Swallowtail caterpillars feasting on Dill:  POST HERE.

We planted extra dill this year, of which we will let some seed, BECAUSE, seems the butterflies, especially Monarchs, like to lay their eggs on it, and the caterpillars feast on the juicy stems. This happens late in the season, so it is no loss of Dill, I actually have enough to keep Heinz pickles in stock, this year.

I learned how to can and freeze fresh food, when Mom and I used to do food canning during the summer up at their cottage in Wisconsin. The cottage was an old 1853 Farmhouse, you know the kind that start out as two rooms and then more rooms were added on---in every direction. 

Well, the  old cottage originally had a wood stove in the kitchen. Gosh, MOM just loved the old-fashioned way of cooking everything, even heating water for dishes before we added a water heater. There was a hand crank water pump in the kitchen connected to a cistern, water we used for washing floors and clothes. 

Anyway, the Wautoma area was the pickle and tomato capital of Wisconsin, and we would can tomatoes, and lots of other things, too.

This years tomatoes are gorgeous! Canning tomatoes post: here.Preparing Tomatoes for Canning or Freezing and Canning Tomatoes in January. Yes, you can freeze tomatoes whole in the skins and then can them. Perfect idea when you only have a few at a time, Freeze and save for a big batch. 

Today I did that big bowl tomatoes and 4 bags from the freezer. This made 19 pints this morning! Here, whole tomatoes are keeping warm and waiting to go into the water bath. 

Our one Son's favorite Corn relish: Canning Corn Relish

My Mom and I concocted this recipe from our supermarket brand canned zucchini ingredients list in the 1970's: Zucchini in Stewed Tomatoes  It's absolutely delicious!

We also did, 

green beans, three bean salad, wild plum jam, and lots of pickles: watermelon pickles, pickled beets, pickled choke cherries, slippery Jims, Dill, Sweet, and relishes. These were always shared with extended family members.We even tried Mom's favorite chutney--but nobody liked that. 

Fall was for canning jars of apple butter, apple sauce, pumpkin butter, and lots of baking for the freezer. We kept that old stove a-cranking, when it finally died (the grates disintegrated and we had a 'modern' stove, I don't think it was as much fun!

What sort of foods do you put up

 from your own garden? 

Please Share in comments: feel free to put a link back to your recipe post!

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.You can send me a note and just ask, though.

Thanks for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

Thank you for your cooperation,

I will post at the following Link Parties, I hope you visit them. 

Farmhouse Friday

Talk of the Town
Vintage Charm
Wonderful Wednesday
Tuesdays at our Home
Encouraging Hearts and Home

 Sandi Magle

Preparing Garden Tomatoes for Canning or Freezing.

Ad-Free Blog

If you have a bumper crop of Tomatoes and can't eat them fast enough, canning or freezing is a great way to use them later in your favorite recipes.

oldnewgreenredo

Here our Tomatoes are ripening in the windows. We had storms and many were falling off the vines.

So we ripen in the windows---still by the sun.

IF you dont' have time to do tomatoes or have enough for a canning session, I freeze them whole with the skins and stems still on them. When you need some for a project ---pop the whole frozen tomatoes into a sink of hot water. The skins slide right off. Core and use for cooking. They are just like fresh, though they break down faster in cooking. A great time saver. I've held tomatoes like this for over a year. We made Tomato Sauce in January---when we actually wanted the heat from cooking in the house, instead of now---when it is going to be 88 today.

oldnewgreenredo

What you want to do is skin your tomatoes for canning or cooking. Leave the stems on and pop them into boiling water until the skins start to split. Anywhere from 1-3 min. 

oldnewgreenredo

Here you can see the skins slipping off just from removing them from the pot with a tongs.

oldnewgreenredo

Toss them into a clean sink of very cold water. 

oldnewgreenredo

As soon as you can handle them, core the tomatoes and the skins should slide off. Drain.

oldnewgreenredo

I add all the skins/cores to the scrap bucket to return to the compost pile, a GREEN thing to do.

oldnewgreenredo

Our San Marzano only take a minute or so...and they just slip out of the skins and are so firm. I love to can these whole and fill jars with juiced tomatoes.

Skinned and cored Tomatoes are now ready for your favorite recipes. We can Tomatoes, make juice, and make Zuchinni in Stewed Tomatoes, make sauces for canning. Tomatoes are the most versatile of all the vegetables...and easy to can.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

Sharing at these Ad Free blog parties-with ads not in the middle of the blog (I'm going to try and see if this is possible)

Over the Moon Party
Amaze Me Mondays
Metamorphis Monday
Share Your Cup
Home and Garden Thursday
Thursday Favorite Things
Friday Favorites
Best of the Weekend
Wonderful Wednesday
Talk of the Town

Grammy's Grid: Unlimited Link Party

Thank you for your cooperation,

 Sandi Magle

Our Vegetable garden 2018

   

                                                                                Ad-Free Blog

Crazy Weather here in Chicagoland and all over the country---but finally our Midwest vegetable garden exploded this last week. We had a late cold spring...and it was a struggle weather-wise getting the garden planted by June 15th. A MONTH late.

oldnewgreenredo

Yes, it is huge tender zucchini. We had a bit of rain last week (almost 3") and they have exploded.

Our peppers aren't ready yet, so I had to buy for my stewing tomatoes. 

oldnewgreenredo

We have a well, and have the luxury of watering our garden. Disappoint this year is cucumbers...one picking and the vines are withering.

oldnewgreenredo

The holding pattern. San Marzano tomatoes are plentiful but literally falling off the vines. Probably the excessive heat we have experienced. We pick everyday and sun ripen in the windows. 

oldnewgreenredo

They are a nice size, a cousin of Romas' they are sweet and meaty. I figure these are rescued from the critters. Despite fencing the garden we have critters-who love our tomatoes as much as we do. 

oldnewgreenredo

Christmas pig is in hog heaven. Amana (yellows) are small this year, but prolific, and great canners. I'll try and can some of these whole.

oldnewgreenredo

One or two days in the window and they look like this.

oldnewgreenredo

A new picking Saturday, sorted and cleaned to ripen further in the windows.

oldnewgreenredo

These are new this year---Yellow Boys. OH, num. can't wait to make something with these. 

oldnewgreenredo

Asian eggplants. We have six plants and they are nuts...with long fruit. We've already had 3 meals with them. I'm going to do some herby Eggplant Lasagna with the Yellow Boy tomatoes with maybe only two layers of noodles. I'll freeze this. Hopefully I can do this early next week. and share the recipe.

oldnewgreenredo

I also grow my own herbs...cilantro, parsley oregano and basil are shown here. We have sage, Thai basil, peppermint, marjoram which is huge. We also have a huge crop of Swiss Chard greens that I will blanch and freeze in bags this week .

Last Friday we canned Zucchini in Stewed Tomatoes. See that in my next post.

How's your garden doing?  

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thanks always for visiting. 

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

Sharing at these Ad Free blog parties-with ads not in the middle of the blog (I'm going to try and see if this is possible)

Over the Moon Party
Amaze Me Mondays

Metamorphisis Monday
Share Your Cup
Vintage Charm
Home and Garden Thursday

Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi

DIY Roasting Tomatoes

DIY Roasting Tomatoes

The last three weeks have been warm and hot, with little rain after drowning most of June and July in the upper Midwest. Every other day, we have this amount of smaller tomatoes to eat. Impossible for two people. Normally I will fill bags of large tomatoes and throw them in the freezer for canning later. 

But with these small ones, I roast them, as the ripen. 

My grandmother's Father Tuck cookie jar stands guard, as the small tomatoes await their demise.

You can use parchment paper lined trays or foil. I reuse the foil several times because it seems like I'm doing this everyday. I put the foil in the refrigerator after use. Spray your lined empty trays with oil.

First, sort your tomatoes according to size. Wash thoroughly and slice tomatoes in half sideways, through the stem, this helps to reduce seeping of the juices through the stem. 

Place them close together, cut side up on the lined trays.  

Then, I spray them lightly again so they brown nicely. You can choose to season or not season, here. I find the fresh herbs char and lose some of their taste if roasted too long, 

but flavored salts and seasonings work great.

Place your larger tomatoes on the top shelf.

I use a 375 degree oven and set the timer for 30 min.

Depending on the size, they will begin to get some good caramelizing at this time. 

Reset the timer for every 15 minutes, to check on them. 

When they have shrunk to half their size and have a wrinkled appearance and are caramelized, 

they are done. Remove from oven and cool.

This tray of the smaller took approximately 45-60 minutes at 375 degrees. If you like charred tomatoes a few minutes under the broiler will do that. Cool completely. See what lovely color you get on the tomatoes.

Continue roasting the larger size tomatoes.

The larger tomatoes took 1 hour 15-30 minutes and then began to brown. This all depends on their sugar content. We grow twelve types of tomatoes, and they all will cook different. How long it takes also depends on the water content, ours were very firm and not watery at all this time.

Remove from the oven and cool.

After cooling, I bagged those I couldn't use in three days into 1 quart freezer bags and label. 

Roasted tomatoes in the store are expensive. These are so sweet and rich in flavor, 

and pre-done--they are a quick time saver. ts amazing that two trays of tomatoes only produce about 2 cups, but that is a lot of fresh flavor in a bag.

 Here are a few suggestions for using your roasted tomatoes.

Using Roasted Tomatoes

• Add a few roasted tomatoes to boost flavor in your jars when canning tomatoes or sauces 
• Quick roasted tomato bruschetta-just spread on toast with chopped onions, olive oil, garlic, basil and cilantro
• Chop and add to store bought fresh salsa for a new kick
• Add to canned or boxed pre-made tomato soup, garnish with fresh herbs--Wonderful!
• Excellent on grilled fish or chicken
• Use in wraps or as open-faced sandwich toppings
• Make a Caprese panini with herbs, fresh mozarella, roasted tomatoes, olive oil and don't forget the olives. 
• Add to pasta sauces, or to a simple oil and herb sauce.
• Special treat, roasted tomato flatbread pizza--excellent with left-over chicken

Have a great weekend and roast all those bitty tomatoes, nummy!

Linking to: 

Show and Share

And thanks for stopping by, 

Sandi

 

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions or posts. Please do not use photos without linking back to this blog without my permission. Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle