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HOME PRESERVATION - VEGETABLE  As late summer hits, and the garden produce starts rolling in, I love to make these simple pickles to keep in the fridge. Consisting of common garden vegetables such as cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions, along with a few pantry staples, it's within the reach of even beginning gardeners. Even if you don't have a garden, you can easily make these pickles from ingredients purchased at a store or farmers market. The batch size fills a 4-5 quart ice cream pail and requires no traditional home preservation equipment. This recipe comes from my Grandma. I have her to thank for quite a few of the yummy treats I share on my blog. Hurray for grandmas!! Grandma's Refrigerator PicklesINGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS Prepare vegetables. Fill a large bowl with ice cubes. Add cucumber slices then sprinkle them with the salt. Stir to combine. Allow the cucumbers to sit in the ice until the ice has melted. Drain but do not rinse. Prepare brine by mixing together vinegar, sugar, and celery seed in a large plastic storage container (a 4 quart ice cream pail works great). Add the drained cucumbers to the brine and stir. Cover and refrigerate. After 24 hours stir the pickles again. Repeat the stirring daily until the 4th day, when the pickles are then are ready to eat. These pickle will keep for a long time in the fridge. Pickling is a process for preserving food, and with the added benefit of refrigeration these pickles have a hefty shelf life. Always be sure to check with your local university extension office or professional canning publications for the most recent recommendations on safe food storage.
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HOME PRESERVATION - VEGETABLE The cucumbers are ripe in the garden and pickle season has begun! Our family LOVES pickles. Not just my immediate family, but even through the extended family, we've had an affinity for the sour snack, we much have the pickle genetics. Last year, I think I made 32 quarts of pickles and they are all GONE. From sweet pickles to garlic dill, Kosher dill, or bread & butter....we've tried quite a few. My personal favorite flavor is kosher dill. My favorite size are the little baby pickles.  When I comes time to harvest my cucumbers I like to pick pretty much everything off the vines which is the size of my thumb or larger. I used to pick medium to large cucumbers (to make sliced pickles) and leave the small ones, but those suckers get big and over ripe so fast in the hot summer sun. After I've picked everything in the garden, I loosely sort them into 4 categories. Overgrown:The extra large, over-ripe or rotten cucumbers go directly to the chicken coop or compost. Large:Cucumbers that are too plump to make good crisp slices and are about the length of a quart jar I like to use for spears. Suggested Flavors: Dill, Kosher Dill, Garlic Dill Medium:Medium sized cucumbers are ideal for slicing and making, in my opinion the larges variety of flavors. Suggested Flavors: Dill, Kosher Dill, Garlic Dill, Bread & Butter, Sweet Pickles, Refrigerator Pickles Small:The smallest cucumbers, really as small as you'd like to pick them, can be canned whole.
Suggested Flavors: Dill, Kosher Dill, Garlic Dill FRUIT - HOME PRESERVATION  Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam - No Pectin Just 3 ingredients! I discovered this recipe last summer, and let me say it has been a hit at our house. I personally have never been a fan of rhubarb. Growing up, I think the only time I ever ate it was in rhubarb crisp, and I wasn’t a fan. I distinctly remember my mom letting us taste it raw in the garden, and that may have turned me negative toward its sour taste indefinitely. As an adult, I made a strawberry rhubarb crisp and that was much better...edible at least, but I’ve never LOVED anything with rhubarb in it….until now. This recipe is SUPER simple and easy adapted to whatever amount of strawberries or rhubarb you have on hand. It’s affordable too. I made 5 1/2 quarts for only $3!!! Three dollars you say? I purchased two 1-quart clamshells of strawberries for $.99 each and a bag of sugar (which I also stock up on when it’s cheap) from the grocery store, and a friend gave me the rhubarb. How to get Rhubarb for FREE. Option One: If you don’t have rhubarb in your yard (which I do, but it just planted it this year so I’m not going to harvest until it’s established. Same with my strawberries...they're out there just not harvestable yet), then ask around. If you have a friend who lives on an acreage, loves to can or cook, or enjoys gardening of any sort…chances are they have rhubarb...maybe strawberries too. Just ask! OR... Warning! Shameless plug for being self-sufficient and growing your own food...which is what this blog is largely about right….so you should have expected to see this coming. Option Two: Why not plant some of your own rhubarb for next year!!!! It’s super easy to grow, takes up hardly any space, and comes back year after year. At our last house it was literally just growing in the corner of the yard along the fence, and with a little mulch we just mowed right up next to it…not in a garden bed or anything. It’s also plant you can “split” , which means of someone you know has some, ask if you can dig a chunk of their roots to transplant, (which means FREE), and then you can both be happily enjoying easy strawberry rhubarb freezer jam :). Anyway… Back on topic! How do you make this stuff? BASIC RECIPE - Makes 1 "batch" Ingredients: rhubarb, strawberries, sugar Ratio: 4 parts rhubarb, 2 parts strawberries, 3 parts sugar (split) Typically, we used “a cup” as 1 part in American cooking, so the basic recipe would be 4 cups sugar, 2 cups strawberries, 3 cups sugar (split into two 1 1/2 cup portions). However, the ratio recipe allows you to make whatever size “batch” your stockpot or kettle allows, or a “batch” based on whichever ingredient you have the least of. For example: I had plenty of rhubarb and sugar, so I diced up my strawberries first, and then added the rest of the ingredients based on how many strawberries I had. With 2 quarts of strawberries I was able to make a "double batch" of jam, with some fresh berries leftover to eat. Each basic batch makes approximately 3 pints. For larger batches the equation is: 4x rhubarb + 2x strawberries + 3x sugar = 3x pints of jam So, if you wanted to make a 'double' batch multiply each number by 2 so 4:2:3 becomes 8:4:6 for approximately 6 pints, or if you want to quadruple your batch you'd multiply by four to turn 4:2:3 into 16:8:12 for approximately 12 pints. To prepare the fruit wash thoroughly and dice to desired size. If you prefer a chunkier jam then you can do larger pieces. I found I had to dice my strawberries smaller than my rhubarb because the rhubarb “cooked down” better. After your fruit is washed and chapped, measure the FRUIT ONLY into a large stockpot or kettle in the recipe ratio. Then add HALF of the sugar ratio, stir to mix, and allow to sit for a few minutes so the rhubarb and berries can begin to juice. Next, place your pot or kettle on the stove, and bring to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop when you stir). I used medium-high heat on my stove, just be sure the sugar doesn’t scorch or burn. One the mixture reaches a rolling boil, allow to boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently or constantly. Then add the second HALF ratio of sugar. Return to a rolling boil. Boil an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently-constantly. Ladle into jars or freezer containers. Freeze*. Or refrigerate. Or eat on fresh baked bread with butter. Or pour over ice cream Or lick off a spoon…once it’s cooled of course! You might be anxious to jump in, but don’t burn your tongue. I know that one from experience. I wash and keep my glass peanut butter jars just for making freezer jam (and stock). I've already paid for the jars when I bought the PB so I can be resource friend and reuse the jars every year. Plus, I don't have to buy new seals or lids, which I would if I used mason jars. Since the jam is going in the freezer the jars don't have to be "sealed" like traditional canning and jam making. Here’s the recap: Easy 3 Ingredient Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
*Use check with a state university extension office or a home preservation handbook for recommendations and guidelines on food shelf life and storage safety. |
Welcome!I'm Amber! Thanks for joining me on Knoll 22, our acreage in the rolling hills of western Iowa. Join me as I explore hearty recipes, and seek to create an inviting & hospitable home. |
