CONSERVATION
Before the technique of refrigeration, food was conserved by canning, preservation in vinegar, preservation in sugar, preservation in alcohol, salting, drying and smoking. We are going to discuss the first four methods.
Preservation with Canning:
Tools: Glass jars, lids, canning pot with thermometer and double bottom.
Advantages: Kills all bacteria, contents can be recognized, jars and lids can be re-used
Disadvantages: May not kill spores of some molds causing botulism.
Recipes:
PEACH COMPOTE
5 lbs. peaches skinned, halved without pits
2 quarts of water
2 lbs. sugar
Cinnamon
Boil peaches for a minute and place them in cold water to facilitate easy peeling. Peel, cut in halves, take pits out and place the halves in the glasses. Dissolve sugar in water, add cinnamon. May crack some pits and add to water for stronger taste. Pour liquid over peaches until covered, put the lids on them and place them in canning pot. Add cooking water to within 2-3 inches of the top of the glasses. Heat the jars to 170 degrees F for 30 minutes.
BLUEBERRIES
Blueberries
½ lbs. sugar per 1 lbs. fruit
Wash the fruit and drain it. Mix fruit and sugar and refrigerate overnight. Place fruit tight in jars. Cover with sugary water, put the lids on the jars, and place them in canning pot. Add cooking water to within 2-3 inches of the top of the glasses. Heat the jars to 175 degrees F for 30 minutes.
Preservation with vinegar:
Tools: As above
Advantages: High acid fruits and foods prevent spore survival and can be canned at lower temperature resulting in more natural taste.
Disadvantages: Low acid foods need added vinegar or lemon juice.
Recipes:
SWEET-SOUR ZUCCHINI
2 lbs. zucchini 1 pint white vinegar
1 lbs. small onions 10 oz. sugar
5 tsp. salt ½ tsp celery salt
1 green and 1 red bell pepper
Wash zucchinis and cut them up in bite size pieces. Cut onions in small thin rings. Mix both and add salt. Let it stand a couple of hours mixing them time and again. Put it in colander sieve and lightly wash it. Wash bell peppers and cut them is short julienne strips, add to zucchini. Mix vinegar with 11/4 cups of water, add the sugar and celery salt, pour over the veggie mixture and boil it up, then cook it at low heat for 30 minutes. Fill in jars while very hot.
SQUASH RELISH
12 cups of squash thinly sliced of chopped 4 cups of onions thinly sliced
2 cups of green peppers chopped 5 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper 1 tbsp. Tabasco sauce
Mix above components and refrigerate overnight. Bring to boil the following:
2 ½ cups of white vinegar 5 cups of sugar
1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp celery salt
Drain squash mixture, add to boiling liquid, bring to boil again and cook for 10 minutes. Pack hot in jars.
PICKLED CUCUMBER
3 large cucumbers 4 large onions
4 tbsp. salt 1 pint vinegar
6 oz. sugar 1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp mustard seed
Wash, dry thinly slice cucumber, slice onions. Mix them together and sprinkle them with salt. Let it stand 2 hours, rinse and drain. Bring vinegar, sugar and spices to boil for 3 minutes. Pack drained cucumber w/onion loosely in warm jars, cover with spiced vinegar and seal immediately.
Preservation with sugar: Jams, jellies and marmalades
Tools: Jars, lids, large pot, pectin (Certo)
Advantages: No bacteria inside marmalades due to sugar concentration
Disadvantages: Mold may grow on the surface in presence of air which should be excluded during preparation.
General instructions: Proportion of fruit to sugar: 2:1. Always add lemon juice for acid and pectin (CERTO) for jelling. If pectin is added, boil the mixture for 3-4 minutes only to retain color and taste.
Recipes:
HOT PEPPER JELLY
½ to ¾ cup of jalapeño peppers without seeds
1.5 cup green (bell) pepper or red (bell) peppers
1.5 cup white vinegar
6 cups sugar
6 drops of green (12 drops of red) food coloring. Optional.
½ teaspoon margarine
3 ounces of CERTO, or liquid fruit pectin to jell
Blend jalapeno and other peppers, vinegar and sugar together with food blender until totally smooth. Bring it to rolling boil. Take from fire; add 3 ounces of CERTO (1 three oz. packet from a 6 oz., two packet package) and ½ teaspoon of margarine and the optional food coloring. Boil 1 minute longer. Skim off foam; pour in hot, clean jars to can. Place jars up-side-down for 20 minutes to sterilize the air space.
JAMS
2.5 lbs. fruit
1.3 lbs. sugar
Lemon juice
1 oz. pectin (2 ounces if the fruit is peach)
Clean the fruit. Chop it in very small pieces or mash it. Mix sugar, pectin, fruit and lemon juice in a pot and boil it for three minutes, stirring constantly. Remove foam if necessary. Fill in clean jars immediately. Turn the jars up-side-down for a while.
JELLYS
2 pints of fruit juice
1 pound of sugar
1 ounce pectin
Mix ingredients. Boil it strongly for ½ minutes. Remove foam if necessary and fill it in jars.
Preservation with alcohol – rum pots
Tools: large jar with lid, rum, sugar
Advantages: It is good
Disadvantages: None
Recipes:
MIXED FRUITS IN RUM
A gallon jar
1 quart of rum
1 lb. of various fruits as they get ripe
1 lbs. of sugar for each pound of fruit
Lay a pound of strawberries on the bottom of the jug. Cover it with a pound of sugar. Add the quart of rum. As cherries get ripe, add a pound of cherries (remove pits) and a pound of sugar. Continue with prunes, peaches and apricots, grapes, etc. after they have been skinned and sliced if necessary. Add melons cut in small cubes. A complex aroma and tastes of the fruit juices, sugar and rum will develop by the winter months that can be enjoyed in tea, on ice cream and on puddings.
Fresh Strawberry Jam
2 cups finely mashed or sieved fully ripe strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 pkg. powdered fruit pectin
1 cup water
· Combine fruit and sugar. Let stand 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
· Boil powdered pectin and water rapidly for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add berries and stir about 2 minutes.
· Pour into containers and cover. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
· Refrigerate until set.
· Store in freezer. Once opened, refrigerate. Makes 5 to 6 half pints.
Variation: Peach Jam
Add 1 teaspoon powdered ascorbic acid or 2 tablespoons lemon juice to fully ripe mashed peaches. Substitute peaches for strawberries.
Tomato Equivalents
• 3 medium globe tomatoes = 1 pound
• 8 small plum tomatoes = 1 pound
• 25 to 30 cherry tomatoes = 1 pound
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes = 1 pound
• 3/8 cup of tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water = 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup canned tomatoes = 1-1/2 cups fresh, chopped, cooked tomatoes
• 1/2 pound or 1 tomato = 1 serving
• 1 cup firmly packed fresh tomato = 1/2 cup tomato sauce plus 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound fresh = 1-1/2 cups chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) can = 2 cups
• 1 (35-ounce) can = 4 cups undrained
• 1 (28-ounce) can = 3 cups undrained
Lindbergh Relish
2 medium heads cabbage
8 red or green peppers
8 medium carrots
12 large onions
Grind and add 1/2 cup of salt. let stand 2 hours. Drain in a cloth and mix with:
3 pints vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
Heat to dissolve sugar before adding dressing to veggie mix.
6 cups sugar
1 tsp. mustard seed
Pickle Relish
4 cups ground, unpeeled cucumbers
1 1/2 cups ground green peppers (2-3)
1 cup ground red bell pepper
3 cups ground onion
3 cups ground celery
1 T celery seed
1 T mustard seed
1/2 cup salt
3 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups vinegar
Combine ground veggies. Sprinkle with salt, cover with cold water and let stand4 hours. Drain and press out excess water in pan. Combine sugar, vinegar and seeds. Boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add veggies and simmer 10 minutes. Pack in pint jars1/2 inch from top. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Makes 6-8 pints.
Freezer Cucumbers
2 qts. sliced cucumbers
1 medium onion, sliced
½ C vinegar
½ C sugar
Soak cucumbers in 3 tablespoons salt for 2 hours, drain. Add in vinegar and sugar. Freeze in freezer containers.
Grandma Shiff’s Pickled Beets
½ C vinegar
2/3 C water
2/3 C sugar
1 T pickling spices (in a bag)
Mix together in pot and boil 3-4 minutes. Pour over cooked and peeled beets (1 bunch?) Process for 30 minutes in a water bath. Recipe can be used with canned whole or sliced beets. Do in the morning for supper that night; or do the day before.
Note: If making more than 3 quarts at one time I recommend you cut down some on the spice.
Fresh Cucumber Pickles
7 C cucumbers, thinly sliced
1 C onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp salt
2 C sugar
1 C cider vinegar
1 tsp celery seed
Mix cucumbers, onions and salt. Let stand 2 hours. Squeeze off all water and let drain. Mix together sugar, vinegar and celery seed, pour over veggies and let stand for 2 hours. Eat now, or chill for 1 hour.
Pasta Salad
1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked and drained
15oz. can kidney beans
15oz. can corn kernels
1 cup basil, torn
1/3 cup celery, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped
1/4 cup herbed vinegar or rice vinegar
Cracked black pepper to taste
Herb salt to taste
Toss all together in a large bowl.
