Category: Preserving

Canned Apple Butter
Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes · Urban Homesteading

Canned Apple Butter

Sarah

Apple butter takes planning – you will need hours to cook it down, but as long as you keep an eye on it, you can get other things done at the same time. I go for a big pot of it so that I can have seven jars for the winter.

I used “seconds” for the apples, which were somewhat small. They were an older variety that easily mushed up under cooking. The key to choosing the right apples is to avoid hard, crisp ones that don’t cook down well. Ugly apples are a good choice.

Apple Butter

Ingredients:

  • 10 pounds of apples
  • 5 cups water
  • 10 cups sugar
  • 5 tsp pumpkin pie or apple pie spice blend
  • ½ cup + 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice

Directions:

Wash the apples, air dry. Peel apples, quarter them, and discard the cores. Add to a tall pot, preferably a heavy stainless steel stockpot. Add the water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer until the apples are tender. Use a potato masher to finish breaking them up.

Add the sugar, spices, and lemon juice, stirring in.

Let cook over medium heat, stirring periodically to avoid sticking on the bottom. Be very wary of hot apple pulp – if it spits at you, it can and will burn you due to the sugar content. I suggest wearing a mitt.

Let cook for 2 to 4 hours, lowering the temperature as needed, to maintain a gentle low boil. When ready, the well-stirred butter will mound on a spoon – it should be very thick. It will have reduced in volume by about half.

Near the end, take 7 pint jars, place them in a water bath canning kettle, fill the jars and the pot with water, to just over the top of the jars. Bring to a boil.

Place the rings and lids in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer.

Lay out a clean kitchen towel, drain the jars back into the pot, and place the jars on the towel.

Sterilize your funnel, ladle, and air bubble tool in the boiling water.

Ladle in the hot apple butter, leaving a ¼” headspace. Run the air bubble tool through the jar. Add more butter if there is space.

Take a damp paper towel and wipe the rims. Place a lid on, then finger-tighten the ring.

Place in the pot, bring it back up to a boil, and can for 15 minutes. Turn off the burner, take off the pot’s lid, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Remove the jars and let them cool on a clean kitchen towel. Once cooled. Remove the rings (wash and dry) and check that the lids are sealed and don’t flex when touched.

Mark the date canned on the lid, use within a year for best results.

Makes 7 pint jars.

~Sarah

Canned Sliced Dill Pickles
Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes

Canned Sliced Dill Pickles

Sarah

There is a satellite location for a local farm, just down the road from us, that runs a market in season in Shenandoah Junction, WV. I often get deals on produce considered “seconds” – maybe a bit ugly, but it preserves just fine, for a bargain. I stopped in today and they had the end-of-season pickling cucumbers, so I picked up a big bag…for $2. Which meant I signed myself up to can today. They were in perfect canning ripeness, but wait a day…and off to the compost bin.

Now then….I like dill pickles, but I don’t like fresh dill. I find it too strong and bitter. It’s also an aphid hell when one grows it. So instead, I use dried dill weed, which is far more pleasant. It’s also more affordable if bought in bulk. If you like dill, use it! Add mustard seed if you wish. That is the thing about pickling – what truly matters is the acid (vinegar), sugar (if needed), and salt. What seasoning do you use? That is up to you! Red pepper flakes, whole black peppercorns, pickling dry blends, and such? Use those if you like them.

Sliced Dill Pickles

Ingredients:

  • 4-ish pounds of pickling cucumbers
  • 4 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
  • 4 cups water*
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup pickling salt
  • 6 dried bay leaves
  • 6 tsp granulated garlic
  • 6 tsp dried dill weed

Directions:

Trim the ends off the cucumbers and thinly slice. If any of the cucumbers are big, slice them in half first.

Place 6 pint canning jars in a water bath canner. Fill with cold water to just over the jars. If you have hard water, add a giant glug of white vinegar to the water.

Place the lids and rings in a small saucepan, cover with cold water. Add vinegar as well if your water is hard.

Place the canning kettle on the stove, bring it to a boil, and simmer the lids.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepot, add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes covered.

Pull out the jars, draining the water back into the kettle. Place them on a clean kitchen towel.

Add to each jar one bay leaf and one teaspoon dill weed.

Pack in the cucumbers, tamping down gently to pack more in.

Pour the pickling brine over until the jar is mostly full. Use a sterilized air bubble remover, and run it around the jar. Add more brine as needed to bring up to a ½ inch headspace.

Wet a new paper towel, run it around the rim.

Place a lid on the ring, tighten it to fingertip tight.

Place the jars back into the canning kettle. Bring the canning kettle to a boil, and can for 15 minutes. Turn off the burner, take the lid off, and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Remove and let cool on a clean and dry kitchen towel. Test for lids to be sealed (lid doesn’t pop up/flex when touched).

Remove rings, wash, and air-dry them. Mark lids with date canned, store in a cool and dark area for up to a year. For the best taste, refrigerate before serving.

*I use bottled water for canning liquids. We have extremely hard water. It can affect taste, texture, and color.

Makes 6 pint jars.

~Sarah

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves
Preserving · Recipes

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

Sarah

It had been years since I had used Sure Jell pectin, and I found something disturbing. The packs no longer have the folded-up paper directions for making jam. Instead, the box tells you to go to the website for directions; that URL just takes you to a landing page on Kraft’s website. I had to search externally for a “lower sugar strawberry jam” recipe on the Kraft website, and the one I found was the weirdest. Their search parameters are not working great.

That two-sided paper contained the basic recipes for jam, for both canning and freezer jam. What does it save? A penny per box? Yet, that page was invaluable! It had the ratios; you could use that to make any berry jam or jelly. Searching again externally, I found they DO have the paperwork online. But you’d think it should be easy to find, no? For the lower sugar Sure Jell, here is the paperwork. If one has to use Google to find something that should be hyperlinked, it is a major fail!

I chose to use the Sure-Jell Lower Sugar pectin with this jam to use less sugar. Walmart is one of the most affordable places to buy it, at under $3.50 a box. Amazon is far pricier. Normally, I would use Pomona Pectin and have an ultra-low-sugar jam, but I was taking an existing recipe and working with it, so it is best not to change the pectin brand (because the lower-sugar pectin is far different from Pomona Pectin).

It’s an easy jam to make, and quite tasty, though still a bit sugary. The kids will like it!

Strawberry Balsamic Preserves

Ingredients:

  • 5 cups finely chopped fresh strawberries (about 2 pounds)
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 package Lower Sugar Sure Jell Pectin

Directions:

Place seven jam canning jars, or the size you prefer, into a canning kettle. Fill the jars with water, and up to the neck of the jars.

Place on the stove and cover.

Put rings and new lids in a small saucepot, cover with water. Place on the stove.

Bring the jars to a boil, and the rings to a simmer.

Wash the berries, then trim the tops. Dice up and add to a heavy pot.

Add in the balsamic vinegar.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Mash a bit with a potato masher.

Once boiling, stir in the sugar and pectin till dissolved. Bring back to a boil, cook for one minute, stirring constantly.

Take off the stove.

Drain the jars into the canning kettle and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Then, sterilize your ladle, canning funnel, and bubble wand in the canning kettle.

Pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving a ¼” rim. Run the bubble wand through the jam.

Wet a new paper towel, wipe the rims.

Place a lid on each jar, then a ring, tightening with your hand (use the towel to hold the jar).

Place the jars in the canner rack and lower them into the water. Add hot water from the rings/lids saucepan, if the jars are not entirely covered. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 for pints.

Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cooling rack. Transfer the jars to it. Let cool, then remove the rings and wipe the jars.

Mark the lids with the date made, use within a year for best taste/quality.

Makes about 56 ounces, or 7 cups, of jam. I used 8-ounce canning jars.

~Sarah

Carrot Cake Jam
Preserving · Recipes

Carrot Cake Jam

Sarah

Moving is hard for cooking. A new kitchen, and it’s nowhere near where it was. Even the stove is different. I spent 7 years on a propane stove, able to do nearly anything I wanted. Until we have it plumbed, this house is electric—and worse, it came with a glass top stove. If you can, you know how awful glass top stoves are for preserving food. I have to be careful and only use my pint jar-sized canner, which is lightweight. Know that with glass top stoves, you are not supposed to use enamel canning pots – if you care about your warranty. Since this stove isn’t new, I will proceed as I have done at other homes – and use it, but do it with care – make sure your pot isn’t wet when you put it on the burner underneath, for example. Can I say I miss a gas stove? It’s enough I might can outside on my propane ring…..

Still, it’s that feeling of accomplishment after the first batch of preserves. I did it. I learned a new stove. And then you find yourself producing more and more. It gets one back into cooking and creating. It can take me 6 months to feel at home again in a different kitchen. And I am only 2 months in. I try to remember to give myself grace.

This is not a lower-sugar jam. You don’t want to mess with the recipe with the carrots—they are low in acid, so they need the sugar and lemon juice to be preserved safely.

Amazon has the canning accessory set I have been using for years back in stock, and it is under $20.

The hardest part was finding the pectin. I am not used to where some of the grocery stores hide it on the East Coast. Typically, on the West Coast, canning supplies such as pectin are tucked next to the sugar. But Food Lion hides it back above the charcoal briquets. Okay, and being short, I didn’t see it on the top shelf. I had to laugh—a tiny bit. Walmart carries pectin, and you can get it delivered with groceries as well.

Carrot Cake Jam

Ingredients:

  • 2-4 large carrots
  • 1½ cups diced pears (about 2 Bartlett)
  • 20-ounce can of crushed pineapple with juice
  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 6½ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 box dry pectin

Directions:

Place 4 pint canning jars or the size you prefer into a canning kettle. Fill the jars with water up to the neck.

Place on the stove and cover.

Put rings and new lids in a small saucepot, cover with water. Place on the stove.

Peel and trim the carrots. Grate them using a box grater, on the smallest side. Measure 1½ cups.

Peel and core the pears, dice them up, and measure 1½ cups.

Add the carrots, pears, pineapple, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg to a tall, heavy pot (preferably stainless steel).

Cover and boil, then lower to medium-low and cook covered for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid scorching.

Meanwhile, bring the pot with the canning jars to a boil and then bring the lids to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Increase the temperature to high and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Add in the dry pectin, stirring well. Set a timer for one minute, stirring constantly.

Take off the heat.

Drain the jars into the canning kettle and transfer them to a clean kitchen towel. Then, sterilize your ladle, canning funnel, and bubble wand in the canning kettle.

Pour the hot jam into the jars, leaving a ¼” rim. Run the bubble wand through the jam.

Wet a new paper towel, wipe the rims.

Place a lid on each jar, then a ring, tightening with your hand (use the towel to hold the jar).

Place the jars in the canner rack, lower down. If they are not entirely covered, add the hot water in the rings/lids. Bring to a boil, and let simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes for half-pints, 15 for pints.

Lay a clean kitchen towel on a cooling rack. Transfer the jars to it. Let cool, then remove the rings and wipe the jars.

Mark the lids with the date made, use within a year for best taste/quality.

Makes about 4 pints, or 8 cups, of jam.

~Sarah

Why We Freeze-Dry: The Insane Egg Prices
Clean Living · Prepping · Preserving

Why We Freeze-Dry: The Insane Egg Prices

Sarah

Egg prices were terrible enough a couple of years back when the last “scare” occurred, but nowhere as bad as this January in the PNW.We already have higher prices for eggs in Washington, Oregon, and California due to state laws on chicken eggs, which mostly went into action in January of 2023, that require all hens be cage-free (not a bad thing, but most large growers had to invest more money into their productions).

That being said, you can even find eggs in stock. It depends on the store, whether it is a chain, and who its supplier is. The small stores had eggs this week, but as soon as they sold out, they’d not have anymore.

I took these photos on Monday this week at a local independent store. Most of their eggs were sold out, but this is what they had on hand. They were not able to order anymore at that point from their distributor.

$11.99 for 12 eggs from a mid-level grower. Nothing fancy here.  On average I use 6 eggs every morning for the two younger boys and me, every morning. That is $6 just for that, if I were buying eggs.

$17.99 for 18 eggs. There is no savings in buying 18 versus 12 either.

Even 5 dozen boxes of eggs were not a bargain, ranging from $26 to 30, or even more. Costco stores range from having no eggs to having some. But the prices have gone up quickly.

All it takes is a county, a state, or the Fed to say chickens must be culled to “prevent disease,” and suddenly, 100,000 hens are dead in a region with no new eggs coming. Once hatched, it takes 12 to 16 weeks for new hens to produce their first eggs, which takes 3 to 4 months, and hatching takes 3 weeks on top of that.

Since we got our Harvest Right freeze-dryer, one of the things we have dried a lot of was our hens’ eggs in the summer flow. When you cannot keep up with fresh eggs. We did it so we’d have eggs in winter to enjoy, when we only get 1 to 2 eggs (if lucky) till February.

We wrote a tutorial on freeze-drying eggs, which will get you going.

A freeze-dryer is a real investment and a major appliance, but it can help you reach prepping goals for long-term food storage. Even if you don’t have chickens on your land, the key is to buy eggs when they are affordable and process them. At this point, it seems that every two or so years, we are having an egg crisis.

Just knowing you have eggs you can open up, rehydrate, and use is a relief. We’ve actually gotten into ours this winter, and the boys had no idea they were not fresh. Freeze-dried raw eggs are not like the awful dehydrated egg powder you would get at hotels and hospitals, for they look and taste just like they did when you freeze-dried them.

~Sarah