Fall Grape Juice

I canned a few jars of homemade grape juice. Isn't the color gorgeous? They look like quart sized lava lamps.

The grapes came from my parents' vines. Ignore the pug foot. The pugs didn't help me pick at all, so I don't know why they are trying to get into the picture.

The grapes may not have come from our own garden but I couldn't help using these stickers made with this embosser we ordered almost a year ago. How cute are they?

I'm going to post the grape juice recipe here again. It's just so darn easy and tasty.

More small batch canning: dilly beans & pickled peppers

Since we keep getting smallish amounts of veggies from our CSA, I am really digging small batch canning. A few handfuls of green beans become dilly beans. I made them extra spicy.

This was for two jars of beans:

enough green beans for two pint jars
1 cups water
1 cups white vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling salt

and

2 medium cloves garlic
2 dill flowers
2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes

Boil water, vinegar, and salt in a pot. Add 1 garlic, 1 dill flower and 1 teaspoon of pepper flakes to each jar with green beans. Pour liquid into each jar.

We also got several handfuls of hot peppers too. Aaron got me this awesome book of home preserving that shows you how to can pretty much anything.

So I made some pickled hot peppers too. Those should be good in sammiches!

Dilly beans & Micro-canning

Last week in our CSA share we got green beans. One handful of green beans. I wasn't in the mood for green beans for supper so I canned ONE jar of dilly beans. I think the kids call this "microcanning".

There is even a cook book about it! Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round Canning just one small batch at a time. I don't HAVE to make 20 jars of grape juice all at once. I can make just one jar. Better than letting a bowlful of fruits or veggies go bad.

When did cookbooks get so stinkin cute? I love these square ones they come out with these days. I can't keep up with them, I want them all. Like this canning cook book, Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry.

Garlic Scapes

When I heard we were getting garlic scapes in our CSA share I had to google what they are. Looks like they grow off the top of garlic and you can pickle them or make pesto.

We decided to pickle them. We went with this pickled garlic scapes recipe because it sounds spicy!

Canning inspiration

When we were at Cuba Cheese, I spent a long time staring, not into the cheese cooler, but at the shelf of canned goods. There were so many intriguing items. Things I have't seen except back home in Amish Country. And some things I haven't thought of pickling.

Hot chow or mild chow?

A jar of sweet potato butter came home with us.

I have eaten plenty of pickled red beet eggs... but Buffalo Eggs? Hmmm.

Ball Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker

I admit it. I love uni-taskers. I was super intrigued by this Ball Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker. Three easy steps to homemade jam! No guess work and jam ready in 30 minutes or less.

It really isn't that hard to make jam or jelly but I do so love kitchen utensils.

Sauerkraut

The night Superstorm Sandy got to Rochester, I realized our batch of sauerkraut was ready. Of course I would have no rest until it was canned.

So yes, even though there was the risk we could lose power during 60 mile per hour winds, we canned our sauerkraut. I like to live on the edge.

We got 12 pint jars and 3 quart jars. I was nibbling at it as we canned it and it was pretty tasty! I see pork, sauerkraut and dumplings in our future this winter!

Making Sauerkraut

What does one do hours before heading off to Germany? Make a batch of homemade sauerkraut of course.

My grandparents always made homemade sauerkraut and I decided to give it a try. My late grandfather made this stomper for me years ago. My grandma gave me this crock to start with. I decided 3 gallons was good for my first attempt. Aaron likes the "3" on it.

It took 6 heads of cabbage to fill the 3 gallon crock. I got the cabbage at a farm stand in the Finger Lakes.

And now we wait.

Just a few cukes

I don't know what kind of cucumbers I planted but I got really weird round little cucumbers and only a few of them.

Just enough to make one weenie jar of sweet pickles. I'll have to savour them.