Corn Salsa

Crunchy Pickled Jalapeno Rings

YIELD
6pints

UNITS
US
2 1⁄2lbs fresh jalapenos
1cup pickling lime
1gallon water
7 1⁄2cups white wine vinegar
1 3⁄4cups water
3tablespoons pickling salt
3tablespoons sugar






Directions
Day 1:.
Wash the peppers in cold water and slice into 1/4" rings.
In a very large plastic or stainless steel container, combine the 1 cup of pickling lime and the gallon of water, stirring well to combine. Add the pepper rings, cover the container, and let it sit on the counter. The pickling lime will settle to the bottom of the container - this is normal. Soak the pepper rings in the lime water solution for 12 hours. You can soak them for longer if you like, up to 24 hours, but 12 hours will do the trick.

Day 2:.
The next day, drain the peppers, cover again with cold water, and soak for one hour. Do this two more times, draining and covering with fresh cold water each time, until you have soaked the peppers in fresh water a total of three times, for an hour each time. This step is important; it removes all of the lime so the peppers will be acid enough to can safely. DO NOT SKIP ANY OF THE SOAKING STEPS. Drain the peppers and set aside.

Combine the 7 1/2 cups white wine vinegar, 1 3/4 cups water, 3 tablespoons pickling salt, and 3 tablespoons sugar in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring so that the salt and sugar dissolves. As soon as the salt and sugar are dissolved, reduce the heat to medium and cover.

Pack the peppers in the jars, leaving 1 inch headspace.

Ladle the brine into the jars, covering the peppers and leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
 remove any air bubbles. 

Wipe the jar rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth. Cover with hot lids and apply screw rings.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.



Adaped from http://www.food.com/recipe/crunchy-pickled-jalapeno-rings-made-with-pickling-lime-459676

Pork 2017

Friends of ours had a pig roast at their wedding.  There was half a pig left over and they were leaving for their honeymoon so we acquired and canned some of them leftovers.

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Meat Strips, Cubes or Chunks of Meat Bear, Beef, Lamb, Pork, Veal, Venison Procedure: Choose high quality chilled meat. Remove excess fat. Soak strong-flavored wild meats for 1 hour in brine water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart. Rinse. Remove large bones. The hot pack is preferred for best liquid cover and quality during storage. The natural amount of fat and juices in today's leaner meat cuts are usually not enough to cover most of the meat in raw packs. Hot pack – Precook meat until rare by roasting, stewing, or browning in a small amount of fat. Add 1 teaspoons of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with pieces and add boiling broth, meat drippings, water, or tomato juice, especially with wild game), leaving 1-inch headspace. Raw pack – Add 2 teaspoons of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Fill jars with raw meat pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. Do not add liquid. Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the canning method used. Table 1. Recommended process time for Strips, Cubes, or Chunks of Meat in a dial-gauge pressure canner.   Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 2,000 ft 2,001 - 4,000 ft 4,001 - 6,000 ft 6,001 - 8,000 ft Hot and Raw Pints 75 min 11 lb 12 lb 13 lb 14 lb Quarts 90 11 12 13 14 Table 2. Recommended process time for Strips, Cubes, or Chunks of Meat in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.   Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time 0 - 1,000 ft Above 1,000 ft Hot and Raw Pints 75 min 10 lb 15 lb Quarts 90 10 15 This document was adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2009.

STOP....mantis time

Beans 2017

Our neighbors had rows of beans that needed to be picked.  We helped pick them and had a canning party.

YOU WILL NEED

2 lb green beans per quart
Water
Salt, (optional)
Glass canning jars

DIRECTIONS
PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

WASH and rinse beans thoroughly. Remove string, trim ends and break or cut freshly gathered beans into 2-inch pieces. Place prepared beans in a large saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes.

PACK hot beans into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Add 1 tsp salt to each quart jar, 1/2 tsp to each pint jar, if desired.

LADLE boiling water over beans leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

PROCESS filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Carrots

It was a good year for carrots.  After the greens were removed we had 61 lbs.

Carrots - Sliced or Diced

Quantity: An average of 17-1/2 pounds (without tops) is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel (without tops) weighs 50 pounds and yields 17 to 25 quarts – an average of 2-1/2 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select small carrots, preferably 1 to 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Larger carrots are often too fibrous.

Procedure: Wash, peel, and rewash carrots. Slice or dice.

Hot pack – Cover with boiling water; bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch of headspace.

Raw pack – Fill jars tightly with raw carrots, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to the jar, if desired. Add hot cooking liquid or water, leaving 1-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process following the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2 according to the method of canning used.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Carrots in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints	25 min	11 lb	12 lb	13 lb	14 lb
	Quarts	30	11	12	13	14

Table 2. Recommended process time for Carrots in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints	25 min	10 lb	15 lb
	Quarts	30	10	15

Tomato Sauce 2017

We picked the first round of tomatoes and for lack of time they were made into just tomato sauce.

We ran the tomatoes through the fruit strainer on our kitchen aid mixer.  Thicked in batches in a heavy stainless pot they finished thickening in the oven on the crock pot setting overnight.

Pint:
• ¼ tsp Citric Acid or 1 Tbsp bottled lemon juice

Quart:
• ½ tsp Citric Acid or 2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice


Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot sauce. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process pint jars for 35 minutes and quart jars for 40 minutes.

Pears 2017

From Ball

PEARS IN SYRUP

Makes about 8 (16 oz) pints or 4 (32 oz) quarts
Bartlett pears are considered best for canning. Kieffer pears and similar varieties are satisfactory if properly ripened and cooked in water instead of syrup until almost tender, drained and then packed in jars with a light syrup.

PRESERVING METHOD:Waterbath Canning

YOU WILL NEED:
8-12 lb ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, halved, treated to prevent browning and drained (about 24-36 medium)
1 batch hot light or medium syrup
8 Ball® (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bandsPears is syrup (from Ball Blue book)

PREPARE pears by peeling, coring and halving them. To prevent browning, use Fruit-Fresh or submerge pears in a mixture of 1/4 cup lemon juice and 4 cups water and drain. To prepare syrup, combine 2-1/4 cups granulated sugar and 5-1/4 cups water for light and 3-1/4 cups granulated sugar and 5 cups water for medium in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until needed, taking care not to boil the syrup down.

PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

WARM pears, one layer at a time, in a large stainless steel saucepan, over medium-low heat, in syrup until heated through, about 5 minutes.

PACK hot pears , using a slotted spoon, cavity side down and overlapping layers, into hot jars to within a generous 1/2 inch of top of jar. Ladle hot syrup into hot jar to cover pears, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot syrup. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.

PROCESS pint jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Best Bread and Butter Pickles

Best Bread and Butter Pickles
Servings: makes 6-7 pints

Ingredients
5 lbs. pickling cucumbers, sliced 1/4" thick (16 cups when sliced)
2 lbs. onions, halves and thinly sliced (6 cups when sliced)
2 Cups red bell pepper
1/3 cup pickling salt (or 1/2 cup kosher salt)
3-1/2 cups vinegar; use white or cider or half-and-half combination
4 cups sugar
10 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon turmeric
optional: 3/4 teaspoon Pickle Crisp granules
Directions
Combine sliced cucumbers, onions, peppers and salt in large bowl; toss to combine; cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours (or as long as 12 hours). Drain in colander, rinse well under running water for 2 minutes, tossing vegetables as they are rinsing. Drain.

In 8-quart pot, combine vinegar, sugar, garlic, mustard and celery seeds, pepper flakes, cloves, and turmeric; heat over high heat until boiling. Add cucumber/onion/pepper mixture, stir, and return to boil. Turn off heat.


(Optional: Before filling jars with other ingredients, add 1/8 teaspoon pickle crisp granules to each heated jar.)

Use tongs or a slotted spoon to fill hot pint jars with cucumber/onion mixture, filling to just below where the jar rim begins, pressing down with tongs/spoon to fill in any gaps in jars. Ladle hot vinegar liquid into jars, allowing 1/2 headspace.

Insert chopstick or bubble remover down sides of jars, drawing it towards the center to release any trapped bubbles; refill jars, if necessary, to restore 1/2" headspace. Clean jar rims with wet paper towel. Add lids to each jar; screw on rings just until finger tight.

Bring water to a boil in water process canner, add jars making sure there is at least 1" of water over top of jars. Cover canner, return water to a boil, and process jars for 10 minutes. Remove lid and turn off heat, leaving jars in water for 5 minutes. Use jar lift to remove jars vertically from water and rest on towel undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

Chinese Plum Sauce

Chinese Plum Sauce

Make About 8 Half-Pint Jars

1 Cinnamon Stick
2 pieces star anus
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon Fennel seeds
4 pounds plums pitted and chopped (about 8 cups)
1 medium onion copped
4 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 cup chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/2 coup rice vinegar (4%)
3 tablespoons soy sauce more to taste
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup pitted prunes
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper


Put spices in a cheesecloth for spice bag.

Put the bag and all remaining ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil

lower the heat and simmer stirring occasionally until the onion is soft.
(about 30 min)

remove spice bag.

With a stick blender puree and bring to a summer stirring until thickened and a shade darker (about 10 min)

Taste and adjust soy sauce and brown sugar accordingly.  It should be sweet and salty.

ladle into jars leaving 1/4 in headspace

wipe rims and fit lids

process 1/2 pint for 5 min pints for 10 min in water bath

From Canning for a new generation

Plums

Plums-Halved or Whole

Quantity: An average of 14 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 9 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 56 pounds and yields 22 to 36 quarts – an average of 2 pounds per quart.

Quality: Select deep-colored, mature fruit of ideal quality for eating fresh or cooking. Plums may be packed in water or syrup.

Please read Using Pressure Canners and Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.

Procedure: Stem and wash plums. To can whole, prick skins on two sides of plums with fork to prevent splitting. Freestone varieties may be halved and pitted. If you use syrup, prepare very light, light, or medium syrup.

Hot pack – Add plums to water or hot syrup and boil 2 minutes. Cover saucepan and let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Fill jars with hot plums and cooking liquid or syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Raw pack – Fill jars with raw plums, packing firmly. Add hot water or syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.

Adjust lids and process.

Processing directions for canning plums in a boiling-water, a dial, or a weighted-gauge canner are given in Table 1, Table 2, and Table 3.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Plums, halved or whole in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 3,000 ft	3,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints Quarts	20 min 25	25 30	30 35	35 40

Table 2. Process Times for Plums in a Dial-Gauge Pressure Canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time (Min)	0 - 2,000 ft	2,001 - 4,000 ft	4,001 - 6,000 ft	6,001 - 8,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints or Quarts	10	6	7	8	9

Table 3. Process Times for Plums in a Weighted-Gauge Pressure Canner.
			Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	Process Time (Min)	0 - 1,000 ft	Above 1,000 ft
Hot and Raw	Pints or Quarts	10	5	10

Rain

The rain this year is relentless more than 5 in of rain in 24 hours.

End of July 2017 the garden is out of control

End of July 2017 the garden is out of control

First zucchini of 2017

Picked the first zucchini of 2017 they are nice but the bugs are really bad this year so we will most likely not get that much 

Crazy carrots

Pulled some of the carrots from the starts we were given.  They grew well but they are a little odd shaped

Swarm

We caught a Swarm form our hive today

Done planting 2017

Finished planting all the beds today

First planting 2017

We planted one bed and got the others ready to plant.

Cabbage, Beet, Carrot, lettuce, seeds planted and broccoli plants form the neighbors

Tractor Fire

After mowing with the tractor is caught on fire in the garage.  Lucky we were able to put it out with minimal damage to the garage but the tractor is a total loss

Seedling Progress

The Tomatoes and peppers are up and starting to grow.  All of the brassicas either died or did not come up.