Reader Dan asked the following question: can someone explain the jars in a waterbath stage? ive never heard of this
and i make a lot of jams
Technically any recipe that is canned needs to be heated either by waterbath or pressure canning. This is to heat what is inside the jar and kill and bacteria. I admit to occasionally using what is called the open kettle method meaning I do not process the jars at all. I should point out that this method is unsafe and should never be used.
Waterbath and pressure canning are very different. Only fruit or jams should be waterbath canned. Meats and vegetables should be pressure canned. You can read more about the differences here. Waterbath canning involves completely submerging the jars in a pot of boiling water for a set amount of time.
While I like to live on the edge, I have started waterbath canning my jams/jellies. The main reason is that I now use a low sugar pectin. Sugar can help prevent bacteria growth. Using less sugar in a recipe means there is a greater chance of bacteria growth. It is simple to do, and I figure it is just an added precaution.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A Wonderful Kitchen Tool
I should warn you ahead of time that this pictures in this post are a bit mixed up. I took some one day and the rest another day so they do not match.
This is my favorite new kitchen tool: an apple peeler, corer, slicer. It took me minutes to peel, core, and slice an eight pound bag of apples. It was so easy I did three 8 pound bags of apples.
It was not all just for the fun of using the machine. Those apple slices went into the dehydrator and become dried apple slices. They are yummy for snacking and delicious in my morning oatmeal.
With the apple slices I was left with piles and piles of apple peels and cores. W was insistent that I do something constructive the "leftovers". I piled them all in a pot with a bit of water.
Once they cooked down I strained out the apple juice to make jelly. Here is where the mixed up pictures come in. These are Granny Smith apple leftovers but the picture shows jelly made with Red Delicious leftovers.
The now cooked and mushy apple leftovers went to the chickens who found them to still be quite tasty. This was a no-waste project. Sure I could have tossed the peels and cores straight into the compost pile, but I would have missed out on the middle man - yummy apple jelly. Every bit of the apple was used and enjoyed!
This is my favorite new kitchen tool: an apple peeler, corer, slicer. It took me minutes to peel, core, and slice an eight pound bag of apples. It was so easy I did three 8 pound bags of apples.
It was not all just for the fun of using the machine. Those apple slices went into the dehydrator and become dried apple slices. They are yummy for snacking and delicious in my morning oatmeal.
With the apple slices I was left with piles and piles of apple peels and cores. W was insistent that I do something constructive the "leftovers". I piled them all in a pot with a bit of water.
Once they cooked down I strained out the apple juice to make jelly. Here is where the mixed up pictures come in. These are Granny Smith apple leftovers but the picture shows jelly made with Red Delicious leftovers.
The now cooked and mushy apple leftovers went to the chickens who found them to still be quite tasty. This was a no-waste project. Sure I could have tossed the peels and cores straight into the compost pile, but I would have missed out on the middle man - yummy apple jelly. Every bit of the apple was used and enjoyed!
Monday, December 10, 2012
Greenhouse Update
Oh my, I can hardly believe over a month has flown by since my last post. It is past time for an update of what is going on in the greenhouse.
When I posted last it was practically empty. We had a night of below freezing temperatures a couple of weeks ago. I moved my plants into the greenhouse. The tomato plant you see near the left hand side looks sad, but it has quite a few tomatoes. I am crossing my fingers that they will grow a bit and ripen.
On the other side of the greenhouse are lots of pineapple plants, the lettuce, and a few ferns and other flowers.
Remember that container of dirt that I planted lettuce seeds in about a month ago..... Here is it. This picture was taken after I had clipped a bowl full of lettuce. I have missed homegrown organic lettuce. The never ending fresh lettuce in the middle of winter is one of my favorite benefits of a greenhouse.
The pineapple on one of the larger plants is growing well. We should be eating fresh pineapple in a month or so. (I do not know why the picture rotated itself.)
Some of the cuttings I took are showing signs of life. I hope this means they are growing roots as well. I am trying to be patient and will check them at the end of this month.
This biggest surprise to me what how quickly the dwarf lemon tree has grown. I should have put it in the greenhouse a month or so sooner. It went from looking okay to being covered in little bloom buds. I can hardly wait until they open. It seems like that happened overnight!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Indoor Plants
Not only do I have plants outside I also keep some inside. My indoor plants are mainly in the kitchen windows as they are safe from the cats there. I have a variety of violets. All of them were purchased on clearance.
You should be able to see a small pill bottle in the middle. While I was repotting one of the violets over the weekend, a leaf fell off. It was a small, new leaf so I immediately put it in water to root. I hate to waste it when it could become a new (free) plant.
I also have an orchid which was purchased on clearance for $2.50. I am still learning to grow these, but I am enjoying the blooms now.
I have mentioned before that I enjoy finding clearanced price plants. With a bit of care they can quickly grow back into their former glory. I do not mind a little patience in exchange for saving money!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
My Greenhouse
A couple of weeks ago W and I put new plastic on the greenhouse in anticipation of the upcoming winter months. My greenhouse is not fancy, but it is big. I need all of the room to store our potted plants, grow lettuce during the winter, and start our spring seedlings.
I am putting it to use a bit right now. I took some cuttings from our pear and pomegranate trees. Those are in a mixture of sand and compost and will hopefully root in a couple of months.
I also planted some lettuce and spinach seeds and have that in the greenhouse since it is much warmer in there than outside. I have three containers and will plant them a week apart from each other so we have a steady supply of lettuce and spinach. This year we have three rabbits to help us eat it.
Another reason for putting the lettuce in the greenhouse is to keep it away from our visitors/helpers. These ladies do a great job of scratching in the compost pile and adding a bit of fertilizer.
They do love anything green and tender lettuce leaves are a particularly tasty treat.
I am putting it to use a bit right now. I took some cuttings from our pear and pomegranate trees. Those are in a mixture of sand and compost and will hopefully root in a couple of months.
I also planted some lettuce and spinach seeds and have that in the greenhouse since it is much warmer in there than outside. I have three containers and will plant them a week apart from each other so we have a steady supply of lettuce and spinach. This year we have three rabbits to help us eat it.
Another reason for putting the lettuce in the greenhouse is to keep it away from our visitors/helpers. These ladies do a great job of scratching in the compost pile and adding a bit of fertilizer.
They do love anything green and tender lettuce leaves are a particularly tasty treat.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Rooting Pineapple Tops and Dividing Older Plants
I bought two pineapples this week at the grocery store and took advantage of a sale and coupons. I cut those up this past week. The two tops of course are now rooting on my kitchen counter so I will have two more pineapple plants in a few weeks.
When a plant gets older, it will begin to put on "pups" (shoots off the base of the main plant). I had two plants with pups. I only removed them from one as the only plant is producing a pineapple. I do not want to disturb it too much. Here is a picture of the second plant so you can see one of the pups.
It is a little hard to see since the plant is so big. If you notice the front left side of the plant, you can see leaves which are slightly smaller. There is a second one on the other side. You simply find the base of the plant and cut away the pup with a sharp knife. Of the two I removed one had very defined roots while the second did not. Roots will grow once the pup is planted.
The two plants in front are the pups. I removed them from the plant that produced a pineapple earlier this year. That plant is still growing strong. These will be kept in a shaded area of the yard for a couple of weeks. The removal of the shoots was simple and they should grow just fine. My free pineapple plants just keep producing more and more freebies for me!
When a plant gets older, it will begin to put on "pups" (shoots off the base of the main plant). I had two plants with pups. I only removed them from one as the only plant is producing a pineapple. I do not want to disturb it too much. Here is a picture of the second plant so you can see one of the pups.
It is a little hard to see since the plant is so big. If you notice the front left side of the plant, you can see leaves which are slightly smaller. There is a second one on the other side. You simply find the base of the plant and cut away the pup with a sharp knife. Of the two I removed one had very defined roots while the second did not. Roots will grow once the pup is planted.
The two plants in front are the pups. I removed them from the plant that produced a pineapple earlier this year. That plant is still growing strong. These will be kept in a shaded area of the yard for a couple of weeks. The removal of the shoots was simple and they should grow just fine. My free pineapple plants just keep producing more and more freebies for me!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Yard Sale Finds
This past weekend was an annual holiday bazaar and yard sale at a local church. W was off work and able to go with me this time. We ended up with some wonderful deals. He found several pieces of cast iron cookware.
First we got a frying pan with cover for just $4.
We got an 8 inch frying pan for $2, a 6 inch frying pan for $1, and an 8 inch griddle pan for $1.
They all cleaned up nicely and were seasoned with grease. We did not necessarily need any of them but will certainly use them. At those prices it was impossible to pass them up.
I found the piece of fabric below. I have not taken exact measurements but estimated it to be about 2 yards. I am planning to use it to make napkins. I only paid $2 for the fabric.
The final item was found by my mom at another yard sale. I needed a box grater for making homemade hash browns. The small grater I have has holes wich are much too small. I had borrowed hers but was on the lookout of one of my own. She found one that looks brand new for only 50 cents! I saw a similar one in a store for $10, which means I saved over $9.
I was pleased with all of our purchases. They were all useful items. Now that I have a good collection of cast iron I will be tossing our non-stick frying pans. The napkins will be well used and will replace some of our current napkins which are getting threadbare.
First we got a frying pan with cover for just $4.
We got an 8 inch frying pan for $2, a 6 inch frying pan for $1, and an 8 inch griddle pan for $1.
They all cleaned up nicely and were seasoned with grease. We did not necessarily need any of them but will certainly use them. At those prices it was impossible to pass them up.
I found the piece of fabric below. I have not taken exact measurements but estimated it to be about 2 yards. I am planning to use it to make napkins. I only paid $2 for the fabric.
The final item was found by my mom at another yard sale. I needed a box grater for making homemade hash browns. The small grater I have has holes wich are much too small. I had borrowed hers but was on the lookout of one of my own. She found one that looks brand new for only 50 cents! I saw a similar one in a store for $10, which means I saved over $9.
I was pleased with all of our purchases. They were all useful items. Now that I have a good collection of cast iron I will be tossing our non-stick frying pans. The napkins will be well used and will replace some of our current napkins which are getting threadbare.
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