Re: Jellies, Jams & others items to can for Sarah
Go to your library and check out the Ball Blue Book or go to a
bookstore and buy a copy
(frequently stores that sell canning jars and lids will also sell
the Ball Blue Book). This
is a book put out by the Ball Canning Jar Company and it gives very
clear, SAFE instructions
on canning and making jams and jellies. Another option is to go to
your county extension
services and either take a Preserving Foods class or at least get
their information on
canning and making jams and jellies. Please do this before you start
making jams or jellies
or can. Follow the directions exactly. Improperly canned food or
jellies can spoil, can
contain botulism spores (deadly), or just not turn out well. Even my
daughter who rarely
cooks from recipes meticulously follows canning instructions.
Here are 2 Jalapeño Jelly recipes, one simple and relatively
inexpensive, the other one more
complicated and more expensive.
JALAPEÑO JELLY #1
10 ripe Jalapeno chilies -- stemmed and seeded
2 md red Bell peppers
1 1/2 c Vinegar, distilled
6 1/2 c Sugar
1 c Lime juice(fresh)
6 oz Liquid pectin(two bags)
Place the chiles and peppers in a blender and pure until finely
chopped. Combine the puree
and vinegar, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil rapidly for 10
minutes, stirring
occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar and
lime juice. Return the
pan to the heat, bring to a boil again, stir in the pectin and boil
again, stirring
constantly for a minute. Skim off the foam and bottle in sterilized
jars. Makes 7-1/2 pints.
From CHILEDOUGS RECIPES
Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
4 lbs of tart apples (e.g. Granny Smith), unpeeled, chopped into big
pieces, including the cores
6 jalapeño chili peppers, sliced in half lengthwise, the seeds and
ribs removed from 3 of
them (for mildly hot jelly. If you want a hotter jelly leave the
seeds and ribs in all of
them.)
1 bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
1 cup cranberries (can be frozen)
3 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
3 1/2 cups sugar (7/8 cup for each cup of juice)
Equipment Needed
One 6-quart pan (Stainless steel or copper with stainless steel)
A candy thermometer
A large fine mesh sieve (or several layers of cheesecloth, or a
muslin cloth jelly bag)
4-5 half-pint canning
Combine the apple pieces, apple cores (needed for their pectin
content), jalapenos, bell
pepper, cranberries, water and vinegar in a large pot. Bring to a
boil and then reduce heat
to medium-low, simmering for about 20 minutes, or until the apples,
cranberries, and peppers
are soft. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the
bottom of the pan where
it might burn. Use a potato masher to mash up the apple pieces to
the consistency of slightly
runny apple sauce. If the mash is too thick, add more water.
Spoon the mash into a fine mesh sieve, muslin cloth, or a couple
layers of cheesecloth,
suspended over a large bowl. Leave to strain for several hours (even
overnight). If you want
a clear jelly, do not squeeze or force through the mesh. Just let it
drip. If you want a
fuller flavor jelly and don't mind that the result won't be clear,
you can force some of the
pulp through the mesh. If your pulp is too thick, and nothing is
coming out, you can add an
extra 1/2 cup or cup of water to it. You want to end up with about 4
cups of juice.
Measure the juice, then pour into a large, wide, thick-bottomed pot.
Add the sugar (7/8 a cup
for each cup of juice). Heat gently, stirring to make sure the sugar
gets dissolved and
doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.
Bring to a boil. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a spoon to skim off
the surface scum. Continue
to boil until a candy thermometer shows that the temperature has
reached 220-222°F (8-10°F
above the boiling point at your altitude). Additional time needed
for cooking can be anywhere
from 10 minutes to an hour or longer,
Candy thermometers aren't always the most reliable indicators of
whether or not a jelly is
done. Another way to test is put a half teaspoonful of the jelly on
a chilled (in the
freezer) plate. Allow the jelly to cool a few seconds, then push it
with your fingertip. If
it wrinkles up, it's ready.
Pour jelly into sterilized jars* to within 1/4" from the top and
seal.
Makes approx. 4 half-pint jars.
Mary in Azusa
Tis1947@aol.com
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Cottage Cheese Pie
MAKES TWO 9-INCH PIES
16 ounces cottage cheese
1 scant cup sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Dash of salt
3 eggs, separated
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
1-1/2 cups milk
Two 9-inch unbaked pie crusts (pastry or graham cracker)
Place cottage cheese in strainer and let drain for about 1 hour or
until most of liquid has
been discarded. Preheat oven to 425° F. Combine all ingredients
except egg whites; mix well.
Beat egg whites until firm. Fold into batter until smooth. Pour into
pie crusts. Bake for 15
minutes then reduce oven to 350° and bake for an additional 25
minutes or until knife
inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on racks. Refrigerate.
Flavor improves if served a
day after baking.
Jennifer
jlb@sbcglobal.net
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Boursin Cheese recipe
1 clove garlic, minced
16 ounces cream cheese, softened (not diet
or lite or whipped -- use the real thing!)
1 cup butter, softened (not margarine)
1 teaspoon oregano, dried
1/4 teaspoon basil, dried
1/4 teaspoon dill weed, dried
1/4 teaspoon marjoram, dried
1/4 teaspoon thyme, dried
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Mixed all together. Let it sit in the refrig for a bit to age. I
usually make it in the AM
for the PM.
Cottage Cheese PIe
1 graham cracker crust
1 large container cottage cheese
1 -4 serving size Jell-O, your choice in flavor, sugared or sugar
free makes no difference
1 can crushed pineapple
1 regular size container cool whip
Mix cottage cheese and pineapple (with liquid) together. Sprinkle
Jell-O over it and let set a
few second to get wet. Mix well. Mix in the cool whip. Pour into the
pie shell. Let set in
the refrigerator.
You can also use this as a "side" without the crust. Like a salad. I
have also done peaches
in a quick whip in the blender and peach Jell-O. Yummy!
Caryn
c_quaker@yahoo.com
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Kaylin,
Here are some tips for Margie, who wanted care package ideas for
her friend's son in Iraq.
My husband and I are both former Marines, and we are currently
officers with the local Marine
Corps League detachment. Our ladies' auxiliary has a very active
care package program and I
could go on and on giving you ideas and information, but I'll hit
the highlights here and if
you want more info you can email me directly.
1. Get the flat rate postage box from the post office and pack it as
full as you can.
Weight doesn't matter. We've been known to have one person sitting
on the box while another
tapes it shut!
2. Make sure that you have the proper invoices and forms required
for mailing, or your
efforts will wind up in some post office garbage bin someplace. Your
local postmaster can
supply you with the info and forms that you need here. There's a
spot on the form to list
the contents of the package, and we've found it's best to list
several things generically
(cookies, 1 package; socks, 1 package; etc). If you try to go into
detail, it's way too much
work, and if you leave it blank, the post office will open it to
inspect the contents. The
middle ground works well here.
3. Like you said, it's amazing how little these men and women are
supplied with by the
government. They are tickled to receive things that we take for
granted. Whenever any of us
travel, we collect the hotel bottles of things like shampoo,
conditioner, lotion, bars of
soap, etc. The women are thrilled to open a box and find, of all
things, feminine hygiene
items from home. (Being former military myself, I can only imagine,
and cringe, at what they
must be issued.)
4. Don't be afraid to let your cause be known and ask for donations.
Talk to your local
radio stations, newspaper, elementary schools (the young ones love
to have contests to see
who can collect the most of ANYTHING). Packets of sauce from local
taco places, individual
packets of salt, pepper, and other condiments from a restaurant
supply house. Ask your local
mega-marts for donations of socks, baby wipes, non-perishable food
goodies, etc. A local cd
manufacturer recently gave us several cases of dvd's and cd's to
send. A dental clinic gave
us cases of new toothbrushes. You never know what you can get if you
don't ask!
5. We've found that empty Pringles cans or similar containers are
perfect for mailing home
made cookies. The ladies who bake the cookies have it down to a
science. I think they've
played with small portion scoops until they've found the one that
makes a perfectly round
cookie that fits just right. No problems with them getting crushed
this way. and the sealed
top helps to keep them fresh. We also fill them with snack mixes and
things like that.
6. Canned pasta, Vienna sausages, tuna (the tuna salad kits with
crackers, relish, etc are
great), ramen noodles, hard candies and chewing gum (we buy the bulk
packs then make up
little bags containing a couple of packs of gum, a handful of candy,
etc) are all goodies
that they can't get over there, and they pack and travel well. DO
NOT SEND CHOCOLATE!!!!!
(It melts and makes a mess.)
7. One BIG thing to consider, stock up on zip-type bags and package
anything that might
spill or leak in these before you pack them. We also include a zip
bag with loose leaf paper
and a couple of pens or pencils in each package.
8. Deodorant is another thing they're very grateful for. No aerosol
cans are allowed,
though.
9. If you know of any organizations in your town that run card
games, Texas Hold 'Em is HUGE
right now, ask them to donate the used cards and include a deck in
each box.
10. Collect old magazines to send. Remember, what's old news to us
is new to them.
11. Make it personal. Our Auxiliary president, the wife of a retired
Marine drill
instructor and decorated combat veteran, refuses to send a
generically addressed box. Having
seen first hand how a soldier's morale can be affected by the
support they do, or don't,
receive, she insists on addressing each package to one individual.
You'd be surprised at how
little support some of these folks have, and how it makes their day
to have their name called
at mail call, and to know that someone thought of THEM. The only
exception here is that we
will send large boxes of reading material and dvd's, etc, in care of
the unit commander, to
be placed in the common areas for all to enjoy.
Well, I seem to have rambled anyway, but this is something that's
near and dear to my heart.
Hope I've given you enough info to get you started.
Annie
milly57129@aol.com
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