Summer Squash Pickles

I made these last year and they were very popular at parties during the winter.

Last year's recipe was very spicy, but I forgot to write down the recipe.

This recipe is pretty good, but not quite like last year's recipe.

Thankfully I have a lot of summer squash growing, so I will be able to continue experimenting.

I always grow the same variety of summer squash: Butterstick. It stays sweet and tender even when the squash get large.

I used chiles from my Chinese 5 Color pepper plant. The chiles are supposed to change color as they mature. So far they are mostly purple with one or two yellow ones.

Summer Squash Pickles
2 lbs yellow summer squash - cut into 2" sticks

1 cup sliced onions - 2 small

2 cups sugar

2 Tbs salt

1 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp dry ginger

1 tsp celery seed

2 cups water

1 cup vinegar

optional: small hot chiles

Combine squash and onions, set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large sauce pot and bring to a boil. Add squash and onions; boil for 10 min. Poke each chile with a knife, before adding one chile to each jar. Pack hot vegetables and liquid into hot jars; leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Process for 10 mins in a boiling water canner.

Makes 5 pints.

Cut up summer squash.

I added a few slices of green chile to the brine.


Purple chile. Sadly they turned yellowish after the jars were processed.
I really wanted the purple/yellow contrast.
This is Minnesota after all - home of the Vikings!

Bringing back up to a boil.

Ready for the lid and canner.

All done. You can see the color of the processed chile in the bottom left corner jar.

Yum! Summer squash pickles!

Can Jam April - Herbs: Blueberry-Mint Jam

When the April CanJam was announced as herbs, I wasn't very excited.

Herbs?

I want to start using things from my garden for the CanJams, but chives are the only herb growing out there right now. Sure I have a tsp. of a few other herbs that are starting to sprout up, but I didn't want to chop off their little baby heads.

I just did garlic-onion jam last CanJam, so I also didn't want to use the chives.

I still have a freezer full of blueberries from our berry picking vacation, so I knew that I wanted to use blueberries, but what herb goes with blueberries?

At first, I thought about Lavender. This Lavender? No the herb lavender!

I've heard of Blueberry-lavender jam, but my Mom suggested mint (Thanks Mom!).

Mint?

Really?

That's so weird - it just might work!
I just happened to have homemade mint extract in my freezer too. I made it last summer from the huge mint plant (bush) in my backyard. Sorry there aren't any pics of the mint extract process, I made it before I started taking pictures of everything.

So here it is:

Blueberry-Mint Jam

4 cups blueberries

2 cups mint extract (directions below)

1 Tbs bottled lemon juice

1 tsp butter

4 cups sugar

1 pkg no sugar needed pectin

Bring blueberries, mint extract, lemon juice and butter to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 mins and then add sugar. Return to a boil. Boil for 10 mins. Add pectin and return to a boil. Boil at a rolling boil for 1 min. Transfer to prepared jars and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 mins.

To make mint extract: Take fresh mint leaves, remove the stems and measure the mint leaves. Put mint leaves in a bowl. Add boiling water to the bowl - if you have 2 cups mint leaves add one cup boiling water, if you have 1 cup mint leaves add 1/2 cup boiling water - you get the idea. Let mint leaves steep until cool or overnight in the fridge. Strain mint leaves from liquid and pour mint extract into ice cube trays. Freeze mint extract or skip the freezing and use in the recipe above.

Blueberries and mint extract

Boil!

Spoony likes the taste - yum!

With sugar and pectin.

In the jar.

Glossy

Spoony! Did you eat it all?!?

Nope. He saved a few jars.

Jars fresh from the canner.

I found a few mint sprigs in the garden and sacrificed them for this picture.

Poor plant babies.

So.................what does it taste like?!?

Yummy!

Fresh, clean, very blueberry-ish with a nice minty aftertaste, but not overpoweringly mint. In fact, if you didn't know there was mint in this jam I don't think you could pick out the flavor. It has an intriguing flavor, but like the Carrot Jam, no one would ever think blueberry-mint jam.

Oh, also this jam took me exactly 1 hour to make from start to cans sealing on the counter.

Can Jam Feb. - Carrots #2

Torshi Haveej - Persian Carrot Pickle with Mint and Garlic

4 large carrots, shredded

6 radishes - thinly sliced

2 1/2 cups white vinegar

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp dried garlic cubes

1 mint tea bag

pinch red pepper flakes

Lightly pack 3 pint jars with shredded carrots and radishes. Bring brine ingredients to a boil. Pour brine into jars. Remove air bubbles. Process for 10 mins in a boil water bath canner.

Makes 3 pints

Shredded carrots and radishes.

Brine ingredients.

Filled jars.

This is a tasty carrot slaw. The mint and garlic add an unexpected dimension to the carrots.

Opposites really do attract.

Delicious!

Plus a pic from this summer. I found these 2 carrots in my garden. They were growing in a corner of a raised bed.

Update On the Dill Crock

I canned my dill crock today.

First, I strained the brine.

While the brine warmed up to a boil, I packed the veggies into hot jars.

All canned up.
I think it looks very pretty.

Pickles and Bread

I baked and canned before work on Thursday -

Golden Egg bread, banana bread, peaches and garlic dill pickles.

I added grape leaves to the pickles They are supposed to keep the pickles crisp.

(Golden Egg bread recipe below)

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The life of a dill pickle:

Hanging on the vine.

And canned.

Golden Egg Bread

Make sponge:

1 cup flour

1 cup warm water

2 tsp. yeast

Let sponge sit covered for 45 min. in a warm place, until bubbly.

Dough:

31/2 cups flour

1 3/4 tsp. salt

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 large eggs

Mix sponge and all dough ingredients in an electric mixer.

Dough will be very sticky.

Place dough into a well greased bowl, cover and place in a warm location.

Let rise until doubled - 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

With wet hands (dough is very sticky) shape dough and place it into a bread loaf pan.

Let dough rise for 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 min, until bread sounds hollow when the bottom of the loaf is tapped.

Can Mania!

This last week, I have been canning like crazy in preparation for the county fair (and just 'cause I like to can - the fair's a good excuse).

I had one failure: my black raspberry/guava jelly didn't set up, so now it's raspberry/guava juice. It still tastes good!

So far this last week I have made: the jelly/juice mistake, gooseberry jam, raspberry jam, raspberry/current jam, squash pickles, banana butter and peach salsa.

(Banana butter recipe below)

My canning from last night: 6 pints/4 half pints banana butter

11 pints/8 half pints peach salsa

The bananas were 99 cents for a huge bag. I bought both bags AND they were organic! Score!

Walmart had peaches on sale for 78 cents a pound, so that will be my next adventure.

Because I have a LOT of peaches in my kitchen.

I couldn't resist! Yummy peaches.......

Banana Butter

For every pound of bananas add 1 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice.

Put bananas and sugar in a large pot; mash with a potato masher.

Cook over low heat until paste rounds up on a spoon.

Optional: add cinnamon and cloves to taste.

Ladle into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Remove air bubbles.

Adjust 2 piece caps.

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 mins.

This is soooooo good! It is like banana bread in a jar.

Watch out - Very addictive - I warned you!