Small Batch Preserving

 

I arrived home from our family reunion to find that the produce in my fridge needed some attention. We all have times when what we purchased at the grocery store begins to languish and the plan for it being eaten has changed.  This week we are unexpectedly down a few family members to help eat the fresh produce, so rather than have it spoil, I spent a few minutes to process it.

It really was a few minutes.  I had a head of cauliflower, a 1/2 pound of bacon, a bunch of asparagus and a red pepper to process. With just a little effort, all of those things are in my freezer, saved for another day's use. We always think of canning, drying or freezing when the harvest is on and the abundance flows in, but this can be done throughout the year. If you try it, you will be surprised at how easy it is.

To freeze the cauliflower and the asparagus (and most other vegetables), you need to blanch it.  Set a pot of water boiling while you wash and  cut your veggies, then pop them into the boiling water for a minute or two. You are not cooking it, you blanch to kill bacteria that deteriorate your produce while in the freezer. After the couple of minutes are up, you plunge the veggies into a cold water bath to stop the cooking process. Drain well, pack into freezer bags, label and freeze. I used my saucepan for this, since it was such a small batch. (When I have large batches--although it sounds kooky--my favorite tool for blanching is my wok; with the large surface area you can get a lot of peaches or tomatoes done quickly.) Different vegetables are blanched for different amounts of time. There are online tables for blanching times, or you can refer to a Ball Blue Book.

To freeze the bacon, Brown and drain on a paper towel, let it cool, then crumble and put it into a freezer bag. Squeeze out all the air. It is super handy having cooked bacon in the freezer! This same method is used for most meats. You can read more on this here.

To freeze the pepper: Wash, slice, put them in a freezer bag and place in the freezer. Peppers and onions don't need blanching before freezing. I slice mine for ease of use. It allows me to take out the amount I want, and further dicing is really easy when they are frozen, you can even break them into cubes for cooking. Use these from a frozen state.

General guidelines: berries can be frozen like the pepper, wash and freeze. Here is a how-to for freezing zucchini and one for winter squash. There are a some other small batch preservation recipes on the blog, here are a few: 

Refrigerator Pickles, Freezing Tomato Paste, Family Spaghetti

Once you start thinking this way, you could even have a double-preserve situation, like stashing a bag of cranberries in the freezer, and later using them to make Cranberry Orange Butter! So smart and yummy!

Jenny

Oven Tin Foil Dinner

 

I enjoy tin-foil dinners when I'm out camping; but I don't camp all that often, so this is one you can make at home any time of year. It isn't seasoned with the fire smoke, but it's pretty good.

Oven Tin Foil Dinner

7 potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

1 large onion, sliced thin

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and chunked

1 lb. ground beef

onion powder

garlic powder

salt and pepper

1 tsp. beef bouillon powder

Spray a 9x13 with cooking spray and layer sliced potatoes, onions and carrots. Crumble beef over the top, sprinkle with all seasonings. (You can stir it if you like to distribute everything, or leave it in layers.) Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup.

Notes: While living in Michigan, some friends we met spoon cream of mushroom soup over their tin foil dinners before cooking. I think you can assemble whatever ingredients you like, then bake as directed.

Jenny

Swiss Vegetable Medley

 

This is a yummy side dish, the Swiss cheese and crunchy onion topping are my favorite bits. I like to serve it with chicken, or meatloaf. The recipe is from an old community cookbook.

Swiss Vegetable Medley

1 (16 oz.) bag frozen broccoli, carrots, cauliflower combo, thawed and drained

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 c. shredded Swiss cheese

1/3 c. sour cream

1/4 tsp. pepper

crispy fried onions for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine vegetables, soup, sour cream, 1/2 c. of the cheese, and pepper. Stir to mix and pour into a small casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Cover and bake for 30 min. then uncover and bake 5 min. longer. Makes 6-8 servings.

Notes: I have heated this in the microwave before which makes this a quick side. To do it, leave off the onion topping and heat through on high about 6-8 min. then top with onions just before serving.

Jenny

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

 

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law, Diane-a wonderful cook. They are nicely spiced and delicious! Happy Thanksgiving!

Frosted Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin

Beat together. Add:

2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. ginger

Stir to mix, then stir in:

1 c. chocolate chips

Bake in a large, sheet pan (11 x 17) sprayed with cooking spray at 350 degrees for 25- 30 min. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Jenny

Chicken and Potatoes with Feta

Our local library put together a little cookbook of the staff's favorite comfort foods and we brought it home to enjoy.  It is fun to play with a collection of homey favorites. We have tried several things, but this one was exceptional and should be shared. The original doesn't list amounts for  the main ingredients, so this is what I used, and you can adapt for your family.

Chicken and Potatoes with Feta
10 red potatoes, quartered
2 c. chicken, cooked and shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
4 oz. fresh mushrooms, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. fresh spinach
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 c. feta cheese
1 c. Italian dressing
salt and pepper

Boil potatoes until fork tender, drain. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss like a salad.  Place in a 9x13 baking dish and bake at  350 degrees for 30 min. Serve it with some French Bread.

Jenny

Frito Corn Salad

This is a favorite anywhere it goes. The recipe came to me from my sister-in-law, Rebekah.

Frito Corn Salad

2 cans (14 oz ) corn, drained
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 c. mayonaise
1 c. shredded cheese
5 oz. chili cheese Frito corn chips, crushed

Combine all except chips in a bowl and stir. Refrigerate until time to serve, then stir in crushed chips just before serving.

Notes: The photo example was made with only green peppers. Also there are some look-a-like corn chips out there which work just as well as the Fritos brand, just make sure you buy the chili cheese variety.

Jenny

Cream Scalloped Potatoes

These potatoes are awesome! My new go-to potato dish, they couldn't be simpler--and they couldn't be richer! Well, maybe they could, but you will love this! Trust me. These would be great to serve with meatloaf or oven chicken as their cooking times are so similar.

Cream Scalloped Potatoes
6 large potatoes, peeled and sliced thin (enough to comfortably fill a 9x13)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 c. onion (sliced or cubed, your preference)
1 cube butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
seasoning salt (like Lawrys)
Cavender's Greek seasoning (opt.)
salt and pepper
2 c. heavy cream

Grease a 9x13 baking pan.  Rinse sliced potatoes under cold running water to remove starch. Pat dry with a paper towel.  Put potatoes in baking pan, with garlic and onion, drizzle with melted butter.  Sprinkle on cheese, seasoning salt, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper.  Stir together. Pour cream over all.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. Remove foil and bake an additional 20 min. until tender.  Let rest 10 min. before serving.

Notes:  You can substitute any seasoning or additional herbs you like.  I think crushed rosemary would be yummy, or some parsley. You could also just use salt and pepper to taste. I use my food processor to slice the potatoes and onions, which makes the job faster. When this first comes out of the oven it may seem liquid-y but as you let it set a few minutes, the potatoes will absorb all that. I am looking forward to trying this with some new red potatoes!

Jenny

Winter Squash Sourdough Bread

Every time I make this, I just love it. You can use any winter squash like banana or Hubbard, or if you don't have any of that, use canned pumpkin. The golden slices are slightly sweet. This recipe is from Pat's Sourdough and Favorite Recipes book.

Winter Squash Sourdough Bread
1 1/2 c. sourdough start
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 c. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. cooked, mashed winter squash
1/2 c. milk
7-8 c. flour

Add the melted butter to the sourdough start and mix. Add all other ingredients in order and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5-8 min., adding a little more flour if necessary. (If you are using a mixer with kneading attachment, the dough will clean the sides of the bowl when there is enough flour.  If you are kneading by hand, work flour into dough until it is soft, but not sticky.) Set in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top of dough and cover with a damp cloth.  Let rise until double in size. Punch down. Make into 3 loaves and place in pans. Let rise until double in size.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 45 min.

Notes: If you need a sourdough start recipe, find one here. If you want to make a yeast bread like this without the sourdough, try Butternut Squash Bread.  You can substitute any winter squash you like in that too.

Jenny

Carrot Bars

I took the photo without the frosting so you can see how packed with delicious goodness these bars are. You can add coconut to them too if you like.

Carrot Bars
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. oil
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, well drained
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 c. grated carrots

Beat eggs until light. Gradually beat in sugar.  Add oil, then dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in carrots, pineapple and nuts.  Spread into 2 greased 9x13 pans.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 min.  Cool and top with cream cheese frosting.

Notes: I made this in my really big sheet pan and the recipe fit perfectly.  I also sprinkled cinnamon-sugar over the frosting to make a sugar crust--excessive and wonderful! If you are serving a smaller group, divide this is half and bake it in just one 9x13 pan.

Jenny

Sausage Potato Goulash

This recipe is adapted from Tessa Kiros' Apples for Jam cookbook.  It is delicious and reminded me of Green Bean Supper in it's preparation and appearance. I think this will become a staple at our house.

Sausage and Potato Goulash
1 lb. bulk sausage
1 med. onion, chopped
Brown together in a skillet and drain excess fat
Add:
1-2 tsp. paprika
5-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 c. hot water
salt and pepper to taste

Bring to a boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer about 20 min. Until potatoes are soft. Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf before serving. Serve with bread to soak up all the juices.

Notes: I used red baby potatoes in this and so left the skins on.  I also used a can of Italian seasoned tomatoes. You can take the cover off and boil the liquid down more, or you could thicken it with a bit of cornstarch if you want it thicker.

Jenny

Sausage and Sauerkraut Casserole

You know that I am always doubling recipes, right?  Well, this one, I cut in half.  Because I LOVE it! But no one else at my house does, and my husband will eat it with me for variety's sake once in a while. Cabbage love is a lonely place.  (I think we've discussed this before...) But if you are a cabbage lover, I would not want to deprive you of this scrumptious recipe.  This is quick to make, and filling with a crusty slice of bread.

Sausage and Sauerkraut Casserole
6 fully cooked, smoked sausage links such as German or Polish
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. caraway seeds
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1 jar (32 oz.) sauerkraut, rinsed, well-drained
1/3 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. shredded Swiss cheese
Slice each sausage link into four or five chunks. Place sausage in a large skillet with 1/3 c. water.  Cover; bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low; simmer covered 10 min. Uncover and simmer until water evaporates and sausages brown slightly.
While sausage is cooking, combine sugar, mustard, caraway and dill, sauerkraut and pepper in a microwave safe casserole dish.  Stir and microwave 2-3 min. until hot and sugar dissolves.  Sprinkle cheese over sauerkraut and top with sausage.  Mircrowave 4-5 min. or until cheese melts.

Jenny

Pork with Cider

This is a gorgeous, stick-to-your-ribs dish with so much flavor and so little fuss.  The long cook time is perfect for those afternoons when you want to get the house clean before dinner or just to sit and read a book in peace.  We served it up with a loaf of  Dill Onion Bread and some mashed potatoes. The recipe is from The Encyclopedia of Creative Cookery.

Pork with Cider
2 lbs. boneless pork, cubed
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. apple cider or juice
5 large carrots, peeled, cut into chunks
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Dredge pork cubes in flour.  Heat oil in a skillet and brown pork. Remove pork to a casserole dish.  Drain oil from pan.  Add cider to hot pan, heat and stir to loosen any browned bits from bottom of pan.  Add carrots, onion, seasonings and hot cider to casserole dish.  Cover.  Bake at 325 for 2 hours until meat is tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes: I think you could put this in a crock pot on high for 3-5 hours too.

Jenny

Creamed Vegetable Stew

This is perfect for a winter supper, comforting and delicious.  Try it with French Bread or if you are a fan: Sourdough French Bread.

Creamed Vegetable Stew
6 large carrots, peeled and diced
5 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 c. diced green pepper
1/2 c. diced celery
1 c. diced onion
1 (16 oz.) can corn, drained
1 (16 oz.) can green beans, drained
1-2 c. diced ham (optional, but yummy)
1/4 c. butter or margarine
1/2 c. flour
4 c. milk (you can use cream as part of this-also super yummy)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Place carrots, potatoes, green pepper, celery and onion in large pot. Add just enough water to cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15 min.  Add corn, green beans and ham. Cook another 5 minutes or until carrots are tender. Partially drain vegetables, leaving about half the water. While vegetables cook, in a microwave safe dish, place butter and flour. Microwave on high for 40 seconds, stir melted butter and flour together.  Stir in milk with a whisk.  Return to microwave and microwave on high for 1 min at a time, stirring each time until thick. Add seasonings to white sauce and stir.  Pour white sauce into vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Notes: I made this using 2 c. milk and 2 c. heavy cream.

Jenny

Three Bean Salad

This is a quick make-ahead salad to take to gatherings.  The color and tang are welcome on any potluck table and children can help with this one.

Three Bean Salad
1 can (15 oz.) cut green beans, drained
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz.) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. minced green pepper (I used yellow pepper in the photo)
1/2 c. finely minced onion
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. vinegar (white or cider)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine beans, pepper and onion.  Stir together dressing ingredients and pour over bean mixture. Stir to combine.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 min. before serving.

Notes:  You can add a can of yellow wax beans for a four bean salad.  You could also try different vinegar flavors for fun. It improves in flavor as it gets some time to marinate, so don't hesitate to make this a day or two ahead.

Jenny

Pumpkin Pancakes

A fall breakfast treat! This recipe came from a Martha Stewart magazine and I have doubled the ingredients.  These are excellent with some Buttermilk Syrup or I recently used a Milk Syrup that I added molasses to. Yum!

 Pumpkin Pancakes
2 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
2 c. milk
3/4 c. pumpkin puree
1/4 c. melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine dry ingredients.  In another bowl, combine milk, pumpkin, melted butter, eggs and vanilla and whisk together.  Cook on a hot griddle greased with a little melted butter.

I thought I would have to coax some of my children into trying these, so I made some of them have smiley faces with cinnamon chips.  If you want to try this, pour your batter onto the griddle, when they are almost ready to turn, add the chips and turn to finish cooking.

Jenny

Bacon Corn Chowder

A soup to warm your bones this fall. I make it for my husband who is a soup junkie and my oldest daughter who loves this particular soup.  You would enjoy it with bread sticks, yeast biscuits or a slice of fresh bread.
Bacon Corn Chowder
1/2 lb. bacon, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Brown these together in a large pot, add
1/3 c. flour and stir to coat flour in drippings. Add
5-6  potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 c. water
bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 min.  Add
2 (15 oz.) cans corn, (drain liquid off one of the cans)
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. seasoning salt (like Lawry's)
Pepper to taste (I like a lot of ground pepper in this, or to use pepper bacon if I can)
2 c. cream (or half and half)
Heat for a few minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Taste for seasonings.  Serve with bread or crackers.

Notes: this would also be yummy with red potatoes-leave the peels on if you try this. You can replace one of the cans of corn with a can of creamed corn.

Jenny

Refrigerator Pickles

I tried these at a friend's barbecue and they are so yummy!  I was glad they are also SO EASY! They are bright, fresh tasting and keep a good crunch.  This recipe is also great for end of the garden, as it only takes a few cucumbers and a few minutes time.

Refrigerator Pickles
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 c. white vinegar
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. dried dill weed
1 tsp. minced garlic-optional (I used the kind in a jar- maybe use less if fresh)
cucumbers

Wash and slice cucumbers to fill three jars (mine made 2 pints and one quart). I like to take a thin slice off the ends of the cucumber and then slice into spears, but you could also slice them in rounds. In a microwave safe dish, combine water, sugar, vinegar and salt.  Microwave on high for 2 min. and stir.  Continue heating and stirring until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved.  Stir in dill weed and garlic.  Pour hot syrup over sliced cucumbers and cap with a lid. Place in the refrigerator and wait at least 3 days before eating (this is the hard part!).  The pickles get better over the next two weeks. They should last several months in the fridge.

Notes: You can use whole dill heads if you have them 1-2 heads per jar.  I made two pints and one quart out of the first batch, but packed the pickles different for my 2nd batch and had enough syrup to cover 1 quart and three pints, so your cucumber packing will determine your quantity. I like to put some in quarts because my cucumbers were so long!  I also tried replacing the dill and garlic with celery seed, whole cloves and mustard seed.  That made good pickles too, but I prefer the dill. You could also use whole, peeled garlic cloves in this.

Jenny

Heka

I'm not sure where this recipe originates from.  It is a stir fry with ground beef as a base and soy sauce for flavor. The recipe came from my friend Kristen a long time ago.  It is for me and my fellow cabbage-lovers!  I'm still working to convert some of my household to the appreciation of this vegetable.  It is a process that consists of putting it on the table in front of them as often as I think they will let me! Go, cabbage!

Heka
1 lb. hamburger
1 med. onion, sliced
2 c. carrots, sliced
2 c. celery, sliced
2 c. cabbage, sliced thin
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. water
2 Tbsp. sugar
pepper to taste

Chop all the veggies.  Brown hamburger and onion together in a skillet, do not add any salt, but pepper to taste.  Add remaining vegetables.  Mix soy sauce, water and sugar together and pour over vegetables and hamburger.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer 15 min. or until veggies are tender. Serve immediately. I like to serve this with bread, rolls or biscuits.

Notes: The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. soy sauce and 1/3 c. water.  I think it makes it a little over-salty, so I use a bit less, but keep the liquid ratio the same.  You can do as you like.

Jenny

Sourdough Zucchini Cake

I have a cookbook for using sourdough that I have been enjoying lately.  There were several cakes in it, but not a zucchini cake, so I've done a bit of this and that to several recipes and converted it to sourdough.  The result was yummy!  I'm putting the recipe here for safe keeping.  You can try it too, if you like. (If this looks good, but you don't want a sourdough version, here is a regular Zucchini Cake)

Sourdough Zucchini Cake
3 c. grated zucchini
2 c. sugar
1 c. oil
1/2 c. sourdough start
4 eggs
Combine in a large bowl and stir.  Add:
3 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
Stir together.  Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 min.  Cool and frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Notes: here is a link for a recipe to make your own Sourdough Start.

Jenny

Pea Salad with Dill

This is a nice salad for a summer barbecue, but you can make it anytime with the convenience of frozen peas.  Easy to prepare, and with no mayo to spoil, a good one for times when you don't know how long you will be away from the fridge. You can use fresh peas from the garden if you have them, just shell them and blanch for about 2 min. in boiling water, then run them under cool water and proceed as with the recipe.

Pea Salad with Dill
20 oz. frozen peas, thawed
2/3 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. sliced green onion
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dried dill weed
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

To thaw frozen peas: place in a colander and run warm water over them for a few minutes, until thawed.  Set aside to drain.  Mix together sour cream, lemon juice, green onion, sugar garlic powder and salt.  Stir in peas until coated.  Pepper to taste. Refrigerate for flavors to blend for an hour before serving.

Note: You can use Pampered Chef's Dill Mix in place of the dill weed and garlic powder. This can be made a day ahead. Recipe uses two 10 oz. packages of peas, but if you have a big bag of peas and no scale, I think this is about 4 c. frozen peas.

Jenny