DIFFERENT WAYS OF PRESERVING FOOD

By Carrie Roush Nicholas on Saturday, March 14, 2015 at 7:05am

CANNING PECANS Heat pecans in oven at 300 to 325 degrees until they feel hot, not so much as they loose any oil. Put in hot, dry, sterile jars. Seal and process. Water Bath Method: Place in 2 inches of boiling water and process for 30 minutes. Pressure cooker method: Place in 2 inches of water, leave weight off as steam escapes for 7 to 10 minutes. Put on weight at 5 pound and process for 3 minutes. Let pressure drop normally and remove jars. CANNING SYRUP 3 c. sugar 4 c. water Place water and sugar in 2 quart saucepan. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Set aside. Prepare fruit and place in clean sterile jars. Pour hot syrup over fruit until covered; seal and water bath according to the kind of fruit you have. Usually 25 minutes for most fruits in pints. Prepare the syrup in this small quantity and it is not when fruit is ready and you don't waste sugar. Mix only as much as you will use. You may also use this for freezing fruit. Use plastic freezer boxes for fruit and cover with cooled syrup and freeze. Dehydrate Extra Summer Squash Summer squash taking over? I chop mine into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces and dehydrate them. Because of the water content of summer squash, they really dehydrate to a tiny size, so you may need a smaller grate. Then I mix them in almost everything - meatloaf (instead of bread, crackers, oatmeal, etc), soups, sauces, quick breads. You get the idea. If your dehydrated squash pieces are too large, just whiz them in a food processor or blender until you get the size you need. Even picky eaters (i.e my grand kids) will eat it all, and not realize there are extra veggies on their plate. APPLE PIE FILLING FOR CANNING 7 qt. canning jars, cleaned & sterilized Golden Delicious or mixed apples, peel & slice & fill 7 qt. jars SYRUP: 4 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 c. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 10 c. water Cook syrup ingredients until thick. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Pour over apples in jars. Seal. Process in canner for 20 minutes.

CANNING PEARS 4 1/2 c. processed pears 1 box Sure-Jell 5 c. sugar 1 tsp. allspice or cinnamon Wash, pare and core pears. Run through grinder or processor until fine. Measure out 4 1/2 cups. Mix with 1 box of Sure-Jell. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add all at once, 5 cups sugar and teaspoon of allspice or cinnamon. Bring to full rolling boil again and time 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes. Skim foam and seal into sterile jars. Can process 10 minutes in boiling water bath for safety. Makes 4 pints. CANNING PEACHES Make a syrup, thin or medium as you wish. Put in one cracked peach pit for every quart of syrup. Boil 5 minutes and strain. SYRUP: 1 1/2 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is very thin. SYRUP: 2 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a thin one. SYRUP: 3 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a medium one. SYRUP: 4 3/4 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a heavy one. Hold peaches in boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skins slip easily. Plunge at once into cold water for a few seconds. Remove skins. Cut peaches in halves and discard pits. Peel by hand. Pack at once. Place halves in overlapping layers. Place the pit side of each half down. Fill containers with boiling syrup. Process quart and pint glass jars 35 minutes in boiling water, if fruit is firm and hard; process 25 minutes. If it is ripe and tender. CANNING BERRIES (STRAWBERRIES) Wash carefully and put in sterilized jars. Add hot syrup and fill jars with hot water. Seal with lids that have been boiled. Put in water bath canner. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Leave covered, turning off heat and let stand until quite cool. When cool store in cool place, when sealed tight, can be placed on side to prevent crowding berries. Syrup: 3 parts sugar to 2 parts water. CANNING BEANS Soybeans Lima beans Garbanzo beans Kidney beans Pinto beans 3 1/2 c. beans Hot water to 1 inch from top 1 tsp. salt Wipe off rim of jar. Place sealing lid on, screw ring lid on. (Most lids with rim will work.) Place in pressure cooker which has 2 quarts of water in it. Cook on 10 to 15 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes. Let cool naturally in canner for at least 25 minutes, allowing pressure to reduce slowly. CANNING SOUPS TOMATO SOUP (For Canning) 1 peck tomatoes 2 green peppers 1 bunch celery, cook until tender 2 sm. onions Put through food processor or blender, then through colander. Put juice in kettle and add: 2 3/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 cup salt. Make a paste and add to juice. Cook 20 minutes. Put into sterilized jars and seal. VEGETABLE SOUP CANNING 2 gal. ripe tomatoes 16 ears corn 4 green peppers 2 hot peppers 2 c. carrots, precooked 2 c. butter beans, precooked 2 c. black-eyed peas, precooked 1 1/2 c. okra 1 c. sugar 3/4 c. vinegar (optional) 1/2 c. salt 1 qt. hot water Mix all ingredients together until heated through. Hot pack into quart jars leaving 1 inch headspace and adjust 2 piece lids. Process in a pressure canner for 90 minutes at 10 psi. SPAGHETTI SAUCE (FOR CANNING) 1/2 bushel Roma tomatoes 2 large onions 2 medium green peppers 1 cup oil 1/4 cup parsley 1/4 cup oregano 1 1/2 tsp garlic 1/4 cup salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup red wine vinegar 48 oz tomato paste Chop onions and green peppers. Blanch and peel tomatoes. Cook onions and green peppers in oil until soft. Add tomatoes and cook until very soft. Mash with tomato paste until desired consistency. Add seasonings and cook down until thick. (I usually cook for 8 - 10 hours). Process in hot water bath for 50 minutes or in a pressure canner for 20 minutes at 10 lbs. For a smooth sauce without chunks: If you have a Vittorio Strainer or the vegetable strainer for a Kitchen Aid Mixer you only have to wash and quarter tomatoes. Cook as above and run through strainer to get skins, seeds and vegetable chunks out. Then proceed as above. HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE FOR CANNING 1/2 bushel tomatoes 3 lb. onions 4 green peppers Cook for 2 1/2 hours until soft. Makes 7 quarts juice. Put juice through a sieve. 1 1/2 tsp. red pepper (optional) 2 c. vegetable oil 2 tsp. basil 2 tsp. oregano 1 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. parsley 6 bay leaves 1/2 c. salt 2 tsp. garlic salt Boil juice and spice until thick. Add 4 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste, optional (for thicker sauce). Bring to boil. Put in jars and adjust lids. Place in pressure cooker for 5 minutes, for 5 pounds of pressure. Makes 18 to 20 pints. OLD - FASHIONED PEACH PRESERVES 2 qts. sliced, peeled, hard, ripe peaches 6 c. sugar Combine fruit and sugar; let stand 12 to 18 hours in cool place. Sterilize canning jars. Bring slowly to boiling, stirring frequently. Boil gently until fruit becomes clear and syrup thick (about 40 minutes). As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Skim if necessary. Pour hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 5 minutes in a boiling waterbath. HOW TO CAN DEER MEAT CUT YOUR DEER MEAT INTO CHUNKS! PUT 1 TSP OF SALT PER QT. JAR PUT IN DEER MEAT AND STUFF IT AS TIGHT AS U CAN!!!! THEN U PUT 2 TBLSP WATER IN EACH JAR. AND PUT YOUR LIDS IN HOT WATER B4 ADDING THEM TO THE JAR. WHIPE RINGS OF JARS. PUT LIDS AND RINGS ON JAR AND TIGHTEN DOWN. PUT IN CANNER ADD 2 QTS OF WATER AND PRESSURE CAN THEM AT 10 POUNDS PRESSURE FOR 90 MIN. COLD PACK (WATER BATH METHOD) PREPARE JARS LIKE THE UPPER RECIPE CALLS FOR. PUT IN POT AND COVER WITH WATER TILL IT COVERS JAR LIDS BY 1 TO 2 INCHES AND BRING TO HARD ROLLING BOIL AND BOIL FOR 4 HOURS. IF U HAVE TO ADD WATER TO KEEP LEVEL OF WATER ABOVE JAR THEN MAKE SURE IT IS HOT WATER!!!!!!! What foods can be dried? You can dry fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, herbs, flowers, and much more, including frozen and canned foods. In fact, you can dry almost anything that contains water-items you may never have considered, such as tofu. Here are some other ideas that will keep your dehydrator in constant use: Use it to revive limp potato chips or soggy popcorn. Dry leftover bread to make crumbs and croutons. Instead of draping homemade noodles to dry all over the kitchen and dining room, dry them in your dehydrator. Make your own bagel chips by seasoning thinly sliced bagels with garlic, onion powder, or cinnamon sugar, then drying them until crisp in your dehydrator. How long does it take to dry food? This is the question I am asked most frequently and it is the hardest one to answer because many factors affect drying time: - The water content in the food - The sugar content in the food - The size of the piece of food - The amount of air circulation when the food is dried - The level of humidity in the air entering the dehydrator - The air temperature inside the dehydrator. - Last and most important, the type of dehydrator you are using will affect the time needed to dry food. The lower the air temperature inside the dehydrator, the longer the drying time. Raising the temperature in the unit will increase the amount of water removed from the food and decrease the length of time it will take to dry. The temperature should be high enough to draw the moisture from the food but not high enough to cook it. Temperatures that are too low may cause food to spoil; temperatures that are too high may cause the surface area of the food to harden and prevent moisture from escaping. The three food categories -meats and fish, fruits and vegetables, and herbs- require different drying temperatures: Meats and Fish: 145°F and above Fruits and Vegetables: 130°F to 140°F Herbs and flowers: 100°F to 110°F INFORMATION ON HOW TO USE DEHYDRATED FOOD Dried foods can be used in soups, stews, baked goods, and casseroles. The crisp dried foods can be ground and added to crackers, cookies, breads or pancakes to add flavor. (You can replace up to 1/4 cup of flour with finely ground fruit or vegetable flour.) In some foods it is necessary to rehydrate the dried foods before using them. Usually in casseroles, and possibly in breads and baked goods. To Rehydrate: Put the food in a saucepan; pour enough boiling water over the food to just cover the food. Cover pan and heat on low til most of food is softened. Be careful not to over cook. Dried Vegetable Amount Water Time Yield Green Beans 3/4 cup 2 cup 45 min 2 1/2 cups Cabbage 1cup 1 cup 40 min 1 1/2 cups Corn 1 cup 2 cups 50 min 2 3/4 cups Greens 3 cup 1 1/2 cup 15 min 1 1/2 cup Squash, Summer 1 cup 1 cup 40 min 1 cup Tomato 1 cup 1cup 30 min 1 cup Vegetables, mixed 1/8 cup 1 cup 10 min 1 cup When using dried foods in soups or stews or other recipes with plenty of liquid, the dried food can be added directly into the food. Additional liquid may need to be added during the cooking process. When substituting dehydrated vegetables or fruit in recipes that call for fresh produce, only rehydrate as much as needed. In most recipes you need about 1/2 to 2/3 c of dry veggies for 1 cup of fresh. Below is a chart for some other dry equivalents. FRESH PRODUCE DRY EQUIVALENT 1 ONION 1 1/2 T ONION POWDER OR 1/4 CUP MINCED ONION 1 GREEN PEPPER 1/4 C GREEN PEPPER DICES 1 CUP CARROTS 4 T POWDER OR 1/2 C (HEAPED) DRIED CARROTS 1 CUP SPINACH 2 TO 3 T POWDERED SPINACH 1 MEDIUM TOMATO 1 T TOMATO POWDER MORE INFO ON DEHYDRATING FOOD Whether you're interested in drying food for health concerns, preserving the fruits of your own harvest, don't have the proper equipment for canning, need lightweight food for outdoor activities, you'd like to embark on a specialty diet (raw food, vegan/vegetarian), or are practicing emergency/disaster preparedness, dehydration is the way to go. Dehydrate and prepackage your own meals with food from your garden or food selected from the store. Dehydrating takes a fraction of the storage space, weighs less, saves money, requires no refrigeration and can last for years (when stored properly and kept in a cool dry place, dehydrated foods can last up to 30 years depending upon the item). SHELF LIFE OF PROPERLY PREPARED AND STORED DEHYDRATED FOODS (link) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFood drying is one of the oldest methods of preserving food for later use. Dehydration can either be an alternative to canning or freezing, or complement these methods. Drying foods is simple, safe and easy to learn. With modern food dehydrators, fruit leathers, banana chips and beef jerky can all be dried year round at home. Learning how to dehydrate food is simple, safe and easy. Drying food is also a great way to eat healthy and to save on your overall food costs. How Dehydrating Preserves Food: Drying removes the moisture from the food so bacteria, yeast and mold cannot grow and spoil the food. Drying also slows down the action of enzymes (naturally occurring substances which cause foods to ripen), but does not inactivate them. In drying, warm temperatures cause the moisture to evaporate. Low humidity allows moisture to move quickly from the food to the air. Air current speeds up drying by moving the surrounding moist air away from the food. Because drying removes moisture, the food becomes smaller and lighter in weight. When the food is ready for use, the water is added back, and the food returns to its original shape. Nutritional Value of Dried Foods Drying, like all methods of preservation, can result in loss of some nutrients. Nutritional changes that occur during drying include: • Calorie content: does not change, but is concentrated into a smaller mass as moisture is removed. • Fiber: no change. • Vitamin A: fairly well retained under controlled heat methods. • Vitamin C: mostly destroyed during blanching and drying of vegetables. • Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin: some loss during blanching but fairly good retention if the water used to rehydrate also is consumed. • Minerals: some may be lost during rehydration if soaking water is not used when consuming the food. Iron is not destroyed by drying. For best retention of nutrients in dried foods, store in a cool, dark, dry place and use within a year. Four Ways to Dehydrate Foods: •Foods can be dried in an electric food dehydrator •in an oven •by the sun itself •or by using a solar dehydrating unit. All of these methods work by using the right combination of warm temperatures, low humidity and air current. Electric Food Dehydrators A food dehydrator is a small electrical appliance for drying foods indoors. A food dehydrator has an electric element for heat and a fan and vents for air circulation. Dehydrators are efficiently designed to dry foods fast at 140ºF. Food dehydrators are available from discount department stores, mail-order catalogs, the small appliance section of a department store, natural food stores and seed or garden supply catalogs. Costs vary depending on features. Some models are expandable and additional trays can be purchased later. Twelve square feet of drying space dries about a half-bushel of produce. The major disadvantage of a dehydrator is its limited capacity. Dehydrator Features to Look For •Double wall construction of metal or high grade plastic. Wood is not recommended, because it is a fire hazard and is difficult to clean. •Enclosed heating elements. •Counter top design. •An enclosed thermostat from 85ºF to 160ºF. •Fan or blower. •Four to 10 open mesh trays made of sturdy, lightweight plastic for easy washing. •UL seal of approval. •A one-year guarantee. •Convenient service. •A dial for regulating temperature. •A timer. Often the completed drying time may occur during the night and a timer could turn the dehydrator off and prevent scorching. Tips On What To Check For: •Check the customer reviews before any major purchase. People that have used a product themselves, generally give the best and most honest opinions regarding what they like and don't like about the product. •A good product warranty. Don't settle for something that could fail before the first year or so, then you are stuck paying for a new one all over again. It's better to pay a little more to get a quality product that will last for several years. It may also be worth paying a little extra for an extended warranty if one is offered. •A square or rectangle dehydrator screen is much easier to arrange the food on because you don't have to position it around the round edge. Square screens are much more space efficient for placing your items. •Your dehydrator must have a fan. Do NOT consider one without a fan. It's important to circulate the air around to keep the food at an even temperature. •Dryer units with top or side mounted heaters and fans are much easier to clean. Foods drip down and if you have a unit that has the fan and heating element at the bottom, then you have all that mess to clean up around the hardware. •One of the best food dehydrators on the market today is the Excalibur (link). It meets and exceeds all the above recommendations. The Excalibur food dehydrator dries quickly, efficiently and conveniently. This product is built to take years of heavy use. Types of Dehydrators There are two basic designs for dehydrators. One has horizontal air flow and the other has vertical air flow. In the units with horizontal flow, the heating element and fan are located on the side of the unit. The major advantages of horizontal flow are: it reduces flavor mixture so several different foods can be dried at one time; all trays receive equal heat penetration; and juices or liquids do not drip down into the heating element. Vertical air flow dehydrators have the heating element and fan located at the base. If different foods are dried, flavors can mix and liquids can drip into the heating element. xxxxxxxxxxxxxx How To Dehydrate Food in 10 Simple Steps: 1. Read the owners manual. (Its amazing how many people DON'T do this when they purchase a product) 2. Start with fresh fruits and vegetables of the very best quality. Over-ripe, bruised and otherwise deteriorated produce will not yield good results when dehydrated. 3. Clean, hull and slice all fruits and vegetables, taking care to maintain consistency in the thickness of the slices. (This will ensure that everything dries at an even rate.) 4. If desired, treat apples, pears and other fruits prone to oxidation with citrus juice or ascorbic acid. This will help to retain the color of the fruit before, during and after the drying process. 5. Blanch broccoli, cauliflower, celery, carrots, corn, peas and potatoes to speed drying time and to help maintain color. Three to five minutes in boiling water should be adequate. Blanching is a necessary step in preparing vegetables for drying. By definition, blanching is the process of heating vegetables to a temperature high enough to destroy enzymes present in tissue. Blanching stops the enzyme action which could cause loss of color and flavor during drying and storage. It also shortens the drying and rehydration time by relaxing the tissue walls so moisture can escape and later re enter more rapidly. Vegetables can be water blanched or steam blanched. 6. Optional: Add salt, sugar or spices to flavor. 7. Load your fruit and vegetable slices onto the dehydrator trays, being careful not to overlap them, as this will slow the drying time. 8. Turn your dehydrator on immediately after loading to start the dehydration process. Consult your owner's manual for recommended drying times, but expect the process to take between 8-12 hours on average. 9. As you reach the end of the drying time, check your fruits and vegetables frequently for dryness. To do so, simply remove a slice from the dehydrator, allow it to cool and then feel it with your fingers. If the slice feels dry to the touch, it should be adequately dried. To further evaluate the dryness of fruit: cut several fruit slices in half, and check the cut edges for moisture beads. If any are present, the fruit is not yet dry enough, and needs to be returned to the dehydrator. 10. Package and store your dehydrated food. Some Basics Before You Start •Wash everything down with an anti-bacterial cleanser of your choice. Just like when canning foods, it is important to practice good hygiene while dehydrating as well. This ensures a good end product with a longer shelf life. •Wear latex or vinyl gloves when handling the food! There are natural oils and moistures in your hands which will contaminate your foods by reintroducing moisture. The whole idea to dehydrating foods is to maintain a good quality food with a long shelf life. Wearing protective gloves helps you obtain these goals. •Warm up your dehydrator •Air circulation helps eliminate the growth of contaminates, therefore it is best to start the dehydrator and get the air moving before putting your food in. TIP: It is so much easier to cut your dehydrated foods with kitchen scissors instead of using a knife. Some of the dehydrated foods you can simply crumble in your hands. DEHYDRATION VIDEOS FROM EXCALIBUR (link) An average drying time list: 8-15 hours ~ all fresh vegetables, including peppers 8-10 hours ~ frozen vegetables (remember to place on the tray while frozen ) 8-10 hours ~ mushrooms and onions (sliced and chopped) 12-15 hours ~ sweet potatoes and white potatoes (thinly sliced or chopped) 8-10 hours ~ fruits, very thinly sliced 12-15 hours ~ fruits, 1/4" slice 15+ hours ~ fruit leathers or rollups (depending on how much corn syrup and honey is used in preparation) 15-20 hours ~ grapes 18-20 hours ~ blueberries Up to 2 days ~ whole prunes (remove pits) 12-15 hours ~ peaches, plums, pears, apples, nectarines, rhubarb It is very difficult to give an exact time frame for dehydrating foods because of all the variables. Humidity in and outside the home, thickness and type of cut, how loaded the trays are, and even different brands of produce can all affect dehydration time. Also, the type of dehydrator you use plays a large role. If the fan is on the top or bottom of your dehydrator it will take longer for the food to dry because the circulation of air flow is disrupted by the other trays. If the fan is in the back of the dehydrator (where it should be) your food will dry faster and more evenly. The most important part is not so much the length of time in the dehydrator, but the percentage of remaining moisture left. For long term storage, you want to stay at 95% and above. Testing for dryness will be your best barometer. Your food should easily snap and should not be sticking together. Determining Dryness of Fruits Foods should be dry enough to prevent microbial growth and subsequent spoilage. Dried fruits should be leathery and pliable. To test foods for dryness, remove a few pieces and let cool to room temperature. When warm or hot, fruits seem more soft, moist and pliable than they actually are. Squeeze a handful of the fruit. If no moisture is left on the hand and pieces spring apart when released, they are dry. Conditioning Fruits The moisture content of home dried fruit should be about 20 percent. When the fruit is taken from the dehydrator, the remaining moisture may not be distributed equally among the pieces because of their size or their location in the dehydrator. Conditioning is the process used to equalize the moisture. It reduces the risk of mold growth. To condition the fruit, take the dried fruit that has cooled and pack it loosely in plastic or glass jars. Seal the containers and let them stand for 7 to 10 days. The excess moisture in some pieces will be absorbed by the drier pieces. Shake the jars daily to separate the pieces and check the moisture condensation. If condensation develops in the jar, return the fruit to the dehydrator for more drying. After conditioning, package and store the fruit. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DEHYDRATING FRUIT (link) Determining Dryness of Vegetables Vegetables should be dried until they are brittle or "crisp." Some vegetables actually shatter if hit with a hammer. At this stage, they should contain about 10 percent moisture. Because they are so dry, they do not need conditioning like fruits. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON DEHYDRATING VEGETABLES (link) Meat Jerky Jerky is made by drying thin strips of lean meat to about one-fourth its original weight. In the past, preparation and heating recommendations for jerky have been quite general. Recommendations have included drying in the sun, oven or dehydrator. Sun drying is no longer recommended due to a lack of steady controlled heat source (145°F) and the potential for contamination from animals, insects, dust and bacteria. Although drying in the oven or dehydrator allows for a safer product, illnesses in recent years due to various bacteria in homemade jerky products have raised questions about the safety of all methods of drying jerky products at home. E. coli is especially dangerous because of the severe consequences of infection, particularly for people who are young, elderly or immuno-compromised. The pathogen has a very low infectious dose, thus raising concerns for food products consumed raw or with inadequate cooking. In addition, E. coli can adapt to acidic conditions and has been found to survive many weeks on dry surfaces, even at refrigerated temperatures. Thus, there is a strong indication for the potential risk of E. coli surviving in dried foods. One method for ensuring the adequate destruction of E. coli during jerky preparation is to pre-cook the meat to 160°F before drying. This method is currently recommended by the Meat and Poultry Hotline (1-800-535-4555) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Pre-cooking creates a product that is different than traditional jerky and therefore may not be well received. Also, the product may not dry evenly throughout because of case-hardening on the outside surface. Determining Dryness of Jerky: Properly dried jerky is chewy and leathery. It will be as brittle as a green stick, but won’t snap like a dry stick. To test for dryness, remove a strip of jerky from the oven or dehydrator. Let cool slightly, then bend the jerky; it should crack, but not break when bent. When jerky is sufficiently dry, remove the strips from the drying racks to a clean surface. Pat off any beads of oil with a paper towel and let cool. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON FRUIT LEATHERS AND JERKY (link) Oven Drying Everyone who has an oven has a dehydrator. By combining the factors of heat, low humidity and air flow, an oven can be used as a dehydrator. An oven is ideal for occasional drying of meat jerkies, fruit leathers, banana chips or for preserving excess produce like celery or mushrooms. Because the oven is needed for every day cooking, it may not be satisfactory for preserving abundant garden produce. Oven drying is slower than dehydrators because it does not have a built-in fan for the air movement. (However, some convection ovens do have a fan). It takes about two times longer to dry food in an oven than it does in a dehydrator. Thus, the oven is not as efficient as a dehydrator and uses more energy. To Use Your Oven First, check the dial and see if it can register as low as 140°F. If your oven does not go this low, then your food will cook instead of dry. Use a thermometer to check the temperature at the "warm" setting. For air circulation, leave the oven door propped open two to six inches. Circulation can be improved by placing a fan outside the oven near the door. CAUTION: This is not a safe practice for a home with small children. Because the door is left open, the temperature will vary. An oven thermometer placed near the food gives an accurate reading. Adjust the temperature dial to achieve the needed 140°F. Drying trays should be narrow enough to clear the sides of the oven and should be 3 to 4 inches shorter than the oven from front to back. Cake cooling racks placed on top of cookie sheets work well for some foods. The oven racks, holding the trays, should be two to three inches apart for air circulation. Sun Drying The high sugar and acid content of fruits make them safe to dry out-of-doors when conditions are favorable for drying. Vegetables (with the exception of vine dried beans) and meats are not recommended for out-of-doors drying. Vegetables are low in sugar and acid. This increases the risks for food spoilage. Meats are high in protein, making them ideal for microbial growth when heat and humidity cannot be controlled. It is best to dry meats and vegetables indoors using controlled conditions of an oven or food dehydrator. Sun-dried raisins are the best known of all dried foods. California produces much of the world's supply of raisins. In the San Joaquin Valley, warm temperatures, low humidity and a constant breeze are ideal conditions for drying grapes. To dry fruits out-of-doors hot, dry, breezy days are best. A minimum temperature of 85ºF is needed with higher temperatures being better. It takes several days to dry foods out-of-doors. Because the weather is uncontrollable, drying fruits out-of-doors can be risky. If it rains in California while the grapes are drying, the entire supply of raisins can be destroyed. High humidity in the Southeast is a problem for drying fruits out-of-doors. A humidity below 60 percent is best. Often these ideal conditions are not available when the fruit ripens and other alternatives to dry the food are needed. Fruits dried out-of-doors must be covered or brought under shelter at night. The cool night air condenses and could add moisture back to the food, thus slowing down the drying process. Equipment The easiest dehydrator of all is racks or screens placed on blocks allow for better air movement around the food. Because the ground may be moist, it is best to place the racks or screens on a concrete driveway or if possible over a sheet of aluminum or tin. The reflection of the sun on the metal increases the drying temperature. xxxxxxxxx Screens need to be safe for contact with food. The best screens are stainless steel, Teflon-coated fiberglass and plastic. Avoid screens made from "hardware cloth." This is galvanized metal cloth that is coated with cadmium or zinc. These metals can oxidize, leaving harmful residues on the food. Also avoid copper and aluminum screening. Copper destroys vitamin C and increases oxidation. Aluminum tends to discolor and corrode. Because birds and insects are attracted to dried fruits, two screens are best for drying food. One screen acts as a shelf and the other as a protective cover. Cheesecloth could also be used to cover the food. If desired, one can make more elaborate dehydrators: xxxxxxxxxxxxxx Vine Drying One method of drying out-of-doors is vine drying. To dry beans (navy, kidney, butter, great northern, lima, lentils and soybeans) leave bean pods on the vine in the garden until the beans inside rattle. When the vines and pods are dry and shriveled, pick the beans and shell them. No pretreatment is necessary. If beans are still moist, the drying process is not complete and the beans will mold if not more thoroughly dried. If needed, drying can be completed in the sun, oven or a dehydrator. MORE INFORMATION ON VINE DRYING (link) Pasteurization Like sun dried fruits, vine dried beans need treatment to kill insects and their eggs. 1. Freezer Method – Seal the food in freezer-type plastic bags. Place the bags in a freezer set at 0ºF or below and leave them at least 48 hours. 2. Oven Method – Place the food in a single layer on a tray or in a shallow pan. Place in an oven preheated to 160ºF for 30 minutes. Packaging and Storing Dried Foods •Dried foods are susceptible to insect contamination and moisture reabsorption and must be properly packaged and stored immediately. First, cool completely. Warm food causes sweating which could provide enough moisture for mold to grow. Pack foods into clean, dry insect-proof containers as tightly as possible without crushing. •Store dried foods in clean, dry home canning jars, plastic freezer containers with tight-fitting lids or in plastic freezer bags. Vacuum packaging is also a good option. Pack foods in amounts that can be used all at once. Each time a package is re-opened, the food is exposed to air and moisture that can lower the quality of the food and result in spoilage. •Pack food in amounts that will be used in a recipe. Every time a package is re-opened, the food is exposed to air and moisture that lower the quality of the food. •Fruit that has been sulfured should not touch metal. Place the fruit in a plastic bag before storing it in a metal can. Sulfur fumes will react with the metal and cause color changes in the fruit. •Dried foods should be stored in cool, dry, dark areas. Recommended storage times for dried foods range from 4 months to 1 year. Because food quality is affected by heat, the storage temperature helps determine the length of storage; the higher the temperature, the shorter the storage time. Most dried fruits can be stored for 1 year at 60ºF, 6 months at 80ºF. Vegetables have about half the shelf-life of fruits. •Foods that are packaged seemingly "bone dry" can spoil if moisture is reabsorbed during storage. Check dried foods frequently during storage to see if they are still dry. Glass containers are excellent for storage because any moisture that collects on the inside can be seen easily. Foods affected by moisture, but not spoiled, should be used immediately or redried and repackaged. Moldy foods should be discarded. DESSICANT FOR DEHYDRATED FOOD STORAGE (link) Using dried foods: Dried fruits can be eaten as is or reconstituted. Dried vegetables must be reconstituted. Once reconstituted, dried fruits or vegetables are treated as fresh. Fruit leathers and meat jerky are eaten as is. There are certain things to keep in mind when using a dehydrated food recipe, or when using dehydrated food in any recipe. #1: dehydrated food is like regular food, but with the water taken out. All foods are made up of a certain percentage of water. When we dehydrate foods, we are simply removing the water, so that the same amount of flavor and the same properties get packed into a much smaller package. This means that you’ll need less dried food than you would to make the same recipe using fresh or frozen or canned foods. When using a dehydrated food recipe, things are much easier, because the recipe will have already allowed for the difference in the two. If, however, you wish to use dried foods in a recipe that calls for fresh, you’ll have to make the adjustments yourself. #2: this one is related to tip number one. The second rule is that foods lose about one third to one half of their bulk when they’re dried, depending on the kind of food. Something like meat may lose only a third; leaves, such as herbs, will lose up to half. This means that for meat, you would use a third less, or to taste, and for herbs or other dried leaves, use only half. Again, put less than you think you’ll need; you can always put more in, but you can’t take it out. #3: use less salt. Whenever following a dehydrated food recipe, never, *ever* add salt while cooking, and always taste it before salting it once it’s on the table. The reason? Dehydrated foods slurp up salt along with the cooking water. Don't expect dehydrated vegetables to taste precisely like their fresh or canned counterparts. Generally speaking, dehydrated foods won't have quite as strong a flavor as fresh foods. In almost every case, however, after adding a little butter and salt and pepper, prepared, dehydrated food is every bit as tasty and sometimes even better tasting than canned vegetables. To reconstitute dried fruits or vegetables, add water to the fruit or vegetable and soak until the desired volume is restored. Do not over-soak the food. Over-soaking produces loss of flavor and a mushy, water-logged texture. For soups and stews, add the dehydrated vegetables, without rehydrating them. They will rehydrate as the soup or stew cooks. Also, leafy vegetables and tomatoes do not need soaking. Add enough water to cover and simmer until tender. CAUTION! If soaking takes more than 2 hours, refrigerate the product for the remainder of the time. Green Beans: Green Beans increase in volume about 2 times when boiled in water; the weight increases 5 times. Green beans reconstitute closely to it's canned counterpart. One could put a serving of canned green beans next to a serving of cooked dehydrated green beans and not be able to see the difference. The texture and flavor is also very similar. Because of how light dehydrated green beans are, a pound of them would last a typical family for quite a while. Dehydrated green beans go great by themselves but would be equally as tasty in green bean casserole or any other green bean dish. Broccoli: Broccoli increases in volume about 2.25 times when boiled in water; the weight increases 5.4 times. Broccoli can be reconstituted in either cold or hot water and rehydrates in cold water in 10 to 15 minutes. The dried broccoli breaks smartly when bent. When rehydrated, raw broccoli is just a bit more tough than it's fresh counterpart. Boil it for two minutes and you will be hard pressed to tell it from fresh cooked broccoli that's been shredded a bit. A BIG plus with dehydrated broccoli - you don't have to cut off the stem - the majority of the weight - and throw it away. Dehydrated broccoli consists of 'just the tops'. Cabbage: Cabbage increases about 2.25 times when soaked in cold water, when boiled, about 2.6 times; the weight increases 6 times when cooked. The military has been using dehydrated cabbage in their dining facilities for many years. Boiled, dehydrated cabbage has much of the same taste as fresh cooked cabbage and is one of the more successfully dehydrated foods used in the US food industry. Carrots: Carrots increase in volume about 3 times when boiled in water; the weight increases 4.6 times. It takes them about 15 minutes to cook. Rehydrated carrots in cold water are not a good substitute for raw carrots. Eat them by themselves as cooked carrots or throw a handful of them, dry, into your soups, stews or casseroles before cooking. They are also easily pulverized into carrot "flour" and included in your breads, cakes and noodles to bump up the nutrition. Celery: Celery increases in volume about 2 times when soaked in cool water; the weight increases 4.2 times. In cooked dishes such as stews, soups and poultry stuffing, dehydrated celery's flavor and aroma comes through loud and clear, every bit as good as if you were using fresh celery. You can feel comfortable in using dehydrated celery in any cooked recipe that calls for fresh celery. And it saves time. Instead of having to wash and cut fresh celery, you can simply toss a small handful of dehydrated celery right into the makings of most dishes. ...quick and easy! Corn: Corn increases in volume about 2 times when boiled in water; the weight increases 3.3 times. Their dehydrated color is darker than either fresh or canned corn and even though they do lighten up a bit when rehydrated, they still maintain a darker color than either fresh or canned corn. After cooking for a half hour, the rehydrated, cooked corn is noticeably not as soft as fresh or canned corn. The pressure cooker is especially good for dehydrated corn. If you treat dried corn more like posole, or a quicker cooking legume, you will have great results. Mushrooms: Mushrooms, when rehydrated, remain about the same volume when soaked in cool water; the weight increases 4.1 times. Rehydrated dry mushrooms have basically the same texture and flavor of fresh, raw mushrooms but lack some crispness. You can use them with confidence in any cooked dish that calls for cooked or fresh mushrooms. Onions: Chopped onions increase in volume about 1.3 times when soaked in cool water. When boiled, they increase in volume 3 times and the weight increases 4 times. Raw, they aren't quite as good as fresh onions but are certainly good enough to use in place of raw onions in such dishes as potato salad. Cooked in meat loaf, stews or whatever you add onions to, you will not notice any difference between fresh and dehydrated onions. Rehydrated onions, soaked in cool water, look very much like fresh cut onions and can be used interchangeably in most places where fresh onions are used. Onion powder is extremely hydrophilic which means it just loves water and will turn into a rock-hard solid. This happens when it has absorbed too much atmospheric moisture. This is not so much of a problem in dry climates, but if you live in a high humidity area, upon opening your can, you may wish to transfer most of it into smaller, airtight containers to prevent this from happening. If it does 'set up' on you, it's still useable. Break a chunk off and put it in water to soften. Peas: Dehydrated Sweet Garden Peas increase in volume about 3 times when boiled in water; the weight increases about 3.3 times. Eaten plain, their flavor falls somewhere between fresh and canned peas. Their texture is more like fresh cooked peas than canned peas. These peas also have a really nice color when rehydrated. Bell Peppers: Peppers increase in volume about 2 times when soaked in cool water; the weight increases 6.1 times. Rehydrated in cold water, the raw peppers have nice color and the flavor is good enough to use in dishes that use uncooked peppers such as the popular salsa fresca. Cooked in a casserole, soup or stew, it's difficult to tell the difference between fresh peppers and dehydrated peppers. Hash Browns: Hashbrowns increase in volume 2.6 times when boiled in water; their weight increases 5.8 times. Dehydrated, they are quite hard and snap when bent. To rehydrate, pour the dehydrated potatoes in 3 parts of boiling water. Let them boil until tender which usually takes about 10 minutes. They will absorb most of the water. Unlike raw, grated potatoes, when you boil these spuds they won't turn into mush. After they are soft, drain whatever water is left in them and throw them in a hot, oiled frying pan. It will take more heat than fresh potatoes to brown reconstituted hash browns. Tomato Powder: Tomato powder increases in volume about 1.66 times and increases in weight about 2.7 times when making it into a thick tomato paste. Of course, it will stretch further if you wish to make it into tomato sauce - increasing in volume about 2 1/2 times. Adding more water still, it can be thinned to the consistency of tomato juice. The color will be a little darker and have a bit more of a bite than tomato juice - With a couple of shakes of celery salt and a shake of Tabasco Sauce it really kicks! Tomato powder is extremely hydrophilic which means it just loves water. In fact, it will absorb moisture right out of the air and will turn into a rock-hard solid. This happens when it has absorbed too much atmospheric moisture. This is not so much of a problem in dry climates, however. If you live in a high humidity area, upon opening your can, you may wish to transfer most of it into smaller, airtight containers to prevent this from happening. If it does 'set up' on you, it's still useable. Break a chunk off and put it in water to soften. Add tomato powder in any dish where you'd use tomato paste or tomato sauce. 365 Meals: What to Do With All That Dehydrated Food It all started while reading Survivalblog. In an article about providing charity during a pandemic and not getting sick, Jim talked about putting food out where others could get it and then retreating to keep a safe distance between you and other people to keep your family from getting infected. While reading this article, I had an epiphany. Instead of handing out some rice, wheat, oats or a can of spam, I could concoct a “meal”, a Home-Made Meal (Almost) Ready to Eat (HMMARE?). My first HMMARE idea was to dump 1 cup of rice, a chicken bouillon cube, ¼ cup of chicken TVP and a ¼ cup of dehydrated peas into a Ziploc sandwich bag. It would be easy, just add three cups of water and boil, viola, a decent meal! I joyously told my wife about my great new idea. “Yuck,” she said, “we can do better than that!” So she sent me back to the drawing board (although these days 'the drawing board' looks more like a Google search engine than an architect's table). I scoured the internet endlessly until finally I came across a web site where a woman had thoughts similar to mine, and had made what she called “365 meals”. She had taken the reserves that she already had on hand and combined them with a project that her church group had done in years past. They made “Soup in a Jar” meals to give as gifts during the holiday season. She adapted this idea and thought that if she could make 365 meals then she would KNOW that at least she had one decent meal a day for her family for an entire year. This idea set my mind racing. My wife and I sat down and worked out a plan. We had several criteria that we wanted our meals to meet. They had to be in a sturdy container (We live in earthquake country, so no glass containers for us.) They need to be complete. You could add to them, but the recipe shouldn't require any extra ingredients. They needed to be simple – so that our children could make them, in case the adults were incapacitated. They needed to be good tasting, hearty and nutritious. They needed to be capable of long term storage. And, If possible they needed to use the supplies of food stuffs we already had on hand. We quickly worked out what we could do to make this a better option for our family. We learned from the (now extinct) 365 meals web page that the host had used the recipe book “Gifts in a Jar: One Dish Meals”. I turned to Amazon.com and discovered there were several books in the Gifts in a Jar series, and we purchased the ones that looked most applicable (like: Gifts From a Jar: Soups, Chilis & More). We wanted to start simply with items we already had on hand, and make a few meals in our kitchen. The first recipe we made was chicken soup. The recipe called for making a soup “stock” and adding fresh carrots, celery and chicken pieces. We adapted it with dehydrated carrots, celery and chicken TVP and more water than the recipe called for to rehydrate the vegetables. (TVP is Textured Vegetable Protein; it is a cheap and long term solution for dehydrated protein in meals. Real dehydrated chicken is also available on the market, but at 5 times the cost. Although Textured Vegetable Protein sounds unappetizing at first glance, chances are, you've had it without even knowing it. Bacon Bits are TVP!) [JWR Adds: I don't recommend stocking storage foods that are heavy in TVP, because of the potential health consequences. Too much soy can be a bad thing.] Now that we'd settled on a test-recipe, we had to figure out how, exactly, we were going to store them. We had a “Food Saver” vacuum sealer and that seemed like a good solution. Take out all the air and the meal should last a good long time right? So we gathered all the ingredients, had our children help with the assembly and made our first batch. The recipe said that the meal would feed 4 to 6 people and we had a family of six-two adults and four growing children, so we decided to double the recipe. Each meal was about the size of a 3lb. chub of hamburger (10” long x 8” in circumference). We made the meals until we ran out of ingredients, which yielded about 15 meals. After they were vacu-sealed we then set about to find another meal to make-we were on a roll! Our next meal (Untested by our professional taste testing children) was Ham Hock Stew. My wife and I thought it sounded wonderful, but our children disagreed. As before, we altered the recipe to fit our storage needs and made a few. When we were sealing the soups we noticed that the dehydrated carrots that were called for in the recipe were poking through the Food Saver Bags! We were crestfallen-how had our brilliant plan been foiled by a dehydrated vegetable? Just then we remembered that we had recently been gifted with an impulse sealer and 250 Mylar bags (A member of our church said he bought it, never used it and no one in his family wanted it, so he thought I would put it to good use-boy was he right!). It didn’t draw a vacuum, but we could overcome that by using oxygen absorbers; and the Mylar bags were much thicker than the Food Saver Bags (7 mils instead of 4). I knew that food stored in opaque storage containers kept food longer due to the deteriorating effects of sunlight, and these Mylar bags were sure to keep the sun out. We decided that the bags were too large (11” x 13”) so we cut them in half length wise and that was a perfect fit. We then transferred most of the Food Saver pouches to the new Mylar bags. After making 30 or so meals we decided to try one out. Our kids wanted the Chicken Soup but we wanted to know if they would like the ham hock stew...they didn’t like it…..THEY LOVED IT! Since we had doubled the recipe we expected to have a little left over…boy were we wrong. There was enough to feed Sherman’s Army! We all had our fill, and there was enough left over for me to have lunch the next day, and freeze enough for dinner for our family again! (Guess we really didn’t need to double those recipes after all). With this success under our belt we expanded, we ended up making about 12 different recipes and a total of 175 or so meals (since we doubled most of them we didn’t need as many). We took this idea to our friends and family and it was an instant success! After a few YouTube videos on the subject (Food Storage Secrets, 365 Meals or Making 365 Meals and others) we have demonstrated this method of food storage for over two years now, including several Church groups who have made upwards of 8,000 meals! (I guess we put that gifted impulse sealer to good use, huh!?) And I have had at least 50 other inquiries from individuals and groups wanting recipes and advice on how to make this work for them. After having personally been at these 8,000 meal making groups we have learned a few things to make this process fun and inexpensive. Here are the FAQs: The cost of each meal varies due to the ingredients but they average about $4.00 each. An impulse sealer isn’t required but makes it a lot easier. (We still have some Chicken Soup in a Food Saver bags and they are doing well.) You will need to do some conversions to make sure you have the items you will need in bulk. This is the one that I used. But a good way to do it was to see what the FDA label said were in a package (Unit size vs. number in container.) The more hands you have to process the meals the better. It’s easier to make two hundred meals for fifteen families, than fifteen meals for one family. An assembly line makes it all work very easily. It’s hard to tell exactly how long they will store, but most of the dehydrated items purchased say they will store for up to twenty years, and that sounds good to me! You can tailor your meals for your dietary needs and personal tastes (No/low salt, gluten free, etc.) With all your items on hand and with enough helpers you can make about five hundred meals in two hours. Because of their light weight, they ship quite well. They are great for gifts. A 16oz plastic picnic cup with its bottom cut out makes a great funnel/opener for the Mylar bags. Go to the dollar store and buy a few sets of measuring spoons and cups, you’ll need them. All of our now 200ish meals store under our son's twin size bed. Meals we’ve successfully made: Split Pea Soup, Chicken Soup, Ham Hock Stew, White Rice and Chili, Mac-n-cheese, Black Bean Chili, Pasta Fagioli, and Chicken and Rice. SLOPPY JOES Ingredients: Yield: 6 pints Units: US | Metric 3 lbs ground beef 1 1/2 cups diced onions 3 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon thyme 2 cups ketchup 1 cup prepared chili sauce (like Heinz brand) 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice Directions: 1 Prepare mason jars, lids and rings; if you are unsure on how to do this, consult a preserving manual. 2 In a heavy saucepan, begin to brown ground beef, then add onion and garlic; continue cooking until meat is browned. 3 Drain off fat. 4 In a mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard, then add remaining ingredients to brown sugar mixture. 5 Stir into beef and heat thoroughly. 6 Now, carefully spoon this hot mixture into hot jars, leaving a one-inch headspace. 7 Remove air bubbles with a (nonmetallic) spatula and wipe the rims of the jars clean of any food residue. 8 Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass; screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met; this is called being fingertip-tight. 9 Process for 75 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Canned Fresh Green Beans This is a great first recipe for the beginning pressure canner. Although this recipe specifically uses green beans, all colors of beans — green, yellow or purple — work equally well. Preparation time: 15 minutes Processing time: Pints, 20 minutes; quarts, 25 minutes Pressure level: 10 pounds Yield: 16 pints or 8 quarts 4 pounds fresh green beans Boiling water Canning salt Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. In an 8-quart pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. While water is boiling, clean and cut the beans. Remove any dirt and shake off the excess water. Trim off the ends of the beans and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Removing the ends and strings from green beans. Tightly pack the cut beans into the prepared jars. Pour the boiling water over the beans, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding more water as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands. Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. Use a pressure canner to safely process low-acid foods, including many vegetables. Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals. If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes. For altitudes over 1,000 feet above sea level, extend the boiling period 1 minute for each increase of 1,000 feet. Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories 10 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 292mg; Carbohydrates 2g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 1g. How to Can Fresh Tomatoes with a Water Bath Canner! Making canned tomatoes is something families remember years later. Home-canned tomatoes have been a tradition for many generations. In the middle of the winter, you can use the tomatoes to make a fresh spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chili, or other tomato-based meals for that fresh garden taste. Here's how to do it, in easy steps and completely illustrated. This method is so easy, ANYONE can do this! It's a great thing to do with your kids! Also, this recipe/directions works with either red (ripe) or green (unripe tomatoes). If you have a pressure canner, you may want to see the pressure canning tomatoes page for those directions instead! And if you'd rather freeze your tomatoes, see this page! These pages may also interest you: How to make tomato sauce How to make tomato paste Ingredients and Equipment Tomatoes - about 20 lbs to make 7 quarts (7 large tomatoes will fill one quart jar.) lemon juice - fresh or bottled, about 1/2 cup 1 quart tomato juice (or plain water) 1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores. Note: we sell many sizes and types of canners for all types of stoves and needs - see canning supplies). Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning 1 large pot (to scald the tomatoes, step 3) and 1 medium sized pot to heat the tomato juice or water to add to the jars (step 6) and 1 small pot to sanitize the lids. Pint or quart canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix, Kroger, Safeway and local "big box" stores - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings). Quart jars are more economical! Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once. Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times. Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)t) Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores) Large spoons and ladles Process - How to Make Home Canned Tomatoes from Fresh Tomatoes Step 1 - Selecting the tomatoes It's fun to go pick your own and you can obviously get better quality tomatoes! At right is a picture of tomatoes from my garden - they are so much better than anything from the grocery store. And if you don't have enough, a pick-you-own farm is the pace to go! At right are 4 common varieties that will work: Also, you don't want mushy, bruised or rotten tomatoes! And for those of you with an abundance of green tomatoes, the USDA says that since green tomatoes are more acidic than ripened fruit, they can be canned safely with any of the standard tomato directions. I prefer to store them in the basement, where they slowly ripen, but if you have a use later for canned green tomatoes, go for it.. Step 2 - Get the jars and lids sanitizing The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sanitize" cycle. I get that going while I'm preparing everything else, so it's done by the time I'm ready to fill the jars. If you don't have a dishwasher, submerge the jars in a large pot (the canner itself) of water and bring it to a boil. Be sure to let it go through the rinse cycle to get rid of any soap! Get the canner heating up Fill the canner about 1/2 full of water and start it heating (with the lid on). Get a the medium pot of water or tomato juice heating This is also a good time to get your 1 quart of tomato juice and/or water boiling (you will use it to fill any air spaces in the jars in step 6). Start the water for the lids Put the lids into the small pot of boiling water for at least several minutes. Note: everything gets sanitized in the water bath (step 7) anyway, so this just helps to ensure there is no spoilage later!) Step 3 - Removing the tomato skins Here's a trick you may not know: put the tomatoes, a few at a time in a large pot of boiling water for no more than 1 minute (30 - 45 seconds is usually enough) then.... Plunge them into a waiting bowl of ice water. This makes the skins slide right off of the tomatoes! If you leave the skins in, they become tough and chewy in the sauce, not very pleasant. Step 4 - Removing the skins, bruises and tough parts The skins should practically slide off the tomatoes. then you can cut the tomatoes in quarters and remove the tough part around the stem and any bruised or soft parts. Step 5 - Fill the jars with the whole or cut tomatoes Fill them to within ¼-inch of the top with tomatoes Be sure the contact surfaces (top of the jar and underside of the ring) are clean to get a good seal! Step 6 - Add 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and liquid After you fill each jar with tomatoes, add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart jar, 1 per pint jar. This helps to reduce the odds of spoilage and to retain color and flavor. Then fill to 1/2 inch of the top with either boiling water or hot tomato juice. Step 7 - Free any trapped air bubbles Using a flat plastic or wood utensil (like a plastic spoon, up side down) free trapped air bubbles by gently sliding it up and down around the inside edge. Step 8 - Put the lids and rings on Just screw them on snugly, not too tight. If the is any tomato on the surface of the lip of the jar, wipe it off first with a clean dry cloth or paper towel. Step 9 - Boil the jars in the water bath canner Put them in the canner and keep them covered with at least 1 inch of water. Keep the water boiling. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts. Remember to adjust the time if you are at a different altitude other than sea level! Pressure canners work better for tomatoes and other low acid foods - you'll get less spoilage with a pressure canner. I prefer a pressure canner as the higher temperatures and shorter cooking time result in better flavor and less spoilage. For more information or to order one, click on Pressure Canners. The recipe and directions for pressure canning tomatoes are here. Recommended process time for Crushed Tomatoes in a boiling-water canner. Step 10 - Done Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like, but if you leave them on, at least loosen them quite a bit, so they don't rust in place due to trapped moisture. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok. Don't worry if you see the tomatoes floating above a layer of liquid; that's normal. tomatoes have a lot of water in them and it separates a bit. If I had packed the tomatoes in the jars a bit tighter or squeezed for of the free liquid out of them before packing them in the jars, the water layer would be reduced. Frequently Asked Questions about Canning Tomatoes Why do my tomatoes separate from the liquid? A frequent problem is the separation of water from the tomatoes. Why does the water separate from the solids in tomatoes? Scenario 1 - liquid at the top and solids at the bottom Home canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauces with liquid at the top and solids at the bottom is quite normal. It only reflects that the juice was made prior to heating. For example, the tomatoes were chopped, run through the steamer, sieve, or food mill while still raw and prior to heating. As soon as they are chopped or crushed, enzymes start to break down the pectin that helps to hold tomato cells together. The enzyme that causes separation is activated by exposure to air and inactivated by heat. In commercial production, tomatoes are flash heated nearly to boiling in a matter of seconds, using equipment not available to consumers. Because the pectin holding tomato cells together is not exposed to air when cold, it remains intact, and a thick bodied, homogeneous juice is produced. The solution is to leave tomatoes whole or in large chunks (do not chop). Heat before chopping or juicing to minimize the separation. The best way to do that at home is to heat quartered tomatoes quickly to boiling temperatures WHILE crushing. You can also heat the blanched, peeled whole tomatoes in the microwave, then crush them! Make sure the mixture boils constantly and vigorously while you add the remaining tomatoes. Simmer 5 minutes after all tomatoes are added, before juicing. If you are not concerned about juice separating, simply slice or quarter tomatoes into a large saucepan. Crush, heat and simmer for 5 minutes before juicing. Scenario 2 - liquid at the bottom and solids at the top (note the photo is step 10) What about the reverse: liquid at the bottom and solids at the top? That indicates too much preheating (more than 5 minutes). Pectin breaks down when it is overheated; then separation results. If separation occurs, just shake the jar before opening or decant the water off. I recently canned tomatoes but had one little jar that I didn't have room for in the water bath. So I decided to just refrigerate it. All I've done to those tomatoes is blanch them -- haven't cooked them, stewed them, done anything else. There is some lemon juice in them. They've been refrigerated since I packed them -- how long will they be okay to use? They’ll last about the same length of time that a can of tomatoes from the grocery store will last once you open it an put it in the fridge. I’d guess a couple of weeks, but that depends on how cold your fridge is. After I removed the jars of tomatoes from the canner, the jars had lost a lot of liquid and were about half-empty. What happened? Are they safe? There are several possible causes: The food was not heated prior to filling (Raw pack method) - The food was packed too tightly (or loosely) in the jars All air bubbles were not removed prior to sealing the lids and rings on the jars The jars were not completely covered with water (applies to a water bath canner only) Starchy foods, such as corn, peas or lima beans, absorbed all the liquid. Use more liquid with these starchy vegetables. The jars were filled too full. Fluctuating pressure in the pressure canner. Let pressure return to zero gradually, avoiding the sudden release of pressure through the vent. Do not hasten the cooling with cold water. As long as the jars remained sealed, they'll be ok, but they should be checked more frequently and used up first! How to can tomatoes The red glorious bounty of summer buries gardeners in baskets of tomatoes. With home canning techniques, you can preserve all those tomatoes safely and enjoy their wonderful qualities long past the withering of the vines. Nothing quite replaces a sliced garden fresh tomato on a summer salad, but by canning tomatoes you can use your homegrown fruits to prepare delicious sauces, soups, and casseroles that call for tomatoes. You can start benefiting from your bumper crops of tomatoes instead of giving away bags of them to friends and co-workers until they can’t eat another one. What you need to know about canning tomatoes: Water bath or pressure canner? You can use either a water bath canner or a pressure canner. The water bath canner is affordable and easy to use, but the pressure canner produces a canned tomato product that retains more nutritional value and possesses a noticeably higher quality. This results mostly from the shorter processing times possible with the pressure canner due to its higher temperatures. When canning tomatoes in a water bath canner, you need to use longer processing times, which cooks out more of the nutrients. Even so, tomatoes canned with the water bath process remain good but just not quite as good as tomatoes processed in the pressure canner. Essentially, if you plan on growing lots of tomatoes and preserving them for home use, then investing in a pressure canner would be recommended. Tomato seeds. Tomatoes have many seeds and removing them before canning the tomatoes is labor intensive. It is acceptable to leave the seeds in the tomatoes. This is the only thing to do when you are canning the tomatoes whole. You can always remove the seeds later with a food mill when you are cooking with the tomatoes. Or, you can ignore the seeds and leave them in. If you want to remove seeds prior to canning, you can cut the tomatoes in half and scrape out the seeds. This gets most of them out, but takes a long time. Or, you can put the tomatoes through a food mill and can them as crushed tomatoes or even prepare a seasoned spaghetti sauce and can it. For processing large amounts of tomatoes, it is best to can them whole and deal with the seeds as you use each jar or ignore the seeds. The seeds do not negatively influence the product or the canning process. How to select fruit. Only can tomatoes that are fresh, undamaged, and disease free. Vine ripened is best, but never can tomatoes from dead or dying vines. Increasing the acidity. High acid levels in fruits help the food preservation process. When canning tomatoes, you will want to add a high acid substance to boost the acidity. Choose from: Bottled lemon juice Pint jar: add 1 Tablespoon Quart jar: add 2 Tablespoons Citric acid Pint jar: add 1/4 teaspoon Quart jar: add 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar (5% acidity) Pint jar: add 2 Tablespoons Quart jar: add 4 Tablespoons Salt: You can add some salt to each jar before canning if you want to. Just be sure to use salt without added iodine. Or you can wait to add salt when you are cooking with the tomatoes later. Skinning tomatoes. You will need to remove the skins from all tomatoes. Skins are removed by placing tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute until skins split and then placing them in cold water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off. Several approaches are commonly used to prepare tomatoes for canning. The variations arise from how the tomatoes are specifically prepared before placing in jars. All methods work well. Canning crushed tomatoes For either pint or quart jars. Skin the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Crush about 3 cups of tomatoes in a large pot with a potato masher and bring them to a boil while stirring. Gradually add the rest of the quartered tomatoes and keep stirring. After all tomatoes are in the pot, boil gently for 5 more minutes. To each sterilized canning jar, add your selected acidification product (lemon juice, citric, acid, or vinegar), salt if desired, and then fill jars with hot tomatoes. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and attach lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 35 minutes (40 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 45 minutes (50 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. Times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 20 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 15 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints Canning whole tomatoes For pint or quart jars. Canned whole tomatoes are used whenever a recipe calls for stewed tomatoes. The whole tomatoes can also easily be mashed and cooked down to make sauces. Skin the tomatoes and remove the stem cores. Add your acidification agent (lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar) to sterilized canning jars. Hot pack method Put skinned tomatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Ladle hot tomatoes into prepared sterilized jars and then add cooking liquid. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe clean rims of jars and put on lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 40 minutes (45 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 45 minutes (50 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. These times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 15 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 10 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints Raw pack method without added liquid The raw pack method has appeal because it involves less preparation time and you do not have to work with hot liquid and hot jars. However, this method does require longer processing times in the canner. Pack skinned tomatoes into sterilized jars prepared with acid booster. Press them into the jars so that juice squeezes out and fills in the gaps between tomatoes. Leave 1/2 inch headspace, wipe clean jar rims, and attach lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 85 minutes (90 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 85 minutes (90 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. These times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 40 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 25 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints With all methods for canning tomatoes, you must remove the jars from canner and let them cool on a towel in a space free from drafts. Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Then check to make sure jars are sealed. Remove bands, wipe clean lids and jars and store in cupboard for up to one year. If a jar does not seal, put it in the refrigerator and use it within a few days. CHUNKY TACO SAUCE FOR CANNING 8 qts. tomatoes, diced & peeled (use plum or roma tomatoes if possible) 1 qt. chopped onions 1 qt. chopped sweet peppers 1 qt. chopped celery 1 qt. cider vinegar 1 c. sugar 2 c. water 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1/3 c. canning salt (not iodized) 1 tbsp. whole pickling spice (tie in cloth) 2 tbsp. chili powder 2-3 tsp.. cayenne pepper (more for hot) 1 tbsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. lemon juice Black pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in large, heavy kettle. Bring to boil; simmer 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Pour hot sauce into clean, sterilized pint jars, process in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 30 minutes. Yield: 14 pints CANNING BEET PICKLES Pull beets when about the size of golf ball or bigger. Always hand twist off tops and leave on the roots. Wash and put in a large kettle. Cover with water; boil until the skins slip off real easy, maybe an hour or more. Remove from heat and put in cold water. Peel off skins and roots. Cut in quarters. Wash off beets and put in an enamel or stainless steel dish pan. Make a mixture of 1 cup vinegar, 2 cups water, and 1 cup sugar. Keep repeating until all of the beets are covered, then put in 2 tablespoons pickling spices. Bring to a boil; pack beets into hot jars to 1/2-inch from top. Clean rim of jar. Screw on lids very tight. Turn top side of jar down to help seal the lids until cool. Let set a few weeks before eating. CANNING CUCUMBERS 7 lbs. cucumbers 2 gal. cold water 2 c. lime Slice cucumbers thinly, mix lime and water and soak cucumbers for 24 hours in lime water. Take out and wash well. Soak for 3 hours in ice water. Take out of water and put in vinegar mixture and soak overnight or 10 hours. Boil for 35 minutes. Pack and seal. VINEGAR MIXTURE: 1 qt. vinegar 4 1/2 lbs. sugar 1 tsp. slt 1 tsp. celery seed 1 tsp. whole allspice Bring to boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool. CANNING OKRA 1 gal. water 8 tbsp. vinegar 4 tbsp. salt Bring to a boil. Use small tender okra, as much as you want. Place okra in boiling water. Be sure it's not too much at one time. Boil only until okra changes color. Pack loosely in heated jars and seal. When opened to cook, place in a colander and rinse with cold water. Batter as you would fresh okra. CANNING GREEN TOMATOES Wash and slice tomatoes. Put in jars. Place jars into a water bath canner and fill with water to cover the jars completely by 1 inch. Bring to a boil; boil 10 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to cool. Wide mouth jars are easier to use for this recipe. Use as you normally would use green tomatoes. SALSA FOR CANNING 25 or 26 lbs. tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 cluster garlic, peeled and chopped 2 bunches celery, chopped 6 lg. bell peppers, chopped 9 lg. onions, chopped 2 bunches cilantro, chopped Jalapenos to taste 1/2 c. salt 2-3 c. white vinegar 2 tbsp. oregano Put all ingredients in an stainless steel stockpot (avoid enamel!) and heat through, stirring often. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes pints and quarts (hot pack). For cold pack, process 50 minutes. Yields about 4 1/4 gallons salsa. (17 quarts or 34 pints) PEPPER RELISH - CANNING 24 green tomatoes 2 red peppers 10 onions 4 tsp. salt 2 tsp. celery seed 4 tsp. mustard seed 2 c. cider vinegar 3 3/4 to 4 c. sugar Grind vegetables and drain off all the juice you can. Add the rest of ingredients. Cook 35 minutes. Water bath 10 minutes. CORN RELISH (FOR CANNING) 5 (1 lb.) cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 green pepper, chopped 1 sweet red pepper, chopped 1 1/4 c. onions, chopped 1 c. celery, chopped 1 1/2 tbsp. mustard seed 1 tbsp. salt 1 tsp. celery salt 2 2/3 c. vinegar 1 1/2 c. sugar Mix and boil slowly, about 20 minutes. Pack in sterilized jars and seal. I used vacuum packed corn and used 7 cans since the cans were smaller. SUNSHINE PICKLES (Canning) Dash of turmeric 1 qt. water 1 pt. vinegar 1/2 c. salt Garlic Sm. cucumbers Sprig of dill Heat turmeric, water, salt and garlic to boiling point. But do not boil. Pack cucumbers firmly into jars with a few sprigs of dill. Pour on syrup, seal and set in sun for 3 weeks. No processing needed. Canning Yellow Summer Squash Here's what my research on canning squash revealed... seems it's not like the USDA has had a huge outbreak of bacteria in home canned squash or anything, just that they can't find their documentation. I canned squash. *Disclaimer: Recommendations for canning summer squashes, including zucchini, that appeared in former editions of So Easy to Preserve or USDA bulletins have been withdrawn due to uncertainty about the determination of processing times. Squashes are low-acid vegetables and require pressure canning for a known period of time that will destroy the bacteria that cause botulism. Documentation for the previous processing times cannot be found, and reports that are available do not support the old process. Slices or cubes of cooked summer squash will get quite soft and pack tightly into the jars. The amount of squash filled into a jar will affect the heating pattern in that jar. I signed up recently for text alerts from the State Farmers Market and received my first one this past week... "summer squashes will be available beginning this week!" We planned a Saturday excursion to the Farmers Market. The day before our planned visit, I got a call from my son and daughter-in-law saying they were leaving early for a vacation in Florida and would be passing through our town on their way... would we like to meet somewhere and have breakfast with them as they passed through? Well, sure! We chose a spot close to the interstate so they wouldn't need to stray far from their travel route, and close to the market so we could head on over there after breakfast. It was an enjoyable visit with the kids, filled with laughter, everybody talking at once, good food, good fellowship, hugs and happiness! We saw them on their way on down the highway, then took ourselves to market looking for squash... and squash we found! along with green peas (but that's another story for another day). A few more errands and then back home to begin the squash adventure... Here's what I did... First, of course, I washed my squash, giving it a good scrub in the sink. I put my jars in the dishwasher to make sure they were clean and sterilized (my dishwasher gets quite hot). I put my lids and rings on to simmer and stay hot until I was ready for them. Then I sliced of the ends of the squash and cut them into about a half inch slices, cutting the slices in two on the "fat" parts of the vegetable. I placed the sliced squash into a saucepan, covering them with water and brought the mixture to a boil. Once my squash was heated through and beginning to soften, I started filling my hot pint canning jars with the vegetable/water mixture, leaving about a half inch headspace. I made sure there were no trapped air bubbles and that there was plenty of liquid surrounding the squash pieces. I added a half teaspoon of canning salt to each jar. I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth. Then, removing my lids using may handy dandy magnetic wand gadget, I tightened the hot lids onto the jars (fingertip tightness!) I loaded the jars into my pressure canner and processed the pints at 10 pounds of pressure for 25 minutes (quarts would take 30 minutes). After processing, I allowed my pressure canner to cool down on its own, the pressure dropping to zero before I removed the lid and took the jars out using my jar lifter. I set the hot jars on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to wait for the PING of each successfully sealed jar. There was a time in my life that I would only eat summer squash breaded and fried and that was only possible when it was garden fresh... but then I discovered Squash Casserole! Much of my store of canned squash will go toward making this yummy concoction... 2 cups summer squash (I'll use one of my pint jars, drained... or maybe two!) 1/2 chopped onion 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 beaten egg 1 cup sour cream 1/2 cup shredded cheese 8 ounces seasoned stuffing mix 1/2 cup melted butter Mix ingredients together and bake in a 9x13 baking dish at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until onions are tender. Sometimes I add shredded carrots to the mix, just to change it up a little. Delicious! Or... maybe I'll try a new recipe, like Summer Squash Bread... 3 eggs, beaten 2 cups white sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 cups all purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 2 cups shredded summer squash (I'm thinking one of my canned pint jars, drained well) Preheat oven to 325 degrees, grease 9x13 baking dish. In large bowl, using an electric mixer to beat the eggs until fluffy, beat in sugar, oil, and vanilla. Gradually mix in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, fold in squash. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. For Home Canning: Cabbage Borsch Yield: 8 pints Units: US | Metric 5 lbs tomatoes 8 cups coarsely shredded cabbage 6 cups water 2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped apple 2 tablespoons instant beef bouillon 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon pepper Directions: 1 Wash, peel remove stem ends and cores, and quarter tomatoes. Use a small spoon to scrape out the excess seeds, if desired. 2 In 4 to 6 quart kettle or dutch oven combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, boil uncovered 5 minutes. 3 Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1/2 head space. 4 Adjust the lids. 5 Process in canner at 10 pounds, 45 minutes for pints or 55 minutes for quarts. 6 Makes 8 pints. CANNING WITH BEEF Ingredients: Yield: 9 pints Units: US | Metric 3 cups dried pinto beans or 3 cups red kidney beans 5 1/2 cups water 5 teaspoons salt, divided 3 lbs ground beef 1 1/2 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped bell pepper, of your choice (optional) 1 teaspoon black pepper 3 -6 teaspoons chili powder 2 quarts canned crushed tomatoes or 2 quarts canned whole tomatoes Directions: 1 Wash beans thoroughly and place them in a 2 qt saucepan. 2 Add cold water to a level of 2 to 3 inches above the beans and soak 12 to 18 hours. 3 Drain and discard water. 4 Combine beans with 5-1/2 c of fresh water and 2 tsp salt and bring to a boil. 5 Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. 6 Drain and discard water. 7 Brown ground beef, chopped onions and optional peppers in a skillet. 8 Drain off fat and add 3 tsp salt, pepper, chili powder, tomatoes and drained cooked beans. 9 Simmer 5 minutes. 10 CAUTION: Do Not Thicken. 11 Fill jars, leaving 1" headspace. 12 Adjust lids and process in pressure canner. 13 Dial Gauge Pressure Canner:. 14 75 minutes. 15 11 lb at 0-2,000 ft (altitude); 12 lb at 2,001-4,000 ft; 13 lb at 4,001-6,000; 14 lb at 6,001-8,000 ft. 16 Weight Gauge Pressure Canner:. 17 75 minutes. 18 10 lb at 0-1,000 ft; 15 lb at above 1,000 ft. Beef Stew - Canning Ingredients: Yield: 4 pints Units: US | Metric 2 lbs chuck, cut into 1 in cubes 3 medium russet potatoes 3 medium carrots 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion 1/4 cup chopped celery Makes 4 pints Add to each pint jar 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/8 inch sliver garlic 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1/4 cup boiling beef broth 1 tablespoon corn 1 tablespoon peas 1 tablespoon green beans Directions: 1 Chop all veggies except celery to uniform size, about one inch or so. 2 Add all of the first ingredients to jars leaving 1 inch of headroom. 3 Add salt, pepper and garlic sliver to each pint jar then add the remaining corn, peas and green beans, the last is the boiling beef broth. 4 I didn't leave the 1 inch of head space to each jar and they came out fine. Don't worry about the small amount of liquid. When the veggies cook they will produce plenty. 5 Process for 60 min at 10 psi. Goulash(Canning) Ingredients: Yield: 2 quarts Units: US | Metric 4 lbs boned beef chuck roast 1 tablespoon salt 3 tablespoons paprika 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1/3 cup oil 6 stalks celery, cut in half 1 cup water 1/3 cup vinegar 3 bay leaves 20 peppercorns 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 3 medium onions, cut in half 4 large carrots, cut in half Directions: 1 Cut the beef chuck roast into 1" cubes. Combine salt, paprika and dry mustard. Roll meat in spice mixture. Brown slowly in hot oil. Sprinkle excess spice mixture over meat. Tie whole spices in a spice bag(cheesecloth). Add spice bag and remaining ingredients to beef mixture. Cover; simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until almost tender. Remove spice bag and vegetables. 2 Pack hot meat and sauce into hot jars, leaving 1" headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two piece caps. Process pints 1 hour, quarats 1 hour and 15 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner. 3 Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts. CANNING CHICKEN How to Pressure Can Chicken: Raw-Pack Method All the tools you need to get started! Step 1: Wash all jars, lids, and rings. No need to sterilize them for pressure canning. Keep them at room temperature. Step 2: Start water boiling to fill the jars with 3: Cut up frozen chicken into bite-sized pieces. (Let it thaw for just a little bit so it isn’t TOO rock hard Step 4: Throw the chicken into jars, fill it all the way to the very top Step 5: Fill each jar with hot water leaving 1 inch of open space at the top of the jar. Poke down any chicken that is sticking above the water Step 6: Put all the jars into the pressure canner and pour in 3 quarts of boiling water Step 7: Place lid on the pressure canner and turn up the heat on your stove. Allow steam to vent out for ten minutes before placing on the pressure regulator Step 8: Bring the pressure up to the correct amount for your elevation (mine was 13 pounds pressure). Process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts Step 9: Remove the pressure canner from the stove and allow pressure to come down naturally. This can take a long time so be prepared to wait. Remove the pressure regulator from the vent pipe, wait 10 more minutes. Step 10: Remove jars from canner and allow to cool. Then check the seals, label them with the date canned, and ENJOY! Please note: I followed the directions in my manual and in my Ball Canning Guide. Your manual may be different so make sure you double-check before you do this on your own! U CAN ALSO DO THIS BONE IN!!! Making and Canning Chicken Stock Home canned chicken stock is easy to make and can at home using this recipe. This is a quick method for making chicken stock that you may can in either pints or quarts. Pint Quart Chicken pieces, excluding breasts cut into 2" pieces. 2 lbs. Onion, diced 1 Salt Water 1 pint 1 quart Bay Leaves Pressure Canner Processing 20 minutes to 25 minutes Calculate total ingredients desired using our conversion chart. Using a large pot, sauté chicken in olive oil until browned in batches. Meanwhile, heat water in a separate pot. After all chicken pieces are browned, add all chicken pieces along with the onion to the pot with salt and bay leaves and return to a simmer. Simmer meat until juices run or about 20 - 25 minutes. Add hot water and simmer for 25 minutes more. Skim fat and strain while Canning using hot pack method with 1” of headspace as done in Video 5. Processing with a Pressure Canner 20 minutes for pints, or 25 minutes for quarts, at 1 10 pounds of pressure. For elevations above 1,000 foot level see Altitude Time Adjustments. Labeling and Storing Follow jar and cap manufacturer's recommendations and instructions and visit their websites for updates on a regular basis. Chicken a La King-Canning Ingredients: Yield: 4 pints Units: US | Metric 2 (3 1/2-4 lb) stewing chicken, cut into pieces 2 stalks celery, quartered 1 large onion, quartered 1 carrot, quartered 5 peppercorns 2 whole allspice 1 bay leaf 2 teaspoons salt 1/4 cup butter (or chicken fat) 1/2 cup flour 5 cups chicken broth 1/2 cup celery, chopped (about 1 stalk) 1/4 cup pimiento, chopped 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped salt and pepper, to taste Directions: 1 Combine chicken, celery stalks, onion, carrot, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaf and salt in a large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat; simmer 2 to 3 hours or until chicken is tender. 2 Remove and discard vegetables. Allow chicken to cool in broth. Remove chicken. Skim off excess fat; strain broth. Remove skin and bones from meat. Cut meat into 1" pieces. 3 Melt butter or fat; add flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually stir ini the chicken broth and cook until it's thickened, stirring constantly. Add chicken and remaining ingredients. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove air bubbles. Adjust caps. Process pints 1 hour and 5 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 15 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner. 4 Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts. 5 To serve:. 6 Brown 1-2 cups mushrooms in butter; add mushrooms to Chicken a la King, if desired. Heat until hot throughout. Making Bread Crumbs & Dehydrating Cake Making bread crumbs with a food dehydrator is easy. Simply place slices of bread on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 125 degrees for approximately four hours. My Excalibur Food Dehydrator’s nine 15 x 15 inch trays handle four loaves at a time. When the bread is dry, it will crumble easily in your hands. You don’t want any sponginess left in the bread or it might spoil later. If you want fine bread crumbs, roll over the crumbs with a rolling pin or crush with a wooden tenderizing mallet. I use an electric grinder. I use fresh baked bread from a local bakery rather than the run-of-the-mill white bread off the grocery store shelves. Neutral flavored breads like Italian work well, but you can dehydrate any bread you like. Whole grain pita bread dries well and makes a nice topping for chili. Full flavored breads like rye and pumpernickel make nice crumbs for trail mixes or to top off a bowl of soup. Sweetening Bread Crumbs. When making bread crumbs for snacking or for dessert recipes such as Banana Nut Bread Pudding or Peach Cobbler, I sometimes sweeten the bread with honey or maple syrup. Before turning on the dehydrator, I drizzle one teaspoon over each slice of bread. It will take an extra hour or two to dehydrate bread if you sweeten it with honey or maple syrup. I also sprinkle a little cinnamon on the bread before dehydrating it. The dried bread will break into a few pieces, so don't expect to have a perfect slice of toast. Add Bread Crumbs to Ground Beef. I also work ½ cup of finely ground bread crumbs into a pound of ground beef or turkey before dehydrating. At meal time, the bread crumbs in the meat absorb water while the meat cooks, improving tenderness. Now that you know how to make bread crumbs, try drying some angel food cake. Dehydrating Angel Food Cake Cut cake into slices about ½ to ¾ of an inch thick and dehydrate the same way as bread. Four hours in the dehydrator at 125 degrees should do the trick. The photo at the top shows angel food cake going into my Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Angel food cake dries well because it contains no oil or butter. Cakes made with oil, butter, or egg yolks may spoil on long backpacking trips if not eaten right away due to the high fat content. I dehydrate angel food cake for backpacking recipes such as Pineapple Up-Side-Down Cake and Trail Angel Cake. Some of the cake absorbs the warm pineapple or strawberry juices and some of it remains crunchy. Drizzle chocolate sauce over it or push it down into some pudding. You’ll find lot of ways to enjoy dried angel food cake. Be Safe... Pack Bread Crumbs! Chef Glenn recommends making bread crumbs a part of your navigational backpacking gear along with a flash light and compass. When leaving the main trail to explore a new path, drop bread crumbs behind you so you can find your way back. Now that you know how easy making bread crumbs is, try one of my dessert recipes. Dehydrating Fruit Dehydrating fruit is easy and fun. Cut the fruit into small, equal-sized pieces; spread in a single layer on the dehydrator trays, and crank up the dehydrator. It takes from 6 to 36 hours to dry fruit, depending on the juiciness of the fruit, but the wait is worth it when you taste the final product. Dehydrating fruit concentrates the natural sugars so your pineapples and bananas will taste extra sweet on the trail. Choose mature, firm fruits for the highest sugar and nutritional content, but avoid bruised or overripe fruit. When dehydrating fruits such as apples with the skins on, thoroughly wash and rinse the fruit to remove any wax and pesticides. On the trail, you’ll maintain peak energy by snacking on dried fruit throughout the day. My recipes will give you simple ways to incorporate dehydrated fruit into your breakfasts, desserts, and trail mixes. Try cooking oatmeal with dried apples, raisins, and cinnamon, topped with crunchy granola for a quick-energy breakfast. I even slip pineapple and coconut into my recipe for Hawaiian Shrimp and Rice. The range of drying times listed below for dehydrating fruit are what you could expect using an Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Factors such as humidity, the size and thickness of your fruit pieces, and the juiciness can all affect how fast fruit dries. Most fruit will be pliable or leathery when done, meaning you can bend it and it won’t break. You can easily tear a piece of dried fruit in half and if no moisture beads up on the inside and there is no stickiness on the outside, it’s done. One of the features that I like about my Excalibur is its large capacity for dehydrating fruit- drying 30 pounds of Georgia peaches in one batch was no problem. I use the nine tray model which has 15 square feet of drying area. As an avid gardener, I load my Excalibur up when fruits and vegetables are in season. Dehydrating fruit will fill your home with pleasant, fruity smells. If you are like me, you will get hungry and start snitching before the fruit is dry. Enjoy! Dehydrating Apples Thoroughly wash apples to remove pesticides and waxes that may be present unless you plan to peel off the skin. Because the skins contain nutrients, I leave them on. You can core and slice apples into rings or cut them into whatever size pieces you like. I quarter the apples first and remove the core and stem with a sharp knife. I then cut the quarters into 1/8” slices. Dehydrate at 135° until pliable (7 – 15 hours). Because the flesh of apples turns a little brown when exposed to air (oxidation), some people dip their cut apples into a bath of water and sodium bisulfate or ascorbic acid for a couple of minutes before dehydrating. Treating apples with either of these anti-oxidants is safe and will prevent the fruit from browning. I am not bothered by the slightly darker color of my apples, so I skip the dip. Approximately two processed medium apples will fit on one Excalibur Dehydrator tray. Dehydrating Bananas Choose yellow bananas with some brown speckles on the peel for maximum sweetness. Peel the bananas and cut into 1/8” slices. Dehydrate at 135° until leathery and there is no moisture when you break a piece in half. (6 – 10 hours) Bananas can stick to hard plastic trays. Using a flexible polyscreen tray insert (standard with Excalibur Dehydrators) makes it easy to pop off dried bananas Dehydrating Pineapples Remove the fibrous skin and core. You can cut up a pineapple any way you like, such as into ¼” thick rings, but I like to cut the pineapple into 3/4” thick rings first and then slice the rings cross-wise into thinner 1/8” pieces. The smaller pieces dry faster than larger chunks or rings and are the perfect size to use in recipes and trail mixes. Dehydrate at 135° until pliable (10 – 18 hours). If you are dehydrating canned pineapple, it will take up to twice as long because of the extra juices. Dehydrating Peaches Thoroughly wash peaches to remove any pesticides if you plan to dehydrate with the skins on. The skin can be easily removed by dipping the peaches in boiling water for one minute and then dipping in cold water. The skins will come right off. I skip the dip and cut away the skin with a sharp knife. The only reason I remove the skin is because I have a slight allergy to peach fuzz that gives me a rash around my mouth. I cut the peaches in half, remove the pit, and then cut the halves into 1/8” slices. There is no absolute right or wrong way to slice and dice your fruit. Peel and slice one peach at a time to minimize browning. Dehydrate at 135° until pliable (20 – 36 hours). Dehydrating Cherries Wash the cherries and remove the stems Cut the cherries in half, remove the pit, and then cut the halves in two. Place cherries on the dehydrator tray with the skin side down and begin dehydrating at 145° for two hours. Reduce temperature to 135° and dehydrate until leathery (12 – 15 hours). Dehydrated cherries feel like raisins in your mouth. Dehydrating Mangos Remove the skin with a sharp knife and try to slice large chunks away from the pit. This is tricky because it’s hard to tell exactly how the large, flat pit is oriented inside the flesh. Cut whatever size chunks you end up with into 1/8 inch slices. Spread in a single layer on the dehydrator tray and begin dehydrating at 145° for two hours and then reduce the temperature to 135° until pliable (18 – 24 hours depending on the juiciness of the mangos you are working with). Dehydrating Blueberries Wash blueberries and remove the stems. Place blueberries in a colander and dip in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds to check the skins. If you are concerned that dipping the berries in boiling water may kill valuable enzymes, you can skip the dip and cut the berries in half before dehydrating. Place the berries in a single layer on the dehydrator tray with the skin side down. Your blueberries will turn out crispier using this method. Dehydrate at 125° until leathery (12 – 18 hours). Dehydrating Strawberries Wash strawberries and cut off the leafy crown. Cut into 1/8 to 1/4 inch slices. Place sliced strawberries in a single layer on the dehydrator tray and dehydrate at 135° until leathery and crisp (8 – 12 hours). Dehydrating fruit is an easy way to get started with a new food dehydrator since all you have to do is cut the fruit and dry it. It keeps well in an air-tight container stored in a cool, dry place. Dehydrating Vegetables Your mama wasn’t kidding when she said, “Eat your vegetables.” Dehydrating vegetables at home is the easy way to nourish your body on the trail. In addition to providing necessary vitamins, minerals, fiber, and complex carbohydrates, veggies brighten your backpacking meals with color and flavor. Beef and rice is okay, but it’s not a real meal until you add dark green broccoli, a medley of corn, carrots, peas, and green beans, or some peppers-- red, yellow, orange, and green peppers. So listen to Chef Glenn (and your mama) and start dehydrating vegetables! The drying times listed below are based on my experiences using an Excalibur Food Dehydrator. Dehydrating vegetables can take longer with some dehydrators; in fact, I threw my round stacking dehydrator away because it was so slow. Humidity also affects drying times so your results may differ from mine. Vegetables such as broccoli are done when pieces are brittle and can be snapped in half. Other vegetables having fruit-like qualities such as tomatoes and cucumbers will be pliable (bendable) when done. Classic Mixed Vegetables: (corn, carrots, peas, green beans) One of the big advantages of owning a high capacity food dehydrator is that you can dehydrate surplus vegetables picked in season - from your garden or from a local farmer. If you don’t have any fresh produce on hand, use frozen produce. Classic Mixed Vegetables from Birds-Eye dehydrate well because they are already uniformly cut, saving you prep time in the kitchen. Place the thawed, uncooked vegetables directly on the dehydrator trays in a single layer and dehydrate at 125° for approximately six hours. I break the green beans in half first so they finish dehydrating at the same time as the corn, carrots, and peas. A one pound package weighs approximately three ounces when dry and amounts to just under one cup. Pepper Medley: Green peppers are the workhorses of the pepper family, but I invite the yellow, orange, and red cousins to all of my backpacking feasts. Peppers combine well with beef, beans, or shrimp and make themselves at home in pasta, rice, couscous, and grits. I cut fresh peppers into ½” pieces, trimming away the white fleshy part on the inside. Raw peppers retain their color better than cooked peppers, so I don’t bother cooking them before dehydrating. Place cut peppers on dehydrator trays in single layers and dehydrate at 125° for approximately six hours. Onions: My favorite onions for dehydrating are Vidalia Onions from South Georgia because of their sweet and mild flavor. If you can’t find them in your area, try another sweet onion variety. I tried drying whole rings, but I achieved more complete and faster drying times when I diced the onions. Spread out in a single layer on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 145° for two hours and reduce to 135° for approximately six hours or until pliable. Onions can smell pretty strong when dehydrating, so you might want to open a window or do as I do and set up the dehydrator on the front porch. (I especially recommend the front porch for dehydrating tuna). Broccoli: Don’t forget the broccoli when dehydrating vegetables at home. A nutritional power food, broccoli supercharges many of my backpacking meals with extra vitamins, fiber, and minerals. After washing and soaking the broccoli for ten minutes in salt water to remove any contaminants, I rinse and cut the florets into ½” bouquets and the stems into small pieces ½” or smaller. Steam the broccoli for about five minutes to break down the fibrous walls of the stems and to bring out the dark green color. Broccoli dehydrates best when firm, not mushy. Dehydrate at 125° for approximately eight hours. Dehydrated broccoli will be brittle when done. Mushrooms: I prefer baby bella mushrooms for my backpacking recipes. Thoroughly wash all the dirt off in cold water and cut into 1/8 inch slices. Place pieces on the dehydrator tray in a single layer and dehydrate at 125° for six to eight hours until leathery. An eight ounce package will weigh less than an ounce when dry and amount to one cup. Cherry Tomatoes: Although it takes time, I cut cherry tomatoes into 1/8 inch slices using a sharp knife and place in a single layer on the dehydrator trays sprinkled with a little salt. Larger tomatoes can be sliced or diced depending on how you like them and how you plan to use them. Dehydrate at 145° for two hours and reduce to 135° for approximately six more hours until pliable. A pint of cherry tomatoes will weigh just over an ounce when dry and amount to about ¾ of a cup. Cucumber: Cucumber is technically a fruit like tomatoes, but since most people think of it as a vegetable, I’ll include it here on the dehydrating vegetables page. Dried cucumbers are fair for snacking on like a chip or they can be chopped or powdered to use as a seasoning in dips and soups. Because of the thick waxy coating, I peel cucumbers first and then cut into 1/8 inch slices. Arrange in a single layer and sprinkle with a little salt if desired. Dehydrate at 125° for six to eight hours until leathery. Increase temperature to 135° and dry cucumbers for a few more hours if you plan to powder them. Carrots: When dehydrating carrots for snacking or for use in dried salads, peel large carrots and cut into 1/8 inch slices. Dehydrating sliced baby carrots will result in very small dried carrot pieces. That’s fine for cooked recipes, but for snacking you’ll want larger pieces you can grab with your fingers. Dehydrate at 125° for approximately six to ten hours or until leathery. Now that you know how easy dehydrating vegetables can be, try dehydrating meat. If you would like to learn more about dehydrating vegetables, I recommend Preserve It Naturally; The Complete Guide To Food Dehydration. Written by the folks at Excalibur Food Dehydrators, this valuable resource is loaded with how-to information and outstanding photography. I consult this book every time I dehydrate a new food. Dehydrating Chicken The secret to dehydrating chicken so that it turns out tender is to pressure cook it first. Pressure cooking chicken tenderizes and intensifies its flavor better than any other cooking method. Before I discovered pressure cooked chicken, I tried poaching chicken breasts in chicken broth in a pot. I cut the cooked chicken into strips and dried it for eight hours at 145 degrees. When I rehydrated the chicken it was very tough. Drying Canned Chicken: Canned chicken is pressure cooked! I have dried several brands including Swanson, Target, Hormel, and Tyson. They all turn out very tender when rehydrated. I also dehydrated a couple of brands of pouched chicken which is also pressure cooked. The pouched chicken turned out more tender than my home cooked chicken, but was a little chewier than the canned chicken. A 12.5 ounce can yields 7 ounces of chicken after you drain the liquid. For best results, pull chunks apart into smaller strips and spread out on your dehydrator tray. Dry at 145 degrees for approximately eight hours. When dry, a 12.5 ounce can yields a little less than a cup and will weigh 1.5 to 2 ounces. Store dehydrated chicken in the freezer until you are ready to use it or pack for a trip. Chicken meat is more fibrous than beef, so bacteria can grow more easily in the open spaces. For that reason, I wouldn’t store it for more than a month outside of the freezer. PasnThru’s experiment with broasted chicken purchased from a restaurant. Broasting is pressure cooking with oil. The photo shows dried breast meat on left and thigh meat on right with the rehydrated meat in the foreground. PasnThru was pleased with the results. Because the meat is cooked under pressure, much less oil enters the meat compared to open frying. Fast food restaurants publish nutritional information on their websites. I noticed that Kentucky Fried Chicken uses mono sodium glutamate in their chicken which is troublesome for lots of folks. There was no msg in any of the canned chicken that I tried, but they were all high in sodium. You will get rid of some of the sodium when you drain the liquid off. Buy a large chicken, not extra large, so as not to get a fatty bird. Skin and trim all the fat. Cut it in half and steam for one hour until falling apart. Remove bones and pull meat apart into small pieces. Hit with seasoning salt or a little soy sauce if for Asian dish. Dehydrate at 145° - 155° until dry (time varies with dehydrator model) Yield: 15-20 ¼ cup portions for the price of two cans! Jeff says, "Steamed chicken has excellent flavor and less fat than canned chicken. The fat drips off the bird during steaming and can be helped along by pouring hot water over the bird. I do this with turkey and duck also." Dehydrating chicken gives you lots of delicious options for backpacking meals. Consider these basic recipes as starting points: Chicken and Mashed Potatoes: ½ cup Potato Bark (made with chicken broth) ¼ cup Dried Vegetables (any kind) ¼ cup Dried Chicken 1 ¼ cups Water Chicken and Rice: ½ cup Pre-Cooked and Dried Rice (made with chicken broth) ¼ cup Dried Vegetables (any kind) ¼ cup Dried Chicken 1 cup Water To rehydrate, soak your dried chicken with the other ingredients in your pot for five minutes. Light stove and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and wait ten to fifteen minutes before eating. FREEZING VEGGIES With summer comes the bounty of the vegetable garden. We bask in the freshness of crisp young vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness. Our supper tables are overflowing with vegetable dishes, and meat is just an afterthought. Many of us wish for the ability to preserve some of the excess, and extend our vegetable windfall into other seasons. Freezing squash is easy, and there is usually no shortage of it this time of year. Summer squash is a prime example of garden excess. Often bags of the vegetable are left on doorsteps unannounced. The homeowner returning to find that they have a large ‘gift' from an unknown neighbor. Many times the surplus is simply tossed away because there is already a refrigerator full of a similar vegetable already taking up valuable storage space. So many people end up with such a glut of squash, they begin to feel overwhelmed, and simply start discarding it. Summer squash is such an easy vegetable to preserve, that all cooks should learn how to do this. All you have to do is have a few recipes on hand, to make a quick side dish whenever another vegetable is needed at the table. The best way to preserve squash for the winter is to freeze it. Freezing is simple, and there is no special equipment that you have to purchase. It is one of the cheapest ways to have a ready supply of vegetables for the supper table. As long as you follow a few safe food handling rules, you can have a winter's supply of frozen squash in just a short amount of time. Start with fresh squash. The quality of your frozen vegetables can only be as good as the produce that you begin with. The quicker that you freeze them, the more flavor and nutrients that they will have. Wash in cool water, and trim the ends of your squash. You will then need to slice the squash in evenly sized pieces. I generally quarter them and cut the tails off. The squash that I am using are Yellow Summer Crooknecks. They are an old Open Pollinated variety that has a great flavor, and the seeds are commonly available from many sources. Many people plant the straight neck squashes because of the uniform shape and size, but they do not even come close to the old crooknecks when it comes to flavor. To properly freeze vegetables, they need to be blanched in boiling water or steam. This stops the enzyme action that takes place to ripen, or mature the produce. If you simply freeze your squash, the enzyme action continues, causing degrading in color, flavor, and texture. Prepare a large pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil. At this point, you can either lower a basket of squash pieces into the water, or carefully pour your squash directly into it. Different vegetables take varying amounts time to properly blanch, but a good rule of thumb is five minutes. The water does not have to return to a rolling boil, but it needs to at least simmer well. Your squash pieces will change from pale yellow to a much brighter shade. When your squash have blanched, simply take the basket and plunge it into a waiting ice water bath, or pour the squash and water through a colander, and then place the colander in the ice water. The ice water will stop the vegetable from cooking further, and you can then freeze it in a semi-raw state. After cooling the squash quickly, they need to finish cooling completely before bagging up for the freezer. Your squash will be tastier if they are totally cool. This usually will take a couple of hours. After the squash have cooled, you can then bag or box up your squash in serving portions that will best suit your family, or a certain recipe. Place the squash pieces in the container and press out as much air as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing produce, so take care when doing this. Label your containers with contents, date and amount in the bag. This way you will always know exactly what is in each container. Place flat in the freezer in a single layer until they are frozen. Sometimes a cookie sheet will help with this task. Squash are easy to preserve, and you can process just a few pieces at a time if you wish. There is no need for an all day event that messes up the kitchen and consumes time and effort. You will be most grateful for the extra vegetables in the freezer this winter when you need another dish. To use your frozen squash, simply thaw a bag in your refrigerator overnight and use it the next day. An uncomplicated recipe that is great for frozen squash is a basic Squash Casserole. This dish can be prepared with a number of extra ingredients, so use your imagination. This is the basic, no frills version that every cook should know how to make. Your family's personal preferences will dictate any other ingredients. Squash Casserole 1 bag of thawed summer squash Basic White Sauce...butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper, cooked and thickened Grated cheese...your choice (grated Pepperjack is wonderful!) Bread crumbs or cracker crumbs Alternate ingredient suggestions Onion, garlic, hamburger meat, sausage, bacon bits, sage, olives, sweet or hot peppers, seasoned, purchased stuffing mix (prepared) If adding anything like this, be sure that the meat is browned and drained and the vegetables have been sautéed until they are slightly limp. Layer the squash with the white sauce and cheese Sprinkle the crumbs on top, and bake at 350 degrees till browned and bubbly. Usually 35-40 minutes With the bounty of summer squash this time of year, it is a simple thing to put some by for the winter. Even if all you do is freeze enough to make a wonderful casserole for the Thanksgiving table, it will be sure to impress family and friends. Do not avoid neighbors bearing lumpy squash bags! Embrace the windfall and extend the season. You will be happy that you did this winter. Summer Squash: How To Preserve The Bounty With summer comes the bounty of the vegetable garden. We bask in the freshness of crisp young vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness. Our supper tables are overflowing with vegetable dishes, and meat is just an afterthought. Many of us wish for the ability to preserve some of the excess, and extend our vegetable windfall into other seasons. Freezing squash is easy, and there is usually no shortage of it this time of year. Summer squash is a prime example of garden excess. Often bags of the vegetable are left on doorsteps unannounced. The homeowner returning to find that they have a large ‘gift' from an unknown neighbor. Many times the surplus is simply tossed away because there is already a refrigerator full of a similar vegetable already taking up valuable storage space. So many people end up with such a glut of squash, they begin to feel overwhelmed, and simply start discarding it. Summer squash is such an easy vegetable to preserve, that all cooks should learn how to do this. All you have to do is have a few recipes on hand, to make a quick side dish whenever another vegetable is needed at the table. The best way to preserve squash for the winter is to freeze it. Freezing is simple, and there is no special equipment that you have to purchase. It is one of the cheapest ways to have a ready supply of vegetables for the supper table. As long as you follow a few safe food handling rules, you can have a winter's supply of frozen squash in just a short amount of time. Start with fresh squash. The quality of your frozen vegetables can only be as good as the produce that you begin with. The quicker that you freeze them, the more flavor and nutrients that they will have. Wash in cool water, and trim the ends of your squash. You will then need to slice the squash in evenly sized pieces. I generally quarter them and cut the tails off. The squash that I am using are Yellow Summer Crooknecks. They are an old Open Pollinated variety that has a great flavor, and the seeds are commonly available from many sources. Many people plant the straight neck squashes because of the uniform shape and size, but they do not even come close to the old crooknecks when it comes to flavor. To properly freeze vegetables, they need to be blanched in boiling water or steam. This stops the enzyme action that takes place to ripen, or mature the produce. If you simply freeze your squash, the enzyme action continues, causing degrading in color, flavor, and texture. Prepare a large pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil. At this point, you can either lower a basket of squash pieces into the water, or carefully pour your squash directly into it. Different vegetables take varying amounts time to properly blanch, but a good rule of thumb is five minutes. The water does not have to return to a rolling boil, but it needs to at least simmer well. Your squash pieces will change from pale yellow to a much brighter shade. When your squash have blanched, simply take the basket and plunge it into a waiting ice water bath, or pour the squash and water through a colander, and then place the colander in the ice water. The ice water will stop the vegetable from cooking further, and you can then freeze it in a semi-raw state. After cooling the squash quickly, they need to finish cooling completely before bagging up for the freezer. Your squash will be tastier if they are totally cool. This usually will take a couple of hours. After the squash have cooled, you can then bag or box up your squash in serving portions that will best suit your family, or a certain recipe. Place the squash pieces in the container and press out as much air as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing produce, so take care when doing this. Label your containers with contents, date and amount in the bag. This way you will always know exactly what is in each container. Place flat in the freezer in a single layer until they are frozen. Sometimes a cookie sheet will help with this task. Squash are easy to preserve, and you can process just a few pieces at a time if you wish. There is no need for an all day event that messes up the kitchen and consumes time and effort. You will be most grateful for the extra vegetables in the freezer this winter when you need another dish. To use your frozen squash, simply thaw a bag in your refrigerator overnight and use it the next day. An uncomplicated recipe that is great for frozen squash is a basic Squash Casserole. This dish can be prepared with a number of extra ingredients, so use your imagination. This is the basic, no frills version that every cook should know how to make. Your family's personal preferences will dictate any other ingredients. recipes for using dehyrdated food Dried Meat Vegetable Stew 3 c. boiling water 1 1/2 c. dried meat cubes 1/2 c. dried carrot slices 1/2 c. dried peas 1/2 c. dried green beans 1/2 c. dried celery slices 1/2 c. dried parsnip slices 1 T. dried chopped onion 1/4 c. flour 1/4 c. water salt and pepper Pour water over beef, simmer 1 hour. Add veggies and simmer 30 min. more. Mix flour and water, stir into the stew and cook, stirring, till thickened. Add salt and pepper. Serves 6-8. Dry Onion Soup Mix Yield: 1 Package 4 ts Instant beef bouillon 8 ts Dried minced onion 1 ts Onion powder 1/4 ts Bon Appetit seasoning (or 1/2 onion powder and 1/2 celery salt) Mix together until evenly distributed. Makes the equivalent of 1 package of dry onion soup mix. Use to flavor dishes, dips or reconstitute for soup. Cream Of Tomato Soup Mix 3 c Dried tomato slices 1/2 c Dried milk powder 1 Tbls Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon Powder tomato slices in a blender or with a pestle. Add remaining ingredients. Store in a plastic bag, glass jar, or any tightly sealed container. TO USE: add to 1 1/2 quarts boiling water and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter or margarine after cooking. Serves 4 to 6. Sasquatch's Taters (vegetarian): Mix these ingredients in a bowl: 1-3/4 cups instant mashed potatoes 1-1/2 cups dry milk 2 tsp Low sodium chicken bullion 2 tsp dried onion 1 tsp dried parsley 1/4 tsp ground pepper 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1/8 tsp turmeric (or an Indian curry powder) 1-1/2 tsp seasoning salt, if desired-salt to taste. At home: combine all ingredients, then put 1/2 cup mix in a freezer bag. In camp: add 1 cup boiling water. Stir until smooth. Serve. Serves 1 as a side dish. Notes: Leaving salt out will give you a low sodium dish. Banana Bread 3⁄4 cup margarine or butter 1-1⁄2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-1⁄2 cups mashed ripe banana (4 to 6) bananas 1⁄2 cup buttermilk 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 cup chopped dried banana 1⁄2 cup chopped dates 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons raw sugar (plain sugar may be substituted) Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour 3 small (3" x 5") loaf pans or two medium (3-1⁄2" x 7-1⁄2") loaf pans. Cut waxed or parchment paper to fit bottoms and line pans. In a large bowl, cream margarine or butter with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mash banana in separate bowl with a fork. Add to margarine/egg mixture. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with 1⁄2 cup buttermilk, blending just until combined. Fold in dried banana chunks, pecans, and dates. Pour into prepared pans. Sprinkle raw sugar over tops of loaves. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack. Makes 3 small or 2 medium loaves. Variation: Add dried pineapple instead of dates Dried Apple Pastry Squares 5 to 6 cups dried apples 2 cups boiling water 2-1/2 cups cake or pastry flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons margarine or butter 1 egg yolk + enough milk to make 2/3 cup 1 cup crushed bran flakes 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 egg white, stiffly beaten 1 cup sifted powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Place dehydrated apples in large bowl. Cover with 2 cups boiling water. Let stand until pastry is finished. In large bowl, stir flour and salt together. Cut in butter with pastry blender until crumbly. Beat egg yolk lightly with fork in measuring cup. Add enough milk to egg yolk to make 2/3 cup. Stir milk into flour mixture. Mix with fork to blend, stirring until mixture holds together and clings to side of bowl. Divide dough into two parts. On heavily floured surface, roll half of dough to line a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan. As you are rolling dough, roll it up on the pin and sprinkle flour underneath to keep dough from sticking. Roll dough onto pin. Unroll dough onto pan, pressing lightly to form bottom crust. Sprinkle bottom with bran flakes In large bowl, combine drained rehydrated apples, sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Stir to mix. Spread apple mixture over bottom crust. Roll out remaining half of dough and place on top. Pinch edges of dough together to seal. Crimp edges. Beat egg white until stiff. Brush over top crust. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until golden brown. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla, and water to make a smooth frosting. Let pastry cool slightly, then frost while crust is still warm. Cut into squares. Makes 15 three inch squares. Dried Vegetable Soup Mix This is for vegetables which have been dehydrated individually. Dried soup mixes are made by mixing various dehydrated vegetables, seasonings and thickeners. Carrots..... ......... ......... ......... . 45% Onions ............ ......... ......... ... 21% Red peppers ............ ......... . 8% Green peppers ............ ..... 8% Cabbage ............ ......... ......... . 12% Celery ............ ......... ......... ........ 6% Ingredients can be dehydrated together to a lower moisture content, then packaged in air-tight containers and stored in cool, dry place. Or you can place the appropriate combinations of individual dehydrated vegetables into a blender and blend to small pieces. This basic vegetable mix may be added to any variety of soups. Add spices in these proportions when preparing soups: Salt........ ......... ......... ......... ....... 60% Celery leaf ............ ......... ... 24% Black pepper...... ......... ........ 6% Onion powder ............ ....... 5% Garlic powder ............ ....... 2% Rosemary ............ ......... ......... 1% MSG ............ ......... ......... ......... . 2% Add tomatoes to make a tomato soup mix. Add noodles or corn starch to thicken. See above. Herbs and spices are used extensively in soups. See Chapter on Spices and Herbs for suggestions. For example, peppers, both red, green and black are great flavorers. Ginger, cinnamon, pimento (all­spice) , cloves, cardamoms, nutmeg and mace, mustard, celery seed, parsley, coriander, sage, thyme, mint, marjoram, curry powder, cumin seed, dill seed and fennel seed are other suggestions. Meats for Soup Mixes The adding of different types of meat stock (or bouillon cubes) makes for a wonderful soup. Dehydrated chicken and beef can be used in noodle soups, vegetable soups, etc. Dried oxtails and kidneys are used in their respective soups and practically any type of cooked meat, game and poultry can be dehydrated for specialty mixes. (See Dehydration of Meats.) Use small cubed pieces or meat powders. Meat Soup Mix (example) Dehydrated beef or fowl ............ ...... 23% Wheat flour....... ......... ......... ......... ......... ...... 23% Carrot chips....... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..... 23% Onion flakes...... ......... ......... ......... ......... ...... 17% Ground white pepper ............ ......... ........ 1% Margarine ............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ..... 2% MSG ............ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... .........2% Salt........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ........9% Reconstitution One cup dehydrated soup mix and four cups of water (or desired thickness) is a good ratio to start with. Add variations desired, seasoning etc. Simmer all ingredients 20-30 minutes, or until vegetables are tender and flavored to taste. Pre-soaking for one-half hour will cut cooking time in half. Packer's Cole Slaw 1 tablespoon noniodized or canning salt 1 cup water 1/2 cabbage, washed and finely shredded 1 stalk celery, shredded 1 carrot, shredded 1/2 green pepper, shredded 3/4 cup vinegar 1 teaspoon mustard seed 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1 cup sugar At home: Dissolve the salt in the water in a large bowl, then soak the cabbage in the salt water for an hour. Add the next three ingredients and let them soak for another 20 minutes, then drain and rinse thoroughly. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, and sugar in a pan and bring it to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the dressing over the rinsed vegetable mixture in the bowl and marinate, covered, for at least 24 hours before dehydrating. Divide the dried slaw into plastic bags (1/3 cup of dried salad is adequate as a side dish for one person). In camp: Add an equal amount of water to each portion of salad (1/3 cup of water to 1/3 cup of salad) and allow it to reconstitute for at least half an hour. Yield: 3 1/2 to 4 cups (10 to 12 side dishes). I have made something close to this recipe and it turns out pretty good. Corn Fritters 1 cup dried corn 4 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk Rehydrate corn by adding to boiling water and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Simmer corn until tender, approximately 1 hour. Drain off excess water (save for soup or gravy). Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Combine the beaten eggs and milk, mixing well. Add the liquid to the flour mixture all at once and stir the mixture until smooth. Fold in the corn. Drop batter from a teaspoon into a well greased frying pan and cook until brown on all sides. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot. Creamed Corn 1 C. dried corn 4 C. boiling water 2 t. sugar 1/2 C. milk 1 T. flour 1 T. margarine salt and pepper to taste Add corn to water and let stand for 30 minutes. Simmer corn until tender. This may take as long as an hour or so. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Beef Jerky Stew 4 cups water 1 cup dried tomato pieces (about 20 slices) 1 cup beef jerky pieces (in 1/2-inch chunks) 1 cup dried peeled potato slices 1/4 cup dried carrot 1 tablespoon dried bell pepper pieces 1 tablespoon dried onion pieces 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic salt and pepper to taste 1 cup cooked and dried short-grain rice In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups of the water and all ingredients except carrot and rice. Let sit for 30 minutes to rehydrate. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add carrot, if using. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until jerky is tender. Meanwhile, combine rice with remaining water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Return to boil, partially cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 to 30 minutes. Serve hot stew over cooked rice. Serves 2 to 4 Cooking with dried cabbage flakes. Cooked Cabbage ½ cup dried cabbage flakes ½ teaspoon of sugar if desired 1 ¾ cup water Rinse, in a saucepan bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Drain excess water. Serve with salt and pepper Dot with butter. Green Bean Casserole 2 cups water 1 cup dried cut green beans 1 can mushroom soup 1/4 tsp onion powder Bring water to a boil. Add beans and cook to desired degree of firmness. Add soup as is, do not reconstitute. Add onion powder. Simmer in saucepan until heated through and serve. Variation: Place in one quart casserole. Top with bread crumbs or french fried onion rings. Bake in 325 degrees F. oven for 30 to 35 minutes. Serves: 4 Cream of Tomato Soup Mix 3 cups dried tomato slices 1/2 cup dry milk powder 1 tablespoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon Powder dried tomato slices in blender. Add remaining ingredients. To use: Add to 1 1/2 quarts boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon butter after cooking, if desired. Sun-Dried Tomato & Penne Soup Mix Makes 1 (32 oz) quart You will need: 2 cups penne pasta 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into quarters (about 1 3-oz bag) 1/4 cup dried onion flakes 1/4 cup dried parsley flakes 1 cup dried shiitake mushroom pieces (about 2 .35-oz bags) 1 Tbsp dried minced garlic 1-1/2 tsp dried thyme 1-1/2 tsp dried minced basil 1-1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes 1 (32 oz) quart glass preserving jar with lid and band Cheesecloth White cotton kitchen string Directions: 1.) LAYER pasta, tomatoes, onion, parsley and mushrooms into a quart jar in the order listed, packig each layer evenly as it is added. Adjust cap. 2.) PLACE remaining ingredients onto the center of a 4- x 4-inch double layer square of cheesecloth, securing with white cotton kitchen string to create a bouquet garni. Set aside. 3.) CREATE recipe card for preparing Sun-Dried Tomato & Penne Soup (see recipe below). Tie recipe card and bouquet garni around the neck of the jar with ribbon or raffia. Makes base for one recipe of Sun-Dried Tomato & Penne Soup. Sun-Dried Tomato & Penne Soup Makes about 8 servings 1 cup hot water 8 cups vegetable broth 1/4 cupsweet white wine 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes 1 14-oz can cannelloni beans 1.) REMOVE mushrooms from jar and soak in hot water for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms from soaking water, being careful not to disturb the sediment in the bottom of the cup. Rinse mushrooms under cold running water. Drain. 2.) COMBINE hydrated mushrooms, soup mix, bouquet garni and broth in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until pasta is tender. Add wine, tomatoes and beans. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove bouquet garni. Serve warm. dehydrated beef stew 1/2 cup dehydrated carrots 1/2 cup dehydrated sliced potatoes 1/4 cup dehydrated onion 3 tablespoons dehydrated celery 2 slices dehydrated elephant garlic, crumbled 3/4 to 1 lb fresh stewing beef 3 cups beef stock (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) 2 tablespoons plain flour, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water seasonings: Italian (dried) herbs to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon) 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional) 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup pepper (and salt*) to taste Here's What You Do for Beef Stew in the Slow Cooker! 1) Put the dehydrated items and seasonings in your crock-pot 2) Prepare 3 cups beef stock in a large jug. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, and optional tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the ketchup 3) In a separate jug, measure 1/4 cup of cold water, add the flour, stir well then add this to the beef stock and Worcestershire Sauce and ketchup mix. Stir well 4) Add the stock mix to the slow cooker (let it cool a bit so you don't shock your crock(pot)! 5) Add the stewing beef. Stir gently to mix all. Cover with crock-pot lid 6) Turn on the slow cooker ... low heat, 4 - 6 hours *IF you need to add salt, do so, BUT be careful NOT to over-salt as the bouillon has salt in it ... When you return home from work ... it's ready to serve! NOTE: If you will be unable to check it during the day, make 4 cups of stock so it can cook for 8 hours and not dry out in the crock-pot. Carrot Soup Ingredients: 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1-3/4 to 2 cups of dehydrated carrots 1/4 cup dehydrated onion 2 slices dehydrated elephant garlic, crumbled 1 teaspoon dried oregano 3-1/2 cups of vegetable stock. (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) salt and pepper to taste around 1/2 cup of fresh or from-concentrate orange juice, to taste. You should be able to 'detect' the orange juice, but not be overwhelmed by it. Here's What You Do for the best Dehydrated Carrot Soup around! 1) Re-hydrate the dehydrated carrots, dehydrated onion, and the dehydrated garlic with clean cold or freshly boiled water. 2) To a good heavy pan, add the olive oil, medium heat. 3) Add the onions and carrots and cook until softened, around 8 minutes or so, then add the garlic and the oregano, and cook some more for a few minutes. 4) Add the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. 5) Simmer for 10 minutes or until the carrots and onion are cooked through. 6) Add the orange juice, stir. 7) Blend in a blender (I use my Cuisinart Blender) in small batches ... allow air to escape from the little hole in the lid so that the heat doesn't cause any explosive problems! Just have your hand over that top little hole to catch any runaway splashes. Please understand, I am NOT saying "don't use the big lid", I'm saying don't use the "little clear plastic removable lid" which you use to add ingredients while the blender is running. I don't want this soup all over your kitchen! Just let the excess heat escape... 8) Blend until smooth, about 45 - 60 seconds. ENJOY! ... not only the sheer taste of it, but the goodness of beta carotene too! This is my dad's FAVORITE soup that I make! Ingredients for Celery and Potato Soup: 2 cups dehydrated potatoes 1 cup dehydrated celery 1/4 cup dehydrated onion 2 cups boiling water to rehydrate items above pepper (and salt*) to taste 4 cups of vegetable stock (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) seasonings: 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried), 1/4 teaspoon Tarragon, 1/4 teaspoon Celery Salt Here's What You Do! 1) Use the freshly boiled water to re-hydrate the dehydrated items above 2) When they are sufficiently plump, put the veggies into a heavy saucepan, toss the excess water, and add the vegetable stock to the pan. 3) Add the chopped parsley, tarragon, celery salt, and cumin. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are fully cooked/soft 4) Let it cool a bit and blend (I use my Cuisinart Blender) in small batches ... allow air to escape from the little hole in the lid so that the heat doesn't cause any explosive problems! Just have your hand over that top little hole to catch any runaway splashes. Please understand, I am NOT saying "don't use the big lid", I'm saying don't use the "little clear plastic removable lid" which you use to add ingredients while the blender is running. I don't want this soup all over your kitchen! Just let the excess heat escape... 5) Blend until smooth, about 45 - 60 seconds. *IF you need to add salt, do so, BUT be careful NOT to over-salt as the bouillon has salt in it ... Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients: 1/4 cup dehydrated carrots 1/8 cup dehydrated onion 2 tablespoons dehydrated celery 1 slice dehydrated elephant garlic 3 cups chicken stock (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) 1-1/2 cups whole wheat or regular egg noodles 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 lb pre-cooked dehydrated chicken or leftover chicken from last night's dinner! At a pinch use canned chicken in water, and crumble it up -- works FINE! seasonings: Italian (dried) herbs to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon) pepper (and salt*) to taste Here's What You Do! 1) Use clean cold water or freshly boiled water to re-hydrate the dehydrated items above 2) When they are sufficiently plump, add the olive oil to a heavy pan on medium heat 3) Add the onion and celery, cook for about 5 minutes 4) Add the chicken stock, then add the garlic - crumbled finely, and the carrots, egg noodles, Italian herbs - and lest we forget, the chicken! Then cook an additional 8 minutes *IF you need to add salt, do so, BUT be careful NOT to over-salt as the bouillon has salt in it ... There's something about chicken soup -- doesn't matter what time of the year you have it -- it soothes the soul, mends a cold, and fixes a broken heart! Serve with your own fresh baked bread! This is a very easy meal and what I like is that there's very little clean-up in the kitchen because you're only using one saucepan :-) Ingredients for our tasty Chicken Salad: 1 tablespoon dehydrated celery 1/2 tablespoon dehydrated red onion 1/2 of a 12.5 oz can of canned chicken breast 2 tablespoons real Mayonnaise 3 tablespoons regular or reduced fat sour cream 3 tablespoons ricotta cheese 1/2 - 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard (optional) seasonings: salt and ground black pepper to taste Here's What You Do! 1) Use clean cold water re-hydrate the celery and red onion 2) When plump, put in a medium sized glass bowl, add the mayonnaise, sour cream, ricotta cheese, and mustard - stir well 3) Add the chicken, crumble it in a bit as you go, squeezing out any excess liquid. Stir ingredients to mix in the chicken. 4) Place in an airtight tub in the fridge to chill What makes this an easy recipe is the convenience of canned chicken. These cans of chicken last for years (check the date stamp always) and are a great stand-in for fresh chicken. Serve it on our fantastic Fresh Bread! or use this alternate fast bread recipe! Either way, it's a winner of a sandwich :-) and is ideal for picnics by the lake, or in your own backyard under the sun umbrella! If you happen to have a couple of spare cans of tuna lying around, then make our tasty tuna salad too! Whenever tuna and chicken cans go on sale, you can bet I stock up on them, and so should you -- put it away at today's prices, because you don't know how much more they will cost next week, or next month. Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup Ingredients: 1 slice dehydrated elephant garlic 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion 1 tablespoon dehydrated carrots, crumbled into small pieces 3 cups chicken stock (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) 1 cup orzo 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 lb pre-cooked dehydrated chicken or leftover chicken from last night's dinner! You can use canned chicken in water too - works great! seasonings: Italian (dried) herbs to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon) handful fresh chopped parsley pepper (and salt*) to taste lemon juice, or dehydrated lemon, or lemon zest Here's What You Do for Lemony Chicken Orzo Soup! 1) Use clean cold water or freshly boiled water to re-hydrate the dehydrated items above 2) When they are sufficiently plump, add the olive oil to a heavy pan on medium heat 3) Add the onion and carrots, cook for about 5 minutes 4) Add the chicken stock, then add the garlic - crumbled finely, and the remaining ingredients - Bring to a boil and cook an additional 8 minutes 5) At the end of cooking, add a good squirt of lemon juice (I choose to use RealLemon brand). We just need to detect a taste of lemon in the soup, and not overwhelm it with lemon! If you prefer, you can use the zest of fresh lemons or use a dash of lemon from your dehydrated lemon stock! *IF you need to add salt, do so, BUT be careful NOT to over-salt as the bouillon has salt in it ... And yes, sin of all sins, I WAS sitting in front of the computer eating it ... and NOT at the dining table! No matter where you eat this soup, it's always refreshing and delicious, and it's that touch of lemon that elevates it from ordinary chicken soup, to extraordinary lemon chicken soup! NOTE: If you're out of orzo, you can very easily substitute white rice for the orzo, though the rice will need about 5 to 10 minutes more to cook through. I just like the way the orzo plumps up so big! The Smoothest Green Split Pea Soup -- perfect with a slice of bread'n'butter! Ingredients for Green Split Pea Soup: 16oz. bag of green split peas 1/4 cup dehydrated carrots 1/4 cup dehydrated onion 1/4 cup dehydrated celery 2 slices dehydrated elephant garlic 2 cups boiling water (for dehydrated items) pepper (and salt*) to taste a couple handfuls of chopped ham 6 cups of ham-base stock (I choose to use Better Than Bouillon by Superior Touch) Here's What You Do for the best Dehydrated Green Split Pea Soup! 1) Use the freshly

Bread and Butter Pickles ( also great with Jalapeno's ) 4 quarts medium-size cucumbers (about 6 pounds) I slice fairly thick 1 1/2 cups onions, sliced (about 1 pound)or more we like lots of onions. 1/3 cup Canning and Pickling Salt Large Garlic cloves (Ii put a clove of in each jar or more ) 4 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons of tumeric 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 2 tablespoons mustard seed 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns. 4 cups white vinegar 1 cup water Combine sugar, spices, vinegar, and water. Heat to just a boil. Pack cucumbers slices, onion slices ,garlic cloves into hot and clean quart or pint jars. Ladle liquid into jars over the cucumbers leaving 1/2 inch head space. If you are short a little liquid. I just add hot white vinegar to bring it up to 1/2 inch head space. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. They usually come out nice and crunchy. I cant keep my kids out of them. :) Yield: 4 quarts or 8 pints. depending on how tight you pack them. Spaghetti Sauce 15 lbs. ripe tomatoes, chopped 1/4 cup water 1 onion, chopped 1 green or red sweet pepper, chopped 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional) 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon fennel seed (optional) 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons dried basil 2 teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 teaspoon pepper Place tomatoes in a large saucepan, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Press tomatoes through a food mill or blender. In a different saucepan combine water, onion, sweet pepper and if using, mushrooms. Cook over a medium heat, stirring often until onion and pepper are soft. Add to tomato mixture. Stir in garlic, parsley, brown sugar, fenel seed (if using), salt, basil, oregano, marjoram and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 2 hours or until reduced by half, stirring frequently. Ladle hot sauce into jars leaving a one inch headspace. Process quarts for 30 minutes and pints for 20 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Yield: about 4 pints Pickled Eggs By Deb Shaded Deer Schorzman in The Canning Club (Files) · Edit Doc Peach Butter 8 cups cooked and mashed peaches 4 cups sugar 3 teaspoons cinnamon 2 teaspoons cloves 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon allspice Place peaches in a blender; puree until smooth. I like puree half of mine and leave have so I have peach pieces Place in crock pot; add the sugar. Stir until mixed; add remaining spices. Cover; cook on high for 5 hours and then cook for 5 hours uncovered Quick Strawberry Jam 2 pounds fresh strawberries, hulled 4 cups white sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice In a wide bowl, crush strawberries in batches until you have 4 cups of mashed berry. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often, until the mixture reaches 220 degrees F (105 degrees C). Transfer to hot sterile jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace, and seal. Process in a water bath. If the jam is going to be eaten right away, don't bother with processing, and just refrigerate Grape Juice Jelly 3 cups bottled unsweetened grape juice made with Concord grapes 1- 1 3/4 ounce package regular powdered fruit pectin or 6 tablespoons classic powdered fruit pectin 4 1/2cups sugar In a 6- to 8-quart heavy pot combine grape juice and pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon. Ladle hot jelly into hot sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids and screw bands. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boiling.) Remove jars form canner; cool on wire racks. Makes 5 half-pints CANNING SYRUP 3 c. sugar 4 c. water Place water and sugar in 2 quart saucepan. Boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Set aside. Prepare fruit and place in clean sterile jars. Pour hot syrup over fruit until covered; seal and water bath according to the kind of fruit you have. Usually 25 minutes for most fruits in pints. Prepare the syrup in this small quantity and it is not when fruit is ready and you don't waste sugar. Mix only as much as you will use. You may also use this for freezing fruit. Use plastic freezer boxes for fruit and cover with cooled syrup and freeze. Dehydrate Extra Summer Squash Summer squash taking over? I chop mine into about 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces and dehydrate them. Because of the water content of summer squash, they really dehydrate to a tiny size, so you may need a smaller grate. Then I mix them in almost everything - meatloaf (instead of bread, crackers, oatmeal, etc), soups, sauces, quick breads. You get the idea. If your dehydrated squash pieces are too large, just whiz them in a food processor or blender until you get the size you need. Even picky eaters (i.e my grand kids) will eat it all, and not realize there are extra veggies on their plate. CANNING FRUIT APPLE PIE FILLING FOR CANNING 7 qt. canning jars, cleaned & sterilized Golden Delicious or mixed apples, peel & slice & fill 7 qt. jars SYRUP: 4 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. salt 1 c. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 10 c. water Cook syrup ingredients until thick. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Pour over apples in jars. Seal. Process in canner for 20 minutes. CANNING PEARS 4 1/2 c. processed pears 1 box Sure-Jell 5 c. sugar 1 tsp. allspice or cinnamon Wash, pare and core pears. Run through grinder or processor until fine. Measure out 4 1/2 cups. Mix with 1 box of Sure-Jell. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add all at once, 5 cups sugar and teaspoon of allspice or cinnamon. Bring to full rolling boil again and time 1 minute, stirring constantly. Cool 5 minutes. Skim foam and seal into sterile jars. Can process 10 minutes in boiling water bath for safety. Makes 4 pints. CANNING PEACHES Make a syrup, thin or medium as you wish. Put in one cracked peach pit for every quart of syrup. Boil 5 minutes and strain. SYRUP: 1 1/2 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is very thin. SYRUP: 2 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a thin one. SYRUP: 3 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a medium one. SYRUP: 4 3/4 c. sugar 4 c. water This syrup is a heavy one. Hold peaches in boiling water for about 1 minute or until the skins slip easily. Plunge at once into cold water for a few seconds. Remove skins. Cut peaches in halves and discard pits. Peel by hand. Pack at once. Place halves in overlapping layers. Place the pit side of each half down. Fill containers with boiling syrup. Process quart and pint glass jars 35 minutes in boiling water, if fruit is firm and hard; process 25 minutes. If it is ripe and tender. CANNING BEANS Soybeans Lima beans Garbanzo beans Kidney beans Pinto beans 3 1/2 c. beans Hot water to 1 inch from top 1 tsp. salt Wipe off rim of jar. Place sealing lid on, screw ring lid on. (Most lids with rim will work.) Place in pressure cooker which has 2 quarts of water in it. Cook on 10 to 15 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes. Let cool naturally in canner for at least 25 minutes, allowing pressure to reduce slowly. VEGETABLE SOUP CANNING 2 gal. ripe tomatoes 16 ears corn 4 green peppers 2 hot peppers 2 c. carrots, precooked 2 c. butter beans, precooked 2 c. black-eyed peas, precooked 1 1/2 c. okra 1 c. sugar 3/4 c. vinegar (optional) 1/2 c. salt 1 qt. hot water Mix all ingredients together until heated through. Hot pack into quart jars leaving 1 inch headspace and adjust 2 piece lids. Process in a pressure canner for 90 minutes at 10 psi. SPAGHETTI SAUCE (FOR CANNING) 1/2 bushel Roma tomatoes 2 large onions 2 medium green peppers 1 cup oil 1/4 cup parsley 1/4 cup oregano 1 1/2 tsp garlic 1/4 cup salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup red wine vinegar 48 oz tomato paste Chop onions and green peppers. Blanch and peel tomatoes. Cook onions and green peppers in oil until soft. Add tomatoes and cook until very soft. Mash with tomato paste until desired consistency. Add seasonings and cook down until thick. (I usually cook for 8 - 10 hours). Process in hot water bath for 50 minutes or in a pressure canner for 20 minutes at 10 lbs. For a smooth sauce without chunks: If you have a Vittorio Strainer or the vegetable strainer for a Kitchen Aid Mixer you only have to wash and quarter tomatoes. Cook as above and run through strainer to get skins, seeds and vegetable chunks out. Then proceed as above. HOMEMADE PIZZA SAUCE FOR CANNING 1/2 bushel tomatoes 3 lb. onions 4 green peppers Cook for 2 1/2 hours until soft. Makes 7 quarts juice. Put juice through a sieve. 1 1/2 tsp. red pepper (optional) 2 c. vegetable oil 2 tsp. basil 2 tsp. oregano 1 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. parsley 6 bay leaves 1/2 c. salt 2 tsp. garlic salt Boil juice and spice until thick. Add 4 (12 ounce) cans tomato paste, optional (for thicker sauce). Bring to boil. Put in jars and adjust lids. Place in pressure cooker for 5 minutes, for 5 pounds of pressure. Makes 18 to 20 pints. HOW TO CAN DEER MEAT CUT YOUR DEER MEAT INTO CHUNKS! PUT 1 TSP OF SALT PER QT. JAR PUT IN DEER MEAT AND STUFF IT AS TIGHT AS U CAN!!!! THEN U PUT 2 TBLSP WATER IN EACH JAR. AND PUT YOUR LIDS IN HOT WATER B4 ADDING THEM TO THE JAR. WHIPE RINGS OF JARS. PUT LIDS AND RINGS ON JAR AND TIGHTEN DOWN. PUT IN CANNER ADD 2 QTS OF WATER AND PRESSURE CAN THEM AT 10 POUNDS PRESSURE FOR 90 MIN. COLD PACK (WATER BATH METHOD) PREPARE JARS LIKE THE UPPER RECIPE CALLS FOR. PUT IN POT AND COVER WITH WATER TILL IT COVERS JAR LIDS BY 1 TO 2 INCHES AND BRING TO HARD ROLLING BOIL AND BOIL FOR 4 HOURS. IF U HAVE TO ADD WATER TO KEEP LEVEL OF WATER ABOVE JAR THEN MAKE SURE IT IS HOT WATER!!!!!!! SLOPPY JOES Ingredients: Yield: 6 pints Units: US | Metric 3 lbs ground beef 1 1/2 cups diced onions 3 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons prepared mustard 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon thyme 2 cups ketchup 1 cup prepared chili sauce (like Heinz brand ) 1/2 cup water 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons lemon juice Directions: 1 Prepare mason jars, lids and rings; if you are unsure on how to do this, consult a preserving manual. 2 In a heavy saucepan, begin to brown ground beef, then add onion and garlic; continue cooking until meat is browned. 3 Drain off fat. 4 In a mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar and mustard, then add remaining ingredients to brown sugar mixture. 5 Stir into beef and heat thoroughly. 6 Now, carefully spoon this hot mixture into hot jars, leaving a one-inch headspace. 7 Remove air bubbles with a (nonmetallic) spatula and wipe the rims of the jars clean of any food residue. 8 Place lid on jar with sealing compound next to glass; screw band down evenly and firmly just until a point of resistance is met; this is called being fingertip-tight. 9 Process for 75 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. Canned Fresh Green Beans Preparation time: 15 minutes Processing time: Pints, 20 minutes; quarts, 25 minutes Pressure level: 10 pounds Yield: 16 pints or 8 quarts 4 pounds fresh green beans Boiling water Canning salt Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. In an 8-quart pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. While water is boiling, clean and cut the beans. Remove any dirt and shake off the excess water. Trim off the ends of the beans and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Removing the ends and strings from green beans. Tightly pack the cut beans into the prepared jars. Pour the boiling water over the beans, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding more water as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands. Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. How to Can Fresh Tomatoes with a Water Bath Canner! How to make tomato paste Ingredients and Equipment Tomatoes - about 20 lbs to make 7 quarts (7 large tomatoes will fill one quart jar.) lemon juice - fresh or bottled, about 1/2 cup 1 quart tomato juice (or plain water) 1 Water bath Canner (a huge pot to sanitize the jars after filling (about $30 to $35 - $30 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores. Note: we sell many sizes and types of canners for all types of stoves and needs - see canning supplies). Tomatoes are on the border between the high-acid fruits that can be preserved in a boiling-water bath and the low-acid fruits, vegetables and meats that need pressure canning 1 large pot (to scald the tomatoes, step 3) and 1 medium sized pot to heat the tomato juice or water to add to the jars (step 6) and 1 small pot to sanitize the lids. Pint or quart canning jars (Ball or Kerr jars can be found at Publix, Kroger, Safeway and local "big box" stores - about $8 per dozen jars including the lids and rings). Quart jars are more economical! Lids - thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals them against the top of the jar. They may only be used once. Rings - metal bands that secure the lids to the jars. They may be reused many times. Jar grabber (to pick up the hot jars) Lid lifter (has a magnet to pick the lids out of the boiling water where you sanitize them. ($2 at mall kitchen stores and local "big box" stores, but it's usually cheaper online from our affiliates)t) Jar funnel ($3-Grocery stores, like Publix, Kroger and Safeway and local "big box" stores; sometimes even hardware stores) Large spoons and ladles How to can tomatoes Choose from: Bottled lemon juice Pint jar: add 1 Tablespoon Quart jar: add 2 Tablespoons Citric acid Pint jar: add 1/4 teaspoon Quart jar: add 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar (5% acidity) Pint jar: add 2 Tablespoons Quart jar: add 4 Tablespoons Salt: You can add some salt to each jar before canning if you want to. Just be sure to use salt without added iodine. Or you can wait to add salt when you are cooking with the tomatoes later. Skinning tomatoes. You will need to remove the skins from all tomatoes. Skins are removed by placing tomatoes in boiling water for about 1 minute until skins split and then placing them in cold water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, slip the skins off. Several approaches are commonly used to prepare tomatoes for canning. The variations arise from how the tomatoes are specifically prepared before placing in jars. All methods work well. Canning crushed tomatoes Ski the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Crush about 3 cups of tomatoes in a large pot with a potato masher and bring them to a boil while stirring. Gradually add the rest of the quartered tomatoes and keep stirring. After all tomatoes are in the pot, boil gently for 5 more minutes. To each sterilized canning jar, add your selected acidification product (lemon juice, citric, acid, or vinegar), salt if desired, and then fill jars with hot tomatoes. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and attach lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 35 minutes (40 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 45 minutes (50 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. Times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 20 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 15 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints Canning whole tomatoes For pint or quart jars. Canned whole tomatoes are used whenever a recipe calls for stewed tomatoes. The whole tomatoes can also easily be mashed and cooked down to make sauces. Skin the tomatoes and remove the stem cores. Add your acidification agent (lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar) to sterilized canning jars. Hot pack method Put skinned tomatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil for 5 minutes. Ladle hot tomatoes into prepared sterilized jars and then add cooking liquid. Leave 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe clean rims of jars and put on lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 40 minutes (45 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 45 minutes (50 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. These times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 15 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 10 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints Raw pack method without added liquid The raw pack method has appeal because it involves less preparation time and you do not have to work with hot liquid and hot jars. However, this method does require longer processing times in the canner. Pack skinned tomatoes into sterilized jars prepared with acid booster. Press them into the jars so that juice squeezes out and fills in the gaps between tomatoes. Leave 1/2 inch headspace, wipe clean jar rims, and attach lids and bands. Water bath canner processing times Pints – 85 minutes (90 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Quarts – 85 minutes (90 minutes above 1,000 feet elevation) Pressure canner processing times (Always refer to directions for your pressure canner first. These times and pressures presented here are typical.) Pints – 40 minutes at 6 pounds pressure or 25 minutes at 11 pounds pressure Quarts – same as for pints With all methods for canning tomatoes, you must remove the jars from canner and let them cool on a towel in a space free from drafts. Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours. Then check to make sure jars are sealed. Remove bands, wipe clean lids and jars and store in cupboard for up to one year. If a jar does not seal, put it in the refrigerator and use it within a few days. CHUNKY TACO SAUCE FOR CANNING 8 qts. tomatoes, diced & peeled (use plum or roma tomatoes if possible) 1 qt. chopped onions 1 qt. chopped sweet peppers 1 qt. chopped celery 1 qt. cider vinegar 1 c. sugar 2 c. water 2 tbsp. brown sugar 1/3 c. canning salt (not iodized) 1 tbsp. whole pickling spice (tie in cloth) 2 tbsp. chili powder 2-3 tsp.. cayenne pepper (more for hot) 1 tbsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. lemon juice Black pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in large, heavy kettle. Bring to boil; simmer 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Pour hot sauce into clean, sterilized pint jars, process in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 30 minutes. Yield: 14 pints CANNING CUCUMBERS 7 lbs. cucumbers 2 gal. cold water 2 c. lime Slice cucumbers thinly, mix lime and water and soak cucumbers for 24 hours in lime water. Take out and wash well. Soak for 3 hours in ice water. Take out of water and put in vinegar mixture and soak overnight or 10 hours. Boil for 35 minutes. Pack and seal. VINEGAR MIXTURE: 1 qt. vinegar 4 1/2 lbs. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. celery seed 1 tsp. whole allspice Bring to boil. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cool. How to Pressure Can Chicken: Raw-Pack Method Step 1: Wash all jars, lids, and rings. No need to sterilize them for pressure canning. Keep them at room temperature. Step 2: Start water boiling to fill the jars with. Step 3: Cut up frozen chicken into bite-sized pieces. (Let it thaw for just a little bit so it isn’t TOO rock hard) Step 4: Throw the chicken into jars, fill it all the way to the very top. Step 5: Fill each jar with hot water leaving 1 inch of open space at the top of the jar. Poke down any chicken that is sticking above the water. Step 6: Put all the jars into the pressure canner and pour in 3 quarts of boiling water. Step 7: Place lid on the pressure canner and turn up the heat on your stove. Allow steam to vent out for ten minutes before placing on the pressure regulator. Step 8: Bring the pressure up to the correct amount for your elevation (mine was 13 pounds pressure). Process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts. Step 9: Remove the pressure canner from the stove and allow pressure to come down naturally. This can take a long time so be prepared to wait. Remove the pressure regulator from the vent pipe, wait 10 more minutes. Step 10: Remove jars from canner and allow to cool. Then check the seals, label them with the date canned, and ENJOY! Please note: I followed the directions in my manual and in my Ball Canning Guide. Your manual may be different so make sure you double-check before you do this on your own! U CAN ALSO DO THIS BONE IN!!! DEHYDRATING BREAD Making Bread Crumbs & Dehydrating Cake Making bread crumbs with a food dehydrator is easy. Simply place slices of bread on the dehydrator trays and dehydrate at 125 degrees for approximately four hours. My Excalibur Food Dehydrator’s nine 15 x 15 inch trays handle four loaves at a time. When the bread is dry, it will crumble easily in your hands. You don’t want any sponginess left in the bread or it might spoil later. If you want fine bread crumbs, roll over the crumbs with a rolling pin or crush with a wooden tenderizing mallet. I use an electric grinder. I use fresh baked bread from a local bakery rather than the run-of-the-mill white bread off the grocery store shelves. Neutral flavored breads like Italian work well, but you can dehydrate any bread you like. Whole grain pita bread dries well and makes a nice topping for chili. Full flavored breads like rye and pumpernickel make nice crumbs for trail mixes or to top off a bowl of soup. Add Bread Crumbs to Ground Beef. I also work ½ cup of finely ground bread crumbs into a pound of ground beef or turkey before dehydrating. At meal time, the bread crumbs in the meat absorb water while the meat cooks, improving tenderness. Now that you know how to make bread crumbs, try drying some angel food cake. Pepper Medley: Green peppers are the workhorses of the pepper family, but I invite the yellow, orange, and red cousins to all of my backpacking feasts. Peppers combine well with beef, beans, or shrimp and make themselves at home in pasta, rice, couscous, and grits. I cut fresh peppers into ½” pieces, trimming away the white fleshy part on the inside. Raw peppers retain their color better than cooked peppers, so I don’t bother cooking them before dehydrating. Place cut peppers on dehydrator trays in single layers and dehydrate at 125° for approximately six hours. Mushrooms: I prefer baby bella mushrooms for my backpacking recipes. Thoroughly wash all the dirt off in cold water and cut into 1/8 inch slices. Place pieces on the dehydrator tray in a single layer and dehydrate at 125° for six to eight hours until leathery. An eight ounce package will weigh less than an ounce when dry and amount to one cup. DEHYDRATING CHICKEN The secret to dehydrating chicken so that it turns out tender is to pressure cook it first. Pressure cooking chicken tenderizes and intensifies its flavor better than any other cooking method. Before I discovered pressure cooked chicken, I tried poaching chicken breasts in chicken broth in a pot. I cut the cooked chicken into strips and dried it for eight hours at 145 degrees. When I rehydrated the chicken it was very tough. Drying Canned Chicken: Canned chicken is pressure cooked! I have dried several brands including Swanson, Target, Hormel, and Tyson. They all turn out very tender when rehydrated. I also dehydrated a couple of brands of pouched chicken which is also pressure cooked. The pouched chicken turned out more tender than my home cooked chicken, but was a little chewier than the canned chicken. A 12.5 ounce can yields 7 ounces of chicken after you drain the liquid. For best results, pull chunks apart into smaller strips and spread out on your dehydrator tray. Dry at 145 degrees for approximately eight hours. When dry, a 12.5 ounce can yields a little less than a cup and will weigh 1.5 to 2 ounces. Store dehydrated chicken in the freezer until you are ready to use it or pack for a trip. Chicken meat is more fibrous than beef, so bacteria can grow more easily in the open spaces. For that reason, I wouldn’t store it for more than a month outside of the freezer. PasnThru’s experiment with broasted chicken purchased from a restaurant. Broasting is pressure cooking with oil. The photo shows dried breast meat on left and thigh meat on right with the rehydrated meat in the foreground. PasnThru was pleased with the results. Because the meat is cooked under pressure, much less oil enters the meat compared to open frying. Fast food restaurants publish nutritional information on their websites. I noticed that Kentucky Fried Chicken uses mono sodium glutamate in their chicken which is troublesome for lots of folks. There was no msg in any of the canned chicken that I tried, but they were all high in sodium. You will get rid of some of the sodium when you drain the liquid off. Thanks PasnThru! Steaming Chicken - Another Option for Dehydrating Chicken Dehydrating chicken gives you lots of delicious options for backpacking meals. Consider these basic recipes as starting points: Chicken and Mashed Potatoes: ½ cup Potato Bark (made with chicken broth) ¼ cup Dried Vegetables (any kind) ¼ cup Dried Chicken 1 ¼ cups Water Chicken and Rice: ½ cup Pre-Cooked and Dried Rice (made with chicken broth) ¼ cup Dried Vegetables (any kind) ¼ cup Dried Chicken 1 cup Water To rehydrate, soak your dried chicken with the other ingredients in your pot for five minutes. Light stove and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and wait ten to fifteen minutes before eating. FREEZING VEGGIES With summer comes the bounty of the vegetable garden. We bask in the freshness of crisp young vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness. Our supper tables are overflowing with vegetable dishes, and meat is just an afterthought. Many of us wish for the ability to preserve some of the excess, and extend our vegetable windfall into other seasons. Freezing squash is easy, and there is usually no shortage of it this time of year. Summer squash is a prime example of garden excess. Often bags of the vegetable are left on doorsteps unannounced. The homeowner returning to find that they have a large ‘gift' from an unknown neighbor. Many times the surplus is simply tossed away because there is already a refrigerator full of a similar vegetable already taking up valuable storage space. So many people end up with such a glut of squash, they begin to feel overwhelmed, and simply start discarding it. Summer squash is such an easy vegetable to preserve, that all cooks should learn how to do this. All you have to do is have a few recipes on hand, to make a quick side dish whenever another vegetable is needed at the table. The best way to preserve squash for the winter is to freeze it. Freezing is simple, and there is no special equipment that you have to purchase. It is one of the cheapest ways to have a ready supply of vegetables for the supper table. As long as you follow a few safe food handling rules, you can have a winter's supply of frozen squash in just a short amount of time. Start with fresh squash. The quality of your frozen vegetables can only be as good as the produce that you begin with. The quicker that you freeze them, the more flavor and nutrients that they will have. Wash in cool water, and trim the ends of your squash. You will then need to slice the squash in evenly sized pieces. I generally quarter them and cut the tails off. The squash that I am using are Yellow Summer Crooknecks. They are an old Open Pollinated variety that has a great flavor, and the seeds are commonly available from many sources. Many people plant the straight neck squashes because of the uniform shape and size, but they do not even come close to the old crooknecks when it comes to flavor. To properly freeze vegetables, they need to be blanched in boiling water or steam. This stops the enzyme action that takes place to ripen, or mature the produce. If you simply freeze your squash, the enzyme action continues, causing degrading in color, flavor, and texture. Prepare a large pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil. At this point, you can either lower a basket of squash pieces into the water, or carefully pour your squash directly into it. Different vegetables take varying amounts time to properly blanch, but a good rule of thumb is five minutes. The water does not have to return to a rolling boil, but it needs to at least simmer well. Your squash pieces will change from pale yellow to a much brighter shade. When your squash have blanched, simply take the basket and plunge it into a waiting ice water bath, or pour the squash and water through a colander, and then place the colander in the ice water. The ice water will stop the vegetable from cooking further, and you can then freeze it in a semi-raw state. After cooling the squash quickly, they need to finish cooling completely before bagging up for the freezer. Your squash will be tastier if they are totally cool. This usually will take a couple of hours. After the squash have cooled, you can then bag or box up your squash in serving portions that will best suit your family, or a certain recipe. Place the squash pieces in the container and press out as much air as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing produce, so take care when doing this. Label your containers with contents, date and amount in the bag. This way you will always know exactly what is in each container. Place flat in the freezer in a single layer until they are frozen. Sometimes a cookie sheet will help with this task. Squash are easy to preserve, and you can process just a few pieces at a time if you wish. There is no need for an all day event that messes up the kitchen and consumes time and effort. You will be most grateful for the extra vegetables in the freezer this winter when you need another dish. To use your frozen squash, simply thaw a bag in your refrigerator overnight and use it the next day. An uncomplicated recipe that is great for frozen squash is a basic Squash Casserole. This dish can be prepared with a number of extra ingredients, so use your imagination. This is the basic, no frills version that every cook should know how to make. Your family's personal preferences will dictate any other ingredients. Squash Casserole 1 bag of thawed summer squash Basic White Sauce...butter, flour, milk, salt and pepper, cooked and thickened Grated cheesE...your choice (grated Pepperjack is wonderful!) Bread crumbs or cracker crumbs Alternate ingredient suggestions Onion, garlic, hamburger meat, sausage, bacon bits, sage, olives, sweet or hot peppers, seasoned, purchased stuffing mix (prepared) If adding anything like this, be sure that the meat is browned and drained and the vegetables have been sautéed until they are slightly limp. Layer the squash with the white sauce and cheese Sprinkle the crumbs on top, and bake at 350 degrees till browned and bubbly. Usually 35-40 minutes With the bounty of summer squash this time of year, it is a simple thing to put some by for the winter. Even if all you do is freeze enough to make a wonderful casserole for the Thanksgiving table, it will be sure to impress family and friends. Do not avoid neighbors bearing lumpy squash bags! Embrace the windfall and extend the season. You will be happy that you did this winter. Summer Squash: How To Preserve The Bounty With summer comes the bounty of the vegetable garden. We bask in the freshness of crisp young vegetables picked at the peak of ripeness. Our supper tables are overflowing with vegetable dishes, and meat is just an afterthought. Many of us wish for the ability to preserve some of the excess, and extend our vegetable windfall into other seasons. Freezing squash is easy, and there is usually no shortage of it this time of year. Summer squash is a prime example of garden excess. Often bags of the vegetable are left on doorsteps unannounced. The homeowner returning to find that they have a large ‘gift' from an unknown neighbor. Many times the surplus is simply tossed away because there is already a refrigerator full of a similar vegetable already taking up valuable storage space. So many people end up with such a glut of squash, they begin to feel overwhelmed, and simply start discarding it. Summer squash is such an easy vegetable to preserve, that all cooks should learn how to do this. All you have to do is have a few recipes on hand, to make a quick side dish whenever another vegetable is needed at the table. The best way to preserve squash for the winter is to freeze it. Freezing is simple, and there is no special equipment that you have to purchase. It is one of the cheapest ways to have a ready supply of vegetables for the supper table. As long as you follow a few safe food handling rules, you can have a winter's supply of frozen squash in just a short amount of time. Start with fresh squash. The quality of your frozen vegetables can only be as good as the produce that you begin with. The quicker that you freeze them, the more flavor and nutrients that they will have. Wash in cool water, and trim the ends of your squash. You will then need to slice the squash in evenly sized pieces. I generally quarter them and cut the tails off. The squash that I am using are Yellow Summer Crooknecks. They are an old Open Pollinated variety that has a great flavor, and the seeds are commonly available from many sources. Many people plant the straight neck squashes because of the uniform shape and size, but they do not even come close to the old crooknecks when it comes to flavor. To properly freeze vegetables, they need to be blanched in boiling water or steam. This stops the enzyme action that takes place to ripen, or mature the produce. If you simply freeze your squash, the enzyme action continues, causing degrading in color, flavor, and texture. Prepare a large pot of water and bring it to a rolling boil. At this point, you can either lower a basket of squash pieces into the water, or carefully pour your squash directly into it. Different vegetables take varying amounts time to properly blanch, but a good rule of thumb is five minutes. The water does not have to return to a rolling boil, but it needs to at least simmer well. Your squash pieces will change from pale yellow to a much brighter shade. When your squash have blanched, simply take the basket and plunge it into a waiting ice water bath, or pour the squash and water through a colander, and then place the colander in the ice water. The ice water will stop the vegetable from cooking further, and you can then freeze it in a semi-raw state. After cooling the squash quickly, they need to finish cooling completely before bagging up for the freezer. Your squash will be tastier if they are totally cool. This usually will take a couple of hours. After the squash have cooled, you can then bag or box up your squash in serving portions that will best suit your family, or a certain recipe. Place the squash pieces in the container and press out as much air as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing produce, so take care when doing this. Label your containers with contents, date and amount in the bag. This way you will always know exactly what is in each container. Place flat in the freezer in a single layer until they are frozen. Sometimes a cookie sheet will help with this task. Squash are easy to preserve, and you can process just a few pieces at a time if you wish. There is no need for an all day event that messes up the kitchen and consumes time and effort. You will be most grateful for the extra vegetables in the freezer this winter when you need another dish. To use your frozen squash, simply thaw a bag in your refrigerator overnight and use it the next day. An uncomplicated recipe that is great for frozen squash is a basic Squash Casserole. This dish can be prepared with a number of extra ingredients, so use your imagination. This is the basic, no frills version that every cook should know how to make. Your family's personal preferences will dictate any other ingredients. recipes for using dehyrdated food Dried Meat Vegetable Stew 3 c. boiling water 1 1/2 c. dried meat cubes 1/2 c. dried carrot slices 1/2 c. dried peas 1/2 c. dried green beans 1/2 c. dried celery slices 1/2 c. dried parsnip slices 1 T. dried chopped onion 1/4 c. flour 1/4 c. water salt and pepper Pour water over beef, simmer 1 hour. Add veggies and simmer 30 min. more. Mix flour and water, stir into the stew and cook, stirring, till thickened. Add salt and pepper. Serves 6-8. Dry Onion Soup Mix 4 ts Instant beef bouillon 8 ts Dried minced onion 1 ts Onion powder 1/4 ts Bon Appetit seasoning (or 1/2 onion powder and 1/2 celery salt) Mix together until evenly distributed. Makes the equivalent of 1 package of dry onion soup mix. Use to flavor dishes, dips or reconstitute for soup. Banana Bread 3⁄4 cup margarine or butter 1-1⁄2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1-1⁄2 cups mashed ripe banana (4 to 6) bananas 1⁄2 cup buttermilk 2 cups flour 1 teaspoon soda 1⁄2 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 cup chopped dried banana 1⁄2 cup chopped dates 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons raw sugar (plain sugar may be substituted) Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour 3 small (3" x 5") loaf pans or two medium (3-1⁄2" x 7-1⁄2") loaf pans. Cut waxed or parchment paper to fit bottoms and line pans. In a large bowl, cream margarine or butter with sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mash banana in separate bowl with a fork. Add to margarine/egg mixture. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add flour to creamed mixture alternately with 1⁄2 cup buttermilk, blending just until combined. Fold in dried banana chunks, pecans, and dates. Pour into prepared pans. Sprinkle raw sugar over tops of loaves. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack. Makes 3 small or 2 medium loaves. Variation: Add dried pineapple instead of dates Corn Fritters 1 cup dried corn 4 cups boiling water 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup milk Rehydrate corn by adding to boiling water and allow to stand for 20 minutes. Simmer corn until tender, approximately 1 hour. Drain off excess water (save for soup or gravy). Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Combine the beaten eggs and milk, mixing well. Add the liquid to the flour mixture all at once and stir the mixture until smooth. Fold in the corn. Drop batter from a teaspoon into a well greased frying pan and cook until brown on all sides. Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Serve hot. Creamed Corn 1 C. dried corn 4 C. boiling water 2 t. sugar 1/2 C. milk 1 T. flour 1 T. margarine salt and pepper to taste Add corn to water and let stand for 30 minutes. Simmer corn until tender. This may take as long as an hour or so. Drain and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Beef Jerky Stew 4 cups water 1 cup dried tomato pieces (about 20 slices) 1 cup beef jerky pieces (in 1/2-inch chunks) 1 cup dried peeled potato slices 1/4 cup dried carrot 1 tablespoon dried bell pepper pieces 1 tablespoon dried onion pieces 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic salt and pepper to taste 1 cup cooked and dried short-grain rice In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups of the water and all ingredients except carrot and rice. Let sit for 30 minutes to rehydrate. Place pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Add carrot, if using. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, until jerky is tender. Meanwhile, combine rice with remaining water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Return to boil, partially cover and simmer until rice is tender, about 15 to 30 minutes. Serve hot stew over cooked rice. Serves 2 to 4 Grandma's Pear Preserves Ingredients 6 cups peeled, cored, and sliced pears 1 cup water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 (2 ounce) package powdered fruit pectin 8 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons ground allspice 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 1/2 cup brown sugar Directions Sterilize jars and lids in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Let simmer while making jam. In a large saucepan, combine pears, water, and lemon juice. Cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in pectin, and bring to a full boil. Stir in the white sugar, and continue boiling and stirring uncovered for 1 minute, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, and stir in brown sugar, allspice, and nutmeg. Quickly fill jars to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims clean, and top with lids. Process jars in boiling water for 10 minutes to seal. EMERGENCY INGREDIENT SUB LIST With all the baking going on this holiday season, it seems that you can write your grocery list, check it twice and you still find out during the middle of baking that you don't have an essential ingredient that you need. I am so glad I found this list. I have been looking for it everywhere. This will save the day. So keep it on hand for those times when it is much needed. Allspice – 1 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves. Baking Powder – 1 teaspoon 1/3 tsp. baking soda plus 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar or 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup yogurt or buttermilk (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup) Bread Crumbs (Dry) – 1 cup 3 slices of bread, crumbled. Butter – 1 cup 1 cup of regular margarine or 1 cup of vegetable shortening (for baking) or 1 cup of oil (but only if melted butter is called for) Buttermilk – 1 cup 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar plus enough regular milk to make 1 cup (let sit for 5 minutes) Cream / Half and Half – 1 cup 7/8th of a cup of whole milk plus 1/2 tablespoon of butter or 3 tablespoons of oil, plus enough milk for 1 cup or 1 cup of evaporated milk Cocoa – 1/4th cup 1 ounce (square) chocolate (decrease butter/oil in recipe by 1/2 a tablespoon) Condensed Milk – 1 cup Heat 1/3 cup of evaporated milk, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of butter until dissolved. Cornstarch (for thickening) – 1 tablespoon 2 tablespoons of flour (must cook for at least 3 minutes longer to thicken) Corn syrup, 1 cup - 1 cup granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water Egg – 1 whole egg 1/4th cup of egg beaters or 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (for baking batters only) Flour (All-Purpose) – 1 cup 1/2 cup whole wheat flour plus 1/2 cup of all purpose flour (don’t substitute more than 1/2 the flour) The following alternatives require more leavening, so add 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder per cup of flour. Also recommended, use buttermilk and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda instead of milk to decrease heaviness. 3/4 cup rice flour or 1 1/2 cups of oat flour or 1 1/4 cups of rye flour or 5/8 cup of potato starch flour or 1 cup rolled oats or 1 cup fine cornmeal Honey: - 1 cup 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus 1/4 cup water. Milk, 1 cup 1/2 cup evaporated milk plus 1/2 cup water; or 1 cup water plus 1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder Sour cream, 1 cup 1 cup plain yogurt Sugar (Powdered) – 1 cup 3/4 cup of granulated sugar Sugar (White) – 1 cup 1 cup of firmly packed brown sugar or 1 3/4 cups confectioner’s sugar (not for baking) or 3/4 cup maple syrup (reduce liquid in recipe by 3 tablespoons) Whole Milk – 1 cup 1 cup buttermilk plus 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (if baking, reduce baking powder by 2 teaspoons) or 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk , 7/8 cup of water, and 2 teaspoons of butter Plain Yogurt – 1 cup 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup cottage cheese (blended smooth) or 1 cup sour cream Apple Pie Jelly Enhance your morning toast with this delectable Apple Pie Jelly recipe! A great way to get delicious fall flavors without having to heat up the entire house. You'll Need: 4 c. Apple Juice 1 Tbs Maple Syrup 5 c. Sugar 3 tsp. Cinnamon 1 tsp. Nutmeg 1 Box powdered pectin Place apple juice, maple syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg in a heavy saucepan. Add the pectin and bring to a hard boil over high heat until it dissolves into the juice. Slowly stir in the sugar and bring back to a rolling boil over high heat. Boil for one full minute (if you use a candy thermometer to be exact, it should read 220 degrees !) Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon. Pour into jars (about 12 1/4 pint jars, or 6 1/2 pints), put on lids and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. HOW I FREEZE SQUASH SQUASH BUTTER MILK FLOUR CORN MEAL (OPTIONAL) SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE 1.) WASH AND SLICE SQUASH 2.) MIX FLOUR, CORN MEAL, SALT AND PEPPER IN ONE BOWL 3.) PUT BUTTER MILK IN OTHER BOWL 4.) DIP SQUASH INTO BUTTER MILK 5.) ROLL IN FLOUR MIX 6.) LAY FLAT IN A COOKIE SHEET 7.) PUT IN FREEZER TILL COMPLETELY FROZEN 8.) TAKE OUT AND PUT IN BAGGIES WHEN U TAKE OUT TO FRY U FRY IT FROZEN AND IT COMES OUT DELISH!!! :) WIMPY WEINERS INGREDIENTS: 3 BELL PEPPERS 2 LG. ONIONS 5 LBS. HOT DOGS 32 OZ. KETCHUP 1/2 C. VINEGAR 3 1/2 C SUGAR 1/2 C OIL 4 TBSP GARLIC POWDER CUT EVERYTHING UP AND COMBINE IT ALL AND BRING TO A BOIL IN A LARGE POT. BRING TO ROLLING BOIL AND BOIL FOR ABOUT 10 MIN. OR SO AND PUT IN JARS AND TIGHTEN DOWN AND WAIT TO SEAL!!!! NOW I USED SWEET BANANA PEPPERS N MILD BANANA PEPPERS N BELL PEPPERS!!! U CAN USE THE PEPPERS OF CHOICE !!!!! how to make n freeze homemade french fries How to Freeze Homemade Potato Fries Freeze sliced potatoes ahead of time for a homemade snack. Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Goodshoot/Getty Images Potatoes turn brown when they are cut and allowed to sit before cooking. In order to prevent this natural browning and keep their products looking tasty, commercial producers of french fries and other frozen potato products add chemicals such as disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate to their potatoes. You can eliminate these chemicals from your dinner by making your own french fries and freezing them ahead of time. They will turn brown, but the brown color is not harmful and it goes away during cooking, so you won't need to treat the potatoes with anything special to prevent it. Baked French Fries Step 1. Peheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Step 2. Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler if you prefer your french fries without skin. Step 3. Slice each potato to the french fry thickness of your choice. Step 4. Toss the sliced potatoes in just enough vegetable oil to coat them. Step 5. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and the seasonings of your choice and toss them once more until they are well-coated. Step 6. Spread the oiled potatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Step 7. Bake the fries for 20 to 55 minutes depending upon their thickness, turning them once about halfway through the cooking time. When they are done, a fork will easily pierce them. Step 8. Remove the fries from the oven and set them aside to cool before freezing. Step 9. Place the fries in a heavy-weight freezer bag and seal them once they have cooled to room temperature. You can store them in the freezer for up to four weeks. Step 10. Remove the fries from the freezer when you are ready to use them and warm them in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 to 15 minutes until they are fully thawed and crisped to your preference. French Fries Step 1. Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler if you prefer your french fries without skin. Step 2. Slice each potato to the french fry thickness of your choice. Step 3. Arrange the sliced potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet and place them in the freezer for several hours or overnight until they are fully frozen. Step 4. Place the potatoes in a heavy-weight freezer bag and seal them once they have frozen solid. You can store them in the freezer for up to four weeks. Step 5. Remove the fries from the freezer the day or morning before you are ready to use them and allow them to thaw in the refrigerator. Step 6. Preheat the frying oil to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Step 7. Carefully lower the thawed potatoes in small batches into the frying oil. The batches should be small enough that the oil fully covers the potatoes. Step 8. Fry each batch of potatoes for five to 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Step 9. Lift the potatoes out of the oil and let them drain on paper towels. Step 10. Sprinkle salt and the seasonings of your choice over the potatoes and serve them. make your own sweeten condensed milk from dry milk ½ c. hot water 1 c. dry non-instant powdered milk or 2 c. dry instant powdered milk 1 c.sugar 1 Tbsp. butter Blend ingredients in blender until smooth. Makes the equivalent of one 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk. cheesy potato soup 2 c. powdered coffee creamer 1/2 c. imitation bacon bits 2 (1.5 oz) pkgs of cheese sauce mix 2 T. dried parsley flakes 1 t. salt-free seasoning mix 1 t. dried minced onion 1/2 t. pepper 2 c. instant potato flakes 2 (5 oz.) cans ham, optional Put the following dry ingredients in a quart sized jar and then when you need it just add the wet ingredients. Place dry ingrediets in a large soup pot. Add 8 cups of boiling water. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes. Add ham if desired.

Honey-Cinnamon Canned Peaches Ingredients Ripe peaches (2-3 pounds per quart jar) 9 cups water 1 cup honey 7 cinnamon sticks Instructions Peel peaches by dunking in boiling water for 2 minutes-the skins will come right off when you transfer to ice cold water Bring 9 cups of water, and 1 cup of honey to a boil in a medium saucepan Remove pits, and slice up peaches Put a cinnamon stick in the bottom of each sterilized quart jar Fill jars with peaches, placing them pit-side down (if you are using halves) Fill jars the rest of the way with the hot honey-water solution leaving 1/2" headspace Adjust lids and process quart jars in a hot water-bath canner for 25 minutes