First canning of the season

Yesterday was a good day of canning and freezing produce from StonePath.  We knew we had pickle cukes ready to harvest and we were pleasantly surprised at the amount we had to work with.

We were thinking that we would only be able to get a few jars worth, but ended up with enough for two water bath canner loads. 

I will confess that we cheat on pickles. We have found that the Mrs. Wages brand of instant pickles to be very easy to use with excellent results. Next year we may plan on growing lots of dill to scratch can pickles.

Our method is fairly straight forward.  The Mrs. Wages product is a dry mix of spices that is added to a white vinegar and water bath. The liquid is brought to a boil and added to the already packed, hot jars.

We process quart jars for 10 minutes and pints for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.  A couple years ago we went to Lehman's Hardware in Kidron, Ohio and purchased a Camp Chief outdoor stove. This stove has been a great addition, it keeps the kitchen cooler and speeds the process up tremendously.

We ended up with 5 quarts and 8 pints of kosher dill pickles. This volume should continue throughout the summer.  We love kosher dill, polish dill, and bread & butter pickles.

The other item we made a small batch of was Apple Rhubarb Chutney. Chutney is in the same category of relish and salsa, except that chutney's usually have more fruit and tend to be saucier. Many recipes have nuts, although the one we did does not.  We'll use this chutney on pork roast, or even spread on crackers with some cream cheese.

The recipe for this chutney came from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving which is a great resource for anyone who likes to preserve food at home.

Apple Rhubarb Chutney

4 cups - diced, peeled, cored apples (treated to prevent browning)

4 cups - granulated sugar

2 cups - diced rhubarb

1/2 cup - water

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup - dried cranberries

1 tsp - ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp - ground nutmeg

1. In a large stainless steel pot, combine apples, sugar, rhubarb, water, lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently for 15 minutes.  Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Boil gently, stirring frequently, until thick enough to mound on a spoon, about 15 minutes.

2. Ladle hot chutney into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace.

3. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, making sure the lids are covered by water.

Yields 4 1/2 pint jars.

We finished the day with pickles, chutney, and 6 cups of banana pepper rings. We freeze the peppers in food saver bags by the cup to use later on pizza or omelets.



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