Spiced Cranberries
Sometimes I really am surprised at how easy canning can be…and, here is a perfect example of a tasty recipe that is easy to follow and doesn’t take a whole lot of time. The food preparation is basically non-existent as long as you have your ingredients and there’s alcohol involved…who doesn’t like that!?!
This recipe comes from Canning For a New Generation …a book that I am enjoying for all of its’ unique recipes.
RECIPE FOR SPICED CRANBERRIES:
- 6 cups fresh cranberries (two 12-ounce bags), washed and drained
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup orange liqueur such as Cointreau, Grand Marnier, or triple sec
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon and 1/2 tsp already ground cinnamon…the freshly ground cinnamon is quite a bit stronger in flavour that is why I didn’t freshly grate the entire tsp)
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Prepare the water-bath for canning.
- Put a small plate in the freezer for doing a gel test later.
- Put all of the ingredients in a wide stainless steel preserving pan.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for about 15 minutes.
- Place a small spoonful of the syrup on the frozen plate and place back in the freezer for about a minute. Remove and check for set. If liquid separates and does not come back together then it is ready to jar.
- Remove from heat. If it is not ready, continue to cook watching it closely and checking for set again in a minute.
- Ladle the hot cranberries into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims using a damp paper towel, center lids and rings on each jar and adjust so they are finger-tip tight. Process in a boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes. When time is up, turn off heat, remove the lid and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars.
- Check seals, label, and store. Refrigerate any unsealed jars immediately.
These spiced cranberries have a wonderful taste and pair well with cheese…really any kind will do from a mellow cheddar to a sharp blue. Here we are enjoying it with a little bit of Manchego. But, I also think it would be nice with chicken.
Put Up Total:
- 4 x 250mL regular mason jars
- 1 x 125mL regular mason jars
Okay, I also did another batch of my most favorite chutney ever…Apple Ginger Chutney. This stuff is so good I couldn’t resist. And, I really had no good excuse because a good friend hand delivered to me a couple of jars of the most beautiful looking and tasting stem ginger in syrup from Toronto (which, by the way, is more difficult to find then you might imagine).
Scott, there’s a jar with your name on it!
Put up Total:
- 5 x 500mL regular mouth mason jars
- 3 x 250mL regular mouth mason jars
Candied Ginger
I found this recipe the other day while seeing what my fellow canners and foodies were up to. Check this site out ~ Potlicker. Man, are there some amazing blogs out there with gifted writers and photographers sharing lots of tasty recipes. I wish we all lived closer together!
RECIPE FOR A LARGE BATCH OF CANDIED GINGER:
- 2 3/4 lbs of raw ginger – approximately 6 hand size pieces
- 1 cup of sugar
- 8 cups of water
- 2-3 cups of sugar for dredging, sprinkling, and coating
- Wash and peel ginger. I used a regular peeler but Potlicker recommends the back of a spoon and I may try that next time. Reserve the peel to add to the ginger water to make the ginger ale syrup.
- Thinly slice into pieces approximately 1/8″ thick. Once the ginger is peeled and sliced it will weigh approximately 2 1/4 lbs. (but you can do less at a time…and it may be easier as this much took up two huge drying racks or 4 large cookie sheets)
- Mix 1 cup of sugar and 8 cups of water in a stainless steel saucepan and bring to a boil. Throw the ginger slices into the boiling water and reduce heat to medium and simmer lively for 35 minutes or until pieces are tender but still crisp. I started checking the pieces after 20 minutes…and, I don’t think you would need as much time if you did a smaller batch…maybe 20 minutes.
- Remove the ginger pieces using a slotted spoon and place in a sieve. Let them drip over a bowl to drain any excess liquid. Then sprinkle the sugar in the sieve/colander.
- Place each piece on a rack to dry. Dust again with sugar if necessary. Leave to dry over night.
- The next day check to see if they are dry and then sprinkle again with sugar and place in an air tight container to store.
A few things didn’t turn out quite the way I would have liked. One, I had a little 
difficulty applying the sugar and really didn’t know why it wasn’t working for me. But, I’ve come to conclude that the peels were too wet when I started to put the sugar on; causing it to become more like a syrupy mess to top than like sprinkled sugar. It’s okay, I ended up putting the sugar on after they were a bit drier…the next day.
Two, I cut my pieces too thinly and after looking at Potlickers posts again realized that next time I will make them a little thicker. Again, it is not a disaster…they taste great but I think if the pieces were a little thicker they may be a bit chewier.
Put up Total:
- 1 x 1L vintage mason jar
- 1 x 500mL vintage mason jar
RECIPE FOR GINGER-ALE:
- use the left-over ginger water from the ginger candies – it will be a greenish brown colour
- 1 cup of sugar (reduce sugar if you do a smaller batch)
- 4 cups of water
- Using the left-over ginger water from the ginger candies add 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Add the ginger peels and bring back to a boil. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until the ginger flavour is strong and the water is a browny colour.
- Remove peels by pouring the liquid and peels into a colander over a bowl saving the liquid/syrup. Pour through a finer sieve into your pot to remove any smaller pieces of ginger peel.
- Place the syrupy ginger liquid back into the pot adding 1 cup of sugar.
Add any sugar from your ginger candy sprinkle session. Bring back to a boil and reduce. Check your ginger water for sweetness and adjust accordingly. Reduce by approximately half about 20-30 minutes on medium-high heat. The liquid should be the consistency of warm honey…like a thick syrup. - Bottle the ginger syrup and store in the refrigerator. It should keep well for some time because of the high sugar content.
- Mix the syrup with carbonated water to make your ginger ale drink. First, pour a little of the carbonated water with the ginger syrup and then top up with carbonated water…this way, you will keep the fizz. How strong you want it is up to you!!
And, that is that!! The liquid is syrupy and strong despite the fact I added more water. I will let you know how it tastes with the carbonated water.
Another Batch of Sauerkraut!?!
Yes, we started another batch of Sauerkraut…our 3 batch this season. When we realized that Ontario cabbage was only 5o cents for a large head how could we say “no”. so, for $2.50 we will be able to jar at least 6 x 1 litre jars of this oh so tasty kraut. Making sauerkraut really is as easy as slicing some cabbage and remembering to skim the foam daily for 4-6 weeks…no big deal. And, I leave the big 4 gallon crock right on the kitchen counter to remind me.
Now, that we are keeping our homes a little toastier for those colder winter months it may not even take 6 weeks…we’ll see. For the recipe go to this older post ~ Making Sauerkraut Batch One.
This batch was started on Friday and should be ready to jar, by the latest, on December 23rd. Just in time for Christmas. And, it is so good with “road kill sausages”.
Here is was it looks like after 2 days. As you can see the liquid is all the way to the top and it is bubbling…yes, successful fermentation! Now, to keep our home above 70 degrees.
We use a plate weighted with two jars filled with water to keep the cabbage submerged in its own juices. I need to find a bigger plate but this one is doing the trick for now.
Pumpkin Chips
Canning pumpking chips…now doesn’t that sound interesting!?! Yeah, to me too. When I first started this recipe, I have to admit, I thought that they were going to turn out more like a real chip…maybe like ketchup or roasted red pepper chips. Boy, what was I thinking!?! Preserving these pumpkin chips is a two-day process but not a difficult one. And, if you google it you will find that it is more common that you may think. Apparently, this recipe was developed by our ancestors around the turn of the century and shows up in all sorts of cookbooks from that time. It is a sweet dish with a beautiful rich colour and a sugary taste probably best served as a dessert. So much for that deep-fried potato chip I was looking for.
This recipe comes from Canning for a New Generation and takes two days from start to finish…with lots of time in between to enjoy your favorite episode of Law & Order or Dexter.
RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN CHIPS (yield approximately 7 x 250mL):
- 4 pounds pie pumpkins (about 4 small ~ for me it was 1 small…I guess all things are relative)
- 5 cups sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 piece star anise
- 6 lemons
Day One:
- Cut the pumpkins in half and scrape out the seeds and stringy mess. Use a vegetable peeler to peel them, then cut each half into 4 pieces and cut them crosswise into 1/16″ inch thick slices. Layer in a wide, 6-to 8-quart preserving pan with the sugar, cinnamon, and star anise.
- Cut the lemons in half and squeeze the juice through a sieve over the pumpkin mixture; reserve the lemon hulls.
Toss to combine, then cover and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight.
Day Two:
- Use a sharp knife or a spoon to scrape the membranes and flesh out of the lemon hulls, then cut the rinds into thin slices.
Put in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then drain. Repeat the boiling and draining 2 more times, then stir the lemon rinds into the pumpkin mixture.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer briskly until the pumpkin slices are evenly translucent, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- Prepare for water bath canning.
- Ladle the hot pumpkin and syrup into sterilized jars, leaving 1/4″ inch headspace at the top.
Use a damp paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars, then put a flat lid and ring on each jar, adjusting the ring so that it’s just finger-tight. Place the jars in the water bath, making sure the water covers the jars by at least 1″ inch. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes to process. - Turn off heat and remove lid, leaving the jars for 5 minutes before removing. Let cool, check seals, label and store.
Voila…ready to serve. Now, that wasn’t so difficult. They are really tasty with a cinnamon sugary pumpkin goodness that is hard to describe. I think they will make a wonderfully unique dessert and won’t your guests be surprised to find out that this is a pumpkin chip?
Put up Total:
- 3 x 500mL wide mouth mason jars (with blue plaid lids)
- 2 x 250mL wide mouth mason jars
Candied Grapefruit Peels
Now, here is a Christmas gift I’m sure they’re all going to love…Candied Grapefruit Peels. Well, not as sweet as the orange and lemon peels these beautifully pink candied strips are for those who like a little bitter with they’re sugar.
I won’t lie…they do take time to make but you can do most of the work in an evening and then carry on while they do their thing and dry over the next couple of days. Coating them in sugar is easy and kind of fun and packing them in some vintage jars just adds that finished touch.
The recipe I used is the same as for the Candied Orange Peels…but I’ll show you step by step.
First, you’ll need to choose some beautiful citrus fruit. I picked up half a dozen Florida grapefruits at the grocery store the other day. Look for fruit that has a nice colour and that’s rind is free of brown marks. Then wash the fruit, cut in half and juice. Save the juice for another purpose. I’m enjoying mine with a little vodka, grenadin and some sprite…tasty and sure to get you through this entire process.
Once the grapefruits (oranges, limes, lemons or whatever you’ve selected) are juiced; put them in a large stainless steel or nonreactive saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil on high and reduce to a lively simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the water and repeat this process 2 or 3 times depending on the bitterness of your rind. For the grapefruit I did it three times.
When you’ve done that 2 or 3 times drain them again. Add enough cold water to cover and now boil them partially covered for between 30-60 minutes or until the rinds are tender. Drain again and leave them to cool to your touch. I don’t know how long…maybe 15 minutes. Then taking a spoon remove the inner flesh and as much of the pith as possible…leaving just a little white pith. I admit scraping the pith out of the grapefruits was a little more challenging than that of the oranges and I wasn’t really sure that I had done it well enough. Use your best judgement. Experiment. I don’t think you can screw it up after all they do eventually get coated in SUGAR.
Once the flesh and pith is removed slice the peel into thin strips… approximately 1/4″.
Return the strips to your saucepan and add 4 1/2 cups of sugar and 2 cups of water.
Cook, without stirring, until the undersides of the rinds appear semitranslucent and the liquid is syrupy and forms a swell of foaming bubbles, approximately 1 hour. You can see here how much thicker the liquid is from the above photo and that bubbles are swirling in the center. At this point you need to turn off the heat and let the rinds and syrup cool for 30 minutes.
After letting it cool for about 30 minutes use a slotted spoon to remove the rinds from the syrupy mess. Place each strip on a wire rack over a cookie sheet so the remaining syrup has some place to drip. Then all you have to do is wait.
The grapefruit peels took 4-5 days to dry sufficiently. I just kept checking them each morning to see if they were ready. I am not sure why it took 2 days longer than the oranges other than the fact the rinds were a little thicker. I am not sure if you can tell from the picture but the ready rinds are not as juicy. They are dried out but still quite sticky (more so on one side).
I place the sugar in a stainless steel bowl but you could use a cookie sheet or whatever you want to dredge the rinds through the sugar. I just give them a few good tosses and them pack them into clean sterilized jars.
And, that my friends is that! On the first night give yourself about 3 hours to do all of the boiling, flesh and pith removing, slicing, and boiling in sugar…but after that it is a piece of cake. They are really tasty and a unique Christmas gift. Give it a try and let me know how you make out. Next, I am going to try Candied Ginger. My mom loves it!
Put up Total:
- 1 x 1L vintage regular mouth mason jar
- 3 x 500mL vintage regular mouth mason jar
Pumpkin Chutney
Remember a while back when I went over to my friend, Suzann’s garden to
toil in the fields with her…do you recall all of the pumpkins we harvested? While, Suzann, has kindly given us several pumpkins, a variety of squash (lots of butternut squash) and it is up to us to put them up. When you have a glut of one kind of fruit or vegetable I think it is nice to find an assortment of different recipes and try making a number of different things. Pumpkins and squash really lend themselves to a number of interesting canning recipes and with the number of them I have I should be able to try them all.
First, pumpkin chutney, Matt and I made this last year and we’ve really enjoyed it. Pumpkins and squash have an array of different coloured flesh and no two seem quite the same. They also have a mild to sweet flavour which is perfect for the more savory side of chutney. This recipe comes for Fruits of the Earth by Gloria Nichol.
RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN CHUTNEY (makes about 6-7 250mL):
- 12 peppercorns
- 2 tsp whole allspice
- 3/4 inch square piece of fresh ginger root, bruised
- 5 1/2 cups pumpkin flesh, cut into 5/8 inch cubes (from pumpkin weighing approximately 2 3/4 pounds
- 1 pound cooking apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (I used Spartans because I had them on hand)
- 2 rounded tbsp minced stem ginger
- 3/4 pound shallots, peeled, cored, and minced
- 1 3/8 cup golden raisins, chopped (I forgot to chop mine)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp salt (I like kosher salt)
- 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 7/8 cups (packed) warmed soft brown sugar
- Place the dry spices and ginger root in a piece of muslin and tie it into a bag with string. Note: I like using a spice ball and my sister just gave me the most amazing one from William and Sonoma. The lid securely fastens and it floats. Place all the ingredients except the sugar in a stainless steel preserving pan and bring slowly to the boil, then simmer gently for 20 minutes until the pumpkin and apple are soft.
- Add the warmed sugar and stir over a gentle heat until all the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat and simmer for approximately 1-1 1/2 hours until the chutney is thick but still juicy, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the muslin bag or spice ball, then pour the chutney into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/2″ headspace.
Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and remove lid. After 5 minutes remove jars from hot water bath, let cool, check seals, label, and store.
Well, I’m tired. It’s been a busy day of making chutney while supervising my new labrador puppy, who is a very busy little guy. All the playing and foraging that he’s done in the kitchen with his two older brothers has also left him exhausted. He’s already taking a nap…right in the middle of the kitchen floor. Looks like he’s going to be a natural in the kitchen.
Put up Total (I made a double batch):
- 7 x 500mL regular mouth vintage mason jars
- 1 x 250mL regular mouth mason jar
Putting Up With The Turnbulls 