What's cooking Suzanne?

By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
Franklin County Times
OK cooks, it's time to get out your canning jars and any canning lids you have from past years. We still have one of Grandma Hale's lead canning tops and blue quart canning jar. You might need to purchase some new ones.
It's canning time again, one of my favorite things to do in my kitchen. Home canning is a simple way to please those you love with tastes they enjoy. There are no preservatives or chemicals in you natural home canning.
Purchase fruits and vegetables that are freshly picked and ready to preserve. Canned foods are more convenient and also colorful gifts for friends and neighbors during the holidays.
Place them where you can see the fruits of your labor at a special place in your kitchen and be proud of the good job you have done.
Bread and Butter Pickles
8 c. sliced
2 c. onions
2 c. vinegar
4 peppers, finely chopped
2 t. celery seed
2 t. turmeric
1 t. cinnamon
3 c. sugar
Salt to suit taste
Mix cucumbers, onions and salt. Let sit 1 hour. Drain off. Then put back in pan with vinegar, sugar, celery seed, turmeric and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook or 20 minutes. Put in jars.
14 Day Cucumbers
(16 lb. cucumbers)
Fill big churn about 3/4 full of water. Add pickling salt until an egg will float on top of water. Add whole cucumbers to this water and let stay in this or 12 to 14 days. Put something on top of churn to hold the cucumbers under the water. After 12 to 14 days, pour cucumbers in the sink and rinse. Have prepared alum water in churn (1 box powdered alum). Slice cucumbers, add to alum water, and let stay overnight. Pour alum water off cucumbers and pour over them 1 gallon apple cider vinegar. Let set in vinegar for 6-8 hours. Drain all the vinegar off pickles and add 10-15 lbs. of sugar and pickling spices (if you like spices). The sugar makes the syrup. It may take a day or two for all the sugar to dissolve. Your can leave these pickles in the churn, put in gallon jugs, quarts, or whatever you want. You do not have to seal them. So good- and simple.
Muscadine Jelly
3 1/2 lbs. muscadines
1 1/2 c. water
1 box Sure-Jell
7c. sugar
Crush fully-ripe grapes. Add water and simmer for 10 minutes. Place prepared fruit in jelly bag and squeeze out juice. Measure 5 c. prepared juice into 6-8 quart jelly pot. If juice is less than 5 cups add water to equal amount. Mix Sure-Jell with juice in pot and bring quickly to a hard boil, stirring once or twice. Add sugar all at once and bring to a full boil. Boil hard stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stirring constantly after removal from heat reduces foam. Pour into glasses and cover with paraffin. Add lids.
Fig Preserves
5 lb. figs
1 (16 oz.) box baking soda
3 3/4 pounds granulated sugar
1 lemon sliced very this
1/4 c. lemon juice
2 c. water
Place figs in large container. Sprinkle with box of baking soda. Pour boiling water to cover figs. Let stand for 15 minutes to remove dark color. Drain a small amount of figs at a time in a colander, rinsing with cold tap water.
Blackberry Jelly
2 quarts ripe blackberries (8 cups)
6 cups granulated sugar
Wash blackberries and remove stems. Crush berries slightly with hand or potato masher. Place in a large kettle and add sugar and cook over medium heat until mixture sheets off the spoon, as for jelly. Pour into sterilized jars. Seal and process in water bath. Makes 4 pints.
Kentucky Apple Butter
7 lbs. tart apples (20-21 apples)
4 qt cider
2 1/2 c. sugar
1 t. ground Allspice
1 1/2 T. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
Slice and core apples. Add cider and cook until apples are tender, press fruit through sieve to remove skin and seeds. Add sugar and spices to pulp and cook until thick, stirring frequently. Pour into hot jars and adjust jar lids and bands. Process in a boiling water bath canner (212 degrees) for 10 minutes.
Strawberry Jam
2 qt. strawberries
1 pkg. pectin
1/4 c. lemon juice
7 c. sugar
Wash and crush strawberries. Combine strawberries, pectin and lemon juice in a large saucepot.
Bring mixture to a boil stirring occasionally. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved.
Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield 8 half-pints.
In closing, try making some apple jelly. Use the recipe in your Sure Jell package. Instead of adding all apples, try adding some crushed pineapple.
I did this once because I didn't have quiet enough apples, and it made a delicious jelly. I guess this is how a lot of recipes get started.
Enjoy canning. Be creative!