What are you canning now?

[Amiga]

Last night we got some sopa azteca - I would call it a pumpkin bisque with chunks of chicken and avocado and corn chip strips on top, with sour cream. Just wanted to offer another pumpkin idea. If you like Mexican food, that would be one to try.

Getting back to kiwi, our hardy kiwi produced well this year for the first time. The prior two years it was knocked around by frost. The plants are hardy, but the timing of frost can wipe out the flowers. Anyway, we ate an abundance of them fresh, and I froze a pound or so. I would like to can them as jam. The only recipes I find include pineapple. Probably for the acid. But what if I don't want to add tropical fruit to the jam, just make kiwi jam? Is it so low acid I would need to use the pressure canner? I would rather use water bath.

 

[PioneerPrincess]

Last night we got some sopa azteca - I would call it a pumpkin bisque with chunks of chicken and avocado and corn chip strips on top, with sour cream. Just wanted to offer another pumpkin idea. If you like Mexican food, that would be one to try.

Getting back to kiwi, our hardy kiwi produced well this year for the first time. The prior two years it was knocked around by frost. The plants are hardy, but the timing of frost can wipe out the flowers. Anyway, we ate an abundance of them fresh, and I froze a pound or so. I would like to can them as jam. The only recipes I find include pineapple. Probably for the acid. But what if I don't want to add tropical fruit to the jam, just make kiwi jam? Is it so low acid I would need to use the pressure canner? I would rather use water bath.

Do you have a recipe for the sopa azteca? It sounds positively scrumptious. We have lots of pumpkin in the freezer, so I'm printing just about every pumpkin recipe I can get my hands on. LOL My family also enjoys Mexican food and trying new recipes, too. : )

Hmm... I can't really help you out on the kiwi jam. My mom and I made some a week ago according to the Ball book of canning and was it delish!

 

[Amiga]

Do you have a recipe for the sopa azteca? It sounds positively scrumptious. We have lots of pumpkin in the freezer, so I'm printing just about every pumpkin recipe I can get my hands on. LOL My family also enjoys Mexican food and trying new recipes, too. : )

Hmm... I can't really help you out on the kiwi jam. My mom and I made some a week ago according to the Ball book of canning and was it delish!

I am only guessing since it was at our local Mexican restaurant, but this recipe looks like it comes close for the bisque, then as I wrote before, they added chunks of chicken and avocado, some tortilla strips and a little sour cream on top.

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Calabaza-Soup_-Sopa-De-Calabaza-Food-Network

Thanks for the response (c:

 

[PioneerPrincess]

I am only guessing since it was at our local Mexican restaurant, but this recipe looks like it comes close for the bisque, then as I wrote before, they added chunks of chicken and avocado, some tortilla strips and a little sour cream on top.

http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Calabaza-Soup_-Sopa-De-Calabaza-Food-Network

Thanks for the response (c:

You're welcome and thank you! I now have it printed and ready 'n' waiting to try. : D As soon as we have the chips and avocado, I'm making it (God willing)! : )

 

[Arielle]

Last night we got some sopa azteca - I would call it a pumpkin bisque with chunks of chicken and avocado and corn chip strips on top, with sour cream. Just wanted to offer another pumpkin idea. If you like Mexican food, that would be one to try.

Getting back to kiwi, our hardy kiwi produced well this year for the first time. The prior two years it was knocked around by frost. The plants are hardy, but the timing of frost can wipe out the flowers. Anyway, we ate an abundance of them fresh, and I froze a pound or so. I would like to can them as jam. The only recipes I find include pineapple. Probably for the acid. But what if I don't want to add tropical fruit to the jam, just make kiwi jam? Is it so low acid I would need to use the pressure canner? I would rather use water bath.

I had given up on pumpkin soup-- this one however sounds like trying.

I'm just north of you and I have wanted to plan kiwi-- which varieties did you plant??

 

[Amiga]

Hardy kiwi - Actinidia genus. I have Pasha and September Sun. You either need a male and female like I do, or there is one that is supposed to be self-fertile.

 

[Arielle]

Hardy kiwi - Actinidia genus. I have Pasha and September Sun. You either need a male and female like I do, or there is one that is supposed to be self-fertile.

Thank you-- how much space to I ned to allot?? My grape vine on my picket fence died ( ram damage) and opens up some 50 feet for a new viney plant. THese are viney right?

 

[3goodeggs]

Do they need chilling hours? I keep thinking if they could grow in Florida, then I would know someone who grows them...and I don't. I could eat my weight in kiwi.

and chocolate.

...and then I guess I'd get really, really sick.

 

[Arielle]

As I remember in my catalogs, there is a fuzzless type kwiw, differnt than the commerical ones in the grocery store. So maybe there is a variety that will work for you.

 

[Amiga]

Thank you-- how much space to I ned to allot?? My grape vine on my picket fence died ( ram damage) and opens up some 50 feet for a new viney plant. THese are viney right?

My female kiwi has grown in a large mound that is perhaps 15 feet in diameter. It is about six or seven years old.

This past summer I learned that propagating them from hardwood cuttings is simple and seems to work well. I got about an 20% success rate, but with the number of cuttings I could get off of a mature plant, that is fine with me. And this was my first time, probably made many mistakes.

And yes, they are a vine. Right now I am training both the male and female over a cedar post arbor. It's great - makes a kiwi cave in the summer. I can go in there and pick and eat kiwi's to my heart's content.

I have not thought about chilling hours. I just know these are fine in Zone 6, where we are. And they are fine in part shade, which is lovely for this place. The kiwis are fine for ducks, too. I did need to put a hardware cloth sleeve over the base of the male kiwi when he was much much smaller because apparently kiwi leaves are tasty.

And these have no fuzz. They are the size of grapes, ranging from smaller to very large. I eat them skin and all. They taste very much like the fuzzy tropical kiwi.

One is to pick them just before they are fully ripe. Leave the ones you want to ripen within a day or two out on the counter. Those put in the frij will stay fresh for several days, perhaps a couple of weeks, depending. Once ripe, those that don't get eaten can be frozen.