What are you canning now?

[Pozees]

Aren't those KitchenAid attachments great, Pozees? I use mine a lot, especially in canning season. We prefer homemade cranberry relish as well, tho what I make is more of a jam than a jelly. I just whiz 'em in the food processor. Haven't tried it on toast, but we have it with turkey, chicken and pork...makes a nice tangy accompaniment.

Wow, that's a lot of plums, CS! We got our first harvest from our tree this year and there was enough to make a batch and a half of jam. I've never tried plum butter...do you keep the skins in the mix, or use just the flesh? All I've ever done with plums really is make jam...and it's just about our favorite jam of all time.

Yes, I love my Kitchen Aid and its attachments! Last year I made homemade sausage with it, just loose no casings, and it was delicious. This year I want to try using casing. The poor KA usually spends the entire summer and well into fall gathering dust, I swear it actually thanked me for firing it up yesterday! LOL

 

[Pozees]

Here's a site I found. http://jimlongsgarden.blogspot.com/2011/09/herb-jelly.html Probably the base is pretty close to the Basil Jelly previously posted here. Liked the fact that he suggested some substitutions of fruit juices. I'm not a fan of all the sugar in jams and jellies, just too chicken to start adjusting recipes much, so I'm always glad when someone else tests it out first. Also, for some reason I'm prejudiced towards brown sugar rather than granulated (probably no health benefit, it just seems healthier). I'm just looking for something other than a jelly. Have no idea what that would be. I was interested in his quick comment about freezing fresh herbs in freezer bags. I watched The Chew one day last week and they also were showing how to lay out basil and rosemary in freezer bags and freeze them for later use. I may see if I like the frozen better than the dried. Lord knows I have enough herbs to try both methods.

I try to limit use of granulated white sugar as well, and often use the raw sugar in its place. If it wasn't so much more expensive I would just buy it instead of granulated white. Checking out your link now, thanks!

 

[mickey328]

I often chop the herbs fairly fine, then add some water and freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I dump 'em in a bag in the freezer and when I'm cooking something I just toss in a few cubes. They're more like fresh that way and the water prevents freezer burn.

 

[gardendufus]

I often chop the herbs fairly fine, then add some water and freeze them in ice cube trays. Once frozen, I dump 'em in a bag in the freezer and when I'm cooking something I just toss in a few cubes. They're more like fresh that way and the water prevents freezer burn.

Mickey, does this work with most herbs, soft and hard? I've seen about freezing basil in oil, but I was trying to avoid the oil. Freezing in water I like better.

 

[mickey328]

Yep, it works with pretty much everything. You do want to avoid woody stems, like you can get with basil...I just pick the leaves, but with parsley I take the stems too. When they're all chopped up, you can't really tell the difference...especially when they're cooked in with something. I add just enough water to make a sort of slurry; it's pretty thick. Spoon it into the trays and freeze. It's dead easy, doesn't take much room and they come out very nearly as good as fresh.

 

[gardendufus]

I'm a BAAAAD girl. I took the day off. Have nothing that's absolutely rotting off the vine. Nothing going bad on the counter (well, maybe a few pears, but my chickens love pears). Actually they love the whole canning season....peelings, cores, seeds, yummy yummy.

 

[mickey328]

I took the day off as well. All that's waiting to be canned at the moment is potatoes and they'll keep a little while. DH and I decided to take a little drive up the Poudre Canyon to see what the fire had done up there. Got about 75 miles in and...funny smell...step on gas...lots of RPM's...no forward motion! Dropped it into first gear and managed to creep along to a pull off. Smoke. Open hood...transmission fluid everywhere No cell service, of course. Dave caught a right with a lovely young family back down to a wide spot in the road and called a tow company. Two hours later he arrives back, thankfully brought me a bottle of water since there was none in the van. $210 later van's home and he's got his job working on it this morning. Sheesh...not the way I planned my day! LOL

 

[Pozees]

I took the day off as well. All that's waiting to be canned at the moment is potatoes and they'll keep a little while. DH and I decided to take a little drive up the Poudre Canyon to see what the fire had done up there. Got about 75 miles in and...funny smell...step on gas...lots of RPM's...no forward motion! Dropped it into first gear and managed to creep along to a pull off. Smoke. Open hood...transmission fluid everywhere No cell service, of course. Dave caught a right with a lovely young family back down to a wide spot in the road and called a tow company. Two hours later he arrives back, thankfully brought me a bottle of water since there was none in the van. $210 later van's home and he's got his job working on it this morning. Sheesh...not the way I planned my day! LOL

Oh, bummer. Sorry, that is bad news. Been there myself, and it is not on my list of top 5 ways to spend a weekend.

 

[mickey328]

Thanks, Pozees...I didn't mind so much the actual happening, but the money really concerns me! We live pretty much paycheck to paycheck and the tow charge was bad enough. I'm really fretting about whether or not we can actually fix the dang thing! DH and my bro are excellent mechanics but there's only so much you can do without the tools and equipment. We do have another car but Bro uses it...it'll be tough to have to deal with 2 people trying to get to and from work when they work completely different shifts! I work from home so it's no biggie for me, but DH works 5p to2a and Bro works 5a to 4p or so. I may end up being monkey in the middle and have to shuttle them both to and from....sigh

 

[Pozees]

Thanks, Pozees...I didn't mind so much the actual happening, but the money really concerns me! We live pretty much paycheck to paycheck and the tow charge was bad enough. I'm really fretting about whether or not we can actually fix the dang thing! DH and my bro are excellent mechanics but there's only so much you can do without the tools and equipment. We do have another car but Bro uses it...it'll be tough to have to deal with 2 people trying to get to and from work when they work completely different shifts! I work from home so it's no biggie for me, but DH works 5p to2a and Bro works 5a to 4p or so. I may end up being monkey in the middle and have to shuttle them both to and from....sigh

Yep, transmissions are expensive. I totally understand the money fears. Hopefully if it can't be fixed, it can be replaced by a decent one from a junk yard. Fingers crossed.