September Daring Cooks - The Art of Food Preservation!

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

 

"...steam was generated beyond the power of the canister to endure. As a natural consequence, the canister burst, the dead turkey sprang from his coffin of tinplate and killed the cook forthwith."

News report of an early canning industry accident (1852)

Whenever I fully immerse myself in the kitchen during a project I get a sense of power. I get the opportunity to create. To experiment. To provide. During WWI home cooks found the power to prolong the surplus from their victory gardens through canning, allowing commercial goods to be distributed to the army. Likewise, the depression of the 1930s and WWII also gave home cooks a reason to preserve their homegrown food. We've come a long way from from WWI, but that's no reason to loose sight of the power of home food preservation.

This month's Daring Cooks challenge gave me the chance to experience the power to preserve. This month's host, John from Eat4Fun, challenged us to test the waters of food preservation. He provided recipes for canned apple butter and a bruschetta topping as well as oven roasted tomatoes using the freezing method for preservation. 

I chose to make apple butter and the bruschetta topping. This was not my first experience in home canning, but the challenge did give me the opportunity to try new recipes and continue practicing the canning method. I've also tried my hand at pickling and making strawberry-lavender jam. 

Additional Resources: Miss Vickie

Want to learn more about the Daring Cooks? Check this out! 

Let's get canning! 

Canned Bruschetta Topping

Recipe Source: Bernardin Canning Website

Ingredients
3.5 lbs. Roma Tomatoes
5 cloves Fresh Galic
1 cup Dry White Wine
1 cup White Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 T. Balsamic Vinegar
2 T. Granulated Sugar
2 T. Dried Basil
2 T. Dried Oregano

Headspace: 1/2"

Processing Time:

20 minutes for altitude of 0 ft (0 m) to 1,000 ft (305 m)
25 minutes for altitude of 1,001 ft (305.1 m) to 3,000 ft (915 m)
30 minutes for altitude of 3,001 ft (916 m) to 6,000 ft (1,830 m)
35 minutes altitudes above 6,000 ft (1,831 m) to 8,000 ft (2,440 m

1. Place 7 clean half-pint mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat lids in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

2. Wash, seed and chop tomatoes into 1/2 inch pieces (about 9 cups), set aside. 

3. Combine garlic, white vinegar, white wine, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, basil and oregano in a deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil; reduce heat. Stirring occasionally, boil gently, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. 

4. Pack tomatoes into a hot jar to within 3/4 inch (2 cm) of top rim. Add hot liquid to cover tomatoes to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more tomatoes and hot liquid. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining tomatoes and hot liquid.

5. When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 20 minutes.

6. When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

7. After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

 

Reduced Sugar Apple Butter

Recipe Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Ingredients
4 lbs. Apples
1 cup Apple Cider
1/2 cup Sugar (or Sucralose, Honey, Agave)
1 T. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Allspice
1/4 t. Cloves

1. Wash apples well and remove stems. Peel and cut apples into quarters or eighths and remove cores.

2. Combine unpeeled apples and cider in an 8-quart saucepan. Cook slowly and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until apples are very soft (falling apart).

3. If your apples have been peeled, using a potato masher, mash them in the pot. If your apples have not been peeled then position a food mill or strainer securely over a large bowl. Press cooked apples with cider through the food mill or strainer to make a pulp. Be sure to collect all the pulp that comes through the food mill or strainer; for example, scrape any pulp clinging under the food mill into the bowl.

4. Combine pulp with sugar and spices in an 8-quart (about 7 ½ litre) saucepan. Simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. [Tip: Use an immersion blender to mix in the spices and to create a smoother apple butter]

5. When cooking down the apples, you want to leave the lid ajar or use a splatter screen. This will allow for evaporation. Another trick is to support the lid by laying two wooden spoons across the top of the pot.

6. To test for doneness, spoon a small quantity onto a clean plate; when the butter mounds on the plate without liquid separating around the edge of the butter, it is ready for processing. Another way to test for doneness is to remove a spoonful of the cooked butter on a spoon and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon.