Tag: canning

How to Make Sauerkraut

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There is a blog I check in with from time to time written by Rural Rose. She has a farm in British Columbia, and is a font of common sense practical information on her Life Through the Cracks blog. It was there I saw a post on how to make sauerkraut. Who knew it was so easy! Then on various catalogs I’ve been seeing ceramic crocks for fermenting for sell. So last month I ordered the smallest size ,1 gallon, and began the task of making my own Sauerkraut.

I researched various methods to ferment. The key is salt, plenty of it, and keeping your shredded cabbage sealed and weighted underneath the brine which forms as water is drawn out the cabbage. You also want to be careful of your temperatures as it ferments at room temperature. Not to hot or cold. You never want your environment to be over 75 degrees as the cabbage will become soft and not ferment properly. I found this link to best most comprehensive How to ferment sauerkraut. I liked this link because its comprehensive , addressing temps, altitudes for canning, etc.Don’t be alarmed if you see a scum during fermentation. You can carefully remove that.Some people wont get that at all. The cabbage is protected underneath the brine. Make sure your utensils and vessels are clean. Keep your edges clean as you weight your cabbage with a plate that fits inside. Then add a salt water filled plastic bag or water filled jug on top top weigh the plate down and keep the cabbage covered and air tight. A brine filled bag is good in case your water leaks. The total amount of salt varies, but use NON IODIZED Kosher or Sea Salt. Most people give a guideline of 3 tablespoons of salt to 5 lbs of cabbage. In addition the salt keeps the cabbage crunchy.

There are those that will argue the decision to can or not. As sauerkraut is formed through lactic acid fermentation, it is quite healthy with pro-biotic benefits. However processing your sauerkraut will kill the beneficial nature of fresh sauerkraut, and leave you with just a tasty treat . Wild Fermentation has an excellent post on this. The choice is yours . If you keep it fresh and raw , it will keep in the refrigerator for months after the fermentation period which ranges from 1-3 weeks depending on climate. If you process it in a water bath , the shelf life is longer and can kept at room temperature. For this first trial, I went the canning route to give as gifts and just to put up.

Be creative. Use red or green cabbage. I used both. Combine with other shredded vegetables or apples even. I threw in some caraway seeds and juniper seeds while fermenting to flavor.

As Autumn approaches you will have an enjoyable side to compliment your sausages and roasted meats and vegetables. Wash it all down with a cold beer.

Tastes of Summer…Cherry and Apricot Ideas

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Most of us in this hemisphere are reveling in the beautiful bounty of summer. I don’t know about you but my eyes get bigger than my stomach and I want to buy up the whole  farmers market, yet can’t  eat the produce quick enough. Here are some ideas for summer fruits. Enjoy!

Apricots in Brandy

Brandied fruits were and still are considered a delicacy. Alcohol paired with sugar preserve the fruits year round.Peaches, berries, plums all work well. Use your imagination. The longer the period to ripen and mellow (a few months), the better. So start now.

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Apricots in Brandy

Makes 2  1/2 liters

  • 2 punnets of apricots halved and stoned ( peeling or unpeeled optional)
  • 1 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 3/4 cup of Water
  • Brandy  to fill half of each jar
  1. Prepare and sterilize your jars and lids.
  2. In a heavy sauce pan  make a heavy syrup of sugar and water. Boil and reduce a bit .
  3. Neatly pack apricot halves decoratively in sterilized jars.
  4. Pour brandy until it comes up half way.
  5. Pour in hot sugar syrup to fill the other half. Make sure apricots are covered .
  6. Seal with lids.
  7. Process in a water batch for 10 minutes.
  8. Allow to cool and store.

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Michigan Sour Cherry Syrup

Confession. This was a delicious mistake. My intent was to make a pectin free cherry jam, as I could not find any pectin, nor had any apples laying around. I used the method of lemon juice and sugar,  yet couldn’t get it up to jelling stage for various reasons ( too much water mainly). I didn’t want to waste my beautiful Michigan cherries that were bursting with ripeness.  So a syrup was born. It is on the sweet side with a huge sugar content. But goes well mixed with fresh blueberries on pancakes. I also suggest adding a spoon or two to your next vodka or bourbon based cocktail. Ice cream, cheese cakes, the possibilities are endless.

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Michigan Sour Cherry Syrup

  • 2 punnets of cherries, washed and pitted
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1  cup water
  • Brandy or Rum optional
  1. Bring cherries , water, and sugar to boil.To about 210 degrees.
  2. Pack into sterilized jars.
  3. Top with brandy or rum *optional
  4. Seal.
  5. Allow to cool.
  6. Store.

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61st Farmers Market Demo on Canning

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I was fortunate to get invited back to the 61st Street Farmers Market to do another demo. I’m quite honored as the market attract some pretty heavy hitters in the Chicago culinary world. For this opportunity I decided to talk about canning and preserving the taste of summer . I spoke about two recipes I posted before, Giardiniera and Bread and Butter Pickles. Enjoy the videos. Each is about 10 minutes in length. Certain Someone was kind enough to film. The first frames sound is a little off but the majority of the clip is much better. My favorite part is naturally towards the end and the satisfaction and delight the people had tasting my Giardinirera and Pickles.

Bread and Butter Pickles…My Way

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A few of you may know I volunteer at the 61st Street Farmers Market when my schedule permits. It’s been  a few weeks since my last shift and I was so happy to see such an abundance. What a difference a few weeks make in the growing season. Naturally I loaded up and went to town preserving the taste of summer with my beautiful Weck jars.

I don’t particularly care for sweet pickles. Give me a big sour Kosher dill pickle and I’m happy. But I decided to do a sweet pickle because I purchased a combination of various cucumbers. One being a beautiful sweet white variety. I looked at some recipes and played around and I decided to use all white vinegar, as I don’t like the taste of apple cider vinegar when I’m pickling. Odd, but that’s me.

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Bread and Butter Pickles

makes 4  1/5 liter jars

  • 8 or nine small cucumbers for pickles ( equivalent to 2 punnets in size) ( try to get a variety )
  • 1/3 cup salt
  • 1 onion sliced thinly in rings
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon  whole all spice
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 2 tablespoon hot mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried garlic
  • 1 teaspoon dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  1. Slice cucumbers into rings , preferably with a ripple cut. Slice onion thinly.
  2. In a bowl, put the cucumbers and onions. Add salt and cover with  cold water to cover. Cover with lid and let sit for about 3-4 hours.
  3. Sterilize your jars and lids according to manufacturer instructions. Prepare your hot water bath.
  4. Drain the sliced cucumbers and onions.
  5. In a non reactive sauce pan, heat sugar, vinegar and spices.
  6. Pack your cucumber and onions.
  7. Pour hot vinegar/sugar solution with spices over the vegetables and  seal according to manufacturer instructions.
  8. Process in a  hot water bath for 10 minutes.
  9. Allow to cool on a rack  and leave undisturbed t seal overnight.
  10. Test/ check seals. Read how to see if sealed according to your jars manufacturer instructions.

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Don’t forget you have until next week to win a set of Three Nordic Ware Bundt Pans for my Housewarming Party for Coco-Cooks.com.

Giardiniera. It’s a Chicago Thing.

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I have a co worker who is a self described Giardiniera addict. We could go on and on about it. She’s one of the few kindred spirit’s I have found, that derives pure pleasure in salty acidic relishes. What is Giardiniera you ask? Well prior to coming to Chicago over ten years ago, I had never heard of it. I would get my heat and acid kick from the East Coats versions of crushed peppers on my submarines and cheese steaks, etc.

So naturally with the Mid West’s summer bounty upon us, and my refrigerator running over with heads of organic cauliflower, peppers, celery,carrots and such, it was time to attempt some Giardiniera. For my first attempt it was pretty good. The co-worker expert said it was “Freaking Good’“and wanted some more. The beauty of this recipe, is that you use whatever you have laying around. If  you like your Giardiniera mild, add sweet peppers only. If you like some heat and spice go crazy with the Serrano’s and Jalapenos.After all Giardiniera means “Woman Gardener” in Italian.

To Process or Not?

I went ahead and processed mine in a water batch or my dishwasher method, as I was taught  last year). There is some traditional debate on whether this is safe or not (dishwasher method).If you  do a traditional water bath (the safest method), only do so for minimal time (like 3-5 minutes). At first I thought they didn’t seal, but they did the next day. The veg was still nice and crunchy. I still kept all my jars in the fridge to be safe, rather than sorry, and I’m just about out. If you don’t process, consume within 2-3 weeks and store in the refrigerator.

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Giardiniera

Makes 5-6 pint sizes

Total time 4 days to process

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 bunch celery
  • 4-5 large carrots
  • 2-3 Red or hued sweet peppers
  • 4 Jalapenos or more or less to taste. Not seeded!
  • 4 Serrano’s . Not seeded!
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon dried minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon Italian Herbs mix (dried oregano, basil, etc)
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup Kosher Salt
  • 1 part Vegetable or Canola oil (to cover)
  • 1 part White Vinegar (to cover)

Preparation

  1. Sterilized jars, and lids. 1 pint size
  2. Clean and chop all your vegetables.Be sure to leave seeds from the heat peppers (Jalapenos and Serrano’s). In a non reactive container with lid, our salt  on vegetables and cover with cold water. Cover and store 24 hours in the refrigerator.
  3. Drain salt water. At this point you may rinse if you find the veg salty. I  like salt, so didn’t. It was just fine. In another container mix your 1 part Vinegar to 1 part Oil with the remaining spices. Mix well and make sure its combined or emulsified.
  4. Sterilize Jars and Lids. Pack the vegetables into clean sterilized jars and cover with the oil /vinegar mixture. Seal and either process in a water bath, or store in the refrigerator.
  5. If you process, let rest after process for 12 hour until sealed. If not sealed, follow instructions from jar manufacturer to reprocess, or store immediately in the refrigerator to consume within 2-3 weeks.
  6. Either way , once complete let, the jars rest for at least 2 days until consuming to allow the flavors to merge.

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Suggested Uses:

  • Chicago Beef Sandwich
  • Relish Trays
  • Antipasto  trays
  • Pasta Salads
  • Submarines
  • Pizzas
  • Accompaniment to Charcuterie
  • Or just plain out the Jar