Archive for Recipes

Fall off the Bone Canned Chicken

What You Need:

7 (3 lb.) chickens
7 chicken bouillon cubes

How to Make It:

Cut the chicken into parts, separating the leg and thighs.
Remove the breasts and freeze as they do not can well.
Prepare the canning jars as directed by the manufacturer keeping them hot.
Fill the jars with the chicken pieces until full leaving a 1 inch headspace.
Add a bouillon cube to each jar.
Release any air bubbles, wipe off the jar rims and tighten down the lid by hand.
Process the jars in a pressure canner at 10 lbs. of pressure for 1 hour 15 minutes.
Let the pressure return to 0 and wait 10 minutes before removing the jars.
Let the jars cool in a draft free area then check the seals.
Any jars that did not seal correctly can be refrigerated and should be used within 1 week.
Boil the contents of each jar for 15 minutes before tasting or eating.

Makes 7 quarts

It’s really not difficult to can your chicken. You can even can already frozen chicken if you wish. Let it thaw completely in the refrigerator. Separate your chicken pieces then cook the chicken until it’s cooked about two thirds of the way through. Finish processing as the above recipe calls for. Its best not to can chicken that has been frozen over 4 months. It’s a guarantee that this chicken will fall off the bone making it even better for those recipes that call for shredded or chicken meat pieces.

Preparation Time: approximately 30 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes
Standing Time: approximately 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 55 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 4 oz. serving)
Calories 214; Fat 10g; Saturated Fat 3g; Carbohydrates 0g; Fiber 0g; Protein 29g; Cholesterol 97mg; Sodium 85mg

No Cook Canned Raspberries

What You Need:

5 1/4 C of water
2 1/4 C of sugar
12 lbs. fresh raspberries

How to Make It:

Prepare you caning jars and tops according the manufacturers instructions.
Pour the water into a saucepan and stir in the sugar.
Stirring continuously bring the mixture to a boil and boil until the sugar has dissolved.
Loosely pack the raspberries into the jars.
Pour enough hot syrup over the berries to leave a 1/2 inch headspace.
Release any air bubbles and hand seal the jars.
Process the jars in a water bath canner for 20 minutes from boiling then remove.
Cool completely in a draft free area.
Check the seals and refrigerate any jars that did not seal correctly.
Refrigerated jars will stay fresh for up 2 weeks.

Makes 4 quarts

There’s nothing like canned raspberries to add to your smoothies, pies or over our morning pancakes. Any soft berry such as blackberries may be canned using this method. Remember to choose berries that are not soft or mushy. Handle the berries as little as possible but be sure to wash and drain them and remove any stems. The best part of canning these types of berries you don’t have to cook them first. Cooking causes them to become too mushy which can turn those soft berries into soup. For pints only process your jars for 15 minutes. This recipe will make 8 pints.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 20 minutes
Total Time: approximately 35 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 1/2 C serving)
Calories 138; Fat 1g; Saturated Fat0g; Carbohydrates 34g; Fiber 12g; Protein 2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg

Fresh Green Peas

What You Need:

28 lbs. fresh peas in the pod
7 tsp of canning salt

How to Make It:

Prepare the jars and two piece caps according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
Wash the peas and remove the pods.
Put the peas into an 8 qt. pan and cover them with water.
Place the pan over high heat and bring the peas to a boil.
Continue boiling for 5 minutes or until the peas are bright green in color but not cooked through.
Loosely pack the peas into the jars and pour cooking liquid over the top leaving a 1 in headspace.
Add 1 tsp of salt to each quart jar then release any air bubbles.
Add more liquid if necessary to maintain the required headspace.
Wipe the rims clean and seal down the lids by hand.
Place the jars in the pressure canner and process at 10 lbs. of pressure for 40 minutes.
Allow the pressure to fall to 0 and let the jars stand in the canner for 10 minutes.
Remove the jars carefully and place in a draft free area to cool.
Check the seals and promptly refrigerate any jars that did not seal correctly.
Boil the peas 15 minutes before tasting or eating.

Makes 7 quarts

Most children will refuse to eat peas but when they find out they have been canned right in their own kitchen they may have a change of heart. Peas are a great staple to have in your pantry. They can be added to most recipes and believe it or not they taste great all by themselves.
Remember there is only one way to can low acid vegetables such as peas and that is with a pressure canner. Don’t try to use any other form or your vegetables will not be safe for consumption.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 40 minutes
Standing Time: approximately 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 05 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 1/2 C serving)
Calories 70; Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 13g; Fiber 4g; Protein 5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 295mg

All Year Long Strawberry Jam

What You Need:

3 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen strawberries, thawed and sliced
1/4 C of water
1 3/4 oz. pkg. powdered fruit pectin
6 C of sugar
1/2 C of orange liqueur
3 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

How to Make It:

Prepare the canning jars, lids and seals according the manufacturer’s directions.
Keep the jars and lids hot while canning the jam.
Place the strawberries and water into a 5 qt. pot.
Stir in the pectin and place the pan over high heat.
Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously to dissolve the pectin.
Briskly boil the mixture for 1 minute then stir in the sugar.
Bring back to a brisk boil, stirring continuously and boil hard for 1 minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the liqueur and lemon juice.
Allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
If any foam forms on the surface skim it off and discard.
Lade the hot jam into jars leaving a 1/4 inch headspace.
Release any air bubbles and add more jam is necessary to maintain the correct headspace.
Wipe the rims of the jars and hand tighten the lids.
Place in a water bath canner and process for 10 minutes from the point of boiling.
Allow the jars to cool in a draft free area then check the seals.

Makes 6 half pints

Who doesn’t love some good strawberry jam? No reason to wait for the strawberry season because this jam is just as good as any jam made from fresh strawberries. If you grow your own strawberries slice them and freeze them to use later in this tasty jam. Powdered pectin comes in a 1 3/4 oz. size or a 2 oz. size. Always use the amount the recipe calls for. You can also purchase low sugar fruit pectin. Again if the recipe doesn’t call for low sugar pectin then don’t use it as the two are not compatible

Preparation Time: approximately 10 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 5 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 25 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 1 tbsp serving)
Calories 53; Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 14g; Fiber 0g; Protein 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 0mg

Home Canned Blueberries


What You Need:

10 lbs. of blueberries, washed and stems removed
2 C of sugar
Water

How to Make It:

Prepare the jars, lids and screw bands according the manufacturer.
Place the clean blueberries into saucepan.
Pour the sugar over the top and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally.
Fill another pot with water and bring it to a boil.
Ladle the berries through a funnel into the prepared jars.
Add enough boiling water to maintain a 1/2 inch headspace.
Release the bubbles and add more berries and water if necessary to maintain the correct headspace.
Wipe the rims and hand seal the jars.
Place them into a water bath canner and process for 20 minutes from the point of boiling.
Remove carefully with a jar lifter and cool in a draft free area.
Check the seals and refrigerate any jars that did not seal correctly.

Makes 4 quarts

Hard berries need to be cooked before canning to soften them just a little. It also helps to sweeten the berries by adding the sugar when cooking. Hard berries such as blueberries or cranberries hold up well when canned and are a great addition for all your winter baking ideas. The rule of thumb for adding the sugar is 1/2 C for each quart of berries.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 5 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 20 minutes
Total Time: approximately 40 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 1/2 C serving)
Calories 124; Fat 1g; Saturated Fat0g; Carbohydrates 32g; Fiber 6g; Protein 1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg

Canned Sweet Diced Carrots


What You Need:

12 lbs of carrots, peeled and tops removed
3 tsp canning salt

How to Make It:

Prepare the canning jars according the manufacturer’s instructions and keep them hot.
Dice the cleaned carrots trying to keep all them as close to the same size as possible.
Place the carrots into a 12 qt. pot and cover them with water.
Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender on the outside but still firm in the middle.
Fill each jar with the hot carrots and with enough of cooking liquid to leave a 1 in headspace.
Add 1/2 tsp of salt to each jar and release the air bubbles.
Add more carrots and liquid if necessary to retain the recommended headspace.
Wipe the rims and seal the jars.
Place the jars in the pressure canner and bring the pressure to 10 lbs.
Process the jars for 25 minutes then allow the pressure to drop to 0.
Let the carrots stand in the unopened canner for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove and cool in a draft free area then check the seals.
Boil your carrots for 10 minutes before eating or tasting.

Makes 6 pints

Use carrots that are 1 to 1 1/2 in diameter for best results. Canned carrots will retain their sweet flavor and the texture will be perfect for any dish you use them in. To check the seals to ensure the jars have sealed correctly wait until the jars have cooled completely which can take up to 24 hours. Push the center of lid and if it doesn’t indent the jar has sealed correctly. If the lid does indent after applying pressure then the seal did not take and you need to refrigerate the jar. Most unsealed canned foods will stay fresh when chilled for up to 2 weeks. Always refer to your recipe for the period of time the food will remain safe to eat. These carrots may also be sliced in 1/4 in slices before canning if you prefer.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Processing Time: approximately 25 minutes
Standing Time: approximately 10 minutes
Total Time: approximately 50 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate values per 1/2 C serving)
Calories 94; Fat 0g; Saturated Fat 0g; Carbohydrates 22g; Fiber 7g; Protein 2g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 424mg

Marinated Turkey Tenders with Veggies

What You Need:

2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
2 tsp lemon zest, grated
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 (1 lb.) turkey breast tenders
1 (1 lb.) eggplant
1 (1 lb.) zucchini
3 plum tomatoes

How to Make It:

Place the oil, garlic and rosemary into a bowl.
Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper and whisk well.
Place the turkey into a large bowl.
Pour 1/3 C of the marinade over the turkey and turn the turkey to coat well.
Refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Refrigerate the remaining marinade.
Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Cut the tomatoes in half.
Place the vegetables on a baking sheet and spray with a non stick cooking spray.
Heat the grill.
Place the turkey on the grill and discard the marinade.
Grill the turkey for 7 minutes per side or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees.
Remove the turkey to a platter, tent with foil and let rest until ready to cut.
Place the eggplant slices and zucchini slices onto the grill.
Grill for 4 minutes then turn and grill an additional 4 minutes or until just tender.
Add the tomatoes to the grill and grill for 2 minutes per side or until charred but not too soft.
Allow the vegetables to cool enough to handle.
Cut the cooled vegetables into bite size pieces and toss with the remaining marinade.

Makes 6 servings

Turkey is easy to cook and takes well to many different flavorings like this marinade. Grilling your turkey makes it even more of a snap. Adding the grilled vegetables means less time in the kitchen. Turkey is also quite healthy for us. Both the white and dark meat contains many nutrients although dark meat does contain more fat. Use leftovers in a salad or as a lunchtime sandwich.

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Marinade Time: approximately 45 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 26 minutes
Total Time: approximately 1 hour 26 minutes

Nutritional Information: (approximate amounts per serving)
Calories 243; Fat 6g; Saturated Fat 1g; Carbohydrates 10g; Protein 39g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 94 mg; Sodium 159 mg