Sunday, November 25, 2007
Fermentation in the Basement
First- Be sure to read all 5 of today's posts. I have been very busy.
So, how can one call themselves a cook and not have something fermenting in the basement? I figure you can't, so I started some sauerkraut.
One only needs three things to make sauerkraut. First, salt and cabbage:
Second, limoncello:
Start by shredding the cabbage very thinly:
For every five pounds of cabbage you need 3 Tablespoons of salt. But, you want to salt it a little at a time.
You want to mix it up and really rub the salt into the cabbage, causing the cabbage to release liquid.
Once you get it all mixed, you pack it into your fermenting vessel very tightly. You really want to pack it down.
The vessel:
The packed down cabbage:
After it is all tightly packed, place a cloth over the cabbage. On top of that goes a tight fitting plate to keep it all under its juices. On top of that is a bag of water to weigh it all down.
Then you put it in the basement for three weeks. I will have to scrape off any scum every couple days and make sure it doesn't get nasty. Then I will be able to can it for enjoyment all year long. Exciting.
So, how can one call themselves a cook and not have something fermenting in the basement? I figure you can't, so I started some sauerkraut.
One only needs three things to make sauerkraut. First, salt and cabbage:
Second, limoncello:
Start by shredding the cabbage very thinly:
For every five pounds of cabbage you need 3 Tablespoons of salt. But, you want to salt it a little at a time.
You want to mix it up and really rub the salt into the cabbage, causing the cabbage to release liquid.
Once you get it all mixed, you pack it into your fermenting vessel very tightly. You really want to pack it down.
The vessel:
The packed down cabbage:
After it is all tightly packed, place a cloth over the cabbage. On top of that goes a tight fitting plate to keep it all under its juices. On top of that is a bag of water to weigh it all down.
Then you put it in the basement for three weeks. I will have to scrape off any scum every couple days and make sure it doesn't get nasty. Then I will be able to can it for enjoyment all year long. Exciting.
Labels: cabbage, canning, sauerkraut
Tasty Pickled Eggs
The famous bar food pickled eggs... Do they make good Christmas gifts? I think so.
Start with two dozen eggs and boil them.
After they are done, peel and rinse them.
CJ and I both suck at peeling eggs. Some were lost. Some are misshapen. Sadness.
Prepare the pickling liquid.
There are tons of recipes out there. Some with beets, some with balsamic vinegar, some needing to sit a day, some a month, it is sort of crazy. I made up my own recipe.
4 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
A few cloves garlic
Some slices of ginger
A small handful of pickling spices.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pack the eggs into the sterilized jars.
Process with your normal canning procedures.
Start with two dozen eggs and boil them.
After they are done, peel and rinse them.
CJ and I both suck at peeling eggs. Some were lost. Some are misshapen. Sadness.Prepare the pickling liquid.
There are tons of recipes out there. Some with beets, some with balsamic vinegar, some needing to sit a day, some a month, it is sort of crazy. I made up my own recipe.4 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
A few cloves garlic
Some slices of ginger
A small handful of pickling spices.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Pack the eggs into the sterilized jars.
Process with your normal canning procedures.
Labels: canning, eggs, pickles
Rum Cranberries
I made Rum Cranberries for a couple Thanksgivings. They are fantastic. I was able to can a few jars, so we still have some around the house. I may make more.
Start by making a simple syrup and infusing spices in it.
Chop, peel, and core a couple apples.
A couple cups of cranberries need to be rinsed.
All go into the syrup and are cooked for about 15 minutes.
Add a cup of rum, bring to a boil, and you have deliciousness.
Of course, I failed to get a final pic, but we all know what cranberries look like.
Start by making a simple syrup and infusing spices in it.
Chop, peel, and core a couple apples.
A couple cups of cranberries need to be rinsed.
All go into the syrup and are cooked for about 15 minutes.
Add a cup of rum, bring to a boil, and you have deliciousness.
Of course, I failed to get a final pic, but we all know what cranberries look like.
Labels: apples, canning, cranberries, rum
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Canning, Canning, Canning
CJ and I took a few days off to get the house in order, so in addition to painting, I've done some more canning.
Today, I made some Beer Mustard.
Take a bottle of beer.
Add a package of brown mustard seeds.
Bring them to a boil and let sit for a couple hours.
Then you put them in the food processor. It is supposed to break up the mustard seeds. It didn't, and I don't have a mortar and pestle. I think this may be a problem.
Put it all back in the pot and add some seasoning, vinegar, and cook down for awhile.
Then, of course, jar.
Quite honestly, it tasted disgusting going into the jars. I'm afraid it is going to be just as bad coming out.
Oh, and the cranberry mustard I made, same problems, it will probably all be thrown away.
I did make some tasty cranberries a couple days ago.
And I mixed up some muffins today for dessert. Num.
Carrot pumpkin muffins.
Today, I made some Beer Mustard.
Take a bottle of beer.
Add a package of brown mustard seeds.
Bring them to a boil and let sit for a couple hours.
Then you put them in the food processor. It is supposed to break up the mustard seeds. It didn't, and I don't have a mortar and pestle. I think this may be a problem.
Put it all back in the pot and add some seasoning, vinegar, and cook down for awhile.
Then, of course, jar.
Quite honestly, it tasted disgusting going into the jars. I'm afraid it is going to be just as bad coming out.Oh, and the cranberry mustard I made, same problems, it will probably all be thrown away.
I did make some tasty cranberries a couple days ago.
And I mixed up some muffins today for dessert. Num.
Carrot pumpkin muffins.Labels: canning, cranberries, muffins, mustard
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Jalapeno Jelly
I spent most of the day making Jalapeno Jelly today.
First, you start with jalapenos, a green pepper, 4 lbs. of apples, 1 c. cranberries, white vinegar and water.
You cook it down to a mush that looks like applesauce, but stinks up your house and makes your eyes burn.
From there, you need to strain it for a couple hours.
After those few hours, you get about 4 cups of liquid.
Next, you mix it with 3 1/2 cups of sugar and heat to about 220 degrees.
Lastly, you use standard canning techniques to store.
As you can see, I ended up with 6 and a half tiny jars for hours of work. It is very good though, so worth it.
First, you start with jalapenos, a green pepper, 4 lbs. of apples, 1 c. cranberries, white vinegar and water.
You cook it down to a mush that looks like applesauce, but stinks up your house and makes your eyes burn.From there, you need to strain it for a couple hours.
After those few hours, you get about 4 cups of liquid.
Next, you mix it with 3 1/2 cups of sugar and heat to about 220 degrees.
Lastly, you use standard canning techniques to store.
As you can see, I ended up with 6 and a half tiny jars for hours of work. It is very good though, so worth it.Labels: canning, jalapeno, jelly
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Homemakers
My new neighbor Tisha and I spent a large part of the holiday weekend canning and pickling. While we knew it was a lot of work, we really had no idea how much it would be.
On Saturday morning, we went to the St. Paul Farmers' Market. We bought a box of tomatoes, a bin of cucumbers, and a lot of shallots, cauliflower, chilies, peppers, and other such things.
Have you ever peeled a box of tomatoes? It takes HOURS. Ever peel shallots? Hours again.
(Not even close to a box of tomatoes)
(That's a lot of shallots to peel)
Luckily the cucumbers only needed to be soaked, for 12 hours.
After two days of work, we finally ended up with this:
Not Shabby.
There are pickles, two bottles of which have become refrigerator pickles because they didn't seal.
Here's a close up:
Unfortunately, some of the garlic turned blue:
We also made Acharro, or something like that. Sri Lankan for various pickles.
We made two kinds of tomatoes. Regular, without spice:
And some made as a Sri Lankan spicy pickle:
A lot of work, but it was worth it, I hope. As long as no one gets sick or dies, I'll call it a success.
On Saturday morning, we went to the St. Paul Farmers' Market. We bought a box of tomatoes, a bin of cucumbers, and a lot of shallots, cauliflower, chilies, peppers, and other such things.
Have you ever peeled a box of tomatoes? It takes HOURS. Ever peel shallots? Hours again.
(Not even close to a box of tomatoes)
(That's a lot of shallots to peel)Luckily the cucumbers only needed to be soaked, for 12 hours.
After two days of work, we finally ended up with this:
Not Shabby.There are pickles, two bottles of which have become refrigerator pickles because they didn't seal.
Here's a close up:
Unfortunately, some of the garlic turned blue:
We also made Acharro, or something like that. Sri Lankan for various pickles.
We made two kinds of tomatoes. Regular, without spice:
And some made as a Sri Lankan spicy pickle:
A lot of work, but it was worth it, I hope. As long as no one gets sick or dies, I'll call it a success.
Labels: canning, pickles, tomatoes
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