Juice

Cranberry, Spiced Apple, & Grapefruit

Asparagus

We started off with 55 pounds of asparagus on a Friday night I started processing at 6:00 and didn't finish until 4:00AM this was my kick off to this years canning.

(I had two packed like this)

(Made 36 Quarts)

Still House Canning Cocktail

1. Pick a glass of your choice size half fresh cranberry juice, half ginger ale
2. Add 1 shot your choice tequila we use Patron Sliver
3. 1 Table spoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
4. Stir and enjoy!

What creations have you made using your fresh ingredients and creative ideas? 

Bosc Pears 2 Ways of Goodness

First batch of Bosc pears we cleaned cut in half pitted then cold packed the halves in wide mouth quarts. Then in a large wet measuring cup we add 1 ½ cups of Berentzen Pear Schnapps, 2 cups white sugar, 6 cups water, and 5 drops of blue coloring. Filled the jars with the syrupy dropped in raisins, and put lids on. Water-bathed for 20 minutes and ended up with 5 quart jars.

Second batch of Bosc pears cut, cleaned, and packed halves in quarts. Then in a large wet measuring cup we add 1 ½ cups of Ginger Spiced Brandy, 2 shots worth of Buttershots, 2 cups white sugar, 6 cups water, 2 table spoons fresh grated ginger, and 5 drops of red coloring. Filled the jars with the syrupy dropped in raisins, and put lids on. Water-bathed for 20 minutes and ended up with 5 quart jars.

Onion Marmalade

Onion Marmalade!

10 Cups slivered sweet onions
2 Cups apple cider vinegar
1 ¼ Cups lights brown sugar
1 Bag cranberries
8 Cups water
6 Cups white sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh grated Orange peel

1. Brown in lager pot or cast iron onions, cranberries, cider, and brown sugar cook until onions are translucent
2. Add Sugar, and water
3. Bring to boil over medium heat, add orange zest
4. Boil for about an hour and a half until at gel point
5. Jar and lid
6. Process in waterbath for 15 minutes (Makes 6 pint jars)

Canning Festival Wrap Up

In my house in a long weekend this is what we do!

Here is the final count on the jars done the 1st weekend in January:

Asparagus......................................36 Quarts

Cranberry Juice................................4 Quarts

Grapefruit Juice Concentrate.............3 Quarts

Spiced Apple Juice...........................8 Quarts

Cranberry & Apple Juice.................2  Quarts

Vanilla Pear Juice.............................1 Quart

Apple Butter....................................9 Pints

Apple Sauce..................................12 Quarts

Ginger Brandy Pears........................5 Quarts

Blue Pears in Schnapps....................5 Quarts

Onion Marmalade.............................5 Pints

Onion Pickle (Horseradish)...............3 Pint

Onion Pickle (Rosemary)..................3 Pints

Ambrosia.........................................5 Quarts

Spiced Red Cabbage......................24 Quarts

Total .......................................105 Quarts, 20 Pints

Weekend Canning Festival

This weekend the Still House was filled all kinds of music, fun, and CANNING! We put up a varieties of neat new things plus some old favorites. The veggie auction on Thursday night had a bounty of asparagus, apples, grapefruits, oranges, onions, cabbages, and lemons. We were so glad it was a three day weekend, and we had wonderful company to share in the 1st spring canning festival.

Day 1

We started off with 55 pounds of asparagus on Friday night I started processing at 6:00 with reinforcements coming over around 8. My good friend Denise came over to help put up the mounds of asparagus and rock out in the kitchen.

(I had two packed like this)

(36 Quarts)

In the mist of cleaning hundreds of steams and packing 36 quarts we all so braked to make some homemade cranberry chocolate chip brownies using my new cranberry preserves.

:)

We also cut and squeezed 20 grapefruits for grapefruit juice. 20 grapefruits made about 9 cups of pure juice.

Denise hung in until about midnight and Cheri came in from NYC around 1 A.M.. Kathryn and I worked on it until about 3 A.M. then I carried on finally finishing at 5 A.M.

Day 2

Slept in late woke up about noon made coffee and brunch. After brunch we took a look at what we had left. We started processing spiced red cabbage then put on apples to cook down.

(The Kitchen Cheerleader)

About midday we had 24 Quart Jars of cabbage, 3 quarts of grapefruit juice, 3 quarts jars cranberry juice, 4 quarts spiced apple juice, and 1 jar vanilla pear juice. Once the juices came out of the water bath we started the 2 divine batches of pears, and put the apple butter on to cook down.

Now the Pears!!

First batch of Bosc pears we cleaned cut in half pitted then cold packed the halves in wide mouth quarts. Then in a large wet measuring cup we add 1 ½ cups of Berentzen Pear Schnapps, 2 cups white sugar, 6 cups water, and 5 drops of blue coloring. Filled the jars with the syrupy dropped in raisins, and put lids on. Water-bathed for 20 minutes and ended up with 5 quart jars.

Second batch of Bosc pears cut, cleaned, and packed halves in quarts. Then in a large wet measuring cup we add 1 ½ cups of Ginger Spiced Brandy, 2 shots worth of Buttershots, 2 cups white sugar, 6 cups water, 2 table spoons fresh grated ginger, and 5 drops of red coloring. Filled the jars with the syrupy dropped in raisins, and put lids on. Water-bathed for 20 minutes and ended up with 5 quart jars.

Day 3

Started the morning off finishing the apple butter starting a second batch of apples to make apple sauce, and juice. While drinking the morning coffee debating brunch we processed 8 pints of apples butter, 7 quarts apple sauce, 4 jars spiced apple juice. Put on the last batch of apples to cook and then went to Baughers to have brunch and run earns in town. When we got back we made 7 more quarts apple sauce and saved back the unsweetened apple juice for my onion marmalade. Once the applesauce and juice was out of the way we started the last batch of spiced red cabbage, and made homemade house cocktails before starting the last and best of the night. Set up the second half of the slivered onions in salt and cold water to sit for 12 hours to make pickles out of them on day 4. Below are the recipes for the onion marmalade and Still House cocktail ENJOY! :)

Onion Marmalade!
10 Cups slivered sweet onions
2 Cups apple cider vinegar
1 ¼ Cups lights brown sugar
1 Bag cranberries
8 Cups water
6 Cups white sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh grated Orange peel

1. Brown in lager pot or cast iron onions, cranberries, cider, and brown sugar cook until onions are translucent
2. Add Sugar, and water
3. Bring to boil over medium heat, add orange zest
4. Boil for about an hour and a half until at gel point
5. Jar and lid
6. Process in waterbath for 15 minutes (Makes 6 pint jars)

Still House Cranberry Cocktail
1. Pick a glass of your choice size half fresh cranberry juice, half ginger ale
2. Add 1 shot your choice tequila we use Patron Sliver
3. 1 Table spoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
4. Stir and enjoy!

Cranberries Part 2

Did you know that Cranberries are a low, creeping shrubs that are considered an evergreen? When I think of an evergreen I think of trees in the pine family or holly I’ve never thought of one of my favorite berries. This last weekend I processed 24 pounds of these little gems. I made juice, apple/cranberry/tangerine jam, conserve, and blueberry/tangerine/cranberry jam.

Cranberry/Apple/Tangerine Juice & Fancy Jasmine Tea

4 pounds cranberries

2 pounds cored sliced green apples

1 pound tangerines peeled and seeded

8 cups water

1.      Wash & process fruit and combine in pressure cooker

2.      Seal and put on high heat

3.      Bring to 10 pounds pressure

4.      Reduce heat to medium set timer for 15 minutes

5.      Remove from heat and put timer on 10 minutes

6.      After 10 minutes remove cock let steam release

7.      When steam is gone open and drain into strainer placed over a bowl

8.      Take fruit left in strainer and return to pressure cooker (For recipe # 2)

9.      Take juice in bowl and run through a fine strainer or cheese cloth

10.  And sugar to taste

11.  Boil or use coffee pot to make about 2 pots worth of strong Jasmine tea

12.  Let cool on counter until ready

13.  To serve mix sweeten juice and tea over ice and ENJOY!

Cranberry/Apple/Tangerine Jam

(Note for this recipe I used the left over pulp from my juice)

4 pounds cranberries

2 pounds cored sliced green apples

1 pound tangerines peeled and seeded

3 cups sugar

1 ½ cups of my juice

1.      Combine all in large pot and bring to a slow boil

2.      Stir frequently

3.       Cook until at gel point

4.      If canning process for 20 minutes in a water bath

5.      Should store in fridge for up to 4 weeks. 

Cranberry Conserve 

6 tangerines peeled and seeded
6 cup water
4 pounds cranberries
1 cup raisins
3 ½ cups granulated sugar  & 1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup chopped nuts 

1.      Add cranberries, raisins, tangerines, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves

2.      Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently

3.      Boil hard until mixture thickens

4.      Stir in nuts and cook, stirring constantly, for the last 5 minutes

5.      Remove from heat and test gel.

6.      Skim foam and pack into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace

7.       Process 15 minutes in water bath

8.       Makes about 4 8-oz jars. 

Blueberry/Tangerine/Cranberry/Honey Jam

4 pounds cranberries

2 pounds cored sliced green apples

1 pound tangerines peeled and seeded

1 box blueberries

1 cup honey

5 cups sugar

1.      Add cranberries, blueberries, tangerines, honey, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves

2.      Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently

3.      Boil hard until mixture thickens

4.      Remove from heat and test gel.

5.      Skim foam and pack into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space

6.       Process 15 minutes in water bath

7.       Makes about 4 8-oz jars.

Baughers & My Favorite Edible Evergreen Part 1

     This weekend I started out Saturday with no lights or power nothing to do but go out for brunch! So I took my mom to my favorite local restaurant and farmers market Baughers. 

    This place has a lot of history to me, and a huge soft spot in my heart. Years ago before I even remember my father not being from Maryland and my mom just moving to Owning Mills found this on a day trip driving out to a county they had never visited  before.  He liked the look of the place and took my mom there for a meal. 

    Years later after we lived in Texas for 16 years lost my father, and moved back to Maryland to the county of that little day trip long ago pretty much forgotten by my mom I took her to a place I had found in my travels of being a new driver. I’ll never forget sitting down with her in this place I found and feeling all proud of my find when she opened the menu, and said your father brought me here years ago. I feel like this little place brought him and me closer, I do caring him with me and his taste for old fashion local haunts too.

    There are so many great things I could say about Baughers the staff is great, food is good, mostly local grown, locally owned, locally farmed, and has a great produce shop attached right to the restaurant. What more could you ask for?  

    After a great brunch I tried to walk it off next door in the farm market. It’s always good to see what is coming in and what has been stored until now and so on. I always walk to the back and check out the 50 cents racks one of the best kept secrets at Baughers. The item that took up most of the rack was discounted cranberries from the holidays. I’ve bought in the past 50 cent bags of pineapples, cantaloupes, bags full of peppers, and now cranberries. I spent 4 dollars and got 24 pounds of cranberries, 3 pounds of tangerines, 2 pounds of apples, 1 pound bell peppers, and 2 bunches of asparagus!

 Let me say this again I LOVE Baughers!!

     I had a house party to go to Saturday night so I couldn’t go home and jump right in with a canning fest. Once I had finished the rest of the errands of the day we headed back to the house to see: one if power was back, and two unload the haul! The party was bring a dish and by the time I got home I was brain dead on what to make and bring. So I changed the options in my head around and thought what about a really good virgin drink? I have friends for the 1^st time in my life that are pregnant so I wanted to make sure they had a nice option outside of soda to enjoy while the other guest had hot toddies and such.  My creation became homemade cranberry juice and fresh loses leaf Fancy Jasmine tea from NYC. 

It was amazing! 

Plus the most refreshing juice tea I’ve ever had.

I’d defiantly make it again!

Stress Filled Work Week Cure

Being a caseworker and fixing others problems everyday can really wear me down. My mom works in a stress filled career as a lawyer the weekend for us is a time to relax. My favorite medicine for stress is a lazy day filled with a huge brunch some old black & white movies or westerns, and maybe a new canning project.  If I’m lucky enough to have house guest or friends over it just adds to the pleasure of cooking and sharing my love of food.  My godmother comes down from NYC once a month to visit, I’m sure it is a much slower pace than the hustle and bustle of the city. 

  

I’ve been making breakfast for guest since I was 11 or 12 back in Texas when people would crash over after a long night college party. My way of playing house I guess I even gave myself a restaurant name Café House I would plan out what to make sometimes I even made menus. It was so much fun to wake up people with warm fresh coffee a smile and breakfast of choice. It de-stresses me to brighten the mood for others. A smile caused by a great meal can make a whole week of work melt away like the butter on my home made rolls.

One of my favorite shows is Top Chef in a couple of the seasons they put the Chefs through a quick fire challenge of cooking eggs one handed. Every time I see them do this I end up yelling at the screen like it’s a sports game rooting for some correcting technique on others and generally saying I could do better. J I’m not sure if I’m the only person who gets so worked up in a silly show but it gets me every time. I’d love to have a quick fire challenge all my own and compete for an egg trophy. One of these days I’ll have to find someone to go up against. 

  

This weekend I plan on a southern style brunch on Sunday filled with western omelets, grits, turkey bacon, fresh fruit, and homemade bread or biscuits. It might be Thursday but it’s been a long week!!!

             

What do you like to make for breakfast?