Category: Homesteading

Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Every year, I get so excited to plant tomato plants. Even in our first years with a garden, we couldn’t keep up with our tomato love. I vividly remember my darling son as a toddler eating every single cherry or grape tomato we grew. They didn’t even make it out of the garden! Now, I get all those beautiful drops of red, orange, and yellow and turn them into roasted and preserved tomatoes. 

Now, it’s a joke between my husband and I that I will always plant too many cherry and grape tomato plants. Why buy one if you can buy four? And you have to have a few varieties, right? And so, we have an abundance of bit size tomatoes. One year, an acquaintance suggested roasting them, and I have never looked back! 

This is such a simple and flavorful way to preserve tomatoes. All you need is an oven, a baking sheet, some parchment paper, and your favorite tomato spices. Let’s get to creating some roasted and preserved tomatoes. 

Per pound of tomatoes, you will need: 

½ tablespoon olive oil 

¼ teaspoon each of: salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, or any other spice you love with tomatoes

Your Steps to Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry the tomatoes. Slice each tomato in half. Lay cut side UP on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, etc on top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just beginning to caramelize. Allow to cool. 

From here, you can totally just snack on them. If you want to preserve for later, stick the tray in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Transfer to a freezer safe container and use within a year. So quick, easy, and a great way to preserve your harvest!

Slice them up!
Drizzle with oil and season it up!
Roast them!
Freeze them!

Roasted and Preserved Tomatoes

Too many grape and cherry tomatoes? Like to preserve the flavor of summer for the winter months? Create these roasted and preserved tomatoes!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound cherry or grape tomatoes any variety
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Wash and dry the tomatoes.
  • Slice each tomato in half. Lay cut side up on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic, etc on top.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes, until just beginning to caramelize. Allow to cool.
  • To preserve, place the tray in the freezer for 2-3 hours.
  • Transfer to a freezer safe container and use within a year.
Keyword cherry tomatoes, freezing, preserving, side dish, tomatoes, Vegan, vegetables
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other preserving recipes?

Check out my canning and preserving page! Or maybe one of the recipes below will speak to you!

Jess2 Comments

Don’t Throw That Away Apple Scrap Jelly

Apple season brings everyone visiting the orchard, making fresh applesauce and maybe even a pie or two. With all the peeling and coring happening, you’ll be happy to know there is something to do with all those scraps that will result in a delicious outcome: Apple Scrap Jelly!

We bought our house about 11 years ago and promptly began to dig up the ground to put in gardens, bushes, and trees. Since then, we have planted a total of 16 fruit trees on our little slice of happiness. Developing trees takes time, and we are finally at the point where we are picking a few bushels of apples. Oh the joy! This means I am preserving the apples into apple pie filling, applesauce, and the like. A few years ago, I saw the piles of peels and cores knew there had to be something I could do with the “waste.” Enter Apple Scrap Jelly. With only four ingredients, you will likely have everything on hand to make it. It doesn’t even need commercial pectin! What a win! 

Do you have some apples you’re hoping to peel and core to make fall treats? Get another bowl, save the scraps, and be prepared to create another treat! 

Your Ingredients

  • a kettle full of apple peels and cores
  • water
  • sugar (½ cup for every cup of liquid after boiling down)
  • lemon juice (½ tablespoon for every cup of liquid after boiling down)

Begin The Boiling

After peeling and coring apples for another recipe, place all scraps into a large kettle. It doesn’t matter how much you have, although the more the better simply because it will result in more jelly. I generally keep two vessels going at the same time: one for my apples for sauce/pie/etc and one for the scraps. 

Cover the apple scraps with water, filling until the scraps begin to float. Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil. Boil water and apple scraps until half of the liquid is remaining (this is an estimate, it doesn’t need to be perfect by any means). This will likely take an hour or so.

Now, if I’m being real, I generally let water/apple mixture cool overnight in the refrigerator. Not because you have to, but because I don’t want to finish that day. 

Time for Jelly!

Either way, your next step is to separate the water from the scraps. I generally place a finer colander over a bowl with a pour spout. Press into the apple to extract all the apple-goodness. From here, pour the water into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add. 

Place the liquid in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Your end goal is to reach the gelling point. There are lots of tests for this, but I prefer the temperature test. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees. For me, the gelling point is 218 degrees. Don’t have a decent food thermometer? Check out the National Center for Home Preservation website for other ways of testing for the gelling point. 

It takes longer to reach the gelling point than I think it should. It also goes from needing 3 degrees to reaching the gelling point fast. You can get complacent while you are waiting and suddenly hit the temperature, so I am trying to warn you 🙂 

While the jelly is boiling, begin to prepare your water bath canner and jars if you plan on processing them. (If you want to simply place the jelly in the fridge after it hits the gelling point, that’s 100% okay. You don’t need to process it. However, if you want it self-stable, you should process in a waterbath canner.)

Canning Time!

Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water. 

Once the apple jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner, placing on the counter. Listen for the ping of the lids over the next 12 hours. Sealed jars are self stable. If any jar doesn’t seal, simply place it right in the refrigerator. 

PS…To be especially awesome, have some fresh baked bread on hand to spread the left over warm apple scrap jelly in the kettle on a slice. Enjoy while the rest of the jelly is in the water bath. I promise, you’ll thank me.

Apples for sauce.
Scraps for jelly!
Boil away!
Strain the liquid from the scraps.
Press out the apple goodness!
Almost complete!
The color of that jelly is divine. Yum.

Tools of the Trade

A nice strainer is a must in a stocked kitchen!

I love my waterbath canner.

The shallowness of this stock pot makes boiling down go so much quicker. My go to kettle for jelly.

Apple Scrap Jelly

Don't throw away the apple peels and cores. Create a delicious apple scrap jelly with just a handful of pantry ingredients!
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Canning
Servings 12 per jar

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • a kettle full of apple peels and cores
  • water
  • sugar ½ cup for every cup of liquid after boiling down
  • lemon juice ½ tablespoon for every cup of liquid after boiling down

Instructions
 

  • After peeling and coring apples for another recipe, place all scraps into a large kettle. It doesn’t matter how much you have, although the more the better simply because it will result in more jelly.
  • Cover the apple scraps with water, filling until the scraps begin to float. Heat over medium-high heat, bringing to a boil. Boil water and apple scraps until half of the liquid is remaining.
  • Separate the water from the scraps. I generally place a finer colander over a bowl with a pour spout. Press into the apple to extract all the apple-goodness. From here, pour the water into a liquid measuring cup to determine the amount of sugar and lemon juice you should add.
  • Place the liquid in a large kettle. For every cup of liquid, stir in ½ cup sugar and a ½ tablespoon lemon juice. Begin to heat over medium-high heat, stirring often. Heat to 8 degrees above the boiling point of water. If you are at sea level, the gelling point is at 220 degrees. For every 1000 feet of elevation, you subtract 2 degrees.
  • While the jelly is boiling, begin to prepare your water bath canner and jars if you plan on processing them rather than storing in the refrigerator.
  • Wash and sanitize jars, rings, and lids. Keep warm. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars by at least 2 inches of water. Cover and heat on high. Watch the temperature, you want a simmer but not a boil when you place the jars in the water.
  • Once the apple jelly has reached the gelling point, remove from heat. Ladle into prepared jars, leaving ½ inch head space. Wipe rims of the jars with a damp cloth, add lids and rings, tightening to fingertip tight. Place in the canner, increasing the heat to high. Once the canner reaches a boil, process for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow jars to cool in the canner over 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to rest for 12 hours before storing.

Notes

If your altitude is over 1000 ft, be sure to add 5 minutes to your processing time. 
Keyword apple jelly, apple recipe, apples, Canning, Jelly, Waterbath Canning
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other canning recipes? Check out my canning and preserving page below!

Canning and Preserving

Jess39 Comments

Finally Fall Root Vegetable Soup

I’m telling you, I love summer and all that comes with that: swimming, warm skin, camping, gardening, and carefree days. But man, this time of year, I relish the beautiful fall weather. In Northern Wisconsin, this brings on duck hunting. When it’s duck hunting, I get to relish the enjoyment of cooking for a large crowd of hunters. Usually that means I throw together a few kettles of soup, and this year was no different. We had an abundance of root vegetables in our home and I couldn’t wait to cook with them. What resulted was a delightful Finally Fall Root Vegetable Soup.

From the Garden…

We grew potatoes, carrots, and rutabagas this year. I wanted sweet potatoes, but oddly enough, I forgot I wanted them until it was too late (story of my life). So alas, the sweet potatoes were store bought. However, the ground protein was last season’s venison so this root vegetable soup was almost a fully “home harvested meal.” My absolute favorite and leaves me feeling crazy proud. 

Now, I recognize not everyone gets the opportunity to grow their own food. Totally okay (Although I am telling you, you should start. It’s the best for SO MANY reasons. I won’t start listing them here, even though I want to). The great thing is that all of these ingredients can be pantry items, which means you can throw it together anytime you are feeling soup without any special trips. How great is that? Ready to get cooking and put together a fantastic Finally Fall Root Vegetable Soup? Let’s get to it! 

Your Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds ground protein (we use venison, but any ground protein would do)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups of each, diced: sweet potatoes, rutabaga, red potatoes, and carrots 
  • 1 1/2 cups diced onion 
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage 
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 8 cups beef broth, divided

Your Steps

In a large Dutch oven, combine diced potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and 5 cups of beef broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, brown ground protein, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 

In the same large saucepan (I am all about minimizing dishes), begin to heat the onions and garlic, adding ½ tablespoon-1 tablespoon of oil if necessary. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon dried sage. Once the onions have softened (about 5 minutes), add butter. Melt over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour, making a roux. VERY slowly, stir in remaining beef broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, bringing to a boil before you add more broth. (Gluten free? You can 100% skip this and have a thinner broth). 

Once the broth has been fully incorporated, slowly add the onion mixture to other root vegetables. Stir in the ground protein and allow everything to come up to temperature. Give a quick taste test here, adding extra pepper or salt if needed. (I tend to get heavy with the pepper according to my kids, so I start light and almost always add a little more). 

Serve the Root Vegetable Soup!

Serve right out of the kettle with a fresh slice of bread and perhaps a salad. I don’t think I am wrong when I say it doesn’t get much better than homemade soup, sourdough bread, and salad. It might just be my favorite meal of all time. Comfort food at it’s finest!

  • Rutabaga: An underrated vegetable
  • Spoonful sized diced vegetables.
  • Ground venison, so lean!
  • Veggies, done with their boiling bath.
  • Get that roux going.
  • Flour and broth, thickening just enough.
  • A little sage.
  • Serve it up!

Tools of the trade

There isn’t too many tools here, but I’m telling you, nothing beats a good cast iron Dutch Oven for your soups, bread baking, and everything in between. I love my red kitchen, so this is a perfect fit!

Looking for other soup? Check out my recipes on my cooking page below!

Cooking
Sourdough Adventures
Print Recipe

Finally Fall Root Vegetable Soup

Finally Fall Root Vegetable Soup: Comforting and full of good for you vegetables, this soup will bring joy to your heart and your belly.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds ground protein we use venison, but any ground protein would do
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 cups sweet potatoes largely diced
  • 3 cups rutabaga largely diced
  • 3 cups red potatoes largely diced
  • 3 cups carrots largely diced
  • 1 ½ cups diced onion
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried sage
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 7 cups beef broth divided

Instructions

  • In a large Dutch oven, combine diced potatoes, rutabaga, carrots and 5 cups of beef broth.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
  • Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, brown ground protein, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • In the same large saucepan begin to heat the onions and garlic, adding ½ tablespoon-1 tablespoon of oil if necessary. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon dried sage.
  • Once the onions have softened (about 5 minutes), add butter.
  • Melt over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour, making a roux.
  • Slowly add in remaining beef broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring the whole time, bringing to a boil before you add more broth.
  • Once the broth has been fully incorporated, slowly add the onion mixture to other root vegetables.
  • Stir in the ground protein and allow everything to come up to temperature. Add additional salt or pepper as needed.

Notes

Gluten free? Feel free to skip the flour and butter roux. 

Jess1 Comment

For the Freezer Apple Pie Filling to Quick Apple Bars

Cortland, right off the tree. Does it get much better?

Garden season is giving way to orchard season and the apples are ripe for the picking in Northern Wisconsin. At our house, we have planted a few fruits every year over the last ten years, and have reached an “orchard” of about sixteen fruit trees, nine of which are various apple trees. I have to love my husband as he researches types of apples and makes sure we have apples through the whole season. A favorite go to recipe that I do every year is freezer apple pie filling. 

It’s a simple recipe with minimal work that fills your freezer with fresh apples so that you can enjoy and create pies and crisps all year long in ten minutes flat! Who doesn’t love a dessert that looks and tastes like you were in the kitchen forever, but really, you had it put together basically during the commercial break of your favorite show? (Does anyone even have commercial breaks anymore? I guess I am getting old 😉 )

In all seriousness, if you are a person who LOVES hitting up the local orchards, you need this apple pie filling in your freezer. It will bring back all the good memories and joy the orchard brought you and your family as you hit it up in your flannels and boots 🙂

Your Ingredients 

  • 6 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and sliced after measuring out your weight
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Your Steps 

Place sliced apples in a large kettle (I love my Dutch oven here). Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Stir into apples. Let the apples and spices stand for 30 min to allow the juices to flow. Stir in lemon juice. Place apples on the stove and heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens, stirring often. This should take approximately 20 minutes. Pour into freezer safe quart containers (I love the Arrow containers I have linked below for this). Allow containers to cool with the lids ajar for 1-2 hours. Cover and label. Place apple pie filling in the freezer. When you are ready to use them, pull out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator 1-2 prior to using.  Keep reading for a great recipe that uses these delightful containers of apples!

Oh, and save those peels and cores! You can make a great apple scrap jelly with those. Get the recipe here!

Slice and cover in pure deliciousness!
Rest and cook it up!
Ladle into containers and freeze! That’s it!

Prepped in 5 minutes flat Apple Bars 

Ready to bake with this great apple pie filling, but not feeling a pie? Let me share what I love to throw together when I need a dessert and am short on time to prep. 

Your Ingredients

  • 1 ½  cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup oil (whatever oil suits you: olive, vegetable, coconut)
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 2 tablespoons milk 
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional) 
  • 1 tablespoon sugar 
  • 1 quart thawed apple pie filling

Your Steps

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While the oven is preheating, combine all the ingredients besides the pie filling in a small bowl. It will be moist. Using your fingers, press the crust into an ungreased brownie pan (8×8 or 11×7). If you don’t have that size, a regular 9×13 pan works just fine too! It will just be a thin crust. 

Spread apple pie filling evenly over the crust. That’s it. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pan. Twenty minutes was perfect when I used a 9×13 pan. 30 minutes if you use a brownie pan instead. 

If you are looking for a “healthy” apple bar, serve it up with vanilla Greek yogurt. But a scoop of ice cream right out of the oven would be delicious too!

Crust and apples. That quick!
Perfectly baked and served up before I could even get a picture!

 

Tools of the trade

This is my go to pan. I really appreciate that it’s between a brownie pan and a cake pan.

These are seriously awesome. They freeze well and double as leftover containers for us when we use whatever was frozen in them.

Cast iron may be heavy, but does it ever cook nice. I also adore that it can go from stove top to oven for all my baking and roasting needs.

Looking for other recipes? Check out the page below:

Baking

For the Freezer Apple Pie Filling

Sliced apples and five simple ingredients combine to make this perfect for the freezer apple pie filling.
4 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 4 pies

Ingredients
  

  • 6 pounds of apples peeled, cored and sliced after measuring out your weight
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Place sliced apples in a large kettle.
  • Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Stir into apples.
  • Let the apples and spices stand for 30 min to allow the juices to flow.
  • Stir in lemon juice.
  • Place apples on the stove and heat over medium heat until the mixture thickens, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
  • Pour into freezer safe quart containers.
  • Allow containers to cool with the lids ajar for 1-2 hours. Cover and label. Place apple pie filling in the freezer.
  • When you are ready to use them, pull out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator 1-2 prior to using.
Keyword apple bars, apple dessert, apple pie filling, apple recipe, apples, dessert
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Apple Pie Filling Quick Apple Bars

Apple pie filling frozen in the fall provides the delicious base for these quick and easy bars.
4 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ cup oil whatever oil suits you: olive, vegetable, coconut
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon optional
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg optional
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 quart thawed apple pie filling

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  • While the oven is preheating, combine all the ingredients besides the pie filling in a small bowl. It will be moist.
  • Using your fingers, press the crust into an ungreased brownie pan (8×8 or 11×7).
  • Spread apple pie filling evenly over the crust.
  • Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees.
  • Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake an additional 20-30 minutes, depending on the size of your pan.
Keyword apple bars, apple pie filling, apples, dessert
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Jess12 Comments

Kick in the Taste buds Cucumber and Pepper Relish

A blog or two ago, I wrote about my zucchini crop and how it is producing beautifully this year. I could copy and paste that paragraph and exchange each “zucchini” with “cucumber.” It’s been a CRAZY cucumber year. A year ago, I believe I grew enough to perhaps make one batch of pickles. This year, I can not keep up and have been giving them away. Gardening life, right? It keeps you on your toes. Because of this bumper crop, I have put together more than one batch of this fantastic cucumber and pepper relish. 

I don’t know about you, but when I hear relish, I think of that neon green stuff you put on top of Chicago style hot dogs. Not my jam. This, my friends, is not that kind of relish. Can you still eat this on top of hot dogs? Sure thing. But I will tell you what, I love this spice-ful relish on the side of any grilled dinner. So freaking good. 

I can’t quite figure out how to describe the flavor. The cinnamon, all spice, cloves, and mustard seed provide a depth of flavor that is unreal. It’s full of chunky cut vegetables that are slightly sweet from the brown sugar and sour from the vinegar. Let’s just say this, it’s a party for your tastebuds. 

One more thing before we get started! This is a great recipe to use up those cucumbers that “get away from you” in the garden. You know the ones, hiding under leaves until they are the size of your forearm. Since you are dicing the cucumbers, I reccommend cutting whole cucumbers in half length wise and then in half once again (as if you are making spears). Then you can cut out the seeds and dice from there. You’re looking for ½ inch chunks. 

Okay, I lied.

I have ONE more thing. This recipe does require time to sit. You will want to start prepping about 24 hours prior to when you want to actually waterbath can it. There isn’t a lot of actually work to do beyond the chopping, but know that you will need to plan ahead for this cucumber and pepper relish.

Let’s get canning! 

Your Utensils:

  • Water bath canner with rack and lid
  • Eight pint jars with lids and rings (wide or narrow mouth)
  • Large, non reactive kettle to cook the cucumbers and onions in the pickling brine

Before you begin…

If you’re new to canning, be sure to check out Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise 🙂

Your Ingredients

  • 8 cups chopped cucumbers 
  • 4 cups chopped sweet peppers (any combination of green, red, yellow, orange)
  • 2 cups chopped onion 
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric 
  • ½ cup canning salt 
  • 4 quarts of water, divided
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar 
  • 1 quart vinegar, 5-6% acidity 
  • 2 sticks cinnamon 
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seed 
  • 2 teaspoons whole allspice 
  • 2 teaspoons whole cloves 

Combine chopped cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions in a large, non-reactive kettle that has a cover. Sprinkle turmeric on top. Combine 2 quarts of water and canning salt, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Pour the water over the vegetables. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator. 

Rest Time: 3-4 Hours 

Using the cover of the kettle, carefully drain off the water. Pour remaining 2 quarts of cold water over the chopped vegetables. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator. 

Rest Time: 1 Hour

While vegetables are resting, place cinnamon, mustard seed, all spice, and cloves in a spice bag (I don’t have spice bags on hand, so I use a tea pot “fill your own tea bags” that I can seal. They work marvelously. I find them at the local natural food store.) If you don’t have anything on hand, these drawstring soup bags would work great! Place vinegar, brown sugar, and spice bag in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to help dissolve the brown sugar. 

Once 1 hour has elapsed, drain water off of vegetables. Pour hot pickling liquid over chopped vegetables and allow to cool. Cover and replace in the refrigerator one more time, likely overnight. 

Rest Time: 12-18 Hours

After rest time (I just reread that, and it made me think of being in Kindergarten. Ah, the simpler times 🙂 ), begin to prepare jars, lids, and rings by washing and keeping warm. I generally set the jars in the rack of canner and have it rest above the water.  Begin heating the water bath canner (make sure water will be at least one inch above jars once submerged). It is better to have too much water than too little. 

Remove the spice bag. Bring the cucumber and pepper relish with the vinegar mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, be sure to stir so as not to burn to the bottom. Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rim with a clean, damp cloth, and add lid and ring, tightening to finger tip tight. 

Lower jars into the simmering waterbath canner. Cover, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (since I am over 1000 feet, I add 5 minutes, but check online for your own location). Remove the canner from heat, and allow jars to rest 5 min. Remove from the canner and allow to cool at least 12 hours before storing jars. 

There is no need to tighten rings. In fact, it is recommended they are removed entirely while storing. Generally, I get between 5-6 pint jars with this recipe. 

  • Prepped cucumbers!
  • I love the color of the peppers.
  • All chopped and ready to rest!
  • Turmeric and water bath. Delightful.
  • A few of the key ingredients and their spice bag.
  • Trying to be artsy 🙂
  • Ready to go!
  • All canned and beautiful!

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

While you can truly can with any deep kettle and rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the canner, it is definitely easier if you invest in a few of the tools listed below!

Looking for more ways to savor summer in a jar? Check out the link below!

Canning and Preserving

Cucumber and Pepper Relish

A little bit of spicy. A little bit of sweet. This cucumber and pepper relish uses all those cucumbers you grew! A dance for your tastebuds!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Rest Time 22 hours
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Canning
Servings 12 people

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 8 cups chopped cucumbers
  • 4 cups chopped sweet peppers any combination of green, red, yellow, orange
  • 2 cups chopped onion
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric
  • ½ cup canning salt
  • 4 quarts of water divided
  • 1 ½ cups brown sugar
  • 1 quart vinegar 5-6% acidity
  • 2 sticks cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon mustard seed
  • 2 teaspoons whole allspice
  • 2 teaspoons whole cloves

Instructions
 

  • Combine chopped cucumbers, bell peppers, and onions in a large, non-reactive kettle that has a cover. Sprinkle turmeric on top. Combine 2 quarts of water and canning salt, stirring until the salt has dissolved. Pour the water over the vegetables. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
  • Using the cover of the kettle, carefully drain off the water. Pour remaining 2 quarts of cold water over the chopped vegetables. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for one hour.
  • While vegetables are resting, place cinnamon, mustard seed, all spice, and cloves in a spice bag. Place vinegar, brown sugar, and spice bag in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to help dissolve the brown sugar.
  • Once 1 hour has elapsed, drain water off of vegetables. Pour hot pickling liquid over chopped vegetables and allow to cool. Cover and replace in the refrigerator one more time for 12-18 hours.
  • After the vegetables have rested, begin to prepare jars, lids, and rings by washing and keeping warm.
  • Remove the spice bag. Bring the chopped vegetable and vinegar mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, be sure to stir so as not to burn to the bottom. Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rim with a clean, damp cloth, and add lid and ring, tightening to finger tip tight.
  • Lower jars into the simmering water bath canner. Cover, increase heat, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached, process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (since I am over 1000 feet, I add 5 minutes, but check online for your own location). Remove the canner from heat, and allow jars to rest 5 min. Remove from the canner and allow to cool at least 12 hours before storing jars.
Keyword Canning, cucumbers, peppers, relish
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

JessLeave a comment

Dilly Beans

It’s pickling season! Okay, really, it’s gardening season which means it’s canning season around our house. But if it is canning season, you can bet some pickling is going to go down. One of my favorite things to pickle are dilly beans. 

We always plant two to three rows of beans. This results in enough to eat plenty raw, put some in the freezer, pressure can some for meals, and then when I am feeling ambitious, some for dilly beans. Never had a dilly bean? They are similar to a dill pickle, but have a little more kick (if you want it), and stay crisp longer. 

In our home, we eat them when we grill out or simply for a snack. The bonus treat is the pickled garlic clove at the bottom of the jar. My kids fight over it every time. I don’t love a Bloody Mary, but they are a great addition to a killer Bloody. 

Originally, this recipe came from the Ball Canning and Perserving Book, but like any good recipe, has been modified to suit our needs in our home. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does!

New to canning? Check out the Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise 🙂 

Your Ingredients (per six pint jars) 

  • 2 ½ pounds green beans and/or yellow wax beans, washed and trimmed 
  • 4 cups vinegar
  • 4 cups water 
  • 6 tablespoons pickling salt 
  • ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, PER jar (to taste) 
  • 6 heads of dill 
  • 6-12 cloves of garlic (1-2 cloves per jar) 

The Utensils 

  • Water bath canner with rack and lid
  • Six pint jars with lids and rings (wide or narrow mouth)
  • Large, non reactive kettle for pickling liquid 

Your Preparation 

The prep: the most time consuming portion of this recipe. When you make regular pickles, you just slice and fill jars. However, dilly beans need to be cut to length. After a number of years of canning, the following method has worked the best for me. Trim one bean to length so that it will fit just under the rim of the jar, approximately 4 inches. Now you have two options: 

-Use this bean as your fondly called “measuring bean.” Measure the rest of the beans to that length, double checking from time to time because it’s easy to cut too long. 

-If you have a non-opaque cutting board (think thin, flexible boards), make a mark with a permanent marker on the bottom of the board. Use this line to cut your beans to length. This is my preferred method. 

Ultimately, you need to trim your beans so they will fit in your jar. Get there how you get there 🙂 

Additionally, peel the garlic cloves and have them prepared. 

Time to Can

Prepare jars, lids, and rings by washing and keeping warm. I generally set the jars in the rack of canner and have it rest above the water.  Begin heating the water bath canner (make sure water will be at least one inch above jars once submerged). It is better to have too much water than too little. 

Fill each jar with one to two cloves of garlic, one head of dill, and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stuff jars with trimmed beans, keeping the beans below the top ring portion. This generally takes longer than I think it should, but not too terribly long. 

Meanwhile, bring salt, vinegar, and water to a boil reduce to a simmer until the jars are prepped.  Pour the pickling liquid over beans, wipe the top of the jar with a damp piece of paper towel. Put lids and rings on, tightening to finger tip tight. Lower into canner, raising heat and bringing to a rolling boil. Process for 10 min, adjusting for altitude (if over 1000 feet). Remove the canner from heat, and allow jars to rest 5 min. Remove from canner and allow to cool at least 12 hours before storing jars. 

There is no need to tighten rings. In fact, it is recommended they are removed entirely while storing. Enjoy! My kids say the best part is the garlic but those beans don’t last long either 😉 

Trimming: the longest part of the process.
Dill and garlic: a must!
All stuffed.
I dig the double garlic. My kids will too!
Don’t forget the extra kick!
Ladle the pickling brine. Mmmm…vinegar.
Let’s get a waterbath!
Complete!

Dilly Beans with Garlic

Whether you are simply a pickle lover or you really dig a good Bloody Mary, these dilly beans are for you! A little garlic and cayenne pepper add zip!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Canning
Servings 6 pint jars

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ pounds green beans and/or yellow wax beans washed and trimmed
  • 4 cups vinegar
  • 4 cups water
  • 6 tablespoons pickling salt
  • ⅛ – ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper PER jar (to taste)
  • 6 heads of dill
  • 6-12 cloves of garlic 1-2 cloves per jar

Instructions
 

  • To prepare, trim beans so that they will just fit under the rim of pint jars, approximately 4 inches long. Additionally, peel the garlic cloves and have them prepared for canning.
  • Prepare jars, lids, and rings by washing and keeping warm. Begin heating the water bath canner (make sure water will be at least one inch above jars once submerged).
  • Fill each jar with one to two cloves of garlic, one head of dill, and 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Stuff jars with trimmed beans, keeping the beans below the top ring portion.
  • Meanwhile, bring salt, vinegar, and water to a boil reduce to a simmer until the jars are prepped. Pour the pickling liquid over beans. Remove air bubbles.
  • Wipe the top of the jar with a damp piece of paper towel. Put lids and rings on, tightening to finger tip tight.
  • Lower into canner, raising heat and bringing to a rolling boil. Process for 10 min, adjusting for altitude (if over 1000 feet).
  • Remove the canner from heat, and allow jars to rest 5 min. Remove from canner and allow to cool at least 12 hours before storing jars.

Notes

  • Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. Simply store them in the refrigerator.
  • Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them.
Keyword Canning, Dilly Beans, Pickled Beans, Pickling, Waterbath Canning
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for other canning and preserving recipes? Check out the page below!

Canning and Preserving
Tools of the Trade

There are a handful of canning tools I can not live without. I love my water bath canner but also use my pressure canner as a water bath canner when I don’t want to use two different ones! You also need a set of canning tools to make the process so much easier!

Jess1 Comment

Raspberry Jalapeño Jam

Before I get to the raspberry jalapeño jam recipe, I want to share a little of my history. For as long as I can remember, raspberries have been my very favorite fruit. When I was little, I would go with my dad to bait deer stands (very Wisconsin, right?) and I could eat wild raspberries to my heart’s content while I wasted time in the woods. I am certain part of my love started there. I always had the rule that you couldn’t eat them until you were done picking. If you started eating, it was just impossible to stop. 

Now that I am an adult with a larger than life raspberry patch, I still hold true to that rule. A few years ago, we had the biggest bumper crop we had ever had. First, I made regular jam. After that, I froze them straight. I made raspberry sorbet (Check out that recipe here!). I even made raspberry salsa. The salsa inspired me to try mixing jalapeños and raspberries in a different way. Raspberry jalapeño jam was born. If you have ever had pepper jelly, this has a similar spicy-sweet flavor. This is better, of course 😉 

How would you eat a raspberry jalapeño jam? It’s great spread on top of cream cheese (or the healthier cousin, Neufchatel) and served with wheat crackers. If you have never had this, oh my goodness, you need to give it a try! I like to put it on burgers, replacing barbecue sauce. It even goes well on a PB and J, believe it or not. It isn’t so much spicy as it simply has a depth to the flavor. Serious yum factor. 

Okay, enough talking. Let’s get canning and make this delicious treat! 

The Supplies 

This recipe will result in approximately eight 8 ounce jelly jars. You can use wide mouth or narrow mouth jars. Just be sure you have rings and lids for them and that they will all fit in your canner at once. 

You will need a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid. The jars need to be off the bottom of the pot. A water bath canner will have a rack to use if you go that route. If you use a stock pot, I would invest in canning racks. Alternatively, you can also put a towel down in a pinch, but it is MESSY in terms of getting water everywhere.  

It is also helpful to have the tools in a canning kit like this, but it isn’t necessary. Canning would be crazy challenging without the jar funnel and jar tongs. The lid lifter is also very handy. 

New to canning? Check out the Ball’s Book of Canning or The National Center for Home Food Preservation for more detailed information. I will give you the low down, but it will be short and sweet. You will want to read up more, I promise 🙂 

Your Ingredients 

  • 6 ½ cups raspberries 
  • 5 cups sugar 
  • 2 jalapenos, finely chopped (between ¾-1 cup) 
  • 4 ½ tablespoons powder pectin (or one packet) 

Your Steps 

Prep Work

To begin, prepare your water bath canner. Be sure to fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Too much water is better than not enough, but remember that some water will be displaced by the jars. Cover and begin to heat over a medium-high heat. 

Meanwhile, measure out the sugar. Set aside. You want to do this ahead of time because the process of canning is slow until it hits “go time” and then you need to be prepared. You will stir this in when you hit a rolling boil. 

It’s Cooking time

First, place the raspberries in a large, non reactive kettle. Crush them. I like to use a potato masher for this task. Stir in the jalapeños. Add ¼ teaspoon of butter, if desired. This will reduce the foaming. Sprinkle and stir in the pectin. Cook over high heat until a rolling boil is reached, stirring consistently. 

At this point, stir in sugar. You will want to do this slowly. If you pour it all in at once, you will likely get clumps. Continue to stir until you reach another rolling boil that can not be stirred down. (I try to rush this and think it rolling before it really is. Be better than me 🙂 ). Once a rolling boil is reached, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. 

Finally, ladle jelly into prepared jelly jars, wipe the rims with a damp cloth, add lids, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Put into the water bath canner and process for 10 minutes. Once the jelly is done processing, remove the canner from heat and let jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving. Listen for the ping of the lids (best part of canning…apart from the eating of the beautiful food you create). 

Oh, and don’t forget to just try your jelly on the sides of the kettle after the jars are in the canner. It’s SO good. Trust me, you may want to make sure you have some homemade bread handy. 

I simply love the red!
Check that contrast!
Almost there!
Just before covering with a lid and ring!
Love that little left over!
Top that fresh bread for the win!

A few notes: 

  • Make sure you are using powdered pectin rather than liquid pectin. They do not set the same. Early in my canning career I didn’t know the difference and had a few batches of jelly never set. 
  • If you have never canned, you can reference the instructions within the pectin box for additional, more detailed directions. 
  • Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. You will just need to store them in the refrigerator. 
  • Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. When I know they have sealed, I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them. 

Looking for other canning and preserving recipes? Check out the page below!

Canning and Preserving

Raspberry Jalapeño Jam

A little bit spicy. A little bit sweet. This raspberry jalapeño jam is great way to use your bountiful harvest this summer!
4.25 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Canning
Servings 12

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 6 ½ cups raspberries
  • 5 cups sugar
  • 2 jalapenos finely chopped (between ¾-1 cup)
  • 4 ½ tablespoons powder pectin or one packet

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Cover and begin to heat over a medium-high heat.
  • Measure out sugar. Set aside.
  • Place the raspberries in a large, non reactive kettle. Crush them. Stir in jalapeños. Add ¼ teaspoon of butter, if desired, to reduce foaming.
  • Sprinkle and stir in the pectin. Cook over high heat until a rolling boil is reached, stirring consistently.
  • Once a rolling boil is reached, slowly stir in sugar.
  • Continue to stir until you reach another rolling boil that can not be stirred down. Once a rolling boil is reached, cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Ladle jelly into prepared jelly jars, wipe the rims with a damp cloth, add lids, and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Put into the water bath canner. When the canner has a steady boil going, time and process for 10 minutes.
  • Once the jelly is done processing, remove the canner from heat and let jars rest in the water for an additional 5 minutes. Finally, remove jars from the canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving.

Notes

  • Make sure you are using powdered pectin rather than liquid pectin. They do not set the same. 
  • If you have never canned, you can reference the instructions within the pectin box for additional, more detailed directions. 
  • Sealed jars are shelf-stable, meaning they can be stored on a shelf unrefrigerated. If your jars don’t ping (a sign that they have sealed), they are still good. You will just need to store them in the refrigerator. 
  • Most sources recommend removing the rings from jars for storage so that you will know if they unseal for any reason. I generally just loosen them as much as I can without removing them.
Keyword Canning, Jalapeño, Jam, Jam Recipes, Raspberry
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here are some of my other favorite ways to use Raspberries!

Jess25 Comments

Pickled Asparagus

Here in Wisconsin, we are finally entering the full swing of gardening season. The seeds are sprouting, plants are in the ground, and the spring plants are ready for harvest. At our home, that means we have rhubarb, winter onions, and asparagus all around us. My husband and I love asparagus. Our kids, not so much. Generally, I am not the mom that avoids foods because her kids don’t like them (“suck it up buttercup”), but my son REALLY doesn’t like it even after we’ve made him try it countless times. Because of this, we have an abundance of it that isn’t being eaten during meals. So of course, I got my water bath canner out and put together some pickled asparagus. 

Since there isn’t a ton of other vegetables to be harvested out of the garden yet, I tend to forget to harvest the asparagus. My husband and I walk around the garden every morning with our coffee. And almost every morning I say, “OH! I must harvest the asparagus today!” If you know me, you won’t be surprised that it is out of my head by the time we get back inside and I am back to saying, “OH! I must harvest the asparagus today!” the next day. 

Why am I telling you this? Well, this factoid actually worked in my favor. I ended up with longer stalks than normal, but they made for perfect pickled asparagus. I could cut them into the exact length for a pint jar without wasting too much. So excited for that! And although I am not a Bloody Mary lover (gosh, I wish I were), I know that pickled asparagus is almost a quintessential accompaniment to the Sunday morning drink. 

Don’t have a garden to harvest asparagus from? Hop on over to your local farmer’s market, support local farmers, and make yourself something delicious you can enjoy, with or without a Bloody Mary underneath it. 

For this recipe, I had a 1 ½ pounds of asparagus, which was the ideal amount to make three pint jars. That is, you can assume you’ll get one pint jar per half pound of asparagus. The recipe will be written “per jar” so you can make as little or as much as you desire! 

New to canning?

The Ball’s Blue Book Guide to Preserving has been my go to resource for the past 4 years or so. But they also have a few other great books you can get on Amazon:

Your ingredients (per pint jar): 

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon canning salt 
  • ½ pound asparagus, cleaned and the woody stem broken off
  • ½ teaspoon dill seed
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seed 

Your Steps 

To begin, prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Too much water is better than not enough, but remember that some water will be displaced by the jars. Begin to heat over a medium-high heat. 

Prepare jars, rings, and lids by washing with soapy water and keeping warm. Cut asparagus to length that will fit within the pint jars, ending just before the ring. I like to cut one spear to length and then use that spear as a “measuring spear” for the rest of the asparagus. 

Combine salt, water, and vinegar in a large non-reactive saucepan. Heat to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. 

While the pickling liquid is heating, pack the jars (they should be hot when you pack them). First, add dill seed, garlic clove, red pepper flakes, and mustard seed. Then add asparagus, leaving ½ inch head space. Ladle pickling liquid over asparagus, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim with a damp paper towel. Place lids and rings on jars, tightening to finger-tip tight. 

Place jars on rack in canner, lower into simmering water, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Process jars for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 additional minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and leave to cool completely over 12-24 hours. Do not touch the lids or the rings, but definitely listen for the ping of the jars sealing. It’s the best! 

  • Cleaned and cut to the perfect length.
  • Get those spices in there.
  • Pack the jars. Isn’t this beautiful?
  • Last of the pickling liquid.
  • A quick picture before they enter the canner.
  • Complete!

Pickled Asparagus

Whether you simply crave pickled treats or you love a good Bloody Mary, this pickled asparagus is for you!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 1 pint jar

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon canning salt
  • ½ pound asparagus cleaned and the woody stem broken off
  • ½ teaspoon dill seed
  • 1 clove garlic peeled
  • ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon mustard seed

Instructions
 

  • To begin, prepare your water bath canner. Fill the canner with enough water so that once the jars are in the canner, they will be covered by at least one inch of water. Too much water is better than not enough, but remember that some water will be displaced by the jars. Begin to heat over a medium-high heat.
  • Prepare jars, rings, and lids by washing with soapy water and keeping warm. Cut asparagus to length that will fit within the pint jars, ending just before the ring. I like to cut one spear to length and then use that spear as a “measuring spear” for the rest of the asparagus.
  • Combine salt, water, and vinegar in a large non-reactive saucepan. Heat to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
  • While the pickling liquid is heating, pack the jars (they should be hot when you pack them). First, add dill seed, garlic clove, red pepper flakes, and mustard seed. Then add asparagus, leaving ½ inch head space. Ladle pickling liquid over asparagus, leaving ½ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim with a damp paper towel. Place lids and rings on jars, tightening to finger-tip tight.
  • Place jars on rack in canner, lower into simmering water, cover, and bring to a rolling boil. Process jars for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool 5 additional minutes. Remove the jars from the canner and leave to cool completely over 12-24 hours.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Looking for more canning recipes? Check out this page here!

Notes: 

  • You can add pickle crisp to each jar (following directions on the container) to keep the asparagus more crisp. Some swear by it. Others don’t like the idea of adding more ingredients to your jars. 
  • Canning is totally doable alone, but I love to have my husband by my side during “GO TIME!” That is, the time when I am ladling the pickling liquid and putting on the lids. It’s helpful to have a second set of hands to put the lids and rings on. In case you’re wondering, I do actually yell, “IT’S GO TIME!” and my family assembles. Otherwise, canning is my jam and I don’t let him help 😉 
  • When I say break off the woody stem of the asparagus, I really mean that. The awesome thing about asparagus is that if you bend it slightly, it will naturally break at the point where it begins to be woody (NOT fun for chewing). In the past, I thought the canning process would soften this up so I wouldn’t be wasting it. Not the case. 

Jess2 Comments

Homemade Sourdough Pizza Crust

One thing at a time is what I am telling myself, but I am not so good at that. Earlier this week, I went on Facebook Live to share out how I work with my sourdough starter and how to bake bread from scratch. I am by no means an expert (both at sourdough and at going live on Facebook haha) and it was so scary for me. I wish you could have felt my heart beating. It was crazy! Back to the one thing at a time…I have a list a mile long of things I want to get up on my blog, but with friends starting sourdough starters, I wanted to quickly share out our FAVORITE use of our extra sourdough starter: Pizza Crust.

Homemade pizza has always been a go to at our home. My husband would make a yeast dough that we would have to plan hours ahead and it was good. Then I started doing sourdough and had the inevitable extra that happens when you double your starter and hated wasting it. A friend joined us on the sourdough adventure and stumbled on a pizza crust recipe, which he shared with us. This is our version of the pizza crust he found and our go to whenever we are craving pizza (about every other week). (Edit: I just read this aloud to my husband and he said, “Once a week! Generally on the weekend!”–And yes, that might be true because I double on the weekends 🙂 )

Your ingredients (for one thick crust or two thin on 13 inch pizza pans):

  • 2 cups active sourdough starter (that being said, we OFTEN use starter that has been in the fridge for a few days. It still works)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1-1 1/2 cups flour, to consistency
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Optional mix-ins: 1 teaspoon dried oregano, basil and/or garlic powder. When I am feeling especially fancy, I might mix in 1/4 cup or so of shredded parmesan as well.
  • extra olive oil

Your Steps for Sourdough Pizza Crust

Measure out and mix all ingredients in a large glass bowl until it forms a nice ball. It will come together with a little flour on the outside. Cover and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes. The dough won’t rise too much so don’t worry if yours is approximately the same size after resting.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. If you are making 2 crusts, cut the dough in half here. Grease the pan(s) using olive oil (cooking spray [our go to!] or regular). Place dough on the pan and spread by hand (keep your hands floured so it doesn’t stick!). Once the dough is spread, brush or spray the dough with additional olive oil.

Note: The crust will shrink as it bakes so spread out to the edges as much as possible. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the the bottom is becoming golden brown (less time for thin crust). Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake until the cheese is golden brown, approximately 8 minutes for us. If you’re Wisconsin born and raised like us, enjoy during a Packer game with a nice cold beer :). If you aren’t fortunate enough to be Wisconsin born and raised, you should probably still enjoy your pizza with a Packer game and a cold beer.

Other hints:

  • We canned our own pizza sauce this summer, but quickly ran out. In a pinch we will use store bought, but our go to has become one 15 ounce can of tomato sauce mixed with some basil, oregano, garlic powder, dried minced onion and maybe some red pepper flakes to taste. We heat it on the stove to a boil and then bring it down to a low heat, stirring often. We cook it down until it thickens, approximately 30 minutes. We start it shortly after we finish putting the crust together to rest.
  • Since the pizza isn’t cooking all too long with the toppings on it, you may want to sauté some of the vegetables first (I am thinking onions, green peppers, etc)
  • I like to be extra fancy and sprinkle a little more basil and oregano on top of the cheese before I put the pizza in the oven. 🙂
So simple: Just a few ingredients!
Sourdough Pizza and beer. A classic combination.
I will update with new pictures soon! Check back, but for now, get some pizza going!

tools of the trade

You don’t need much to create a stunning homemade pizza. But a great baking stone is a good place to start! Not only do I use it while making pizza, but I also bake some “fancy” sourdough bread on it. A nice addition to your kitchen if you’re a baker like me!

Looking for other sourdough recipes? Check out my sourdough page.

Homemade Sourdough Pizza Crust

A few simple ingredients and some sourdough discard and you are set with some homemade pizza!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Rest Time 40 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups active sourdough starter
  • 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cups flour to consistency
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • extra olive oil
  • Optional mix-ins: 1 teaspoon dried oregano basil, garlic powder, and Parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • Measure out and mix all ingredients in a large glass bowl until it forms a nice ball.
  • It will come together with a little flour on the outside. Cover and allow to rest for at least 45 minutes.
  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. If you are making 2 crusts, cut the dough in half here.
  • Grease the pan(s) using olive oil.
  • Place dough on the pan and spread by hand (keep your hands floured so it doesn’t stick!).
  • Once the dough is spread, brush or spray the dough with additional olive oil. Note: The crust will shrink as it bakes so spread out to the edges as much as possible.
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the the bottom is becoming golden brown (less time for thin crust).
  • Remove from oven and top with your favorite toppings. Return to oven and bake until the cheese is golden brown, approximately 8 minutes.
Keyword pizza, sourdough
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sourdough Inspiration!

sourdough discard crackers
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JessLeave a comment

Maple Syrup Season

My Story…An Adventure…

Cooking Sap: A new family tradition

(You can totally skip this part if you aren’t into hearing the back story, but I do have some big hints and tips that I learned in my first adventure into maple syrup 🙂 ) Click here to skip my story!

How I roll

I have to begin this post by saying I’m the type of person who gets approximately 75% of the information needed for a grand plan and then I go all in, and my husband has to strap in for a wild ride. This is true with my food blog, fitness activities, you name it. But our favorite example of me doing this is maple syrup. Being from the Northwoods of Wisconsin, we know a number of people who tap trees every spring and cook down their own maple syrup. My new found obsession with foraging and all things homesteading meant I became interested over the last few years.

Gathering

Last March, I was doing some shopping at the local (ish) Fleet Farm and saw the tree tapping supplies. I had done MINIMAL research, but I quickly texted two different friends who tap and got some quick info. Yes, it was late in the season. But I had made my mind up and picked up the materials to tap four (yes, just four) trees. I figured it would be an adventure for my family and worst case scenario, we were out a few hours of work and about $35.

I brought it home, read a little more about gathering maple syrup online, and we began the quick process of hanging the sap bags. Little did I realize just how much sap we would get! After just 48 hours, we had multiple gallons of sap and no real place to store it (again, 75% of the information is all I ever have and then I fake it till I make it).

Cooking

So begins the process of cooking maple sap down, in the middle of the week, after my husband and I had both worked a full day. We got home, ate dinner, and put together a fire outside, setting some 2 inch metal fencing from our garden on top of a few cinder blocks for the old kettles we had to sit on top. The sap got poured into the kettles and we boiled away, keeping the fire stoked.

Because we were using an old canning kettle (something taller than it was wide, so less surface area for the heat to reach), it took longer to boil down than either of us anticipated (75% of the information…maybe more like 50% 🙂 ), and we were so tired. The first time we cooked, we went to bed at 10:30-11 pm, but set an alarm for every 30 minutes so we could stoke the fire. I can’t help but laugh now as I remember that. I think I blocked that from my memory!

By 1 am, the sap had cooked down to about 1-1 1/2 quarts of maple syrup and we were able to bring it inside to finish it on the stove. From here, we boiled away until we had a hard boil, checking the temperature every few minutes. You have maple syrup once the temperature reaches 7 degrees above the boiling point of water (which varies based on your elevation). We hit that point, filtered it through cheese cloth twice, tasted the delicious syrup we had just made and worked SO hard to finish, and immediately collapsed back in our bed.

A sane person may quit after that experience 🙂 It wasn’t hard by any means, but it sure took a lot out of us. However, I got more excited (so did our kids), and although he would never admit it, my husband loved it. He got to spend hours around a fire with a beverage of his choice, watching the sap boil. It’s calming and healing, believe me. We learned crazy amounts after that first experience.

A few hints Before you start

  • Start the fire AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME.
  • Try to use wider pans to cook in to increase the surface area.
  • It’s best if you cook on the weekends so you can cook in the daylight.
  • Don’t chop your wood too close to the fire or hitting the kettle and losing all your sap may occur. Super sad!
  • You don’t need to fill the kettle to the top with sap to begin. Get a boil going and slowly add the rest of your sap.
  • Anyone can do this! It is rewarding and fun to learn.
A perk for the littles: tasting the sap right out of the tree!

Now It’s your Turn!

This year, we tapped just two trees with four taps at my in-laws after our spring break trip fell apart. We figured we would be around and my husband’s family had never experienced it before. It wasn’t the plan, so we began by picking up a kit (simply because then we knew we had everything we needed. You will need:

  • Taps (four is plenty for your first go!)
  • Sap collecting bags (one bag per tap)
  • Hangers for the bags
  • A drill and drill bit to match the size of the tap as well as a hammer
  • Large cooking vessels that you are okay getting covered in carbon as they sit over the fire (think, the soup kettle you never liked anyway)
  • Lots of dry wood, cut smaller
  • Cinder blocks and some form of metal to set the cooking vessel on (wire, an old grill grate, metal posts, etc)
  • Cheese cloth to filter syrup when your finished cooking it down
  • Cooking thermometer, preferably digital

Tapping happens in the spring, when the nights are still below freezing but the days are warmer. The sap should run clear out of the tree. If it is cloudy, it is time to be done collecting. One trick sappers use is to watch for the tree leaves to bud out.  Once the leaves bud out you know that sapping season has come to a close. You can tap any maple tree, but sugar maple are going to be the highest sugar content. You will want to have the bags facing the south to keep them warmest during the day. I am going to write these directions assuming you have the same quantity sap we did with about 4 taps. I want the directions short and sweet so feel free to read around the Internet for more information!

1. Drill a hole into the tree at about chest height, initially going straight in but angling up just slightly to encourage sap flow. The depth of your hole should be about 2 – 2 1/2 inches. (How many taps can a tree hold? Check the diameter: 10-20 inches = 1 tap, 20-25 inches = 2 taps, over 25 inches = 3 taps)

2. Insert the tap into the tree and gently use a hammer to get it inserted the rest of the way. Depending on the temperature outside, the tree may begin dripping sap immediately (if it is warmer). It dripped immediately at my in-laws, but took a while to drip at our own home. Don’t fret.

3. Wrap your bags around the metal ring and insert back into the hanger. Hang bags on the tap, making sure that the spout is dripping inside the bag.

4. Walk around and check on them because you’re just so happy you tapped your first trees.

5. As your bags fill, know that you can truly cook at any time, but be mindful of the size of your cooking vessel. The ratio of sap to syrup is approximately 40:1, that is for every 40 gallons (cups, whatever) of sap you collect, you will get 1 gallon (cup, whatever) of syrup. Whenever you are ready, pour the sap into a kettle and place the bags back on the hangers to continue to collect.

6. We like to build a fire, but protect it with cinder blocks on each side. The first year, we use blocks that had holes in them. This year, we bought solid blocks from Fleet Farm, and they held up to the heat much better. Place the metal grate, wire, etc. on top of the blocks and put the kettle on top.

7. Boil. And boil some more. Keep the fire hot. Sit around with a beverage of your choice (coffee til cocktails, anyone?) and reconnect with nature and your friends. Boil until you’ve reached the point that you have approximately 1-2 quarts left of your sap. That is, once it has begun to turn that glorious syrup color and you have a kettle small enough to finish it off on the stove.

8. CAREFULLY pour your “almost syrup” into the smaller kettle, and bring to a boil on your stove. I told my husband the boil changes when it’s getting closer and he agreed, but I don’t quite know how to describe it. You will notice it too though, I am certain. Stir the “almost syrup” often, and check the temperature every few minutes. It will take longer than you think it should.

9. You have syrup once the temperature reaches 7 degrees above the boiling point of water at your elevation. If you are under 1000 ft above sea level, that will be 219 degrees, but you may want to do an Internet search on the boiling point for your own town. (There are other ways to check for syrup beyond temperature…fancy: hydrometer that measures sugar content, not fancy: spoon test and seeing how it falls off a metal spoon. I recommend just using a digital thermometer)

10. Once you reach the right temperature, you will want to filter the syrup through cheese cloth. We like to put the cheese cloth over a small mesh colander and pour it into a larger measuring cup (see picture). Then we filter it once more from the measuring cup into a mason jar (or whatever you want to store your syrup in). Allow to cool, and then store in your refrigerator.

That’s it! In just 10 steps, you have made your very own maple syrup. It’s great with all of your breakfast goodies like waffles (I have a great recipe here!), as a refined sugar replacement (check out the energy balls here!), or even as your sweetener in your coffee. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we do and start a family tradition like we have 💗

  • Bags getting full in the sunshine.
  • I feel fancy with this photo! See the drip from the the tap!
  • Our set up, if only it was in the sun.
  • Boiling away!
  • Finishing off on the stove. About 1-2 quarts which will turn to a pint or so.
  • Still boiling, watching the temperature every few minutes.
  • It’s done! Time to filter.
  • One more filtering to go.
  • Sweet goodness. Amazing how clear liquid boils down to this golden liquid.

Looking to find more treats that the Earth has to offer? Check out some of the links below:

Foraging
Homesteading
Canning and Preserving

Jess3 Comments