First I am looking for a few new Ideas for types of preserves I might want to make?

After visiting the Amish in TN for the years since I met my wife to get fresh preserves I have started to make some on my own again. I decided to do this to teach my young wife and the children how to do some things the OLD SCHOOL way. I will attach a pic of the 10 pints of Strawberry & Fig preserves we just finished canning.

I've never heard of the fig and strawberry combination, Tums, but if they're better than figs alone, they must be great.

I remember Mother putting up corn, tomatoes, okra, string beans, peas, etc. and it looked like a real job. In fact, last week I trashed a pint of fig preserves that she had put up in the early eighties. The jar began leaking so they had to go.

My grandmother had a quart of string beans that had been put up in 1904. Still looked like they had been put up yesterday. My genius nephew opened the jar and dumped them out sometime in the 1970s because he wanted the jar. He's the same nephew that decided to enhance a bonfire by throwing a bucket of gasoline on the lowering flames. Yep, hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. He's still alive and still brilliant.

You've got some family, Duds.

Dudley...just curious what's the oldest canned product you've consumed? I used to can a ton, but was told to toss anything over 1 year old, which broke my heart tossing my gourmet salsa pints. I cooked everything, plus add citric acid [lime/lemon] or vinegar and hot water bathe them to eliminate botulism...but that deadline had me worried.

Trust me if in doubt , throw it out. You do not want food poisoning. Been there one to many times.

Dudley you are right on 2 accounts. It is not possible to beat fig preserves (except possibly tart plum jam). It is amazing your genius nephew is still alive. How many times have you heard him say "watch this" right before he creates a disaster ?

The oldest canned foods I've ever eaten were "C" rations that were undated but probably many years old. For home-canned food, I think that the "one year" policy is a very wise one provided that I canned it myself. I would eat no food canned by someone else unless I knew a lot about their abilities. I would eat some frozen foods from MY freezer that were over a year old because I have my freezer set at the lowest possible temperature, and I know that's where it is set. Usually, a freezer becomes jammed up before a year passes and older items are discarded anyway.

Sunil, it seems that almost all families have a few "special" people. I mentioned my brother to you a few years back, but we also have two nuns, an anesthetist and one of the "specials", me, whose last words will be, "Tape up the holes and light a cigarette for me, please."

Eric, I planted at least a dozen fig trees at my place about ten years ago Only one grew to a be a producing tree. The rest struggled for years and finally wasted away. You know that soil has to be especially poor for fig to decline. Last year, I went to pick figs from the surviving tree and found in the tree three young coons having supper. They just looked at me as I circled the tree. I talked to them for a short while and they went back to munching figs. I decided that they had a more difficult time finding food than I did so I left all the figs for them. This year, I saw no coons, but all of the figs disappeared.

I've tried to follow paths leading away from the nephew. As with the coons, he can have whatever tree he's in.

I worry about botulism...stories I hear are pretty frightening. Paralysis or death...for a jar of Salsa? No thank you - I can become paralyzed or dead based on my own foolhardy merits.

I've eaten two year old home canned goods with no problems, quite a bit when I was a kid actually, but I agree it's best to err on the side of caution.

Home canned salsa sounds good.

I would not classify Strawberry / Fig as better, but I will say it is just as good as plain figs. I had some an old timer nearby made last year and I decided to do some this year.

Safety is of utmost importance. We started this season with rhubarb and broccoli, but have been in full-swing for several weeks with cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and others. As we get past this season, it will be time to start "putting-up" fish for the winter. Then it will be venison, and maybe some squirrel. That will probably lead to splitting a hog and a steer with friends. My poultry is safe for now, but I do like to pickle their eggs.

There are so many ways to preserve food I would suggest a heck of a lot of study if you are new at this. As a first step, maybe find an old codger like me who has been doing it for a number of decades without becoming dead from home-preserved foods. Search the Internet for the many great free publications by the USDA and the many state land-grant university Extension Services. Their guidelines are invaluable for safety, but yet easily achievable in today's world. I'd be wary of the many blogs out there, without first checking the USDA or Extension Service guidelines.

Just in the last several weeks and days we've started, or finished, many gallons of very low pH preserves, like sauerkraut, kosher-style garlic-dill cucumbers, relishes, and tomato sauce. Most have a safe and nutritious lifetime of about a year. Some, like my crock-style cucumbers -- maybe three months.

(Also - you can pickle/preserve summer squash and zucchini much like you use cucumbers.)

We've also flash frozen and vacuum packed a lot of things like broccoli and peppers.

Some things, like the many types of winter squash I grow, don't need anything but a cool place to be stored. I'm seriously thinking about digging a root cellar next time I get the backhoe out.

I just finished a delicious snack of smoked and pickled pig skin I removed from some brined/smoked hocks I put up last fall. The remaining brine will make a delicious batch of "pot liquor" using the last of last year's "bird egg" dried beans.

Half of catmandoo's post made me hungry as I approach the lunch hour.

The other half, not so much.

Odd because I know how good a cook he is....

Most of us raised in North America have only been taught about four basic food tastes: sweet, sour, bitter and salty -- or combinations of those four. But, there is a fifth that has been recognized since Ancient Rome. It was not really defined until the early 1900s, when a Japanese professor finally described it. It is what makes many of my recipes delicious. The only term I know for it, is the Japanese word "unami." But, nearly every society knows it by taste -- they just may not have a name for it.

This is what Sunil is referring to in the last part of my post. I just need better words for describing my dishes. I know that terms like "jellied pig's knuckle" or "fish head soup" are not real appetizing. As a kid, these were delicious late winter or early springtime meals as the pantry and root cellar started to empty out.

According to the link below, this is how it is best described:

Link to Unami.

P.S. Just to make sure we link this to ponds -- let's not forget fermented fish sauces which are rich in unami. There are many. One of the best known is Lea and Perrin's fermented anchovy sauce -- better known as Worcestershire Sauce.

"Lea and Perrin's fermented anchovy sauce -- better known as Worcestershire Sauce. "

Potentially a bout of gout waiting to happen....

To steer it back closer to our ponds - do you want to know how Worcestershire Sauce got it's name? I thought so: Well you see, these two good ol' boys were out in the woods fishing, and after they came back with their catch, Clem cooked up a special fish dinner for his buddy, Cletus. During the course of the meal, Cletus said to Clem, "this is great and whatsthishere sauce. The rest is history...

Speaking canning and ponds, anyone ever do smoked fish? If so please tell of the experience.

I've smoked (but not canned) Trout, Barracuda, Tuna (yellowfin and bluefin), Barred Sand Bass, and Bonito.

Electric Luhr Jensen smoker. I followed the directions that came with the smoker. Brining them in salt/brown sugar and letting them dry 'till a pellicle formed, then putting them in the smoker.

I do a lot of fish smoking. Over the years I've done many different kinds, ranging from redhorse suckers to mullet. I mostly only do trout these days, because that is what I have the easier access to. Good smoked fish needs to be oily/fatty. Fish like bluegill and bass turn to dry jerky -- but, for some, that is OK. One of my favorite ways to serve smoked fish is as a spread mixed with cream cheese, garlic, dill, and fresh horse radish.

In nearly all cases, the fish need to be brined before smoking.

I also 'can' fish, bones and all. Small bluegill, when canned, make good substitutes for canned tuna or salmon. The bones become quite soft and nearly unnoticeable after processing in jars in a pressure cooker. The will keep for years when processed like this.

I also pickle fish, which are especially delicious as snacks on rye crackers served with a glass of cold white wine.

I have a HUGE crop of peaches and small cooking apples. Any ideas on how to save them for use later? Mom got a bunch of apples to make applesauce but she said they are a PITA to peel and core because they aren't that big. I'd like to come up with an easy way to peel and core them but I'm stumped. Even those old crank corers would take a LONG time to get 'em done.

Don't know what apples they are. Green, and are all completely ripe by Sept 1.

The peaches? They're maybe 2 1/2" across. My sister picked 2 bushel baskets full and it looks like she didn't touch the trees. The oldest tree, which was half dead has half it's good branches broken now. The others which are 3-4 years old have their branches bending all the way to the ground.

Scott - Peach wood is great for smoking everything, esp fish, pork and poultry - as you might be aware. Will you post smoking something with the dead parts of the tree this Fall?

Our local Bed Bath and & Beyond carries an crank apple peeler/corer/slicer that runs $20.00, it makes short work of it. My wife has already canned a bunch of apples for future pies.

We have peaches too, but they are lot more work to put up.

Scott,

If the apples will be used for apple sauce, or even apple butter, they don't need to be peeled and cored. Cut them in half or quarters. Heat them in a pot until they are mushy. Then run them through a food mill to remove the skins and seeds.

I have no answers for the peaches.

Ken

Ken, that's a great idea. Do you have a brand that you prefer? I'd rather purchase a heavier, more expensive one than a cheaper, lighter one if it will last longer/do a better job/be easier to use and clean.

*edit* Talked to Mom. She has her mothers mill, but it doesn't have interchangeable screens. So, if the seeds go thru the screen then one will be purchased.

I'd vote for cider if you have a few different varieties of apples....Mmmmm..........

I do. Red Delicious, Golden, Gala, Wolf River, Winter Bannana, Scarlet (no apples this year due to drought stress from last year), and a few others.

Scott - None are ideal, but they do the job. I've got two Foleys - a large and a small. I've got one that goes on my KitchenAide Mixer, and I've got a very old one that was Lynda's grandmother's. It works the best. It is shaped much like a funnel and it has a mortar that is about the same size and shape as the funnel part, but 1/4th the diameter of the funnel part. It works the best, but I'm guessing this thing is pre-WWII. We've just put up another 12 quarts of tomato sauce that was squeezed through the smaller Foley or the old unit.

The Foleys are OK. You just can't put the pressure on them like with the old mortar mill. There are a number of imitations online and in stores for about $25. I seldom use the electric one.

I just finished up a gallon of bread-and-butter pickles. Now its time to go finish repairing the riding mower so I can mow before it is time to take my grandson and his girlfriend fishing. It is at a DNR owned lake that is managed for big bluegill. Lots of medium size bass, as the bass are catch and release only.

Apple seeds are somewhat toxic, they contain a cyanide compound, don't let the seeds get into the mix.

http://chemistry.about.com/b/2007/09/12/yes-apple-seeds-and-cherry-pits-are-poisonous.htm

Thanks Shorty!

Ken, the one that my Mom has is probably the same age. Her mom was born in 1900.

Around here (this climate) this is a usefull and free way to preserve root crops
Quote: Clamping offers a simple and effective way to store many common root crops such as carrots, potatoes and beetroot. It works on the principle that roots come from the ground, and therefore are best kept in the ground. Simple really.

From Kitchen Garden Magazine - September 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVqMKrr9F0w

the info here is good IMO http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/cure_smoke.html

I agree with Cat that fish to be smoked in general should be faty, but I love smoked perch when eaten warm directly out of the hot smoker oven, it's not at all dry/jerky new cooked and fresh, only when it's stored.

My favorit wood for smoking is fresh cut juniper with needles/berrys still on.
http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/albiniak_noel/
and/or with fresh cut ling (The Norwegian National flower Røsslyng)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calluna
it makes the best of flavours and fumes IMO

Hmmmm, been busy this week with our auction at work and haven't read much...

I did rhubarb freezer jam early and am boiling 7 half pints of jalapeño strawberry jam right now... Going full blown pepper jam tomorrow night!!! That's the good stuff!!!

Things were/are going so well I am knocking out the pepper right now!!!

Pepper Jam, what type of pepper you use. I still have half a 5 gallon bucket of Jalapenos to do something with.


As far as smoking fish I use a mixture of Oak and hickory to smoke mainly King Mackerel to make a smoked fish dip from it.

Duck Pond Paul,

I'd love to compare notes and ideas with you as foods, preservation, and tastes have evolved so much over the last century.

I grew up in a 1st generation US immigrant community made up of grumpy Norsks, happy Svents, and dour Suomis from the Oulu region. My father's family were ever-optimistic Polskis (from today's Bialystock-to-Lithuania area), who didn't really know if they were Russians, Lithuanians, or Prussians.

But, no matter where they were from in this northern region, they all had very similar food recipes, just with somewhat different names, and slightly different cooking/preservation methods.

Someone I casually know from where I grew up, ventured to Finland several years ago, and wrote a book about the differences between Suomi cooking today versus how it has changed names and spices as they diverged over the last 100-120 years between Finland and the US. I can only assume we have similar evolutions between Norsk and Svensk foods and recipes.

I would love to do a followup. Are you coming to the US anytime soon? If I were able to make a trip to your part of the world, would you have some time to spend with my wife and me discussing your foods and how they are preserved and made?

Thank you very much (please excuse my broken language) -- tusen takk, tack så mycket, paljon kiitoksia,

Knute (Ken) fra West Virginia, USA

On the regular pepper jam I use green bells, yellow sweets, jalapeño with the seeds and membrane... If you want a little extra zing, throw in a couple if habaneros...

The strawberry jalapeño makes nice Christmas gifts because it is sweet and mild... Colors also go along with the season...

Smoked fish thread

Hi Knute
I would enjoy spending some time with you and your wife, I can host you at my house if you would like to.
This time 2.half of august/september would be the "right time" of the year a lot of the hunt/fishing season is open and the weather is usualy nice.
Most of the turist atractions, would still be open, at least on the weekends and my oldest kids are of at uni, so I/we got plenty of room and the prices are lower on every thing including airfares.............
May/1.half of june alomost the same but no hunt/fish/harvest season to speak of then.

Any time of the year, I would fine some time for you, but the above listed times, are the best IMO, for visiting Scandinavia, unless you want to ski and experience winter activities.

Me going over the big pond, I can't tell when, mainly do to my lymes illnes, my health insurrances are limitid to Europe, untill I'm permanently classified X% dissabeled,or well, so I can go, but want take that risk.

I have a book written in danish, first published 1973 after my late father (Knut).
It was writen by a master sausage maker, salting/smoking -fish/meat expert, to save the old reciepies and methoods from getting lost.
It also contains a history part and drawings, on DIY ovens etc.
If you PM me, your post adress I will send it to you
I'm sure you can figure out away to read and understand most of it.

Some nice tips and vinks here http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/f/172/preserving-food