It’s that time of year when our gardens are really starting to pay us back for the many hours we have spent tilling and watering, weeding and staking.  Blooms are turning into prized produce, and we are thankfully enjoying the fruits of our labor.  Even in you are not is a position to have a garden, the farmers markets are in full swing and the grocery stores have good pricing on mounds of beautiful fresh vegetables and fruits.  It is time to think about preserving some of these treasures for the cold winter months to come. 

Growing up on a farm in the mid-west my family always had a rather large garden, we were fortunate to have the land available to do so.  Being thirty miles from a store it was convenient to have our own produce all summer long, and saved my parents quite a lot of money.  My siblings and I spent many hours during summer vacation from school digging, planting, weeding and watering.  Each afternoon my mother would send one of us kids out to the garden to gather a list of produce for the dinner she was preparing, and I have spent many an hour helping with tasks like shelling peas and husking corn.

Canning always played an important part in our gardening, certain crops were planned especially with the idea of preserving part of them for the winter.  Green beans, beets, corn, tomatoes, and of course cucumbers where planted in large patches in order to have plenty on the table and enough to fill the shelves in the pantry.  As each crop was ready my mother would break out the jars, lids, and rings and get busy.  I am thankful to have had this experience as a child and the knowledge I gained has served me well over the years.

I am not sure where my mother acquired this promotional booklet from the Heinz Company, but I seem to remember it always being around.  I would guess she got it through the Cooperative Extension Service where she was actively involved as a 4-H leader and also worked with the W.I.C. program.  My mother gave this booklet to me years ago after she had given up canning and knew that I had an interest.  I have always had a great appreciation for the wonderful illustrations in this booklet and have always found the information very helpful, after all I would trust the people who make vinegar to know quite a bit about canning.

The booklet is filled with great recipes for all kinds of vegetables and fruits, as well as helpful tips and a good troubleshooting guide.  I have scanned all of the pages and made it available as a PDF that you can download or print if you prefer.

Keep a jar of these quick and easy-to-prepare pickled onions in your fridge to add a quick zip to your sandwiches, salads, and burgers.  A must for tacos, nachos, and tostadas these delightful slivers will bring a subtle tang to your favorite foods.  Or try adding these onions to your charcuterie board for some interesting flavor.  Mix it up by using red wine or cider vinegar or maybe add some slivers of jalapeno peppers to bring a little heat to the table.

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Pickled Onions

Here is a quick and easy recipe for flavorful pickled onions. Add them to sandwiches and burgers, salads, tacos, or any other dish that might like a little zip.

Course Sauce, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword mexican food, pickled onions, spicy pickled onions, spicy pickled red onions

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 1 pint

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 1 large red onion thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and trimmed
• 1 cup white vinegar
• ½ cup water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

Instructions

• Thinly slice the red onion and peel the garlic. Toss the onions to separate and place them with the garlic into a pint-size jar.
• In a small sauce pan over medium-high heat bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and peppercorns to a slow boil until the sugar is dissolved.
• Pour the vinegar brine over the onions.
• Allow to cool to room temperature before placing the lid on the jar and storing in the fridge.
• Onions will have their pickled flavor after a few hours. Onions will keep in the fridge for up to a month.

Notes

Omit the sugar if you prefer, the onions will also be delicious.  For different flavors try using red wine or apple cider vinegar.  

White or yellow onions can also be pickled with this method. 

 

This recipe is not intended for canning or long term storage.

This spicy green salsa is not your typical Salsa Verde usually made with tomatillos, but I find that their cousin the green tomato makes for an amazing flavorful and tangy sauce.  Zesty and sweet, this salsa delivers a well-rounded balance of deep flavor and heat.  Quick and easy to make, this recipe is a great way to make good use of some of your unripened tomatoes as well as delicious Fried Green Tomatoes.

Here in the mile-high city we have been experiencing a long and beautiful fall this year , however recently the night temps have dropped leaving me with an abundance of unripened tomatoes.  I have already been through one round of covering my plant to protect it from the cold but the inevitable is at hand. Winter will soon be arriving, and it is time to let the garden go.

Tomatoes cease to ripen with the temps fall below 50 degrees, however there is no reason to give up on the green fruit. A tomato that has some blush or beginning of color will typically ripen in about 7 days in a warm environment, while tomatoes that are completely green can take up to 14 days. Green tomatoes can be wrapped in newspaper or placed in a bag with an apple or banana to speed up the process.

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Green Tomato Salsa ~ Salsa Verde

This spicy green salsa is not your typical Salsa Verde usually made with tomatillos, but I find that their cousin the green tomato makes for an amazing flavorful and tangy sauce. Zesty and sweet, this salsa delivers a well-rounded balance of deep flavor and heat.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 3 Pints

Ingredients

• 3-4 pounds green tomatoes stems removed and halved
• 1 red onion medium-sized peeled and quartered
• 1 yellow onion medium-sized peeled and quartered
• 2 Hatch chilies or Anneheims
• 2 jalapeno
• 1 Serrano pepper
• 6 cloves garlic peeled
• 1 cup fresh cilantro
• Juice of one fresh lime
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Heat oven to 475 degrees F (use convection if you have it).
• Light brush the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil. Place tomatoes cut side down and brush with oil. Roast for 15 – 20 minutes or until tomatoes take on some roasted color.
• In a second pan prepare onions, peppers, and garlic for roasting in the same manner as the tomatoes, lightly coating with oil. Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Check the garlic after about 10 minutes and remove if soft and lightly browned. Continue roasting onions and peppers until the skin of the peppers is slightly blistered.
• Set everything aside and allow to cool.
• Place roasted tomatoes, garlic, onions and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Cut the tops off of the peppers and peel the skin (you might consider wearing gloves). Cut in half and remove seeds if desired (remember seeds add heat, I kept mine). Rough chop peppers and add to the processor along with the cilantro. Pulse to combine. Add salt to taste.
• Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to six weeks, or seal in jars and process in a water bath according to safe canning procedures.

Notes

I use the greenest of the green tomatoes since they take the longest to ripen. There is no need to peel the tomatoes or peppers, however I do prefer to peel the peppers. I like heat, so I add the pepper seeds but you can always omit them. Feel free to add or reduce the amount of peppers you use.

Basil is probably the one herb that really speaks summer to me. There is something about it that just takes me to my happy place. We have been enjoying the fresh leaves from the garden for several months is a variety of dishes. But as summer winds down, and I find that we still have copious amounts of the sacred summer plant left that can not be wasted. What to do? Well….. it’s pesto time!

Traditionally pesto is made using crushed garlic, pine nuts, a hard cheese, olive oil, and some basil. There are many variations of pesto, some using different types of nuts, while others replace the basil with other herbs or arugula. Mint is also sometimes added. The wonderful thing about making a pesto is that first of all it is very easy, and secondly you can easily customize it to your personal taste. This sauce also freezes quite well which will keep the flavor of summer alive well into the winter.

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Basil Pesto

Fresh flavors of summer come alive in this pesto.

Course Appetizer, Sauce

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 cups

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup pistachio nuts
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves packed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions

• Start by picking the leaves off of the stems of the cut stems of basil. Discard any leaves that have apparent damage. Wash the leaves in cool water and place on a towel to dry.
• Place the nut in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse 4 – 5 times or until finely chopped. Do not over process as you will make nut butter.
• Rough chop the garlic and add pulsing 2 time to incorporate.
• Add the basil, salt, and pepper. Add about a half of a cup of olive oil into the food processor and pulse. Add the cheese, and continue to stream in the remaining oil while pulsing until you have a thick bright green paste.

Storing your pesto

• Pesto can be stored in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for weeks. Float a small layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto to prevent it from turning brown.
• Pesto is also easy to freeze. Many people fill ice-cube trays with the pesto and then transfer the frozen “portion-sized” cubes into a freezer bag.
• I use my mini muffin pan to freeze my pesto. I found that often one cube was too small, and two was too much. After the cups are frozen, I wrap each on with cling wrap and then place the “pesto muffins” in a large freezer bag. Pesto will easily last 6 – 8 weeks in the freezer.

Notes

Feel free to customize this to your personal taste. You can use a different combination of nuts or omit the altogether. You can also add lemon juice or red pepper flake if you like.

Some ideas for using your pesto include of course as a sauce on pasta, as a base sauce for a pizza, a topping on a burger, or a spread in a sandwich.

It is starting to be that time of year when our gardens really begin to reward us for the many hours of weeding, watering, and waiting. Tomatoes, the one crop we all can hardly wait to get our hands on are now ripening on the vine. Of all of the produce from the garden, the flavor of the homegrown tomato is one thing that seems to me is just not possible to find in a store. No matter how beautiful the tomatoes at the market look, they pale in comparison to the flavor of the ones grown in the backyard.

But like anything we grow, suddenly we have an abundance, seems like it is always feast or famine. So while we enjoy plates of sliced tomatoes at every meal, fresh salsa, and sandwiches stacked high, there are still more ready. Time to roast some of these gems, for sauces, and to freeze for later. For as delicious as the fresh tomatoes are, there is an even deeper rich sweetness that roasting brings to the fruit.

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Roasted Tomatoes

Roasting tomatoes brings out the full flavor of tomato giving it a deep, rich taste.

Course Canning, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• tomatoes
• olive oil
• sea salt
• ground black pepper
• garlic, minced minced
• fresh thyme optional

Instructions

• Bring a stock pot full of water to a boil.
• Cut the stem out of the top of the tomato and make a slit with a sharp knife down the side. Lower the tomatoes a few at a time into the boiling water. As soon as the skin begins to curl by the cut, remove the tomatoes and place them in a bowl of ice water.
• When cool the skin will slide easily off of the tomato.
• Heat oven to 450°F. Position rack in the center of the oven.
• Cut tomato in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan or baking dish, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and garlic and thyme if desired.
• Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tomatoes begin to caramelize.
• Serve warm as a side dish or use them to make a sauce.
• Allow to cool, and place in an air tight container.
• Tomatoes will keep in the fridge for up to five days, or place them in freezer bags to freeze for up to six months. Tomatoes can also be packed in jars with olive oil.

Notes

It is not necessary to peel the tomatoes for roasting. I prefer to do so especially if I intend to use them in a sauce.

One of my favorite early crop vegetables from the garden would have to be the radish. The spring radish has an especially tender texture and mild peppery flavor that is only found this time of year. Often we only think about the radish sliced on a salad or on a platter of crudités, but this cruciferous treat has other delicious applications. If you are a radish fan, roasted radishes are tremendous, if you have not tried them you certainly need to add them to your “to do” list. A new favorite of mine is the pickled radish. The combination of the brine with the peppery goodness of the radish, creates an amazing flavor sensation. Fantastic served on crostini, as a topping on a salad, in a sandwich, or as a complement to fish, the pickled radish will add an explosion of flavor to your table.

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Pickled Radishes

A new favorite of mine is the pickled radish. The combination of the brine with the peppery goodness of the radish, creates an amazing flavor sensation. Fantastic served on crostini, as a topping on a salad, in a sandwich, or as a complement to fish, the pickled radish will add an explosion of flavor to your table.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Central European

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 24

Author Christoph

Ingredients

• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 red onion
• 2 cups red wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 3 - 4 dashes hot sauce optional

Instructions

• Thinly slice the radishes and onion using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
• In a jar combine all ingredients for the brine and shake to mix.
• Add radishes and onion and shake. Use a spoon if needed to make sure all of the vegetables are covered by the brine.
• Place the jar in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
• Pickled radishes will keep for months in a tightly sealed container in the fridge.

Notes

Any vegetable can be pickled in this manner. Vegetables with high fiber content work best.

You can also adjust the brine to your personal taste by increasing or decreasing the sugar or salt.

Recipe from Anne Burrell

Tender cloves of mellow sweet garlic take on a bit of spicy heat when pickled. Great on sandwiches and burgers, tossed in salads, served with antipasto, or used to spice up a Bloody Mary, these pickled cloves are a garlic lovers dream.

I was first introduced to pickled garlic during the winter of 1982, while working as the food and beverage manager at a small ski area in Summit County, Colorado. Arapahoe Basin, or simply “the Basin” as the locals call it, is one of the older ski areas in the state opening for business in 1946.  Many of the pioneers of the ski industry in Colorado were American soldiers returning home after serving in World War II with the 10th Mountain Division, or immigrants from Europe. Over the years, Summit County had become home to many of these folks, and the Basin was their hang out with its high alpine environment reminding them of the Alps of the old country.

Now you may be wondering what any of this has to do with pickled garlic, well I will tell you. Every other Thursday during the ski season, there was a small group of about ten seniors that would gather to ski with one of our elderly gentleman instructors named Ron. Now these folks by no means needed lessons, they had grown up on skis, but rather it was a way for them to connect, share some stories, and be allowed the privilege of cutting lift lines while accompanied by a ski instructor. I would reserve a table for them in the A-frame lodge (even though they never purchased any food or drinks from me) in order to give them a place them for their pot luck lunch.

Among this group of colorful characters, was a 72 year-old Yiddish woman named Nora who stood about 4′ 10″ tall in her ski boots (including her “helmet” of white hair). Nora was an absolute riot. Speaking with a thick accent, she would begin every other sentence with “dammit shit kid I tell you”. Nora prided herself on a couple of things, her ability to find ridiculous bargains on outdated ski clothing at thrift stores, and the amazing food she would prepare to bring and share with the group. Dressed in clothing that very may have been worn at the 1960 winter Olympics, Nora would unpack incredible sausages, amazing cheeses, smoked salmon, interesting salads, and loaves of home-made bread from her knapsack, as well as her signature item, her pickled garlic. Nora was full of life which she attributed in part to her garlic and a snort of Jägermeister every now and then (possibly more now than then). By the end of the ski season we had become dear friends, and on the groups last day Nora presented me with a pair of beautiful wool socks that she had knit for me, and what she called her “secret to life”, her pickled garlic recipe. Nora told me that she wanted to leave this world riding in a chair lift to the top of the mountain, and damn it shit kid I tell you if she is no longer with us, I have no reason to believe she left this mortal plane in any other way.

Peeling the garlic has always been the most time consuming part of this project. This video from Saveur show a quick technique that makes it easy. I use this method and find it works very well. It does work best to use metal bowls. I also get better results by making sure the cloves are separated before I shake them in the bowls.

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Spicy Pickled Garlic

Tender cloves of mellow sweet garlic take on a bit of spicy heat when pickled. Great on sandwiches and burgers, tossed in salads, served with antipasto, or used to spice up a Bloody Mary, these pickled cloves are a garlic lovers dream.

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine Central European

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Half-pints

Ingredients

• 18 heads garlic peeled and ends trimmed
• 2 red peppers seeded and slivered
• 2 teaspoons dill seed
• 2 teaspoons pepper corns
• 6 bay leaf 1 per jar
• dried hot pepper I like Thai hots or pepper flake

Brine

• 2 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons pickling salt **
• 1 teaspoon sugar up to a tablespoon if you like them sweeter

Instructions

• Begin by peeling and trimming both ends of the garlic cloves (While trimming the ends is a bit tedious, I have found that it gives a far superior result). Discard any cloves that show signs of damage, or hold them aside to trim and use in other cooking.
• Seed and sliver the red pepper (the pepper is used primarily to add some color in the jar, you could use green if you would prefer or simply omit).
• Brine
• Combine the ingredients for the brine in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add garlic and cook for five minutes. Remove garlic with a kitchen spider or slotted spoon and hold aside.
• Add the strips of red pepper and cook for one minute before removing to a small bowl. Reduce heat and hold brine at a simmer.
• Prepare your jars, lids, and rings by washing with soapy water, and sterilizing them following safe canning procedures.
• Place a half dozen pepper corns, a dried pepper, a third of a bay leaf, and ¼ teaspoon of dill seed in the bottom of each jar.
• Pack the garlic into the jars, adding the pepper as you fill the jar. Shake the jar gently as you fill to settle the garlic. Fill the jars with the hot brine making sure to leave a ¼” head room. Place lids and rings on jars. Process the jars in a water bath following safe canning instructions. (be sure to adjust time for elevation).
• Pickled garlic gets better with age. I like to hold the jars at least four weeks before using. You can also skip the canning process if you like, just hold the garlic in a tightly closed container in the fridge for up to one month.

Notes

** Do not substitute table salt, it contains iodine and anti-caking additives that will turn the liquid cloudy and the garlic dark. Kosher salt can be used however it is much coarser and does not measure the same. 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt = 1 cup pickling salt. Do not use low sodium salts for any type of pickling project.

One of the sure signs that spring has arrived would be the piles of well-priced fresh strawberries at the local market. I am a fan of enjoying what’s in season, taking advantage of the abundance of the crop and the attractive pricing. So while we will be enjoying the fresh berries in a variety of ways, I will also be sure to freeze plenty for later, as well as make a bit of jam. I use a simple recipe, often referred to as freezer or refrigerator jam. This easy method requires no pectin, and adds only a few ingredients to the fresh berries to preserve the pure taste. Looks like we will be enjoying the flavor of spring for quite some time this year.

Click here for more great ideas on how to freeze fresh strawberries and our easy recipe for the best Strawberry Daiquiri. 

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Easy Strawberry Jam

Easy to make freezer or refrigerator jam, this method requires no pectin, and adds only a few ingredients to the fresh berries to preserve the pure taste.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Jelly

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 3 pints

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries washed and hulled
• 3 cups of sugar more or less to taste
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Wash, drain, and hull your strawberries. As you are working with the strawberries, discard any that are questionable, (it is important not to include any berries that appear damaged, they will shorten the length of time your product will keep).
• In a large bowl, crush the berries in batches using a potato masher. Transfer the crushed berries into a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan. Add the juice that was collected in the bowl that you used to crush the berries. Add sugar and lemon, and heat over a medium heat while stirring until the sugar is dissolved.
• Increase the heat to high and bring the strawberry mixture to a boil, stirring constantly (as the mixture boils it will increase dramatically in volume, use caution and do not leave unattended). When the jam has come to a complete boil, reduce heat medium high and continue to boil until the mixture reaches a temperature of 220°F, stirring often. Use a candy thermometer to monitor temperature.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer into jars or storage containers. Jam can be held in the refrigerator for up to three weeks, or frozen for up to a year.
• The jam can also be sealed in jars and processed in a water bath for long-term storage. Sterilize jars, rings, and lids. Fill jars leaving ¼” of head room. Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes to seal. If you have any questions regarding safe canning procedures, refer to your canning guide, or check out Introduction to Canning from Ball.

Notes

This recipe produces a soft-set type of jam since it uses no pectin. Adjust the amount of sugar if desired. I used only 2 cups for this batch and it came out great. You can also increase the lemon if you want more tang.

Living in Colorado we do not experience the same bounties as some of my friends do in other parts of the country. There is no season here for lobster, shrimp are not jumping out of the water and into our boats, and I have yet to see a crab while wading a shoreline. However we Coloradans are particularly blessed with seasons of incredible fruit and produce. And we are especially fortunate that each fall, usually around the beginning of September until early October, that truck after truck from New Mexico arrive full of Hatch green chilies, bringing with them their roasters and good prices. Pepper season at its best.

It has been an attempted tradition at our house, to embrace the pepper season with a “festival” of our own. We try to gather with a handful of our pepper loving friends, to enjoy some humor, a few margaritas, and to process bushels of chilis. This year was a smaller version than other years, but we still managed to pull it off.

While the vendors will gladly roast the peppers when you buy them, we like doing it ourselves in the backyard on the grill, enjoying the almost spiritual aroma of the peppers over the fire.  This is a perfect outdoor activity, and this year we had a spectacular day for it. Mid 70’s and not a cloud in the bright blue sky. Gathered around a table, chatting about everything and nothing, with a margarita within reach, listening to our “Pepperfest mix” (all kinds of music, from the Buena Vista Social Club to Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass), we shared a wonderful afternoon.

We managed in just a few short hours to roast, peel, and seed  two and a half bushels of chilis, resulting in eleven pounds of ready to use peppers. Many hands really do make light work.  Now with all this bounty what will I make? Well I decided that some jelly was definitely in order.

I can hardly wait to use some of this wonderful jelly at my Holiday Cocktail party!

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Roasted Green Chili Jelly

Hot and sweet flavors combine to make this unique jelly. Great on toast, or as a glaze for a pork roast. Pour over a block of cream cheese for an easy appetizer that is sure to please.

Course Jelly

Cuisine Southwestern

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 3 pints

Ingredients

• 1 pound roasted green chilies - peeled, seeded, and diced (weight is after processing)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5 cups sugar
• 2 pouches liquid pectin - 3 ounce size

Instructions

• Sterilized the jars by placing them in a canner that is half full of water. Add enough water to cover the jars. Bring water to a boil and allow it to boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave jars in the hot water until ready to fill.
• Wash lids and rings in hot soapy water. Dry off rings and set aside.
• Place the lids in a small pan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and then turn the heat off. Leave the lids in the hot water until ready to use. Lid preparation can be done while jelly is cooking.
• Stir all of the ingredients together, except for the pectin, in a large saucepan. Bring them to a full boil. Stir occasionally.
• Once the mixture is at a rolling boil add the liquid pectin and allow it to boil for 1 full minute. (Powdered pectin will not work in this application, do not try to substitute). Continue to stir during this time.
• Remove from the heat and skim off any foam that has developed on top.
• After skimming foam off pour the hot jelly into the hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
• Wipe the rims and threads of the jars. Place the lid on top of the jar and the place the ring on. Do not over tighten the rings.
• Place the jars in a canner that is at least 1/2 full of hot water. Once all the jars are in the canner, add more boiling water until the jars are covered with about 1 inch of water.
• Bring water to a full boil, cover and turn the heat down so that the water is just at a steady boil. Process for 5 minutes to seal the jars.
• At the end of the cooking time, carefully remove the jars from the canner and place on a dry towel and allow to cool for 12 hours.

Notes

The heat of peppers varies widely, so taste the peppers you intend to use and adjust amount accordingly. Many recipes also call for the addition of green food coloring. I prefer the natural color of the jelly, but feel free to add a few drops of color if you want. This recipe makes about 3 pints.