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Canning From the Ground Up
Say Hello to Jell-O
There are so many things you can do with jell-o, and a jell-o recipe to go with almost any food you cook.
First, here are a few tips about working with jell-o:
*To remove from a mold, allow it to set until firm, if possible several hours or overnight.
*Run a small moist knife around the edge or release edges from mold with moist fingers before removing from mold.
*Dip the mold in warm water for about ten seconds, only to the rim of the mold.
*Chill the plates or whatever it will be served on.
*Moisten gelatin and place a moist serving plate on top, turn upside down and shake slightly.
*Gently remove the mold leaving gelatin on plate.
There is an entire language involved with making jell-o, and it pays to know what it means. Chill till slightly thickened means to chill for about 1 hour, or until it is the consistency of unbeaten egg whites.
Chill till set but not yet firm means to chill about 2 hours, it should stick to your finger if you touch it and move from side to side when the mold is tipped.
Chill till firm takes about 3 hours for 2 to 4 cup molds or 4 hours for 5 to 6 cup molds, the jell-o wont stick to your finger and will not mound or move if the mold is tipped.
Here are a few ideas for different types of foods, with pork chops try a salad made with strawberry jell-o, apples, celery, cinnamon and chopped nuts.
If you are having steaks try a fruit mix made of fruit cocktail and a touch of lemon juice. Fried chicken could call for a salad made of fruit cocktail, orange jell-o and lemon juice.
With ham prepare a pineapple lime delight made with pineapple juice lime jell-o and a ¼ teaspoon of ginger.
Whatever you are having for dinner tonight, prepare a luscious jell-o desert or salad to go with it.
See Also:
Canning Basics For Preserving Food
Microwaving Meats
Tomatoes Everywhere!
I have often been amazed at the number of tomatoes on one plant, and the number of plants a person will maintain at one time.
It seems that every person who plants tomatoes has to have at least 4 varieties, and to be safe two plants of each variety, at that minimum thats 8 tomato plants in a season!
So, just how many tomatoes come on a plant, all I know is that there are a lot.
One bushel or 45 pounds can make 26 to 34 pints of frozen tomatoes and 20 to 28 pints of frozen juice. Once you freeze tomatoes they become mushy, so they can only be used in soups, stews and spaghetti sauce.
My mom used to make breaded tomatoes that I loved, they were made with canned tomatoes, day old bread and sugar, I can still taste them!
The procedures for freezing different tomato products are:
*Raw tomatoes, after washing dip in boiling water to loosen skins, peel and core, freeze whole or in pieces, when packing containers, leave 1 inch of head room.
*Tomato juice, wash, sort and trim firm, vine-ripened tomatoes, cut in quarters and simmer 5 to 10 minutes. Press through sieve, season with 1 tsp salt for each quart of juice, pour into containers leaving 1 ½ inches head space, seal and freeze containers.
*Stewed (for breaded tomatoes), remove stem ends, peel and quarter ripe tomatoes. Cover and cook 10 to 20 minutes until tender. Place pan of tomatoes in cold water and cool, pack into containers leaving 1 inch head space, seal and freeze.
Tomato sauce, puree, catsup and chili sauces can be frozen. Prepare them as directed and cool rapidly, pack in rigid containers leaving head space and freeze.
There are hundreds of foods that can be prepared with fresh or frozen tomatoes, enjoy them year round. |
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Preparing a Start up Set of Pots and Pans
Every womans kitchen is different, depending on how much time she spends in it, how much she likes to cook, how many people she cooks for and what she likes to cook.
A woman who cooks a lot of soups and stews for a large family will need large pots. A woman who cooks for only one or two people can get away with much smaller cookware.
Most women receive a few hand me downs from family and friends when they finally move away from home. It is amazing, as a matter of fact, how many items mom has two of in the dark recesses of her kitchen cupboards.
However, this will not cover all of your needs. As your experience grows, along with the types of recipes you prepare, your cookware will expand to cover those needs.
Skillets are a requirement if you plan to fry anything, which sooner or later you will, having coated skillets and cookware is a plus if you dont like food cooked in a lot of fat or oil.
A basic set of pots usually 2, 3 and 5 quarts and a stock pot, will cover most of your stovetops needs. If you plan to bake you will need a couple of pie pans, whether metal or glass is up to you.
A cookie sheet, not only for cookies, but for heating pizza, can also be placed under foods that may boil over, leaving a mess in your oven.
A casserole dish which can double as a cake pan can also be used for making lasagna. You will also need a colander for draining pasta; it can also be used while washing beans or lettuce in the sink.
You will find yourself coming up with unique ways to adapt recipes so you can use the pans that you have, and eventually you will purchase every thing you need to have the perfect kitchen for you.
Related Topics: Cast Iron Cookware,
Meal Planning, Childrens Recipes
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