Pickle, Pickle

The garden has just been spitting out peppers left and right.  Serrano, jalapeno, Garden salsa, and green peppers.  You would think our mouths would be on fire with all of these HOT eats.

Nachos have become a regular dinner.  Not that I am complaining.

The other weekend we had about 40 peppers.  I don't care if you eat nachos three times a day.  It was going to take a while to eat those babies up.  Then I got to thinking about pickled jalapenos. It couldn't be that hard right?

I got my housewife attitude on...one I quite like and set about making them. I searched a few recipes out and found the one below. One that I had all of the ingredients.  It didn't look too fussy.

About thirty minutes later I had a pint.  This recipe makes two pints, but I didn't have enough peppers (go figure!) for two. Cannot wait to crack into this in a few weeks.

Pickled Jalapenos

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

6032601

Ingredients (2 pints)

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
• 8-10 large or 20 small jalapeno peppers (it’s about a pound) rinsed, and sliced into thin rings

Instructions

In a saucepan whisk together the vinegar, water, salt and cumin. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring until the salt dissolves.

In the meantime sterilize the jars and lids according the USDA Canning Guidelines.

Pack each pint jar tightly with sliced pepper rings and one whole garlic clove each. Leave enough room at the top so the lid rests easily on the mouth of the jar.

Using a canning funnel, ladle the hot brine to cover the pepper rings leaving about 1/4 inch at the top of each jar. Insert a clean chopstick to free any possible air bubbles and check the mouth of the jar to make sure it’s clean and then screw on the lids.

Process in a hot water bath for 10-15 minutes and then pull from the water with rubberized tongs. Each jar will ping as it cools. That means it’s sealed and safe to store on your shelf.

Once all the jars reach room temperature, store in a dark cupboard for about three weeks to let flavors develop before opening. The peppers will turn a dull shade of green but at least they won’t be slimy. Opened jars can be stored in the fridge for up to 6 months as long as you use clean utensils to take the pepper rings out each time. Sealed, these pickles will keep for about one year.

Makes 2 pints

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Blueberry Jamm'

I got really ambitious this weekend.  By ambitious I mean excited.  And crazy.  And daring.  I made jam.  Wonderful jam.  I have canned before.  In high school, when I worked at Nezinscot farm.  I jammed, and canned, and pickled. This was my training to be a perfect housewife. 

Then, I went to college, got a degree, and a job.  I got a husband too along the way. I always kind of dreamed of a rich husband that would allow me to actually live out my perfect housewife ways. I am definitely a wife but I do not have much time at home.  Gone are the longs days in the kitchen doing fun projects like jamming, canning, and pickling.

That is until now, when a friend at work brought some homemade blueberry jam to a dinner.  It was delicious.  I was inspired.  And how any good dream should start, I set off to Wal-Mart to get me some supplies. 

Blueberry Jam
From Foodinjars.com

6 cups of smashed blueberries
6 cups sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
two packets liquid pectin

Fill your canning pot with water and begin to bring it to temperature. Wash your jars and rings in warm soapy water and set aside. Put your lids in a small pot of water and heat (but do not boil) in order to soften the sealing compound.

Add smashed blueberries and sugar to a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and add cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest and juice and let jam continue to cook for about fifteen minutes. Add pectin and bring to a rolling boil for a full five minutes.

Turn off the heat under the jam and fill jars. Wipe rims and apply lids. Screw on the bands and lower into the water. Process in the hot water bath 10 minutes. When time is up, remove from water and cool on the counter. When the jars are cooled, check the seal by pressing on the top of the jar. If there’s no movement, the jar has sealed. Store up to one year in a cool, dark place.