Canning and Preserving Grapes and Plums

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and as we are winding down our harvests, it is a great time to open the kitchen window to let in the crisp Fall breeze and set to work storing goods for the coming Winter. I received a comment the other day from my lovely Sister-in-Law, asking what to do with the plums and grapes that she has in her yard, and since I was planning on making some food specific canning and preserve blogs, I figured this was a great place to start.


Grape Juice:

Start with any sweet grape, keep in mind 1 pound of grapes will only make about 1/2 cup of juice, so you will need a lot of them to make it worth your while.

1. Place your grapes bunches in a large stock pot or the kitchen sink filled with cool water. Separate each grape from the bunch and discard unripe or shriveled grapes.
   
2. Once you have finished this, divide your grapes into batches easy for you to handle, some recipe suggest this is about 4 pounds, and set about mashing them, you can use a potato masher, food processor, a food strainer, (I use the Victorio, but Kitchen Aid also makes good attachments) or you can use your bare or gloved hands.
   
3. Once you have all the grapes mashed, slowly bring them to a low boil, then simmer them over medium heat for 10 minutes.
4. Pour the cooked grape mixture onto a fine mesh sieve, or a double layer of cheesecloth placed over a large bowl and let the juice drain, once it has done so, gather up the cheesecloth and wring out any remaining juice into the bowl, or lightly compress the mash in the sieve. You may want to run it through one more time to make sure and keep out any impurities.
5. you can put the juice in the refrigerator and serve as is, or can or freeze it for future use.

Grape Jelly

1. Take 5 cups of finished juice from the above recipe, mix in 1 box of sure-jell and bring to a boil.
2. Stir in 7 cups of sugar and bring to a roiling boil. Let it boil for 1 minute then remove from heat.
3. Remove the froth from the top with a metal spoon, the ladle or pour into sterilized canning jars.
   
4. Using the boiled water canning method described in a earlier post, boil the filled jars for 10 minutes, then remove from water bath and set on heat resistant surface.
5. Tighten the ring 1 more time then wait for the satisfying POP that lets your know the jars are sealed.
6. Let sit for a few days to thicken and cool and then enjoy!
   

Asian Plum Sauce:

In a large pot mix the following:

• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons grater fresh ginger
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 2 cups water (use filtered or purified if you have hard or mineral rich water as this can spoil the canning process)
• 1/8 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 lbs plums pitted, peeled, and chopped
• the juice of 1 lemon

2. Run this mix through a food processor or on the puree setting of a blender then return to the large pot.

3. Bring the mix to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes

4. Mix together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water mix out all lumps, then add to the heated sauce.

5. Continue cooking the sauce until it thickens, then pour into your sterilized jars and using the hot water bath method, cook the filled, sealed jars for 10 minutes.


Plum Preserves:

1. In a large pan combine5 cups pitted diced plums, 1 cup water, and 4 cups sugar.
2. Bring this mixture to a boil then reduce heat a bit and continue cooking
3. The preserves will begin to thicken and once desired thickness is reached, pour or ladle into sterilized jars.
4. Using the hot water bath method, heat the filled and sealed jars for 15 minutes.

Victory Gardens

As most of you know, home gardens, also known as Victory Gardens, were encouraged by the government during World War II to help lower food prices by decreasing demand. Nearly 20 million American's joined in the effort and from 1943-1945 it is believed that produce garnered from these Victory Gardens accounting for about 40% of produce consumed nationally, and may have been equivalent to the amount of commercial production in those years. Not only did home gardening increase, but home preservation as well. In 1942, 66,000 pressure cookers (used in only one method of canning) were sold, and it 1943, that number skyrocketed to over 315,000.

What was truly amazing about this effort was not the amount of food produced, but WHO was producing it. It was people without a traditional farm, people living in townhouses, apartments, and suburbs. People grew these vegetables in their front yards, on terraces, fire escapes, and even rooftops. Communities worked together, different neighbors growing different items and sharing, community gardens were built, and it became not only a act of patriotism, but a national pass time. With oil prices at an all time high, the cost of food production, and transportation is rising as well, especially with the average commercial food item in the United States being shipped over 1500 miles from farm to table.

In todays' Hot topic politics, it is unlikely the government will work on such an effort, so its up to us to do it for ourselves, and encourage our friends and neighbors. It may seem an odd time, early fall, to start talking about gardening, but it is the best time to get your plots preapred for the abundant planting in the Spring and Summer.

What you will need:

Garden Shovel





Rake







Hoe


Twine
Scrap wood posts (paint sticks actually work well)
Time
Soil test kit

How to do it in 10 easy steps:

1. Choose a spot in your yard with a good mix of direct and indirect sunlight
2. Decide what you want to grow, and do some research as to how much room you will need for each plant, this will help you estimate the size you want your plot to be.
3. Measure out your garden, place your stakes in the ground at each corner and a few along the edge lines for added support if your plot is large.
4. Rope off your area with the twine by wrapping it around the stakes.
5. Using a shovel (you can rent a rotor tiller from local rental places if you don't want to do the work by hand, this does release emissions, but you will more than make up for it by growing your own) dig into the sod and turn it over. Repeat this until your whole area is overturned.
6. Use your hoe to break up the sod clumps, the grass will most likely die on its own, but if you want to be sure, shake the soil out of the sod clumps and no not put them back in the garden.
7. Once your area is relatively broken up, run over the area with your rake to spread the dirt evenly. Perform a soil test to see the basic composition of your soil and determine what you will need to add to make the most of it.
8. Take any organic matter you have such as grass clippings from the lawn mower, leave you have raked up, etc. and spread it in an even layer over. You may need to add some other nutrients to your soil, a good mix is bagged manure and blood meal for nitrogen, bone meal for phosphate, and oyster shell lime for acidic soils. You may also wish to use Shellfish fertilizer, derived from Blue Crab shells and Shrimp Meal, which provides a wide variety of nutrients. Mix any of these additives into your compost and keep this up until you have a layer at least 2-3 inches thick.
9. Just before the first snows, cover your plot with a thin layer of hay or straw, this will help insulate and create an ideal environment for decomposition, which will turn your compost into healthy rich soil.
10. It's a long wait, but when Spring is finally here, use your rake to get rid of the straw/hay, and get the hoe and shovel out and turn the soil. You may want to test your soil again and see if it needs anything so that you have time to add some more nutrients early in the Spring so they have time to work into the soil before growing season.

There you have it, and it may seem like a lot of work, but once you have good soil and a cultivated plot, you have it for life. Once you see, and taste the fruits of your labor, you will know that your hard work was worth it.

A few sidenotes....

• If your soil is particularly poor, don't be afraid to bring in some top soil, or peat to help get you started.
• If you don't have space for a garden, consider mixing some vegetables and herbs in your flower beds, utilize patio, porch, or balcony space for container gardens, try to find, or better yet start a community garden, see if a neighbor with space would let you use some in exchange for fresh produce.
  
• While I encourage organic gardening when possible, weigh your options and decide what is best for you, I fully admit using some miracle grow when starting plants from seed.
  

Look for future posts on gardening techniques, organic pest control, and recipes.

Farm Markets

Eating locally is a very good thing for yourself, and for the environment. Eating locally produced foods often means that you are eating natural ingredients without preservatives, and things that are not pre-prepared. While they might seem overwhelming at first, once you get a feel for the flow of the market near you, you will be shopping with the best of them.

Below are some tips that might help you save some time, and money on your trip:

1. Don't be afraid to browse:Take a look around before you buy, compare the freshness and quantity of items at different sellers as well as the prices.
2. Think seasonal, and be Flexible: Don't go with a list of items you want, just see what is there and plan your meals after. Crops are greatly affected by weather and changes in rainfall, temperature, and sunlight can change the time your favorite produce is ripe by weeks.
   
3. Go Early, Go Late: If your market is busy, going early may be the best way to ensure you have your pick of the freshest and best looking produce. The earlier you go the better your selection will be. That being said, those who come near the end often get some great deals from Farmer's who would rather not carry leftovers home.
   
4. More than just Fruit and Vegetables: Farm markets often carry much more than fruits and veggies, try out locally made baked goods, farm fresh eggs and dairy products, honey, jams, and meats. If you wonder about the difference between farm fresh eggs and store bought, take 2 clear glasses, crack a farm egg in one and a store egg in the other and just look at the difference. Store egg will have a thick sticky white with a pale yellow yolk. The Farm egg will have a thin, runny white and a bright golden yellow to a early orange yolk. The shell is different too, you may notice it is a bit harder to crack the farm egg, its shell is thicker, harder, and break into pieces rather than shatters.
   
5. Get to know your farmer: After you go a few times, you will no doubt develop some favorite booths, get to know the people who run these, chat with them, and who knows, maybe they will cut you a deal, or thow in a freebie.
6. Buy in Bulk: Love fresh peaches? Wish you could savor that flavor all year round? You can! Simply peel, pit and slice your peaches, set them in 1 layer on a cookie sheet and stick in the freezer, after a few hours, move them into a freezer storage bag and they will last all winter. This method works for many fruits, vegetables, and herbs. You can also try your hand at canning.

Still not convinced the farm market is right for you? Many cities have local Food Co-ops, or private companies that obtain, deliver, and distribute fresh local produce for you. Here a few to check out and see how they work:

Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks : Providing year-round home delivery of local and organic produce, meat, dairy and eggs.

Kalamazoo People's Food Co-Op :Full service natural grocery owned by its customers with goals of stimulating the local economy, creating a sense of community, and providing healthy, fresh food.

Project Fresh: Provides people receiving WIC, Low income seniors, and people receiving other forms of assistance with the ability to select fresh local produce from farm markets. Project Fresh is the name of the program in Michigan, and it is available in several other states as well.

Do a web search for services such as these near you! Still not convinced, here are just a few reasons to give it a try:

1) Freshness: Local food gets to the consumer more quickly, meaning it is fresher, and eating it at the peak of its ripeness means it has a higher vitamins and minerals content.

2) Cost of Transport: Most food travels an average of 1500 miles before it gets to you, and that's a lot of time, money, fuel, and pollution. Higher fuel prices means higher transportation costs, which are passed on to you, the buyer.

3) Supporting small, local, business: When you buy from a market or local co-op, you are most likely buying from small family farms rather than large corporations (which is where most of the food in this country now comes from) Breaking out of the corporate food cycle is a great way to take back control of how our food in produced.

4) It's Fun: To me there are few things more awesome than running out to the farm market on a Saturday morning, enjoying the interaction of people, sampling nature's bounty, and coming home with healthy treasures. It's also a great way to meet people in your community, and feel a part of something.

5) It's Educational: Take the kiddies along, let them learn where there food comes from and about the hard work it takes to grow it. Kids may even be more interested in eating there veggies when they are choosing them from a stand rather than taking them out of the freezer.

Canning

There has been so much buzz lately about eating locally, and I think it is a great idea! The problem is, for a majority of people living in climates that have vastly different seasons, getting fresh fruits and produce locally year round is not an option. How, you may ask, did people get past this before there were semi trucks and airplanes transporting food across the country and even the world? The answer is simple my friend, and it is canning.

Canning is a lost art, and because of the ease of buying canned goods from stores, most people don't do it any more, but luckily, I spent many a summer helping my family preserve the fruits of our labors. Mind you, I grew up in the city, so this is possible to do with even a small yard, and if you have no outdoor space or no desire to grown your own vegetables (although I highly recommend it) you can utilize you local farm market. If I can do it in a one bedroom Chicago apartment, you can to.

There are two basic methods of canning, the first is called a hot water bath method and the second is the pressure cooker method. I myself, have always used, and prefer the Hot Water bath and it is very simple. You cook and prepare the food to be canned, then pour it into sterilized canning jars, leaving about 1/4" inch headspace. Wipe any mess from the top of the jar with a clean towel, and place a clean lid that has been heated in boiling water over the top, the place the ring on and screw it down tight, but leaving a slight give for the glass to expand as it heats. You then place your jars in a canning kettle of water, once the water hits boiling, you start timing, and the jars must heat for 30 minutes.

Once the jars have been heated for 30 minutes, remove them from the water bath and set them on a stable, heat resistant surface. Using heat resistant gloves or a thick dishtowel, ensure the rings and screwed tightly on the jars. After the jars start to cool, you will hear popping noises, and this is a happy sound as it means your jars are sealing. You will see the lid has become concave and this means the jar has sealed. If a jar does not seal, you do not need to throw it away, simply remove the lid and ring, and replace with a fresh lid (you can always reuse the rings) and repeat the process.

Different foods may require different ingredients and cooking methods prior to putting the in the jar, for example, when canning tomatoes, it is best to put a small amount of salt and lemon juice in each jar to ensure the proper acid content. If you are ready to try it on your own, consult a book, Better Home and Gardens cookbook has a great section on canning and it my favorite tool when trying to preserve a new item. Ball also has an excellent website with tips and tricks at http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/home/1.php


Definitions:

Sterilized Canning Jars: Jars that have been thoroughly washed and then heated either in a dishwashers hot cycle or boiled in hot water to ensure they are sterile for the canning process.

Lid: The flat metal piece that forms the seal with the jar.

Ring: Metal ring which screws on the jar to hold down the lid.

Headspace: The amount of empty spaces left in the jar for air, this usually is some portion of the rim of the jar.


Canning Kettle: The large pot used for boiled water canning, traditionally these are enamel, but come in several varieties. Inside, they have a rack which will hold the canning jars in place, racks are made for either quart or pint size jars. If your rack is not the right size for your jars, use dishtowels to keep the jars from banging into each other.





What's on my shelf?

• diced tomatoes
• tomato juice
• salsa
• pickles
• pickled peppers
• dilly beans
• chili sauce
• raspberry jam
• strawberry rhubarb jam
• peach jam

Bar Soap

Have you looked in the average bathtub or shower today? Go on, take a look, how many plastic bottles and containers do you see lining the shelves and edges of our tubs? I counted six in my two person household. Your Mom or Grandmother's (or Great Grandmother, I forget how old I am getting) bathtub probably had just one thing in it, a bar of soap.


Contents of my shower:

1 bottle shampoo
1 bottle conditioner
1 tube special conditioner
1 girl body wash
1 boy body wash
1 container facial scrub

That's a lot of plastic, and depending on how often you shower and how many people in your house, you may go through this much or more in a single month! Not only that, but when we buy liquid soaps, much of what we are moving is water, so we are paying to transport water whereas a bar soap contains only the cleaner itself. A bar of soaps weighs in at 4.25 ounces and ships very compactly with its flat square shape. A awkward bottle of body wash weighs in at 10 ounces, lists water as the first ingredient and does not seem to last as long around my home.

Fear not, while you may not be able to maker your bathtub bottle free, here are a few tips on going Retro-Green and making smart choices.

• Say Goodbye to Bodywash, and Hello to Bar Soap: Remember that little bar of soap, simply wrapped in paper? You can find so many varieties, and if you enjoy using the ever popular body pouf, bar soap actually foams up just as well as bottled body wash, you just need to use a little elbow grease. Many stores sell completely natural varieties, some of my favorites are Bee & Flower brand(shown above, my fave is Sandalwood) and any of the bars from LUSH
  
• If you are brave, you can even trade in your pump hand wash on the sink for a plain old bar of soap. If that isn't for you, try using refillable containers, and be sure to recycle the plastic you do keep.
  
• LUSH offers an amazing product called Solid Shampoos which make it easy to cut down on bottles, one bar lasts up to 40 shampoos!They even offer a cute metal tin to keep the bar in when not in use. They also offer a Solid Conditioner but I cannot vouch for it as I have not tried it yet.
  

I am in the conversion process right now, here is my list again, edited down thanks to my Retro-Green tips :)

From 6 bottles, down to just 1 tube!

Bottles of Shampoo and Conditioner- Replaced by Solid Shampoo bar sold with no wrapping, stored in a reusable metal tin, no more plastic bottles here!

1 girl body wash, 1 boy body wash- replaced with 2 bars of soap, a nice girly one for me, and a manly scented one for my hubby.

1 container facial scrub- still there, waste not want not, and it works until I find a good alternative. Bar soap works, but I don't like the way it makes my face feel afterward.

All said, being green isn't about buying things that say green on them, it's about the choices we make every day. I often feel lately that "green" is more often a marketing ploy than anything else. Some things that claim to be "green" are actually worse for the environment in the long run. While our ancestors certainly did some horrible things to the environment, they had some great ideas too, and certainly consumed much less in the household. I look forward to hearing and learning about more products to reduce, reuse, or re-invent our daily habits.