Cooperative Living August 2014 - 18

READER RECIPES
In the days before refrigeration and modern modes of transportation,
rural Americans depended on various food-preservation methods, including
the canning of fruits and vegetables, to stretch the farm's bounty
through the winter months. Today, it's not only rewarding to preserve
home-grown produce, but an added plus is being able to directly control
the amount of sugar, salt and other seasonings that you use. Be careful to
sterilize canning tools and preserve food safely! After packing hot food
or sauces in sterilized jars, seal them using a hot-water bath or pressure
canner to deter any harmful microorganisms. Date and label each
container and try to consume within a year for best taste.
Take Time to Preserve Summer's Bounty
TOMATO PRESERVES
Sarah Beth Monger of Stanley
INGREDIENTS:
1½ gallons of skinned tomatoes
5 lbs. sugar
Cinnamon to taste
DIRECTIONS: To skin tomatoes,
drop in boiling water until skins split,
then remove and allow to cool
before pulling off skin. Put skinned
tomatoes with juice in a large kettle
and pour sugar over them. Cook
over medium heat until thick, stirring
often (about 3½ hours). Flavor with
cinnamon or cinnamon candy to
taste. Pour in pint glass jars and seal
in a hot-water bath.
F.R.O.G. JAM
Sarah Pember of Charlottesville
INGREDIENTS:
4 large dried Turkish figs
11
⁄3 cups frozen raspberries
2 cups orange juice
1 T ginger puree
(or finely diced ginger)
1 T agave nectar
(or more, to taste)
½ t ground ginger (optional)
DIRECTIONS: Finely chop the dried
figs. Combine with raspberries, juice
and ginger in a medium saucepan.
Bring to a simmer over medium-low
heat. Cook, stirring regularly, until
thickened. Stir in agave nectar and
allow to cool before storing in the
fridge. Makes 2 cups and may be
processed in glass jars to seal for
longer storage.
16
MAMA'S CHOW CHOW
Mac Cofer of Smithfield
INGREDIENTS:
1 medium cabbage, chopped
1 pint small onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, cored,
seeded and chopped
2 T salt
1 quart cider vinegar
½ lb. brown sugar
1 t celery seed
¼ cup black mustard seed
¼ cup white mustard seed
(can substitute ¼ cup yellow
mustard seed for either)
DIRECTIONS: Mix chopped vegetables
with salt. Let stand for one
hour, then set aside in a colander to
drain for three hours. Put vinegar,
sugar and seeds into large, heavy
pot. Bring to a boil and let boil in full
roll for one minute. Add vegetables
to pot. Return to a boil and let boil
for 1 minute. Pack in clean, sterile,
hot jars and seal, or store in closely
covered earthenware crocks. Serve
over cooked cabbage or other
greens. Makes about 6 pints.
ZUCCHINI JAM
Carol Boyer of Fort Valley
INGREDIENTS:
6 cups zucchini, peeled
and grated
6 cups sugar
20 oz. crushed pineapple,
undrained
2 3-oz. packages of gelatin
(peach, apricot or strawberry)
DIRECTIONS: Combine zucchini
and sugar and boil for 6
minutes. Add pineapple and
boil another 10 minutes, stirring
often to keep from sticking.
Add two packages of desired
flavor of gelatin while still boiling.
Pour mixture into sterilized
jars. Process in a water bath for
10 minutes to seal.
BRANDIED OR
SPICED PEACHES
Debbie Roland of Nokesville
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. peaches (or about
3 whole peaches)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 small cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1-2 T brandy or Chambord
liqueur (optional)
" Fruit Fresh " produce protector
(made by Ball Corp.)
DIRECTIONS: Peel peaches,
either by dipping them in hot
water, then cold water, or by
simply peeling them. Quarter
and place in a bowl with cold
water and Fruit Fresh (to keep
the color). Boil sugar and
water until it becomes a light
syrup. Add clove, cinnamon
stick and liqueur to quart jar;
pack in peaches and pour hot
sugar-water over all. Process in
water bath for 10 minutes.
Note: can double or triple
recipe.
VIRGINIA APPLE
BUTTER
Diane Bane of Effinger
INGREDIENTS:
½ bushel of apples (about
21 lbs., use Yellow Delicious
or Rome)
1 quart water
5 lbs. sugar (optional)
5 drops oil of cinnamon
10 to 12 sterilized 1-pint
glass jars
DIRECTIONS: Placed the peeled,
cored and sliced apples in a very
large pot and add one quart of
water and sugar, if you like your
apple butter sweet. Cook apples
down, as if you were making applesauce.
When soft, mash with a
fork or hand blender and place in
a metal baking pan. If you have
too much to fit in one pan, make a
few batches separately. Because
you want to bake out the moisture
to make a thick apple butter, don't
cover the pan. You may want to
place a drip pan below, as the
cooking process can be messy!
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
and bake each batch of apples for
45 minutes or until bubbly. Lower
the temperature to 275 and bake
4-5 hours more, stirring occasionally.
Take the apple butter out when
it looks dark brown in color. Add 5
drops of cinnamon oil and stir well,
then put the apple butter in sterilized
jars and process in a water
bath. Always refrigerate after
opening a jar. 
Cooperative Living/August 2014
AD077/ISTOCK/THINKSTOCK
Cooperative Living August 2014

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