Canning

I have wanted to give canning a try for a little over a year now and I was finally able to do it! I adventured out with 3 little men and a friend of mine this weekend to collect strawberries. Today, I turned the 8 pounds that we collected into 10 half pints of Strawberry and Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam. I couldn't be happier.

Have I sold you on this yet? Trust me, you will be so delighted after all is said and done. It is an easy, relaxing way to provide yourself and family with an outdoor activity along with quality food you can feel good about.

Don't know where to start? I'll tell you where I did.

First, go to Amazon.com and pick up Canning for a New Generation, by Liana Krissoff. She uses a unique method of preserving that I really like. The book is very thorough, easy to follow, and packed with recipes. While you're browsing Amazon, add canning utensils, an enamel-coated cast-iron dutch oven (6-7 quart capacity), and a pressure canner. Everything will set you back around $175.00 but you will have quality, universal equipment that you will most likely never have to replace.

Okay, you are equipped. Now, go to your grandmother's house and ask if you can have some mason jars that you know she has just sitting in her basement from her canning glory-days. Then, go pick up new lids and water-soluble labels from your local store for those vintage jars.

Now, pick out your very first recipe. Go ahead, take your time. I will wait.

Found it? Good. Now, go to your local farm, farmer's market, or your own garden and select your ingredients. Make sure you get enough! Bring it all back to your kitchen, make yourself a cup of coffee, turn on some good music, and preserve your harvest.

After only canning once, I am hooked. I love it. It's a skill that will never be of no use. It's simple. It' genius. It's healthy. It's fun.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam - using the water-bath canning method
(this is a modified version of Liana Krissoff's Rhubarb and Strawberry Jam on page 41)

2 cups rhubarb: trimmed and diced
7 cups strawberries: rinsed, hulled, and diced
2 cups of sugar

Clean and sterilize your mason jars in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Leave jars in hot water until you are ready to fill them.

Combine the above ingredients along with 1/2 cup of water in an enamel-coated, cast iron pan. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Separate fruit from liquid by straining. Return liquid back to pan and set fruit aside. Bring the liquid up to a boil and continue to cook over high heat for about 20 minutes (until the liquid reduces to about 1 1/2 cups), stirring occasionally.

Return fruit and accumulated liquid to the pan and simmer on low for another 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Skim off foam if necessary and then stir one more time to be sure the fruit is evenly distributed among the liquid.

Carefully, remove your mason jars from the hot water, pour the water that is in them back into the pot and then place the empty jars on a towel laid out on your counter.
 
Ladle mixture into sterilized mason jars, leaving 1/4 space at the top. Clean the rims of jars with a damp paper towel and cover with lids (don't put them on too tight though). Process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from water and leave undisturbed for 12 hours but check the seal after 1 hour.

Birthday Baking

I turned 30 today. My 2 year old was also running a fever and my 3 year was hell-bent on being naked all day. So, naturally, we all ended up making biscuits for my 4 year old... who happens to be a Westie. 

Meet Powder: sweet, trusting, but not too bright. I love him ever so much.

So, if you're having a day like I had today and know a hungry dog, I suggest making these.

Peanut Butter, Banana, & Oat Dog Biscuits

Ingredients  

1 large egg

1 large banana, mashed

1/3 cup organic, creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 and 1/2 cups brown rice flour*
1/2 cup rolled oats

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the egg, mashed banana, peanut butter, and maple syrup. Mix well. 
3. Add the flour and oats and stir until combined.
4. Flour your work surface and roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. 
5. Using a cookie cutter, cut and place the dough onto your baking sheet (they don’t spread so you can place them pretty close together). 
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until crunchy.
7. Store tightly covered.

* This is the gluten-free substitute for whole wheat flour. I recommend it because a lot of puppers have a hard time digesting wheat. 

Avoiding Plastics

First of all, watch this documentary. It is an entertaining and informative piece on plastic's impact on our health and environment. I promise you that you'll never see plastics the same again.

The way we treat all things good in this world (from our planet, to our animals, to our fellow man) has always saddened me. I must confess though that I have never really gone above and beyond to change any of it. I recycled and reused when it was convenient. I have adopted a pet or two over the years. I worked in human services before settling down and raising my family. All well and good, but nothing significant. It may sound funny, but this film has inspired me to change not only how and what I consume, but to do meaningful work in other areas I believe in (or against).

So I am starting with plastics, and I am taking baby-steps. In the 3 days since watching "Bag It", we have purchased 10 natural cotton tote and 5 organic cotton produce bags, eliminating the need for plastic bags at the grocery store; Purchased reusable, washable sandwich and snack bags for my husband to bring his lunches to work in, eliminating our sandwich/ziplock bag use; Switched from liquid to powdered laundry detergent, eliminating both the plastic bottle and phthalates associated with the liquid detergent; Started to compost our organic food waste and recycle all paper and glass, reducing our overall trash and use of trash bags. We vow to NEVER... let me repeat: NEVER buy bottled water (or any other single-serve beverage in a plastic bottle) ever again. If we have to buy something in plastic, we try our best to purchase products in containers made with recycled materials, that are labeled with a 1 or 2 within the chasing arrows, and reuse the container for other needs.

These have all been VERY EASY and yet worthwhile adaptations. The list of things I can do to reduce my plastic use is extensive. Some are inconvenient and challenging. All I can do is educate myself, think of my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, keep an open-mind, and try my best.