Dianne Elmer

Family Canning Recipes

  This time of year has always been my favorite time of the year. I love the turning of the leaves, the preserving of the harvest, and the cooling weather. I even love Halloween. Some of my fondest memories are times pealing peaches, snapping beans and the wonderful smalls of the canning foods. I wanted to share with you my favorite family canning recipes. These are recipes that my family has used for years but check with your local Department of Agriculture for proper canning methods.

Salsa- This was my children's favorite Salsa so I adapted it to make it really easy to make. If it is not hot enough for your family add more jalapenos. You can taste this before you bottle it.

Ingredients: ¾ bushel of Tomatoes 4 Large green peppers 2 red peppers (or you can substitute 2 more green peppers) 6 Large onions 12 Tablespoons garlic salt 1 cup vinegar 1 cup sugar 2 small cans of sliced jalapenos 2 small cans of green chilies

Instructions: Wash and dice tomatoes. Dice peppers and onions. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until thick and bottle and seal using the Hot Liquid Method.

Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill to the neck with product. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours.

Grandma Darcus' Corn Relish- Served at Anna's Kitchen in the State Line Casino for many years. Customers loved this on their eggs at breakfast.

Ingredients: 2 doz. ears of corn 1 quart of ground tomatoes 1 quart of ground onion 1 quart of ground cucumbers 1 quart of vinegar 3 cups sugar 1teaspoon celery seeds 1 teaspoon dry mustard ½ teaspoon paprika

Instructions: Blanch corn and remove the corn from the cab. Blanch and peel tomatoes .Grind (for those of you that do not have a food grinder you can use a food processer) tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. Measure and add to pan. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and boil for 40 minutes. Bottle and seal using the Hot Liquid Method.

Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill to the neck with product. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours.

Hot Dog Relish

Ingredients: 4 quarts zucchini 5 medium onions 4 green peppers 4 Tablespoons salt 5 cups sugar ½ teaspoon cloves 4 teaspoons' turmeric 4 Tablespoons mustard seed 4 Tablespoons celery seed 3-4 cups apple cider vinegar

Instructions: Grind (for those of you that do not have a food grinder you can use a food processer) zucchini, onions, and green peppers. Put into large pan and add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Boil for at a full boil for 3 minutes. Bottle and seal using the Hot Liquid Method.

Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill to the neck with product. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours.

Hansberger Relish-this is my friend Lauren's recipe. Do not make it unless you want a job for the rest of your children's lives. It is so good they will not want relish from the store.

Ingredients: 1 quart cucumbers 1 quart tomatoes 1quart onion 3 large green peppers 3 small red peppers 1 quart white vinegar 1 quart sugars 1 Tablespoon turmeric 2 Tablespoons mustard seed 1 Tablespoon dry mustard 1 Tablespoon salt

Instructions: Grind and drain cucumbers and peppers. Blanch, grind and drain tomatoes. Grind onions do not drain. Put into large pan. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and boil until thick. Bottle and seal using the Hot Liquid Method.

Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill to the neck with product. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours.

Ruth's Mustard Pickles-for those of you that have never had mustard pickles I do not know how to describe them. This is a part of my heritage. We eat them with eggs, fried potatoes, potatoes and grave, just to name a few. They have a sweet mustard flavor like honey mustard. I think sometimes my kids used these to mask flavors they didn't like.

Ingredients: 14 med cucumbers Large head of cauliflower 5 large onions 2 quarts white vinegar 3 heaping Tablespoons French's dry mustard. Yes, mom says it has to be French's. Or they are not her pickles. Oh, Ruth is my mom. 8 cups sugar ½ teaspoon pepper 1 small can of pimentos 3 Tablespoons flour ½ pkg of pickling spice

Instructions: Peel and slice cucumbers. If they are large cut slices into ½'s or ¼'s. You want them to be bit size. Put into a bowl with a hand full of salt and soak overnight. Break or cut up the cauliflower into bit size pieces. Chop the onion into bite size pieces. I use to slice and then quarter them so my kids who did not want onion could pick them out. Soak cauliflower and onion in a bowl with a hand full of salt. Keep the cucumbers in a separate bowl. Next day. Cook Cauliflower and onion in vinegar. Cook for 20 minutes add the cucumbers and cook until tender. Add the rest of the ingredients except the pickling spice. Mix and then add the pickling spice in a spice bag. (If you have never done this I use a piece of cheese cloth and wrap the spice in it and put a twist tie to hold them into the cloth). Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Bottle and seal using the Hot Liquid Method.

Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill to the neck with product. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours.

Note: If your family loves these and you want to double the recipe next year here is a tip. Double everything in the recipe except the vinegar and flour, Use 3 quarts of vinegar and 5-6 heaping Tablespoons of flour.

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients: Apples 41/2 cups sugar 1 cup cornstarch 2 teaspoons cinnamon ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 10 cups of water 3 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions. Peel, core and slice apples. Measure and mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt into a large pan. Add water, mix and cook until thick and bubbly. Add lemon juice. Pack raw apples into jars leaving 1 inch head space. Fill the jars with hot syrup leaving ½ inch head space.

Process in boiling water bath. Quarts for 20 minutes-pints for 13 minutes Hot Pack or Hot bath-Hot pack is using a bath of boiling water. I use a large canning pan with a bottle rack. Put in the bottles and water filled to the bottom of the ring (lid). Bring water to a boil and begin timing. Keep the water boiling and level at the bottom of the ring. Remove carefully and let cool for at least 24 hours before moving them.

Spiced Beets

Ingredients: ¼ bushel of beets 3 cups vinegar 2 cups of water saved from cooking the beets 21/2 cups of sugar 2 Tablespoons all spice 3 sticks of cinnamon ½ teaspoon whole cloves 1 scant Tablespoon salt.(not quite a Tablespoon)

Instructions: Cook beets until tender. Dain and save the water. Set the beets to the side. Measure sugar and put into large pan. Add 2 cups of beet water. Put all spice, cinnamon sticks, cloves and salt into a spice bag. (If you have never done this I use a piece of cheese cloth and wrap the spice in it and put a twist tie to hold them into the cloth). Add to sauce (beet water and sugar) and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Slice beets and add to sauce. Bring back to a boil and cook 5 minutes. Bottle in pints and seal using the Hot Liquid Method. Hot Liquid Method-Put the hot liquid into clean bottles fill liquid to the neck of the bottle. Boil flats and put onto clean jars. Put on the rings and tighten. Place the bottles upside down on a towel to seal and cool. Do not disturb for 24 hours. I save the rest of the water for Beet Jelly. It really is good.