I Made the Front Page! (with my Palm Fruit Jelly)

We jammin' in the front yard

Here I am in front of the Columbia Star office building underneath the
Pindo Palm, with what's left of a jar of Palm Fruit Jelly.

From the front page August 31 edition of The Columbia Star 

By Warren Hughes

Pam Staples remembers the long ago warmth of the country kitchen where she and the women of her family gathered for the annual ritual to preserve the summer fruits and vegetables.

The yearly practice in her grandmother’s mountain kitchen in western North Carolina was not only a culinary joy, it was also an economic habit that would ensure the large and extended family would have an abundance of vegetables, soups, and preserves from the gardens and orchards nearby to savor and sustain them in the long winter months to come.  

The resilience and resourcefulness of her grandmother, Annie Jackson Smith, are a pivotal and lasting influence in Pam’s life. When she and her husband, Hugh, set up housekeeping in Ridgeway, those memories of what a home should be served as an inspiration. Ridgeway might not have the mountain views, but the nurturing nature of her grandmother’s gardening hand and the inspired flavor of her table offerings are the same. 

“She was the best cook and homemaker I have ever known and the total pillar of the family,” Pam recalls. “She could always do absolutely everything from drying tears to milking cows, and everybody called on her for whatever the need was from a baby’s birth to a serious illness.”

 Pam also reflects her grandmother’s genetic stamp of practical thrift and economic resourcefulness. When the economy took a downward turn, and food prices rose with the price of farm to market transport, Pam was undaunted and stepped up her pace with her natural frugality to keep the pantry full of delectable offerings that would last.

One evening, when Pam was about her tasks, her husband affectionately called her “Canning Granny” in deference to her grandmother’s influence and Pam’s own natural talent. Recognizing that his wife’s gift was special and her skill a dying art, he suggested  she ought to start a computer blog to share her knowledge with others. “Hugh is my biggest supporter,” she fondly observes, and he no doubt is a most appreciative beneficiary of her efforts,  

As her devoted fan, one could say a star was born that night. Following her husband’s advice, she shared on Facebook she was starting a blog on canning and preserving. Almost immediately, there was an enthusiastic cadre eagerly accessing her posts. The numbers quickly grew into the hundreds, and today there are some 17,000 from across the world including followers from Europe, South America, and Australia as well as in the United States. 

While she reveres the values of the past, Pam, like most women, recognizes the necessity of staying on the cutting edge and possesses an impressive array of modern technology and computer skills. When she entered the job market in Columbia, she brought journalistic experience with her as a former employee of the Tryon, N.C, Bulletin, a talent quickly recognized by The Columbia Star publisher Mimi  Maddock, who hired her as assistant editor.  

Even with her daily professional responsibilities and newspaper deadlines, Pam, like her mountain forebears, always has her eye out for those environmental features she can appropriate for some practical and desirable use. The pindo palm tree at the entrance of The Columbia Star’s Shandon office did not escape her observant eye. Linda Sosbee, the financial manager, pointed out to the staff how sweet the plum-like fruit smelled. Pam’s mind immediately started spinning wondering how the fruit  would taste and what she could do with it. 

Her research revealed the fruit was non-poisonous and considered edible. If it could be done, Pam could do it. If marooned on an island as shipwrecked castaways, the survivors could only hope that someone with Pam’s resourcefulness would be among them. As Pam’s colleagues will attest, the jam that resulted from her experiment with the palm’s fruit is a sweet but tart prizewinner worthy of a blue ribbon at the State Fair.

Country biscuits brought to the office topped with the creation made for a great coffee break treat.  

With school starting, her recipe for Sloppy Joes is enticing and with cold winter nights on the horizon. Her vegetable soup mix makes for some real comfort food just like granny used to make. Find her on Facebook, her blog at http://canninggranny. blogspot.com/ or pinterest at http://pinterest.com /source/canninggranny.blogspot.com/.

And if you'd like the recipe... here 'tis...

Palm Fruit Jelly

3 quarts ripe palm fruit

6 cups water

Simmer fruit in the water in a large saucepan until fruit is softened, about 30 minutes, crushing fruit with a potato masher as it cooks to release juices.

Strain fruit through several layers of cheesecloth, discard fruit, measure juice collected.

In a large stainless steel saucepan mix:

5-1/2 cups fruit juice

1 box powdered pectin (Sure Jel)

Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. When liquid reaches a full, rolling boil add all at once...

7-1/2 cups sugar

Bring back to a full, rolling boil and boil, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat and fill hot, sterilized half pint jelly jars to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Tighten hot, sterilized lids and rings on to fingertip tightness.

Process jars in a boiling water bath... ensure jars are completely covered with water, bring water to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle boil and boil, covered, for 10 minutes. After processing, remove jars from water using a jar lifter and set on a folded dish towel or cooling rack on the counter to cool and to seal.

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

Canning Carrots

This year we planted and harvested our very first crop of carrots... we didn't get very many and they were pretty small... but we are proud of them just the same!

I pulled the rest of them recently and decided to can them even though there weren't many...

Here's what I did...

I scrubbed and peeled all my little carrots, then sliced them up.

I prepared my pint canning jars by boiling them in water and kept my lids simmering and hot until I was ready for them.

I raw packed the carrots (packed them without cooking them!) into the hot pint canning jars.

I added a half teaspoon of canning salt to each jar.

Then filled each jar with boiling water, leaving a half inch headspace. I checked for air bubbles, removed them with a plastic chopstick and added more boiling water if needed to adjust the headspace.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, then tightened the hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars of carrots in my pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 25 minutes.

When the jars completed processing, I allowed my pressure canner to cool down on its own and allowed the pressure to drop to zero before opening the canner and removing the jars with my jar lifter.

I set the jars of pretty orange carrots on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

Canning Sloppy Joe Sauce

For a quick meal on a busy workday, Sloppy Joes can't be beat... What if you could have your own homemade Sloppy Joe Sauce on hand to mix with a pound of ground beef for a tasty, nutritious meal. And you know exactly what's in it! Sounds yummy and when a reader posted her recipe for Sloppy Joe Sauce I had to make it.

Here's what I did...

I cored and quartered

1 gallon of tomatoes

Then chopped...

2 cups celery

2 cups onions
1-1/2 cups bell peppers

I put all the vegetables into my big stainless steel stock pot and brought the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once it was boiling, I reduced the heat and boiled gently for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables were soft.

Then, working in small batches, I ran the mixture through a food mill...

I cooked this mixture down until it was reduced by half.

Then I added...

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 clove minced garlic
1Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. canning salt

1/2 cup vinegar (white or apple cider... I chose apple cider, I like the flavor!)

I brought the mixture back to a boil, then reduced the heat and boiled gently until it was the thickness I desired, (took about an hour) stirring frequently to keep from scorching.

In the meantime, I prepared my pint canning jars and lids... boiling the jars and keeping them hot until I was ready to use them... and keeping the lids simmering and hot until I was ready for them.

I filled the hot pint jars with the hot mixture, leaving a half inch headspace.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, then tightened the hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (quarts would be processed for 35 minutes).

After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and, of course, to listen for the music of the PING! of each successfully sealed jar.

Yummy! Sloppy Joe night will taste better than ever!

I got 5 pints of sauce with this recipe.

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

Canning Peach Salsa

According to the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, peach salsa is "a refreshing change... and can be a nutritious topping for ice cream. For something quite different, try it on graham crackers, pancakes, or waffles, or rolled up in a crêpe with a dollop of whipped cream." It has some heat to it, so I'm sure it would be wonderful with a bag of tortilla chips as well!

Here's what I did...

I peeled, pitted, and diced 6 cups of peaches, then in my large, stainless steel saucepan I combined...

1/2 cup white vinegar

... and the 6 cups diced peaches

I added 1-1/4 chopped onion

4 jalapeño peppers, finely chopped (I left the seeds and veins in the peppers because I was going for HEAT! If you prefer a milder salsa, remove the seeds and veins from the peppers before chopping)
AND... always remember to wear gloves when chopping hot peppers!

1 seeded and chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup loosely packed, finely chopped cilantro (I might have used a little more than half a cup)

2 Tbsp. liquid honey (that's what the recipe called for, LIQUID honey, that's the only honey I know!)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

I brought the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. I reduced the heat and boiled gently, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened (about 5-10 minutes).

In my previously prepared, washed, sterilized and heated pint jars, I ladled the hot salsa mixture, leaving a half inch headspace.

I wiped the jar rims and tightened my hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I placed the jars in a boiling water bath canner, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought it to a boil and processed for 15 minutes.

After processing I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool... and to listen for the music of the PING of each successfully sealed jar!

This recipe makes 4 pint or 8 half pint jars.

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

Canning Muscadine Juice (Mama's Easy Way)

Muscadines are a wild grape (for you who are not familiar with them) that grow all over the Southeast. Growing up in Western N.C., we picked muscadines in September and Mama made juice... really more like a "juice cocktail" that was so easy to make and SO good to drink!

Here in the Midlands of S.C., at least in my yard, we have a muscadine variety that ripens earlier than I'm accustomed to... last summer was our first summer in our new home and we missed the muscadines (birds ate well!) because I was in denial that they could be ripe in July! Well they are and we picked a few recently (many are way to high up and I haven't found a way to get to them just yet... birds may beat me to them again, but I'll get the lower ones!)

Anyhow, here's how I made my juice

I heated my quart jars and lids and boiled a big pot of water...

Then...

In each hot quart jar I put...

One cup of grapes (rinsed well)

And...

One half cup of sugar

Then...

I filled each jar to within a half inch of the top with boiling water.

I tightened my hot lids and rings onto the jars (I gave them a little swish and shake to make sure the sugar dissolved)

Then I processed the jars in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

Mama always canned this juice in half gallon jars (so if you're fortunate enough to have half gallon jars, double the amount and go for it!) My brother still cans this juice every September, and in the same tradition as Mama, he doesn't let anyone open a jar until Thanksgiving! We always have Muscadine Juice on Thanksgiving.

The juice does need to sit for at least two months so the juices and sugar can blend... it starts out a pale barely pink color, but within a few weeks begins to darken to a gorgeous deep ruby red. And it's so yummy!

When it comes time to drink the juice, we strain out the grapes and enjoy the yummy juice!

We have always made this from our local wild muscadines, but the same method can be used with any grape... and maybe other fruits. Dunno, never tried it!

Muscadine Juice after sitting for a week... it will continue to
darken and strengthen the flavor.

Canning Seafood Cocktail Sauce

This zesty sauce is great with shrimp and other seafood, but I'm thinking there may be more uses for this yummy concoction that begins with tomatoes...

Here's what I did...

First I prepared my tomatoes... the recipe called for 13 cups of plum tomato puree

I didn't have plum tomatoes, I had globe tomatoes, so I cored and quartered about 10 pounds of tomatoes and put them in a colander, allowing them to drain for a half hour before I placed them in my large stainless steel saucepan and brought them to a boil over medium heat, then turning the heat down and simmering for 15 minutes or so, until the tomatoes were heated through and softened.

I then put the tomatoes through my food mill to puree them...

I measured out 13 cups of tomato puree, then poured half into a clean saucepan and brought it to a boil over high heat, then added the remainder of puree a cup at a time, maintaining a constant boil... I lowered the heat and gently boiled the puree, stirring occasionally, until it was reduced by half. (took about 30 minutes, give or take)

While all this reducing was going on, I grated horseradish...

This is a piece of horseradish root

I began by peeling the horseradish root with my vegetable peeler... you're supposed to also be able to scrape off the outer brown peel using the edge of a spoon... neither worked well for me, so I got out my trusty paring knife and peeled it with the knife.

On to the grating part... tried to use an old fashioned box grater... took too long... so I got out my KitchenAid mixer grater attachment and tried that route... worked a little better, but the horseradish root was still resisting me and was a little too squishy for the KitchenAid... so... I got out my blender and put the still ungrated (the in-grate!) horseradish in the blender, gave it a whirl and Tah-Dah!!!! perfectly grated horseradish!

By the time THAT ordeal was over, my eyes and nose were pouring... horseradish is smelly and brutal to the mucous membranes (in large quantities!)... so I took a break, wiped my eyes, blew my nose, washed my hands and got back to work...

I set the grated horseradish aside and went back to my now reduced tomato puree...

To the puree, I added...

The zest and juice of two lemons

And then my camera battery died so I put the batteries in the charger and completed my sauce without the aid of photography (sad face)

I also added to the puree...

3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. canning salt
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

I increased the heat and brought the entire mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring frequently.

I then removed it from the heat and immediately added...

3 cups of finely grated horseradish

I ladled the hot sauce into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving a half inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles and adjusted the headspace by adding more sauce if needed. I wiped the jar rim with a damp cloth and tightened my hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath, ensuring they were completely covered with water, bringing the water to a boil and processing for 15 minutes. After processing, I removed the jars from the canner and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

Next morning, when my camera batteries had recharged... I took a photo of the finished product... Seafood Cocktail Sauce!

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

Canning Bruschetta in a Jar

Always on the lookout for another tomato canning recipe, I found this recipe for "Bruschetta in a Jar" in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and had to give it a try. Bruschetta is an antipasto from Italy whose origin dates to at least the 15th century. It consists of roasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Variations may include toppings of spicy red pepper, tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese; the most popular recipe outside of Italy involves basil, fresh tomato, garlic and onion or mozzarella. Bruschetta is usually served as a snack or appetizer. In some countries, a topping of chopped tomato, olive oil and herbs is sold as Bruschetta.

This mixture of fresh tomatoes, spices, vinegars, and white wine can be spooned onto a toasted baguette and garnished with grated cheese and a splash of olive oil for a zesty snack or side dish with an Italian meal.

Here's what I did...

I washed and sterilized my half pint jars and put my lids in hot water to simmer... keeping everything hot until I was ready for them.

In my large, stainless steel sauce pan, I combined...

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup white wine vinegar

1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. dried basil
2 Tbsp. dried oregano

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Bring this mixture JUST to a boil, then remove from heat.

Previously I had prepared...
9 cups chopped, peeled, cored tomatoes
... and set them aside.

Tip: Plum tomatoes work better than globe tomatoes, but since all I had were globe tomatoes, I chopped them up and drained them through a colander for 30 minutes before using.

I packed the tomatoes (raw and cold) into my hot half pint jars to within a generous half inch of the top of the jar.

Then I ladled the hot vinegar mixture into the jars to cover the tomatoes, leaving a half inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles and adjusted headspace if necessary by adding more vinegar mixture.

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth and tightened my hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath... placing the jars in my canner ensuring they were completely covered with water, and bringing the water to a boil and processing for 20 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

Can't wait to have this zesty spread on a toasted baguette or maybe even as a "gourmet" pizza sauce with some mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil... Yumminess in a jar!

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here. 

Canning Mama's Vegetable Soup, aka Tomatoes, Corn and Okra

When I was growing up, Mama's canning goal every year was 100 quarts of green beans, 100 quarts of peaches, and 100 quarts of vegetable soup... she canned other things as they came in, but these three remained constant... and vegetable soup, Mama style, was a staple at our house... She would pop open a jar or two of this summery mixture of tomatoes, corn and okra, add some other ingredients, like potatoes, carrots, onions, maybe some ground beef or stew meat or chicken and let it simmer while a pone of cornbread baked in the oven in her cast iron frying pan reserved ONLY for cornbread... and in just a little while it was supper on a cold winter evening... nothing better!

Tomatoes, corn, and okra usually come in from the garden about the same time so it's only natural to mix this trio of goodness together in a delicious soup base. Tomatoes, corn, and okra are coming in in our garden now so I mixed up a little batch... I won't have 100 quarts, as a matter of fact the soup I mixed up last night only made 3 quarts, but with every bite, I'll be eating deliciousness and remember all those winter evenings eating Mama's soup while my brothers and sister shared our day along with Mama and Daddy... this soup means family to me.

Here's what I did...

There's no real "recipe" for this soup... you basically use whatever amounts of each ingredient that you have on hand... I had about 8-10 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and cored... (I poured boiling water over my whole tomatoes, left them for a minute or two, the put them in cold water and the peels slip right off)

8 ears of white field corn (you could use sweet corn), cut off

1-2 pounds of okra, sliced

I mixed the three ingredients together in my large stainless steel saucepan...

I brought the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes (maybe 10-15 minutes) until everything was heated through.

I washed, rinsed and sterilized my quart jars and put my lids in hot water to simmer... keeping everything hot until I was ready to use them.

I filled the jars, leaving a half-inch headspace. I added a teaspoon of canning salt to each quart (this is optional).

I wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, then tightened the lids on to fingertip tightness.

I then processed my jars of soup at 10 pounds pressure for 85 minutes (using the time and psi for corn).

After processing and allowing the pressure in my pressure canner to drop to zero... then waiting an additional 10 minutes to allow the jars to adjust to the lowered pressure (reducing the risk of jar breakage), I removed the jars from my canner and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool...

And to listen for the PING! of each successfully sealed jar! Live for the PING!