Amish Recipe Series... Amish Pickled Eggs and Beets

Why don't the Amish use electricity?

Amish people interpret linking with electrical wires as a connection with the world - and the Bible tells them they are not to be conformed to the world. (Romans 12:2) In 1919 the Amish leaders agreed that connecting to power lines would not be in the best interest of the Amish community. They did not make this decision because they thought electricity was evil in itself, but because easy access to it could lead to many temptations and the deterioration of church and family life.

Most of us today would think it impossible to live without the modern conveniences such as electricity and cars. What makes the Old Order Amish unique is not that they get along without modernity, but that they choose to do without it when it would be readily available. The Amish value simplicity and self-denial over comfort, convenience and leisure. Their lifestyle is a deliberate way of separating from the world and maintaining self-sufficiency. (Amish are less threatened by power shortages caused by storm, disaster, or war.) As a result there is a bonding that unites the Amish community and protects it from outside influences such as television, radios, and other influences

Amish Pickled Eggs and Beets 

Found on food.com by Mercy

This is an easy recipe that my grandmother used to serve in the spring. My brother still refers to this dish as "Easter eggs." Slices of onion or hot pepper may also be added to the pickling liquid with the beets and eggs.

INGREDIENTS
SERVINGS 6

* 1 cup cider vinegar
* 1 cup beet juice (add water, if necessary, to make 1 cup)
* 1⁄2 cup brown sugar (packed)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 6 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
* 1 (15 ounce) can small round beets

Boil first four ingredients gently for 5 minutes. Cool the liquid then pour over eggs and beets, cover and let stand overnight (or up to three days) in the refrigerator.

To serve, cut eggs in half or quarters.

Amish Recipe Series... Amish Noodles

The first Amish novel I ever read was The Shunning by Beverly Lewis... I loved it! But it does romanticize the Amish culture and paints a much rosier picture of life in the Amish world than is reality.

Shunning of Amish Church Members
The term church members means those who are baptized as adults and voluntarily commit themselves to a life of obedience to God and the church. Yes, those who break their baptismal vows are shunned by the Old Order Amish. Belonging is important and shunning is meant to be redemptive. It is not an attempt to harm or ruin the individual and in most cases it does bring that member back into the fellowship again. Actually, the number of members excommunicated and shunned by the Amish is small.
The Biblical basis for shunning is found in these two verses:

• But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner -- not even to eat with such a one (I Corinthians 5:11)
• Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and of fences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. (Romans 16:17)

The families of a shunned member are expected to also shun them. Families shun the person by not eating at the same table with them. The practice of shunning makes family gatherings especially awkward. Other aspects of shunning include not doing any business with the shunned person, and not accepting gifts from them.

Another non-canning Amish recipe for today...

Amish Noodles

Found on recipegoldmine

3 eggs
About 2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat 3 eggs until frothy. Add flour and stir until of dough texture. Knead until smooth. Turn into floured cutting board. Roll dough, turning often until thin. Let noodle dough dry for 45 minutes. Turn dough and dry 1/2 hour. Cut into noodles size. Drop into boiling beef or chicken stock, reduce heat and cook at rolling boil about 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Amish Recipe Series... Amish Homemade Cough Syrup- Snake Juice

Bet ya thought you wouldn't get a recipe today... it HAS indeed been a busy day in Canning Granny world... Mr. G and I have our youngest granddaughter, Carissa, for our annual weekend before she starts school next week... she's going into first grade. Today we went on an adventure to the Carolina Raptor Center near Charlotte to see all the birds of prey. Had a fun dinner at BobbeeO's BBQ, a little "hole in the wall" BBQ joint that was so yummy!!! We're back home watching Narnia and tomorrow we're going school supply shopping and plan to make tutus, homemade pizza, and maybe cookies and homemade peach ice cream... A fella Mr. G works with gave him some fresh peaches... not enough to can, but just enough for ice cream!

Yup! As grandparents we get to do the fun stuff... starting
the weekend with slushies and candy!

Carissa told Mr. G last night... "Papa, YOU are the little boss and Nana is the BIG boss... we both hafta listen to her for the serious stuff!" (smart girl! LOL!)

And now for the recipe... not really a canning one, but I suppose you could can it if you wanted!

Amish Homemade Cough Syrup- Snake Juice

Found on the milkmans wife.blogspot

First you need a gallon glass jar or a half gallon depending on the size of your family or how bad your cold is. I used a gallon jar because we have had such bad colds that this has been a 'good thing' - not to quote someone who totally doesn't need my help.... My mom came over last night and saw the 'jar', tested it and said 'Grandpa used to call this 'snakejuice'..... Come to find out my grandpa used to make this very thing and I never new it. SO from now on its going to be 'snakejuice'


First you cut up 3-4 lemons - I had BIG ones and used 3.
I then cut up 2 large onions into slices.

Then the onions.....
Then I layer them - first lemons then onions until I have about the same amounts...

Then you take a jug of honey and pour that over the top.
THEN... the booze - a bottle of blackberry brandy and a bottle of peppermint schnapps.....
Yes use the whole thing if you are making a jug like this.
We take about a Tblsp as adults and 1/4 tsp of it IF we give it to the boys.... There is no more alcohol in this than there is in 'boughten' cough syrup - just none of the synthetic stuff that they stick in it. My Amish friend said that she keeps hers in a cool place and that it will last.... are you ready - over a year..... I suppose with all the booze the lemons are 'pickled' - *snort*

Amish Recipe Series... Amish Friendship Starter

While passing through Amish country in the Missouri Ozarks last spring, we visited a tiny Amish community store... as we were leaving the little store, a horse and carriage were parked in the driveway (a lady had come into the store to shop) and Mr. G spotted a baby sleeping in the back of the buggy... I really REALLY wanted to snap a picture of that sweet, sleeping child but Mr. G reminded me to be respectful of the Amish wishes of not being photographed, so I contented myself with soaking all the views in and remembering.

Today's recipe is not a canning recipe again, but a bread starter. Enjoy!

Amish Friendship Starter

found on baconinmypocket.blogspot

Here is the starter recipe. In a GLASS or PLASTIC bowl (this step is VERY important. You don't want to use anything metal when mixing this recipe up which also means mix with a plastic spoon, rubber spatula, or my favorite a silicone whisk) mix: 

1 package active dry yeast 
1 cup milk 
1 cup flour 
1 cup sugar 

Pour into a large plastic zip top baggie and label with the date. Place it on your counter- don't worry it will be ok! You've completed day one! 

Day 1: Do Nothing. 

Day 2: Mush the bag and let the air out 

Day 3: Mush the bag and let the air out 

Day 4: Mush the bag and let the air out 

Day 5: Mush the bag and let the air out

Day 6: Add to the bag 
1 Cup flour, 
1 cup sugar and 
1 cup milk. 
I mix these up in a bowl again (remember NO METAL!) and I have Mr. Bacon help me pour it into the baggie. You don't need a second set of hands, but it does help! Mush the bag and let the air out.

Day 7: Mush the bag and let the air out 

Day 8: Mush the bag and let the air out 

Day 9: Mush the bag and let the air out

Day 10: Mix and divide starter as follows. 
Pour the entire contents of the bag into a non metal bowl. Add 
1-1/2 Cups Flour, 
1-1/2 Cups Sugar, and 
1-1/2 Cups Milk 

and mix well. 

If you'd like to share the starters with friends, measure 1 Cup Batter into 4 gallon size zip lock bags. Keep one for yourself and give the other 3 to friends along with a copy of the recipe. You will end up with 5 batches of bread (4 bags and 1 in the bowl) Since I make the whole batch for myself, I skip this step. Now you are ready to add the rest of the ingredients and bake the bread! One thing I love about this recipe is that there are so many ways you can make it. Today I made Regular (vanilla), Pumpkin spice, Chocolate peanut butter & lemon poppy seed. I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow!

For recipes using Amish Friendship Starter, visit http://www.friendshipbreadkitchen.com/

Amish Recipe Series... Amish Church Peanut Butter Spread

When I visited an Amish community in southern Missouri last spring, I bought a couple of the traditional, faceless Amish dolls. Not all Amish communities still hold with the faceless doll rule, but many still do.


Why are the Amish dolls faceless?


Years ago, most dolls for ALL little girls were rag dolls without faces. Many of the Amish have retained this custom. It is believed that the reason is similar to the refusal to have pictures of people and is linked to the second commandment. ("Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4-6)


At an early age, many Amish children are learning not to have images, likenesses, or idols... and a doll with a face is still considered by some as a graven image.


The recipe I am sharing with you folks today is NOT a canning recipe (so many yummy recipes have been shared with Canning Granny, including many non-canning... and I will share them all with you, hope that's OK), although you CAN store this in a mason jar, so does that count? LOL!


My opinion on this recipe is beside the point, I guess, but it seems terribly sweet to me! BUT... in most all the Amish cookbooks I've seen, the following recipe is included in one form or another, so apparently most Amish folks enjoy it. In my (our) romanticization of the Amish culture, I guess we think since they live so close to the land, that everything they do, down to what they eat, must be fresh and healthy as well. This is not the case, it seems! From what I have read, and the cookbooks I have perused... the Amish LOVE their sweets; their fat-filled goodies; and yes, even processed sugar, pasta, cheeses, etc. It is what it is!

Amish Church Peanut Butter Spread

Found on fullbellies.blogspot

"One of my kids favorite treats is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Now imagine a peanut butter spread that is sweet enough on its own that you really don't miss the jelly. Imagine that you could almost eat it by the spoonful (though not recommended of course). I got a few Amish cookbooks for Christmas and in the midst of all the delicious recipes, some known some new to me, I found the recipe for this peanut butter spread which my kids LOVE.

It is usually served at Amish gatherings, especially on Church days where it will be served on homemade bread. It is also good on cakes, crackers, even pancakes."


1 cup light Karo syrup

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup marshmallow crème


Mix all ingredients until smooth.

May refrigerate; let sit at room temperature a few minutes before using for sandwiches. Note: I don't refrigerate mine, I keep it in mason jars tightly closed.

Amish Recipe Series... Another Amish Chow Chow

I read a book a few months ago by a former Amish lady, Saloma Miller Furlong, entitled Why I Left the Amish. I highly recommend this book, especially if, like me, you have always romanticized the Amish lifestyle. It seems, as in all cultures, there are the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mrs. Furlong has a website and also writes a blog which is delightful to read. Read about her interesting life at http://salomafurlong.com/

I found yet another Amish Chow Chow recipe that I would like to share with you folks.

Disclaimer: The Amish don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they follow methods passed down from generation to generation. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take no responsibility for them.

Amish Chow Chow

Found on home brewers association

This is my grandmother's chow chow recipe that she had written on the back of an envelope. I thought I would share it with everyone. This makes a bunch so some scaling down may be necessary. There are tons of recipe variations so make it to your liking. 

1 peck green tomatoes
3-4 hot peppers
1 large cabbage (shredded)
5-6 cups sugar
8 large onion
2 quarts vinegar
3 green bell peppers
3 red bell peppers
1 Tbsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. celery seed
¼ cup plain salt
*1 tsp. allspice
*2 tsp. cinnamon
*1 tsp clove
(* place in bag)

Let tomatoes and onions and salt stand overnight. Then drain and squeeze-dry. Add cabbage, pepper, dry mustard, and celery seed. Mix. Boil vinegar and sugar (5 min). Put in rest of spices in bag. Boil 5 minutes more. Remove bag of spices. Mix all vegetables and boil 5 minutes more. While hot, fill jars and seal. I have tweaked this recipe several times and go light on the tomatoes and a little heavier on the cabbage and add black peppercorns to the spice bag. Use standard hot bath canning and sanitation methods, please...

Amish Recipe Series... Amish Chow Chow

Like many people, I've always been fascinated by the Amish, but living in South Carolina, we don't have any Amish communities. I finally got to drive through an Amish community last winter when we went out to Kansas City, Missouri to visit my son. We drove back through southern Missouri, through the Ozarks and took a little detour into Amish country in Seymour, Mo. We briefly visited a tiny Amish store and purchased a few items, including some hairpins, a cookbook, and handmade, "faceless" dolls.

We enjoyed meeting the ladies who ran the store.

I've since read extensively about this culture and while I admire them, after all my reading, I think I'll content myself with living in the culture I live in... they're pretty strict! And somewhat suppressed, I think... but still fascinating to me!

In our One Drive Recipe Box, there are TONS of recipes and I still have a slight fear of losing all those recipes you wonderful readers have shared with us, so I think I will ALSO post them, one by one, on the actual blog. There are several Amish Canning Recipes, so let's start with those.

Disclaimer: The Amish don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they follow methods passed down from generation to generation. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take no responsibility for them.

Amish Chow Chow Recipe

Found on kitchennostalgia

Ingredients:
1 small head cabbage, chopped
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1 cups chopped green tomatoes
2 sweet green peppers, chopped
2 large mild onions, chopped
1/2 cup salt
3 cups vinegar
2-1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed

Preparation:
1. Combine vegetables. Sprinkle with salt. Let mixture stand 4 – 6 hours in cool place. Drain well.
2. Combine remaining ingredients. Simmer 10 minutes. Add vegetable mixture and simmer until just tender.
3. Pour into hot sterilized jars; seal. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Let stand at least 2 weeks before opening.

The Actions of a Few

Recently, as some of you know, we experienced what I can only describe as a debacle on social media, causing me to make a decision I never thought I would make... to close down a canning group that was 27K Plus members strong. 

To close a Facebook group is no simple process... the only way is to delete all members, then delete yourself... it took about a week for me to complete this task. During the deletion process, I received comments, private messages, emails, messages on my personal Facebook page... some supportive and understanding, some rude, some telling me how I should run things, some advising me to pass the torch to someone else and simply go away myself.The common thread on many of the comments and messages criticizing my decision usually included something like "why would you close a group this large due to the actions of a few?"

The answer? My answer? I got to the point where I couldn't tell who the "bad guys" were... I got tired of being told how to run things... I got tired of the drama, the backbiting, the arguing... I got tired of the criticism, the finger pointing, the feeling of anonymity people seem to get when on the www... where they feel they can say ugly things while hiding behind the anonymity of social media that they wouldn't dare say to a person's face. And I wasn't about to give my "baby" to someone else... I started this group, I grew this group, I couldn't simply give it away... my name, my work, my reputation was tied to this group.

Anyway... the common thread, "why let the actions of a few?" got me thinking about all the times in history where things, good and bad, were affected by "the actions of a few." I'd like to list a few examples of how the "actions of a few" changed the world...

• In 1973, Norma McCorvey, using the pseudonym Jane Roe, got abortion legalized in the United States... Roe v. Wade.

• On December 1, 1955 in Alabama, Rosa Parks decided to defy racial segregation rules by not giving up her seat for a white passenger when asked. Her actions sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, designed to put enough economic pressure on the city to listen. The campaign was so successful, it led to the desegregation of buses by the US Supreme Court. Rosa’s defiance changed the course of civil rights in American history.

• In 1963 Madalyn Murray O'Hair started a movement that eventually  led to the removal of prayer in schools in the US.

• Emily Davison was a women’s suffrage activist. She was imprisoned nine times, and endured force-feeding while on hunger strike. In 1913, her protest at the Epsom Derby resulted in her death, as she was trampled by King George V’s horse. She died of her injuries in hospital four days later. Her intention for the protest has always remained unclear, but she is remembered as a symbol of the struggle undertaken for the right for women to vote.

• Adolf Hitler, German dictator, and his Nazi minions during the 1930s were the reason millions of Jewish people were slaughtered during the Holocaust... All Germans were NOT Nazis and tens of thousands of Germans lost their lives as well by protesting the actions of a few.

• Only 56 men signed the Declaration of Independence.

• Only 3 percent of the citizens of what is now the United States of America fought in the Revolutionary War that brought independence from Great Britain.

The above are only a few examples of how "the actions of a few" made huge changes. "The actions of a few" can be a powerful thing!

I don't even BEGIN to include myself or my small actions in the grand scheme of history... but I like to think I've made a small difference. That I've given inspiration and confidence to a small group of people that helped them to become more self-sufficient, to take the power of feeding their families into their own hands, to learn a skill that will serve them well. I'd like to think I have played a small part in that.

Can on, my friends!

Recipe File

Hi folks!
I know... it's been a minute since I've posted anything. I've had a year or so of burnout, LOL! An incident, however, on social media has kicked me in the britches and made me come out of hiding.

It seems a trusted admin in a group I started a few years ago, left the group and took all our over 2,800 recipes along with her. She started her own group and took them with her. All I can say is I hope things go well for the new group.

The incident has left me reeling and not very trusting of the social media realm, so I am in the process of closing down the group and my page there. It may be a mistake, but for now I'm going with my gut on this one.

The biggest heartache for me was not losing the recipes (I have recovered most of them) and not even the loss of trust in someone (or some ones) I had put my faith in... but that the actions of a few have affected a host of good, trustworthy folks... folks I have come to consider friends... YOU folks!

So in this post I will try to link to my copy of the recipe folders in my One Drive account... so you dear readers will have access to them even after the social media sites are shut down.

Thank you for your support and friendship.

I need to make a necessary disclaimer... the recipes in the files are simply recipes that have been shared by canners and cooks from all over the US and even other parts of the world and some use methods that are heirloom, outdated by today's USDA guidelines, and/or using another country's guidelines that may or may not be the same as the ones you are accustomed to. Don't judge, do your own research, use the ones you are comfortable using. Use at your own discretion.

Click on the link Recipe Box and we'll see if this works.

New Changes in Canning Lid Procedures???

It seems that Jarden (the company that manufactures Ball canning jars and lids) has made some changes in their recommendations on how to use their lids... No boiling???

Read the real scoop at Living Home Grown!

Corn Cob Syrup

After I cut off and canned my corn, I made corn cob syrup from the cobs...

I put all the cobs in my bid stockpot and covered them with water... brought the water to a boil, lowered the heat and simmered them, covered, for two hours.

I then drained the liquid into another pot and discarded the cobs.

 I then added sugar to the "corn juice," adding one part sugar to two parts liquid... for example, I ended up with 13 cups of juice, so I added 6 and a half cups of sugar... white or brown sugar may be used... I used half white and half brown sugar... more brown sugar will result in a darker "corn syrup" and all white sugar will make a light, almost clear syrup.

I stirred in the sugar(s), brought the mixture to a boil, and boiled gently until the mixture reduced and thickened to a syrup consistency.

Meanwhile, I washed, sterilized, and heated my jars and lids (I used half pint jars).

Once my syrup had reached the thickness I wanted, I added a little vanilla extract (optional) and filled my jars, leaving a half inch headspace.

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

I processed my jars in a boiling water bath (covering the jars with water) for 10 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars of syrup 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.

The syrup will be yummy on pancakes or waffles... and I'm sure there are other uses I haven't come up with yet!

Mr. G said, "Baby, you used that corn from the Rooter to the Tooter!"

I even saved the silks for a medicinal tincture! But that's another story for another day!

Canning Corn

Honestly, I don't usually can corn... it freezes so nicely and is much less work to freeze than it is to can... but alas, I have no more freezer space and a bushel of beautiful sweet "peaches and cream" corn... so I canned it.

I'm also really really lousy at cutting corn off the cob... Mr. G bought me this handy dandy corn cutter made by OXO that helped TREMENDOUSLY! But I'm still pretty lousy at it.

To make cream corn, you take a knife and barely cut the tops off the corn kernels, then you take the knife edge and scrape all the goodness (milk)... I remember my Nanny Sensing (my Mom's mom) making cream corn by the bushel when I was a kid... she would have corn all over the counter, the wall behind the counter, down her apron, and even on her glasses as she worked.

To make whole kernel corn, you cut the... you guessed it... whole kernel! off the cob.

I think I do something in between when I cut off corn... I cut MOST of the kernel off... and then I can't stand leaving anything behind, so I scrape the cob with a knife edge and get the rest... It's the best I can do... and I like corn that way, so we're all happy!

HOWEVER you take your corn off the cob, canning it is the same way.

I cold packed my corn... which means I cut it off the cob and then put it in the jars without heating it up or anything.

Before I was ready to pack my corn, I got my jars and lids nice and hot by putting them in boiling water on the stove for 10 minutes or so.

I've heard horror stories about canning corn... overcooking, even burning those golden kernels... I learned that the trick is NOT to pack the corn in the jars too tight, allowing room for plenty of water.

I canned my corn in pints... I packed, VERY LOOSELY, my raw corn into my hot, sterilized jars. Don't press it down, shake it down, NUTHIN'! Just loosely ladle it into the jar.

Then poured in boiling water to fill the jar, leaving a half-inch headspace. I added a half teaspoon of canning salt (this step is, of course, optional).

I wiped the jar rim with a damp cloth.

Then a tightened my hot lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed my pints of corn in my pressure canner at 10 lbs. pressure for 55 minutes. (Corn is a low-acid food and MUST be pressure canned, no way 'round it, corn spoils way to easily to take any chances)

After the corn processed and the canner cooled down and the pressure in my canner dropped naturally and on its own to zero, 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.

CORN!!!!

Canning Blueberry Syrup

I ended up with 2 four-ounce jars, 7 eight-ounce jars, and one 12-ounce jar
of blueberry syrup... plus a bit left over.

Our blueberries have been ripening over the past couple of weeks... but this week they've stepped it up a notch and I'm picking every couple of days. Mr. G has had a hankering for blueberry syrup over pancakes like they used to have at the original IHOP... back in our younger days.

So, I made him up a batch of blueberry syrup!

Since I failed to take photos of my process due to the fact that I decided to make this delicious syrup in the middle of the night... and since I followed exactly the recipe on the PickYourOwn website... I'm just going to link below to that site so you can follow their most excellent tutorial on canning your own blueberry (or any berry!) syrup. It's BERRY delicious!

Click here for the recipe and tutorial.

Wild Honeysuckle Syrup

When I was growing up, honeysuckle blooms were so much fun... they meant summertime to us! They smelled so very sweet and we'd pick them and ever so slowly and carefully pull the stamens out and suck off the drop of tasty nectar from each one. Sweet and sticky and yummy!

My parents were always trying to get rid of honeysuckle... I never understood this as a child... it was so pretty and smelled so good... and gave us a delicious summertime snack! But, as we found out, honeysuckle is prolific... invasive really. So Daddy chopped it down, pulled it up, anything he could do to rid our yard of this invasive vine. At my grandmother's house, there was always a huge honeysuckle vine growing just outside... and up the side wall of the outhouse... made visiting that smelly place much sweeter!

When Mr. G and I moved back to the country a few years ago, we found we had honeysuckle growing near our front deck... being hardened against it as a child, I immediately began pulling it up to rid our yard of its invasive nature... Mr. G liked the stuff! He begged me to keep it! So we kept one small vine, with my warning to him that it would take over the porch... it has! But it smells so lovely this time of year... takes me back to barefoot, lazy, summer days with my siblings and cousins wandering the woods in the heat of summer, wading the creek and "falling in" to cool off... climbing trees, making "playhouses" underneath the pine trees with moss for our carpets and beds, and picking honeysuckle blossoms to suck the sweet nectar from them.

Since we now have a massive honeysuckle vine attached to our front deck and it showers us with its delicate, sweet-smelling blossoms several times each summer, I decided that SURELY honeysuckle has some usefulness... so I began scouring the internet and books to find out.

Guess what? Honeysuckle is indeed a useful, beneficial plant!

According to WebMD, honeysuckle (or as it is sometimes called, woodbine) "is used for digestive disorders including pain and swelling (inflammation) of the small intestine (enteritis) and dysentery; upper respiratory tract infections including colds, influenza, swine flu, and pneumonia; other viral and bacterial infections; swelling of the brain (encephalitis); fever; boils; and sores. Honeysuckle is also used for urinary disorders; headache, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Some people use it to promote sweating, as a laxative, to counteract poisoning, and for birth control. It is sometimes applied to the skin to reduce itching and inflammation."

From BellaVista Farm... honeysuckle medicinal benefits:

• clears toxins
• kills or inhibits germs
• coughs and asthma
• natural antibiotic used for staph or strep
• reduces fever and heat in the body
• for reducing ulcers, sore throats
• clears congestion
• used for acute symptoms NOT chronic symptoms
• reduces rashes from poison oak
• cuts that have become infected
• tea used as an eye wash
• headaches
• helps nausea and vomiting from Hepatitis C

After finding all the medicinal benefits in honeysuckle, a plant I once thought of as a pest, a weed, something to destroy... I set about looking for recipes.

A favorite of ours is Wild Honeysuckle Syrup... it's delicious as a sweetener for tea and soothes a cough and congestion when you have a cold or the flu...

Here's how I make it...

First I pick honeysuckle blossoms when they're full and sweet smelling... if a few leaves get mixed up in them, no problem, they're good too, just not as sweet as the flowers (just no berries, they're toxic).

2 cups of honeysuckle blossoms

4 cups water

1 cup honey

In a saucepan over high heat, bring the water to a boil, stir in the honey suckle and reduce heat, simmering for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and strain. Return to warm pot and stir in the honey until it is dissolved.

Now... once you've done this, you can...

1. Store your syrup in a lidded jar in the fridge for up to a month.

2. Freeze it in ice cube trays, then store the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

or

3. (which is what I do because I make more than 2 cups worth of blossoms at a time) Can it!

I heat my pint (or half pint) canning jars to boiling to sterilize them and I keep them HOT... then I simmer my lids and rings and keep them hot. Once I dissolve the honey into the warm honeysuckle "tea" I then ladle the mixture into my hot canning jars, twist on the hot lids and set them on a folded dishtowel on the counter to cool and seal.

This is the only recipe I make that I DO NOT process in a boiling water bath or pressure canner... and here's why I don't...

There is a large amount of honey in this recipe... honey is a natural preservative and never goes bad.

Boiling the mixture, in my opinion, would kill the benefits of the honey in the syrup, I just heat it up gently.

If your jars and your lids are HOT and the liquid is hot, the jars will seal as they cool on the counter.

If it would make you feel better, and "safer" to do so, you could process the jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. I prefer not to so I keep all the benefits of the honey as well as the honeysuckle.

To use this mixture for a cold or cough, take 1 ounce every 4-6 hours. Do not give to infants or children under 2 years of age.

Now, just so you know, I am not a medical professional, so must add a necessary disclaimer to using this recipe as a remedy... we use it for coughs and colds, but use it yourself at your own risk. Thanks.

Canning Turkey Bone Broth

I almost didn't write this blog post... ONE... I didn't remember to take very many pictures of the process... and TWO... it's so easy, I wasn't sure anyone would benefit from it... but, then, I thought maybe someone, who has never attempted to do anything with a leftover Thanksgiving turkey carcass, would indeed have a thing or two to learn.

After Thanksgiving dinner, after we had eaten our fill of turkey and all the trimmings, and after my out of town family had made themselves to-go plates to take home (at my request!)... I was left with a naked carcass... mostly just the bones... with small bits of meat here and there. I had also purchased, while they were on sale, a second turkey, which I split in half down the middle and smoked in our electric smoker (major YUMMINESS!)

I decided to make turkey bone broth from the remainders of our delicious Thanksgiving feast.

I got out my huge stockpot and put the bird carcass inside... I chopped up 4 or 5 stalks of celery (I like to include the leaves, they're so flavorful), a couple of onions (peelings and all)... I would have included a few carrots but I didn't have any and was NOT going to the store on Black Friday! I added some salt,  and other spices (garlic powder, peppercorns, a couple bay leaves... thyme would have been good, but I didn't think of it, wish I had! And parsley! Parsley would be good too!) That's how brainless turkey stock is... you just throw in a bunch of yummy stuff!

I added water to the stockpot, covering all the ingredients inside completely... I heated the mixture to boiling, then lowered the heat and let it simmer on low for several hours (I think I simmered for 6-8 hours... longer would be fine), I also added just a little splash of apple cider vinegar to help draw out the flavor from the bone marrow (doesn't give it a vinegar flavor, I promise!)

After all that simmering, a rich broth began to surround all the bones, meat, skin, and veggies. Smelling GOOD!

I strained the veggies out through a colander to get the big pieces, then again through cheesecloth to get all the small bits.

After the strained out carcass and veggies cooled, I picked all the little bits of meat left behind... and had a turkey sandwich!

I left the broth to cool overnight (refrigeration would be best, but my fridge was still mighty full!)... if you don't like turkey fat in your broth, refrigerating will solidify (sort of) the fat and it will float to the top so it can be skimmed off. I personally like a little fat in my broth, so I didn't skim mine very much.

I fed the scraps to my chickens... they thought it a delightful treat! (I've heard tell that some folks grind up the bones afterwards to make bone meal to add to their gardens... this time I was not THAT industrious!)

I brought the rich broth back up to a boil and began filling my hot, sterilized quart canning jars, leaving about an inch headspace. I tightened on my hot, sterilized lids, to fingertip tightness.

I processed the quarts of broth in my pressure canner at 10-11 pounds pressure for 25 minutes (pints would be 20 minutes).

After processing, I let the pressure in my canner drop back down to ZERO slowly and naturally (didn't want any liquid loss, aka siphoning, by force cooling the canner).

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

From two turkey carcasses, I ended up with 14 quarts of rich, yummy broth,
PLUS enough to add to the smoked turkey I canned the next day!

Jar Labels... A Review

Awhile back the great folks at www.pantryparatus.com sent me a sample package of their Modern Harvest home canning labels for me to try...

I set them aside and, well, honestly... forgot I had them.

Came across them recently and decided to give them a try... and am I glad I did!

I received the flower design labels which included 12 each of quart, pint, and half pint sizes... they can be found here. PantryParatus also offers several other styles of labels... (head on over there and check them out!)

So, basically here's what you do with these great labels...

Can your food like normal and let the jars cool...

Then...
Heat a pot of water to boiling (or, like I did... if your hot water bath water is still hot, just use it)

Choose the size label you need (I used the pint size) and with a Sharpie (black would probably be better, I couldn't find black) write the jar contents on the label...

on the flip side of the label you can check off the month and year... and there's even a space to fill in later when you open the jar...

Slip the label from the top or bottom of the jar towards the center and just adjust it until it sits where you want it... it'll fit loosely...

Now here's the fun part... the magic!!!!

Pick your jar up using your jar holder (canning tongs) and carefully dip the jar(s) into the hot water...

The label will immediately shrink to fit the jar (unless the water isn't hot enough... if that's the case, heat the water back up and try again)

Like magic! Like Shrinky Dinks! Like Shrink Wrap!!!

After you're done with the jar of goodies, just carefully slide a knife under the label and twist to break the label loose... no more gummy glue, sticky residue... and they're cute enough for gift giving!
I love them!!!

Thank you PantryParatus!

www.pantryparatus.com