Dried Fruit Slices

The first things I decided to dehydrate in my new Excalibur were simple: Apples, oranges, and pears. I had them available, and they are so  easy to dehydrate, I though it would be a good place to start.

My Excalibur model has a handy guide right on the top of the dehydrator that explains which temperatures items should be dried at (fruits do well at 135 degrees Fahrenheit). I sliced the apples and pears on the thin side with just a chef's knife (no mandoline this time... I didn't feel like dirty-ing up another piece of equipment) and I cored the apples down the center to make "rings." For both the apples and pears, I dipped them in lemon juice before placing on the dehydrator trays to maintain color (prevent browning). The oranges I sliced a bit thicker, as I plan on using them both in cooking, infusing, and crafting.

Thankfully, my new dehydrator has a timer. That means I was able to "set it and forget it!" and turn it on, go to bed, and wake up in the morning to perfectly dried fruit slices. I left the dehydrator on for six hours, and that seemed to do the trick. Everything was dry, but not brittle. I stored each variety of fruit in mason jars that are in my pantry in the moment. For longer-term storage, I would put them in reusable, freezer-safe containers and store the in the freezer (for up to a year).

I'm looking forward to drying more produce, like beet and carrot chips to add to winter salads. Do you have any uses for your dehydrated produce? I'd love some ideas!

This post is sponsored by Excalibur. To check out their complete line of products, please visit their website. Thank you for understanding the purpose of these types of posts, dear readers!

Corn Cob Jelly

Please excuse the wild children and Cozy Coupe in the background.

File this under "Weird Things To Can" (perhaps along with Tomato Jam). Corn cob jelly sounds so, well, weird, right? How could that possibly taste good?

It does, I promise. In fact, it tastes remarkably like wildflower honey. I've heard others make that claim, but I didn't believe it until I tried it for myself. But kind of like Queen Anne's Lace Jelly, this isn't something I would necessarily want to add to my PB&J's. So after I made it I had to figure out how to use it. Turns out it tastes great on a cheese board, on fried green tomatoes, on hush puppies, and even on top of more corn (in the form of fritters). I'm sure it would be delicious on any other kind of pan-fried offering. I might even get brave and try it in place of honey in different sauce and dressing recipes. If you try to make it, let me know and tell me how you used it!

Oh, and my pal Jillian has a great how-to for freezing corn, in case you were interested (save those cobs, Jillian!).

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Corn Cob Jelly
Makes 3 1/2 cups, or 3 1/2 half-pints

12 sweet corn cobs
4 1/2 cups water
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 packet liquid pectin

1. In a large pot, combine water and corn cobs. Cut the corn cobs in half (carefully!) if necessary. Cover and boil for 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly.

2. Using cheesecloth and/or a fine mesh strainer, pour out the liquid and reserve it. Discard corn cobs (carve yourself a pipe, leave for squirrels and other critters, or simply compost). Rinse out the pot and add the "corn stock" back to it.

3. Place the pot over medium-high heat and add sugar. Bring to a boil and add pectin. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the jelly is at preferred "set" stage (when it sheets off your wooden stirring spoon or congeals as soon as it hits a plate pulled from the freezer).

4. Carefully pour the hot jelly into desired vessel(s) (freezer jars, canning jars, or a dish for the refrigerator). Wipe rim(s) and cover. If you want shelf-stable jelly, process in a hot water-bath canner for time appropriate to your jars (5 minutes for quarter-pints, 7-10 minutes for half-pints, 15-20 minutes for pints). Jelly will last for 3-6 months in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer or pantry (if processed properly). Enjoy!

*Optional step: If you want your jelly to be more yellow, add a few drops of yellow food color to the corn stock before adding sugar and pectin.

Elderberry Cordial

I'm over at From Scratch Club today talking about finding elderberry trees on my property (awesome surprise!) and how to forage for your own elderberries. I also offered up two recipes: One for making an elderberry cordial, and another on an awesome champagne cocktail using your homemade cordial (picture above). Definitely check out the post, if you can!

Tomato Jam

When I mention to people that I'm making tomato jam, the reply is often "Huh?" Or, "Wha.." Or, "Tomato jam? You can't make jam out of tomatoes!" Someone once said that I've probably done enough canning for the year if I have to resort to jamming-up tomatoes. Listen, I get it. It sounds a little weird. But then once I explain the taste (kind of like ketchup) and how I use it (on soft cheeses, to top burgers, mixed with mayonnaise for sandwiches, combined with oil and other ingredients for salad dressing, or as a starting point to BBQ sauce), people are generally more open-minded to the recipe.

This tomato jam recipe is a great way to use up tomatoes, especially those times when you don't quiet have enough to make a batch of sauce, but eating them fresh just doesn't sound that interesting. Do not remove the skins and seeds from your tomatoes - you'll need them to create a nice, thick, jammy-texture.

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Tomato Jam
Makes about 4 1/2 cups (4 1/2 half-pint jars)

4 pounds tomatoes (I used a mix of heirloom slicing tomatoes and plum varieties)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 red onion, peeled and diced finely
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely grated
1 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice*
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (more, if you like spicy!)

1. Wash and weigh your tomatoes (remove any stems). Cut them into a large dice (remove hard hulls), set aside.

2. In your jam pot, heat oil over medium-low heat and add garlic, onion, and salt. Saute for a few minutes until the garlic is golden and onions begin to soften and look glassy (be careful not to burn your garlic! The taste will be too bitter to correct later in the recipe. If you blacken the garlic, rinse out your pot and start over).

3. Add to the pot the tomatoes, ginger, vinegar, lemon juice, sugars, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and red pepper flakes. Stir together and bring to a boil (over high heat). Once the mixture boils, reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot to avoid burning.

4. After 30 minutes, the tomatoes should be soft and easily squished with the back of a wooden spoon. The jam should also be thick, around the consistency of a chunky tomato sauce. Turn off the heat and allow jam to cool slightly. If you are freezing or storing your jam in the refrigerator, ladle the jam into desired containers.

5. To can this jam, ladle it into sterilized half-pint (or smaller) jars, leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, use a chopstick or butter knife to remove air bubbles, and seal with lids and bands. Process in a pressure canner or hot water-bath canner (half-pint jars will need about seven minutes to be properly preserved). Canned tomato jam will last in a cool, dry place for up to 12 months. Frozen jam will last for about eight months, while jam in the fridge will stay tasty for three-to-four months.

*Lemon juice boosts the acidity of tomatoes to make them acceptable for canning. So, add the bottled lemon juice or... face uncertain death through botulism. Your choice.

Banh Mi-Style Pickles

A few years ago, I don't think anyone that I was familiar with knew what a Banh Mi was. Now all my friends rave about it, and rightly so.

For those of you unfamiliar, Banh Mi is a French-inspired Vietnamese sandwich comprised of a rice flour baguette, a hollandaise-style spread, various forms of pork, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, cucumbers, and a carrot-and-radish pickle mix. Call it Colonialism at its best: The essential French elements of crusty-yet-fluffy baguette and hollandaise mingle with the Asian flavors of Daikon radish and rice vinegar to create a sandwich many consider a new favorite.

Pickles seem to play a key role in many famous sandwiches - you can't really have a Cuban sandwich without them, and pulled pork just isn't the same if it doesn't have tangy slaw or vinegary pickled onions to top it. Banh Mi-style pickles are easy to make and incredibly versatile. Don't limit their use to just sandwiches. Get creative and try them over grilled meats or in salads for a bright, sweetly-acidic bite.

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Bahn Mi-Style Pickles
Makes about 2 pints

2 cups carrots, peeled and julienned*
2 cups radish (Daikon is best, but any radish will do in a pinch), washed and julienned
1/2 cup, plus 2 teaspoons, sugar
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 1/2 cups rice vinegar
1 1/2 cups warm water

1. Combine the carrot and radish in a bowl and toss to combine. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and salt to the bowl, then "massage" the carrot and radish to release water and soften. When a piece of radish can be bent in half without snapping, the massage is done (about three minutes -- do not skip this step! Releasing moisture like this will help keep the veggies crunchy after pickling).

2. Place veggie mix in a colander and run under cold water for a few minutes to rinse away the sugar and salt. Drain thoroughly.

3. In a separate bowl, combine 1/2 cup of sugar, vinegar, and warm water. Mix until the sugar has completely dissolved (this is the "brine").

4. Divide the veggie mix evenly into two pint-size jars (or in one larger jar, if preferred). Pour the brine over the veggies, being sure to completely submerge the carrot and radish. Cover and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator for best flavor. Banh Mi-style pickles will last up to six weeks in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

* To julienne is to cut into long, thin strips, like matchsticks or "shoe strings." For more information, watch this video.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles are kind of like sunshine in a jar. So sweet and so tangy at the same time. If you've never made them before, be warned: It takes a while. But it's mostly hands-off time. Unlike basic dill pickles, bread and butter pickles require several steps but are still pretty easy to make.

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Bread and Butter Pickles
Makes about 4 pints

2 1/2 pounds pickling cucumbers
1 pound white onions, thinly sliced (about one large onion)
1/4 cup pickling salt
1 1/4 cups white distilled vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1 inch cinnamon stick
6 allspice berries (plus a pinch of ground allspice)
6 whole cloves (plus a pinch of ground cloves)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Ice
Grape leaves (optional)

1. Clean the cucumbers thoroughly and remove all dirt, debris and leaves. Remove the ends (cut off a 1/8-inch slice from each end), then slice the cucumbers into 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place in a large bowl along with onions and salt. Mix together, then cover with ice and allow to sit at room temperature for two hours (don't skip this step! It keeps the cukes crunchy after pickling).

2. Rinse cucumbers and onions in a colander thoroughly to remove salt. Drain.

3. In a large pot, combine the white and apple cider vinegar, sugar, and spices. Whisk to dissolve sugar and bring to a boil. Add cucumbers and onions and stir to cover with vinegar mixture (brine). Bring back to a boil.

4. Using a slotted spoon, place the cucumbers and onions in sterilized pint-size canning jars (if using the grape leaves, which are a natural source of alum and help keep pickles crunchy, add one leaf-per-pint to the bottom of jars before adding cukes). Fill to 1/2-inch from the top of the jar. Pour brine over the top of cukes and onions, leaving the same 1/2-inch headspace.

5. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and add sterilized lids/bands. Process in a hot water-bath canner for 15 minutes (20 minutes for elevations above 6,000 feet). Or, store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Enjoy!

How To Sterilize Jars

An essential part of home preservation and canning is being sure to sterilize canning jars. You never know what kind of germies might be in there that could make your carefully-crafted pickles, jams, or preserves turn  into mold-ridden stomachaches (or worse!) waiting to happen. Sterilizing is the process of killing harmful bacteria that can accumulate in jars and on lids. This happens by heating jars/lids to a minimum of 175 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 minutes. Sterilizing gives you a "blank slate" for your canning creations and eliminates most bacterial risks for contamination.

Some sources say that if you are pressure-canning an item or processing in a hot water-bath canner for more than 15 minutes, there is no need to sterilize jars; however, I feel very strongly that you should sterilize anyway. It only takes a few minutes and gives you hot jars needed for many hot-packed canning recipes (ie - recipes that require hot liquid/preserves be poured into hot jars to prevent jar breakage).

There are a couple methods to sterilizing your jars. My preferred method is in the oven, just because I feel it's less messy (and safer/less likely to burn my arms and hands) than other methods.

How to Sterilize Jars in the Oven
Place clean jars and lids in a baking dish or carefully on a baking tray (I use an old enamelwear roasting pan because I can slide it in and out of the oven easily without worrying about the jars falling out. I place the lids in the upside-down lid of the roaster). Put them in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. If you aren't quite ready to fill your jars, turn the oven down to "warm" or to it's lowest setting and let jars/lids sit until you are ready. Not only does this sterilize your jars, but it softens the rubber on canning lids to create a better seal when processing jars. The oven method eliminates having to pull jars full of boiling water out of the hot water-bath canner and allows for many jars to be sterilized at once.

How to Sterilize Jars in Hot Water
Place clean jars in a canning rack, then add about 1-inch to 2-inches of hot water to each jar (this keeps jars from floating once they hit the water). Carefully lower canning rack into the canner filled with enough boiling water to cover jars by at least one inch. Boil jars for 15 minutes. Remove jars/rack from canner and dump hot water back into canner from jars. Place jars upside-down on a fresh towel to drain out remaining water.

In the meantime, put lids in a small pot and cover with water (overlapping is fine, but don't stack them right on top of each other). Boil for 5 minutes. Remove lids with a lid lifter.

How to Sterilize Jars in the Dishwasher
If your jars haven't been recently washed, place jars and lids in the dishwasher and clean according to your dishwasher's instructions. Remove hot jars/lids from dishwasher and use immediately.

If your jars and lids are clean, sterilize them using an Express Glass or Sanitize setting on your dishwasher (no soap necessary). Remove hot jars/lids from dishwasher and use immediately.