How to Eat Fresh, Local Food all Year Long (Part 4)
Success Under Pressure:
You will need a pressure canner to preserve foods with a pH level about 4.5, because hugher temperatures are required to kill any bacteria in non-acidic foods. Still, reusable jars and no refrigeration requirements make pressure conning a good choice. In many areas, good quality canning equipment is available in community canning kitches.
Pressure canner gauges require care and preiodic testing, but the biggest challenge with pressure canning is the heat it creates. This is why rural homes used to have a place on the porch for a canning stove, or sometimes a canning kitchen in a corner of the shed. A propane cooker can help you move pressure canning to yoru deck or patio, though it’s still best tpo prepare the food and jars in the kitchen.
Crop:
• Fruits, unsweetened: Peak season is summer to fall. Pressure-can unsweetened fruits whole, purée as juice. May also be frozen or dried.
• Green Beans: Peak season is summer time. A good vegetable for novice canners. Thick-fleshed Italian and heirloom vatieties stand up to processing better than delicate filet beans. May also be frozen or dried.
• Tomatoes: Peak season is summer. Tomatoes with added herbs can be canned in a water bath canner, but use a pressure canner when including zucchini, okra or other low-acid vegetables. May also be frozen or dried.
• Vegetable Mixtures: Peak season is summer to fall. Combine low-acid vedgetables such as corn or beans with tomatoes and herbs to use in winter soups and stews. Processing times vary by ingredients and equipment. May also be dried.
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Earthly Eating Recipe:
Stained Glass Cookies
Makes: As many as you like
Using a role of refrigerator cookie dough or make a batch of plain sugar cookies. Roll them out and cut them into shapes such as start or moons or even plain circles. Place the cookies on a cookie sheet covered with foil and lightly spray the foil with cooking spray. Cut out a small portion of the middle of the cookies and remove that portion. Example: If you use a star pattern, cut out a small star in the middle of the cookie to look like a window.
Meanwhile, in a plastic bag place some colored lifesavers or other hard candys of the same color and smash with a rolling pin till tey break in small pieces. Place the hard candy pieces into the “windows” of the cookies before baking. Be sure and not add too many pieces for it will make the middles to hard to eat.
Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the cookies are light brown in color. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool. Since there is the the candy middle there is no need to frost these cookies.
Happy Eating!
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