Monthly Group Recipes

Basic Chicken Soup

Ingredients

4 quarts chicken broth

4 cups chopped chicken – pre- cooked

1 cup of celery

2 cups carrots

1 cup onion (leeks are ok also)

1 clove garlic - minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Place chicken broth and chopped chicken in a dutch oven, bring to a boil. Chop vegetables and ad the pot continuing to a boil. Add salt and pepper. Remember chicken stock already has salt in it so add a bit then taste. As the soup boils it will also reduce bringing out the salt.  

Add the minced garlic. Add any seasonings at this point to either add flavor or spiciness. 
Remember that fresh seasonings may get stronger as they are canned.  The soup is now complete and can be ladled into hot jars leaving 1 inch head space. 

Note: Do not add starch or dairy products to the soup before putting them in jars. When you are ready to open the jar you can be creative!

Process in Pressure canner 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts

Canning group Recipes:

Vegetarian Chili

1 cup onion, chopped,
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1 pint canned tomatoes
2 pounds dry beans, pinto or kidney
7 1/2 cups boiling water

Wash beans thoroughly. Cover with cold water and soak overnight. Next day drain off the water beans were soaked in. Combine all ingredients with water and bring to boil for 5 minutes. Pack mix without the liquid into jars 3/4 of the way full of top to allow for expansion, ladling the liquid leaving 1 inch headspace of top. Remove air and refill if necessary. Wipe rims, add hot lids/rings. Process at 10 pounds pressure for weighted gauge and 11lbs for dial gauge for pints for 75 minutes. Yields about 8 pints.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Spiced Pickled Beets (Candy Cane), Mango Salsa, Honey
Spiced Persimmons, Rhubarb Salsa, Dilly Green Beans,
Spiced Pickled Beets (Red)

Mango Salsa

6 cups Mango diced

½ cup Diced red bell pepper

¼ cup Finely chopped sweet onion

⅓ cup Finely chopped red onion

1 Jalapeno; washed, stemmed, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons Honey

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Grated fresh ginger

Mix in a large bowl and add the red pepper, sweet onion, red onion, jalapeno, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, and ginger. Mix well. Ladle into hot jars and process 20 minutes in water bath canner.

Honey-Spiced Fuyu Persimmons

8 lbs of Fuyu Persimmons or peaches

1 cup sugar
4 cups water
2 cups honey
1-1/2 tsp whole allspice
3/4 tsp whole cloves
3 sticks cinnamon

Lemon juice

Wash peel and pit persimmons. Cut into slices. Combine sugar, water and honey. Cook until sugar dissolves. To the bottom of a hot jar, add 2 whole allspice, 1 whole clove, and part of a cinnamon stick. Add persimmons to hot jar and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Pour syrup over persimmons leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  

Remove air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

The Dilly Bean recipe gave everyone the opportunity to add their own flavors such as chiles, peppercorns, and dill weed. It was interesting trying to process them in the water bath. We ended up putting numbers or initials on the lids so we could tell the difference.

Dilly/Spicy/ Garlic Beans

3 cups of White Vinegar

3 cups of Water

3 pounds of green beans

Flavorings:

Red chili – 1

Dill – Fresh sprig

Dill Seed – pinch

Black or Red or Green peppercorns – 5

Dried Ginger – small piece

Mustard Seeds - pinch

Garlic – 1 clove

In a hot jar, choose any combination of flavoring and put them in the bottom of the jar. Pack cleaned and quickly blanched green beans into the jar not extending past the ½ headspace.

In a dutch oven combine the vinegar and water till simmering. Pour over green beans, remove air and seal with sterilized lids and rings.

Process in water bath for 15 minutes.

Rhubarb Salsa

1 cup Sugar (we are going to use either agave or cane sugar)

¼ cup Water

1 tablespoon Finely shredded orange peel

6 cups Rhubarb; sliced 1/2-inch thick

½ cup Diced green bell pepper

¼ cup Finely chopped sweet onion

⅓ cup Finely chopped red onion

1 Jalapeno; washed, stemmed, seeded and minced

2 tablespoons Honey

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Grated fresh ginger 

In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine the sugar, water and orange peel. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the rhubarb slices and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer gently until the rhubarb is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. When the rhubarb mixture is cool, transfer it to a food processor fitted with a steel blade, or to a blender, and process until smooth. Scrape the puree into a large bowl and add the bell pepper, sweet onion, red onion, jalapeno, honey, lemon juice, vinegar, and ginger. Mix well. Ladle into hot jars and process 20 minutes in water bath canner. Makes about 4 cups. Serve alongside or with chicken or turkey, or as a topping over leafy greens.

Easy Spiced Pickled Beets

8-15 fresh beets

2 cups sugar

2 cups white vinegar

1/3 cup water
16 whole cloves

8 whole allspice berries

2 cinnamon sticks, 4 inches long

2 tsp pickling salt

Roast beets till fork tender. This can be done the night before.(see roasting below) Remove skin and slice beets into rounds. Combine sugar, vinegar, and water into large saucepan. Boil over high heat stirring occasionally. Remove hot jars from water bath and place 4 whole cloves, 2 allspice berries, and 1/2 cinnamon stick, and 1/2 tsp salt at the bottom of each jar. Pack beets into jars.

Pour hot liquid over beets to within 1/2 headspace. Process 30 minutes for half pints, pints or quarts. Makes 4 pints.

Note: you can omit any of the spices to the beets. Some people do not like cloves and can be omitted without compromising safety!

Roasting Beets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375° F. Place the beets in a small roasting or baking dish in one layer. Drizzle with the oil. Add the garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Roast until fork-tender, about 30 minutes.