ENSURING HIGH-QUALITY CANNED FOODS (PART 1 OF

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Canning Information

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
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***** NONE *****

Begin with good-quality fresh foods suitable for
canning. Quality varies among varieties of fruits and
vegetables. Many county Extension offices can
recommend varieties best suited for canning. Examine
food carefully for freshness and wholesomeness.
Discard diseased and moldy food. Trim small diseased
lesions or spots from food.

Can fruits and vegetables picked from your garden or
purchased from nearby producers when the products are
at their peak of quality-within 6 to 12 hours after
harvest for most vegetables. For best quality,
apricots, nectarines, peaches, pears, and plums should
be ripened 1 or more days between harvest and canning.
If you must delay the canning of other fresh produce,
keep it in a shady, cool place.

Fresh home-slaughtered red meats and poultry should be
chilled and canned without delay. Do not can meat from
sickly or diseased animals. Ice fish and seafoods
after harvest, eviscerate immediately and can them
within 2 days.

Maintaining Color and Flavor in Canned Food

To maintain good natural color and flavor in stored
canned food, you must:

* Remove oxygen from food tissues and jars,
* Quickly destroy the food enzymes,
* Obtain high jar vacuums and airtight jar seals.

Follow these guidelines to ensure that your canned
foods retain optimum colors and flavors during
processing and storage:

* Use only high-quality foods which are at the proper
maturity and are free of diseases and bruises.

* Use the hot-pack method, especially with acid foods
to be processed in boiling water

* Don’t unnecessarily expose prepared foods to air.
Can them as soon as possible.

* While preparing a canner load of jars, keep peeled,
halved, quartered, sliced, or diced apples, apricots,
nectarines, peaches, and pears in a solution of 3
grams (3,000 milligrams) ascorbic acid to 1 gallon of
cold water. This procedure is also useful in
maintaining the natural color of mushrooms and
potatoes, and for preventing stem-end discoloration in
cherries and grapes. You can get ascorbic acid in
several forms:

** Pure powdered form–seasonally available among
canners’ supplies
in supermarkets. One level teaspoon of pure powder
weighs about 3
grams. Use 1 teaspoon per gallon of water as a
treatment solution.

** Vitamin C tablets–economical and available
year-round in many
stores. Buy 500-milligram tablets; crush and
dissolve six tablets per
gallon of water as a treatment solution.

** Commercially prepared mixes of ascorbic and citric
acid–seasonally available among canners’ supplies
in
supermarkets. Sometimes citric acid powder is sold
in
supermarkets, but it is less effective in
controlling
discoloration. If you choose to use these
products, follow the
manufacturer’s directions.

* Fill hot foods into jars and adjust headspace as
specified in recipes.

* Tighten screw bands securely, but if you are
especially strong, not as tightly as possible.

* Process and cool jars.

* Store the jars in a relatively cool, dark place,
preferably between
50 degrees and 70 degrees F.

* Can no more food than you will use within a year.

ÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿÿ ÿ * USDA Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539
Mintzias

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WAR BREAD

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Garrett Breadmaker

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
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1 1/2 tb Molasses 1 T
1/4 c Rolled oats 2 1/2 T
2 1/2 T — ¥
2 1/2 c All purpose flour 1 3/4 c
achine Recipes — ¥
1/2 tb Applesauce (Butter) 1/2 T
10 oz Water 7 oz.
1/4 c Cornmeal
1 t Salt 1 t
1 1/2 ts Yeast

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SIMPLE SUMMER VEGETABLE SOUP

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main dish Soups
Vegetables

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 tb Butter
1 ea Onion — Md, Chopped
2 ea Carrots — Md, Scrape Sliced
2 ea Stalks Celery — Sliced
8 c Chicken Broth
2 ea Tomatoes — Md, Peel Chop
2 ea Zucchini — Md,Quarter Slice
1/2 c String Beans Or Peas
1 c Spinach — Fresh, *
1 x Salt Pepper — To Taste

* Wash and cut the fresh spinach into strips.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Melt the butter in a soup pot; add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook
over medium heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and
tomatoes and simmer another 10 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for an
additional 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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CRANBERRY NUT MUFFINS 2

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads Fruits
Muffins

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 c Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 c Sugar
1 1/2 ts Baking Powder
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking Soda
3/4 c Orange Juice
1 tb Grated Orange Peel
2 tb Shortening
1 Egg — Large, Well Beaten
1 1/2 c Cranberries — *
1 c Nuts — Chopped, Optional

* Use either fresh or frozen cranberries that have
been coarsely
chopped. In a medium mixer bowl, mix the flour,
sugar, baking powder, salt and the baking soda
together. Stir in the orange juice, orange peel,
shortening and the egg. Mix until well blended. Stir
in the cranberries and the nuts, if used, and turn
into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20
to 25 minutes or until done. Use a shorter baking time
if small muffin tins are used.

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EGG DROP SOUP #6

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Chinese Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
2 ea Eggs
1 t Salt
2 c Basic Stock
2 ts Finely chopped green onions

In a small bowl, beat eggs with a pinch of salt; set
aside. In a medium saucepan, bring stock to a boil.
Slowly pour beaten eggs into boiling stock, stirring
constantly. Cook for 1 minute. Place remaining salt
and onions in a serving bowl. Add soup; serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.

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Pierogi Cabbage Filling

Recipe By : Posted rec.food.recipes by Dan Eisenreich, dan@clark.net
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Pasta Polish
Russian

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
1 head cabbage
7 cans sauerkraut — 10 oz. cans
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
10 Tablespoons butter

Parboil cabbage in boiling water for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse, drain,
cool, and thoroughly wring moisture from cabbage and sauerkraut; set aside.
The drier the cabbage and sauerkraut the less time required to complete
cooking. Saute onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add cabbage and
sauerkraut and remainder of butter; cook for approximately one half hour or
until cabbage is soft and mixture is “reasonably” dry. It is important that
the mixture not be too moist in order to prevent wetting dough during the
filling process … wet dough will cause pierogi to break open during cooking!

Allow mixture to stand in refrigerator (in covered bowl) for twenty four hours
prior to filling pierogi dough.

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NOTES : (makes enough filling for approx. four dozen pierogi)

NOTES : MasterCook Formatted by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA
g.howard@ix.netcom.com
Garry’s Home Cookin’ Website

Title: Orange Chicken Stir-Fry
Categories: Main dish, Stir-fry, Poultry
Yield: 6 servings

1/2 c Orange juice
2 tb Sesame oil; divided
2 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Dry sherry
2 ts Grated fresh ginger
1 ts Grated orange peel
1 Garlic clove; minced
1 1/2 lb Chicken breast
— (boneless, skinless)
— cut into strips
3 c Mixed fresh vegetables
– such as green bell pepper,
– red bell pepper, snow peas
– carrots, green onions,
– mushrooms, and/or onions
1 tb Cornstarch
1/2 c Unsalted cashew bits
-OR- cashew halves
3 c Hot cooked rice

Combine orange juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, sherry, ginger, orange peel
and garlic in large glass bowl. Add chicken, marinate in refrigerator 1
hour. Drain chicken; reserve marinade. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in
large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 3
minutes or until chicken is light brown. Add vegetables; stir-fry 3-5
minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Combine cornstarch and
reserved marinade; add to skillet and stir until thickened. Stir in
cashews, cook 1 minute more. Serve over hot rice.

Each serving provides:
* 590 calories
* 48 g. protein
* 20 g. fat
* 4 g. saturated fat
* 53 g. carbohydrate
* 4 g. dietary fiber
* 109 mg. cholesterol
* 822 mg. sodium

Source: Rice Chicken – New Ideas for Old Favorites
Reprinted with permission from The USA Rice Council
Electronic format courtesy of Karen Mintzias

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Title: CHOW MEIN (CHICKEN)
Categories: Chinese, Chicken
Yield: 4 servings

4 c Chicken broth
2 c Diced celery
1 c Diced onion
1 c Chopped cabbage (bok choy if
-available)
2 tb Peanut oil
1 1/2 c Sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 c Fresh bean sprouts
2 tb Dark molasses
1 tb Soy sauce
1 tb Butter
2 Eggs, beaten
4 To 5 Tbl cornstarch
1 lb Cooked, boned chicken, torn
-into bite-size shreds
1 cn Chow mein noodles

In a saucepan, bring the chicken broth to simmer. Add
the celery, onion, and cabbage. Simmer, stiring
occasionally, until the celery is soft.

Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet or wok. Saute
the mushrooms until they begin to soften. Add the
bean sprouts; cook and stir until they are soft. Use
a slotted spoon to place the celery, onion, and
cabbage in the skillet. Add the molasses and soy
sauce. Stir and cook, adding enough broth to keep it
moist and loose.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium-high heat.
Cook the eggs until firm, with minimal stirring. You
want an “egg pancake”. Remove the eggs from the pan,
season to taste, and slice into thin strips.

Dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining chicken
broth. Stir into the vegetables in the wok, and stir
as the mixture thickens. Add torn chicken and heat
through.

To serve, put a layer of chow mein noodles on each
plate and heap with the chicken and vegetable mixture.
Top with the shreds of eggs.

[ Sun Plus, The Baltimore Sun; Aug 28, 1990 ]

Posted by Fred Peters.

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POLENTA WITH TOMATOES OLIVES

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Vegetarian

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method
——– ———— ——————————–
8 oz Polenta
3 oz Stoned olives (optional)
—–FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE—–
1 1/4 lb (generous) canned tomatoes
1 lg Onion
1 tb Olive oil
Garlic, bay, rosemary, thyme
— (or herbs of your choice)

Bring 1-3/4 pints salted water to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and add
the grain as though you were making porridge: let the polenta trickle
slowly through your fingers and stir the contents of the pan very
vigorously all the time to prevent lumps forming. Cook over the gentlest
possible heat for about 20 minutes, stirring more or less continuously –
like porridge and semolina, polenta is a great sticker. The mixture is
ready when it begins to come away from the sides of the pan, is perfectly
smooth and so thick that your wrist aches from stirring. Away from the
heat beat in 1 tablespoon oil, the stoned olives if using them, and some
salt and pepper. Use the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to grease the interior
of an 11-12 inch frying pan. Turn the polenta into the frying pan, pack it
down smoothly and level the top with an oiled spoon. Set aside for a
couple of hours until the polenta is cold and solid. Loosen it with a
palette knife, turn it out of the pan and cut into 6-8 wedges.

To make the sauce, chop the onion finely and sweat it in the oil for 10-12
minutes. Add the roughly chopped tomatoes and their juices, several cloves
of finely chopped garlic and a little bouquet of rosemary, bay and thyme,
or plenty of well-flavoured herbs of your choice. Let the mixture bubble
away gently for 40 minutes or so, just stirring occasionally, until reduced
to a rich and fragrant sauce. Remove the bouquet of herbs, season with
salt and pepper and add extra fresh chopped herbs to taste.

Fry the wedges of polenta in very hot olive oil or unsalted butter, or a
mixture of the two, for 4-5 minutes on each side until lightly crusted and
heated right through. Serve piping hot with the garlicky tomato sauce, and
with a bowl of olives or grated Parmesan if you wish. In the Veneto
polenta sometimes accompanies small silvery fried fish, or a dish of
Fergato alla Veneziana. Quail or other tiny game birds threaded on to
skewers and cooked on a spit, or a saute of chicken livers, and grilled
sausages, are other good choices but polenta can be served on its own just
as well.

Source: Philippa Davenport in “Country Living” (British), February 1988.
Typed for you by Karen Mintzias

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Title: TRIFLE 2
Categories: Ethnic, Cakes, Desserts
Yield: 1 servings

1 9-inch sponge cake layer
3/4 c Dry sherry
2 pk Frozen raspberries
2 pk Frozen peaches
Chilled custard sauce
2 Egg whites
1 c Heavy cream
1 tb Sugar
1/2 c Toasted slivered almonds
Custard Sauce
2 c Milk
6 Egg yolks
1/4 c Sugar
Pinch of salt
1 ts Vanilla extract

This is a wonderful recipe. It calls for frozen fruit, but I don’t see why
you couldn’t substitute fresh fruit if available.

Thaw and drain fruit. Slice sponge cake into three thin layers. Place one
layer in the bottom of a serving bowl. It should be flat-bottomed and
about 10 inches across and five inches deep. If you have one of glass, use
it because the layers of the trifle look very pretty. Sprinkle the cake
layer with one-quarter cup sherry. Spread about 1 third of the raspberries
and peach slices on top. Pour one-third of the custard over the fruit.
Repeat cake, sherry, fruit and custard layers, saving a dozen or so
raspberries for garnish. To make the topping, beat egg white until stiff
and in a separate bowl, whip cream. Stir sugar into cream and gently fold
in beaten egg white. Mound cream and egg white mixture over the top of the
trifle. Garnish with raspberries and toasted almonds. Refrigerate until
ready to serve.

Custard Sauce: Scald milk in a double boiler. Meanwhile, beat egg yolks
and add sugar and salt. Pour a little hot milk into the egg yolk mixture,
beating with a fork, and then stir into the rest of the milk. Place over
simmering, not boiling, water and cook — stirring until the mixture coats
a metal spoon. Pour the cutard into a bowl and stir in the vanilla. Cover
and refrigerate for one hour or until thickened before adding to trifle.
From: Sandee Eveland

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