It's Turnip Time!

      Our turnip patch really surprised us this year. After the long months of drought earlier in the growing season, we had almost decided to turn everything under and retire for the year. Our little turnip patch almost wasn't. But then the rain began again and our enthusiasm was off and running... just like our turnip greens. The patch sprang to life, and soon we had more greens than I could manage. One small patch was enough to supply our household, my mom's house, and my husband's parents and brothers, as well as my aunt and my cousin and his family with turnips and turnip greens. Now on the verge of Winter, the patch is still spitting out turnips at such a rate that everyone is about tired of messing with them. In fact, my brother actually said that he would be glad when the patch dries up and dies. What a horrible thing to wish upon such a hard working little vegetable patch. :)

Turnip Green patch growing out by the chicken pen. (OMG! We need a new chicken pen!

       All the same, we have canned and frozen many, many pounds of both turnips and turnip greens, and we have eaten a fair share of them fresh as well. It occurred to me just this morning that we could donate the remaining turnips to a shelter or a food bank. With our mild weather, they may keep producing well into January! 

     Canning Turnips and greens (of any type) is relatively easy, but you will need a pressure canning unit. I used quart Mason jars because we need larger quantities for our own needs. You may choose to use pints, and I will give directions for both. 

     With all canning projects, begin with clean, sterilized jars. I place mine in a large kettle and allow them to boil for 10 minutes. I leave the jars in the kettle while I am filling them individually. This will keep them hot while you work. I also place my lids and bands into the hot water before I use then to prep them for the task at hand.

Jars are completely covered with hot water waiting to be filled.

I fill each canning jar with turnips that have been washed, peeled, cubed, and blanched. Blanching is easy. Place the raw, cubed turnips into a pot and cover them with water. Allow the pot to come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn off the pot, but leave the turnips in the hot liquid. The turnips are now ready to go into the sterilized jars. (Incidentally, you do the same with turnip greens. Blanch the clean turnip greens until wilted, then place into clean, sterilized jars.)  

Use a canning funnel and other canning utensils to make the job easier and to help prevent burns to your precious skin. :( I have been doing this for years and occasionally still get a boo boo. Be careful.):

Using the canning funnel and a large slotted spoon, scoop out the turnips and fill each jar to the bottom ring on the canning jar neck. This allows plenty of head space for the food to expand and contract during the pressure canning process. Measure a teaspoon of canning salt and pour into the jar. Now scoop out the liquid from the turnip pot and pour over the turnips, completely covering them. Next, wipe the jar rim with a clean paper towel to ensure a secure seal. Place a hot lid and a jar band on the jar and tighten the lid securely. Set this jar aside and move on to the next jar to be filled. (Do the same for Turnip Greens.)

Pressure canning can be frightening if you have never done this before. I am not going to instruct you on the ins and outs of using the device, mainly because you should have read your manual completely before using it and because different units may require different instructions and I just don't have all the information for every unit available. Do your homework and go safely with confidence!

I can tell you that I use the Ball Blue Book for a great deal of my canning instruction, and according to the BBB, when canning turnips rutabagas, or parsnips, you should follow these guidelines: Pints process for 30 minutes and Quarts for 35 minutes, both at 10 pounds pressure.

When canning greens of any kind, follow these guidelines: Pints process for 1 hour and 10 minutes and Quarts for 1 hour and 30 minutes, both at 10 pounds pressure.

I cannot stress the importance of purchasing the right equipment and learning how to use the equipment properly before beginning any type of canning project. 

Turnips in the Raw

Finished product, ready for the pantry.

I hope you found this information helpful. If you have questions, just let me know. See Ya next time!

Canning Cranberry Sauce

Another Thanksgiving is behind us, and while most are wondering what to do with all the leftovers, I am looking at all the beautiful jars in my pantry. I filled quite a few jars with all the good things that Autumn has to offer: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, turnips, turkey stock, and turkey soup.
My cranberry sauce is so easy to make and easy to can up to enjoy all year. I began making my own when I was just setting up housekeeping 31 years ago. Since then, my family has come to expect homemade sauce. I can't remember the last time we opened a can from the store.
Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 (12oz.) bag cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a sauce pot. Heat to boiling; disolve sugar completely. Pour in the cranberries, fresh or frozen, and allow to return to a boil. When the mixture has come to the point of a boil which can not be stirrred down, stir to loosen the juice from the berries and be careful not to let the concoction boil over. This should be watched and boiled for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the liquid will begin to jell slightly. This is the stage we have been waiting for.


Just before they begin to boil. How pretty is that?!

Now it is time to can your sauce. I should mention here that I obviously cooked more than one bag of berries. In fact, I cooked seven bags of cranberries. To adjust your recipe, simply multiply the ingredients by the number of bags you have to cook. P.S. 7 bags of cranberries will make approximately 20 half-pints with a goodly amount leftover for Thanksgiving dinner.

Canning the sauce:
wash and boil your jars to steralize them. While the jars are hot, fill with piping hot sauce, leaving a little room for headspace, and place a sterilized lid and band on them. When all your jars are filled and sealed, place them in a hot water bath canner and cover them with hot water until the water sits about an inch or so over the tops of the jars. I them put the lid on the canner and set the pot on the stove. When the pot boils begin timing the bath for 15 minutes. Be especially careful of the steam. No joke! That stuff hurts!
Remove the jars and place them on a towel until they cool off completely.



Seven bags of cranberries made 20+ jars this size!

 

Homemade Buttermilk Recipe

Homemade Cultured Buttermilk or The Never-Ending Buttermilk Pail 

Growing up in the country, you tend to learn things, whether intentionally taught or by osmosus. Buttermilk is
one of those lessons. You learn by watching. Buttermilk is not the same thing as "sour milk". I get a little 
irritated when ever I see a recipe that calls for buttermilk, but then says you may substitute sour milk. I can tell you now that you will not get the same result.
First of all, sour milk is thin and runny, while buttermilk is rich and creamy. The textural difference will translate through whatever you are cooking. Sour milk is nothing more
than milk that has had and acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice added to curdle the milk. Butter milk is a cultured product that taste far superior to the curdled drool of sour milk. 
Making a supply of buttermilk is really very easy, and once you have begun the practice, it will be easy to continue. I would be willing to bet that you will never want to go back to  vinegar soured milk. You may even decide to give up store-bought buttermilk.
This is a thick,creamy, and tangy alternative that makes store-bought buttermilk ashamed to be seen in public. You will need a small amount of store-bought buttermilk to get the starter culture, but after that, you will never need to buy it again.

1/2 cup cultured buttermilk
1 quart milk (whole, skim, non-fat, raw, etc.)
1/8t. salt
 a 2 quart container with a lid


Pour milk into your clean container; allow the milk to come to room temperature (70-80 degree F,). Stir the buttermilk and salt into the milk, mixing very well to incorporate. Put a lid on it. Place in a warm (but not hot) area out of direct sunlight. Let it sit there for 24 hours, until thickened. Refrigerate when thick. Use within two weeks.
Never Ending Milk Pail:
Rebatching your buttermilk is easy. when you see that you have almost used up your buttermilk, measure out 1/2 cup to make the next batch. Clean your container to prevent bacterial growth, (I don't know if this is a real concern, but that is what I was taught, so I do it.) Then resart the batch from your old buttermilk culture.
*Notes About the Container:
Do not use a metal container, unless it is stainless steal. The acids in milk can and often do react with metals, creating a poisonous concoction. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you use a glass or enameled container for storing dairy. Canning jars work great for this purpose and come in a one quart size, so you could actually half the recipe if you want.. I personally use an adorable little enameled cream pail that I picked up from the flea market. If you are using an enameled container, be sure there are no chips on the inside. Again, the metal beneath the enamel coating will react with the lactic acid and can be dangerous to use.

In My Kitchen

I know that there is a great amount of information floating around the internet regarding "Back to Basics" living. There are those who list recipes and instructions for those who wish to improve their life and that of their family, by controlling their own food supply as much as possible. I am no different than you in this respect. I am also seeking ways to simplify my life, to grow my own food and raise my own meat. I can, preserve and dehydrate food from my garden. I look for recipes and instructions that will allow me to make things that I would otherwise have to buy.
I believe in making my own staples for both the pantry and the refrigerator. I began back in the 1980's, when I was just married. We were a very young couple, (Chris was 18 and I was only 16), but we knew what we wanted. The dream was to build a log cabin and live an old-style life together. Over the years some of our dreams may have changed, but the one thing that has remained a constant is the desire to live that simpler, homemade existence.
It began with the staples. I took on an attitude that if it could be bought, it can be made. This is especially true in the kitchen. All of the base ingredients are right there on the grocery store shelves, and recipes abound in books, magazines, and on the internet. I began making a basic baking mix, a Bisquick replacement. My mother gave me a Bisquick baking book with lots of ways to use the baking mix. Since then, I have added cornmeal mix and a number of other base mixes that I would normally buy. Here I am 30+ years later, still using those mixes, only now I grind my own grains.
This blog is written for those just like my husband and me, who search tirelessly for the ways of our ancestors, so that we too may follow that old and almost forgotten path to a better life filled with creativity and simplicity. There are so many ways that we may enhance our families lives, just by stepping back a little through time, and taking the responsibility for what we eat, (grow as much of your own food supply as possible and learn how to preserve it), how we shop (we purchase things second-hand as often as possible to defy consumerism),  and how we live ( our altitudes and philosophies guide our path) our lives.