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.