Archive for the ‘pasta sauce’ Tag
Needless to say we here in New England love the Fall. It’s harvest time for most crops but especially cucumbers which we wait for all year. This is pickle season for those of us who love hot pickles. I don’t mean just spicy hot, I mean hot enough to make your head sweat. My better half and I make pickles every year at this time because the demand for them is high with friends and family. Our time yesterday was spent making 15 pints of hot Bread & Butter pickles and 9 additional pints of smoking hot dill pickles. These pickles are made with our family recipes but we add the additional heat. We add a mixture of sliced jalapenos, serranoes, and my all time favorite, habaneros. Here’s how we get started.
Our preparation actually starts the night before with the slicing of many cucumbers. My better half usually handles that chore because she cuts a much more uniform slice than I do. She also handles slicing the hot peppers because in past years I’ve almost blinded myself by putting my bare hands near my eyes after forgetting to wear gloves.
First we get our lids, rims, and jars sterilized in boiling water. Then we mix a concoction of herbs and spices to make what we call the syrup that will do the actual pickling. We also add three large bottles of jalapeno vinegar which I made earlier this Spring. Just a friendly tip if you’re going to make hot pickles . . . wear thick rubber gloves. Not those flimsy latex gloves because the oils from the hot peppers migrate right through the latex. Once it gets on your bare hands you’re in trouble.
It’s really not a difficult process once you’ve done it a few times. We completed this entire job in 2 hours minus the preparation done the previous day. When you have a good product people want it which is why we have a long list of folks waiting for these pickles. In a normal year we’ll process 35 to 40 pints of a variety of pickles. Then we can get started with our hot pasta sauces, BBQ sauce, salsa, chili, and wing sauces.
It really is a lot of fun and will keep our family and friends well supplied until Spring. You should give it a try.
This morning is for recreation and not creation for at least a few hours. The better-half is long gone to work, the cat’s been fed, and the coffee fresh. I think a short trip to Middle Earth is necessary before I continue what should be a rather busy day.
42” of X-box is the only proper way to kick start a day and I’m loving it. This new Lego Lord of the Rings is a hoot and it appears that it will take a great deal of time to master. I’m at 23% completion and I’ve been working it at it off and on for a couple of weeks already. Hours and hours of continuous fun ahead for me.
Late morning has pulled me back into the kitchen where I’m beginning the process of making my special spicy pasta sauce. My hands smell of onion and are burning like fire from the jalapenos (forgot my gloves). Did most of the prep work last night so it’s all about the cooking and canning today. I’ve got to get back to it right now before things overcook.
La-Dee-Da (Time passing)
Well its two hours later and I’m putting the finishing touches to things. I just finished canning seventeen pints of some really tasty meatless sauce. I went easy on the heat for this batch since many of the people who will be receiving it aren’t crazy about really hot food. I held back one quart jar that we’ll be using for dinner later today. I can’t wait. The one downside to all of this is the cleanup which seems to take twice as long as the preparation. It’s a big, gigantic, huge, pain in the ass.
Tweedle-Dee-Dee
Just finished a rather enjoyable meal of miniature cheese raviolis covered with my delicious sauce. I’m not really bragging but it was one helluva good vegetarian dish. We’ve been trying a little harder to cut down the amount of meat we consume but don’t worry, I’ll never quit completely. I’m a big believer in eating a little of everything but a not lot of any one thing. It’s all about portions and quality for us now. It’s one of the reasons I enjoy making my own food, I know exactly what’s in it. No added sugars or preservatives just great flavors.
Our hobby has expanded to include the making of sauces, relishes, jams, canned pickles and veggie mixes, and spicy green beans (all from the garden). Both my better-half and I make our own versions of home-made wine, flavored vinegars, and a habanero cooking wine that is to die for. Besides being a little healthier for us both it’s also great fun.
Well back to the cleanup. I want to be finished before my better-half gets home.
everyuselessthing.com 