Copy Cat....

So there is this place close to me that has the MOST epic spiced pickled pineapple!  Like I *might* have a problem good...when you put a segment into your mouth it explodes with the sunrise of the pineapple, the pucker that comes from the vinegar and just the right amount of heat to make you grab another.  I think about them a bit too much, pass over their other amazingly pickled veggies just to gobble them up before anyone else can....they are sooo good.

So whats a girl to do when she has asked time and again for the recipe and they state "insider secrets"?? You start to google the shit out of the universe to find a recipe that might just be good enough....when nothing fit I actually hit the my book shelf and to my surprise The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving had a pickled peach recipe that had a 'pineapple' variation....so out comes the ol' Kettle, dusted off the vinegar, sugar and hopefully in a month my addiction shall be sated.

Spiced Pickled Pineapple
Adapted from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving

3 pineapples peeled, cored and cut into chunks.
7 cups of sugar
3 1/4 cups white vinegar
6 cups of water
6 cinnamon sticks (3 inches long)
2 tbsp whole cloves
1 tsp whole all spice
 chili flakes

1. Bring sugar, vinegar and water to boil over high heat in a saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.  Tie cinnamon, cloves and allspice into a cheesecloth bag and add to sugar (I made two smaller bags instead of one big one).  Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 10 minutes.

2. Add Pineapple to syrup.  Boil for 5 minutes.   I added my chili flakes to the bottom of my hot jars right before the time was up, I did pints and prob added 1/4 to 1/2 tsp to each jar...

3. Remove pineapple from liquid with a slotted spoon and pack into jars.  Pour liquid over pineapples but allow for 1/2 inch head-space.  Process for 20 minutes for pints, and 25 for quarts.  

My 3 pineapples made 3 pints and some half pints.  Honestly I just used a variety of jars and started munching on the pineapple so I lost a bit in the "testing" phase.... ;)

So in a month I shall know if these are any good.  I do know that after a couple of months of not canning it felt good to get the equipment out and create.  The pineapple is just so damn lovely that honestly even if they taste like garbage they will be pretty to look at. 

Why hello There....

oh boating..and bum man scruff..what you do to my heart...

DUDES. Sorry for the slacking but honestly I am soaking every freaking minute out of this summer.  I want to just hold on to every sun beam and stretch it out into infinity.  I want to stop, push pause and hug the warmth,  laughter, sunsets, bounty, life out of it.  My body can feel that darkness is coming and while I have started to crave Chai lattes recently every ounce of my being wants to be outside, all. the. time.  I have started walking at least an hour a day, I dream nightly of cycling around the hood and eating anything and everything that can be grilled and/or eaten on the deck.  While its been slightly hot this last week my soul not only craves it but gets damn right pissy if I do something inside during the day-light hours.

The house is a hot mess. The yard is dead, my garden is on self-monitor mode, my neighbors are probably pissed by our constant crap fess that is summer fun gear in random areas of our front yard & yet I wouldn't change a thing.

I do feel exhausted from all this life though and while I am trying to learn that this is the time to give it 110%, to work until you can fall asleep within 5 minutes of your head touching the pillow, my feet, back & netflix account are suffering.

one day of harvest from 2 plants...maybe late is better?

For one I have really stepped it up where food preserving has been concerned and because I cannot do anything domestic until the sun goes down that leaves me up until early in the morning preserving whatever fruit is in season.  Though this brings me so much peace.  How many times in our society today can you look at something lovely and say "I did that".  From plant in the freaking ground (or if you are really good: from baby seed in the ground..) to that lovely jar that will not only nourish those who make my life worth living but do it with a smile on their face is pretty awesome.  In my line of work there is no clear path, no immediate progress and honestly how much I have to do with change is debatable but not with canning......its all me baby.   

It Centers Me.

Connects me to a wonderful heritage of kick ass woman who broke their backs working away with sweat dripping into their eyes (or in my case with 2nd degree burns from the freaking boiling water) because of the love they had for their families.

It gives me pride.

It gives me power.

I have also taught some of my friends and that is a whole 'nother level of awesome.

50 pounds down..50 to go..next up tomato jam, paste & ketchup

All of this from spaghetti sauce. 

Seriously.

I know. Pretty Epic.

I shall try to blog a bit more..have lots rattling in my mind some comes from nervousness with this whole economy/country is in the shitter talk and some of it just from a growing sense of skills/confidence/adventure..but seriously my body can feel the darkness coming and I am going to do my damnest to outrun it until the very end.

And then I shall savor that too. 

Lacy

Oh and I am taking the dogs with me...

Cherries & Life.

Today was the funeral of a friend's son whom passed this past week.  I had known her son and will miss him greatly but even harder for me is to see my good friend in such pain and heartache.  I wish I could comfort her and make it all go away but there are not words to heal right now or enough hugs to erase the pain she is feeling...only time and constant love for quite a while will dull it and while I am sure she will always miss and grieve her hilarious, loving, caring, witty son until eternity I was left today with a sense of powerlessness and grief.  Grief makes you realize how fleeting life is, how precious and sacred. How each day is truly a gift and each day we spend with a loved one is an even better.  When death is present all the pity shit just fades into the background...all the fights over laundry, the stress of day-to-day life, etc just don't matter.  at. all.

Grief is such a horrible emotion because there is nothing you can do.  I just kept wanting to do something.....anything.....I had all these feelings of thankfulness, and sadness and really didn't know how to cope and handle this influx of emotions...

So I preserved.

There is something about creating and following steps I know my great grandmothers followed, and millions of other woman before me have sorted their emotions standing, and sweating, over their stoves creating something for their families & loved ones..something they will pull out during the middle of cold, wet, black winter to remind them of the sun, warmth and fruit that will come.  There is nothing complex about it.  There is history, order, and love in preserving.  It doesn't have to be fancy, or hip just shove fruit, sugar and pectin in a jar. done.  It is unlike life...you get to know the outcome, there is no grey areas and doesn't require tough phone calls or moments of tears...well unless you are like me and burn the shit out of your finger...

So tonight I celebrated my friend by recalling his amazing wit, I processed his funeral that had people in both tears and laughter and connected with all the strength of past female souls' who have overcome much and focused on what is important: capturing the moment, taking a beautiful fruit at its peak and will use it this winter so when I can no longer see the tan on my skin, am having a hard time even recalling how the sun felt on my skin to remember that no matter how dark it seems there is hope and salvation in the future.

Made: Maraschino Cherries

and with the leftover juice I adapted this: Cherry Almond Jelly

Hug those around you fiercely and make sure they know you love them.

Lacy

srsly...

People...Make this:


Strawberry Jam Infused with Vanilla Beans


Your welcome.

Guess what I am making...

*one hint...it contains 2 things I adore: cheap booze & the promise of sweets.

When life hands you green tomatoes...

Ok I know its been awhile....I was so angry at the weather not assisting in this whole experiment I call a "garden".  I wanted to punish something and because I have no power to make the sun shine I decided I would punish the blog...silly right??!!?  So lets reflect on the amazingness of this year....

Lessons Learned:
-Just buy plants...don't grow from seed...you need counter space more then a million seedlings....
-The raised bed farthest to the right gets the least amount of sun...plan accordingly.
-Tomato plants get HUGE soooo don't plant bush beans behind them....
-Plant the tomatoes towards the back so you can plant other things in the front...
-buying plants via the mail doesn't work out...use saturday market instead.
-when using water walls for tomatoes put the cage around first then slide the water wall around that.


Okay so for year one we actually did okay...got a bunch of tomatoes (not enough to can sadly) but did find this option and let me just say "YUM!"...slow roasted tomatoes

Though we ended up with about 1 billion green tomatoes....so I searched the web and found the answer! It was simple, delish and uses green tomatoes.  I doubled it and ended up with ten 12 oz jars.


Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce

Combine the following:

5 cups of chopped green tomatoes
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped long green chiles
1/2 cup seeded finely chopped jalapenos
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. ground cumin
3 tbsp. oregano leaves (I used 1 1/2 tbsp. of ground mexican oregano)
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Put it in a big sauce pan bring to a boil.  Stir frequently and once it begins to boil, then reduce head and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
 

I then added 1/2 cup chopped cilantro and used my immersion blender to puree the sauce.

Ladle the hot salsa into your jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.  Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes and you are good to go! 










Now enjoy!

 

I plan on making this a couple more times...we have that many green tomatoes!  Oy.  More experienced canners out there could you substitute lime juice for the lemon??  I think that would be more authentic though with the whole acid level issue involved in canning I didn't want to play around with the recipe too much.


Also just got my winter garden in so plan on hearing more about "lessons learned".

Lacy

* Just did some research and via the powers of the internet I have concluded that you could use lime juice which I think would taste more authentic.  I am going to use limes for the next batch so I will update on the taste...