New love of canning

I discovered a few years ago how much I loved to can, but this year I discovered something new.

Tattler lids.

They are plastic, made in America, BPA free (I don't know what BPA is but others don't seem to like it) and best of all they are REUSABLE!!!

I decided to purchase about 6 dozen of wide and regular mouth lids when a lady in our town was doing a large bulk order from Tattler. Earlier in the year another friend had given me 4 boxes full of Classico spaghetti sauce jars (3 cups each) and other miscellaneous jars she had collected over the years. So here I sit with FREE jars and REUSABLE lids.

I quickly used up all the free jars and decided to just spend money on more jars. We "invested" in more jars and it was like I had a playground in my kitchen. I even borrowed my neighbor's caner so I could do 2 batches at a time.

My husband made me promise that I would actually USE the food that I canned and not just let it sit there for years looking pretty. I have done a pretty good job, I think, the stock has been wonderful, the spaghetti sauce delicious, the carrots are so handy when I don't have any in the fridge, and the canned moose and chicken are so handy.

In this picture there is:
moose meat, cubed for stews
ground moose meat
hummus (not recommended for canning just like re fried beans, learned after I canned it, they are both too thick and should not be canned, now I just freeze all hummus and re fried beans)
stewed tomatoes
spaghetti sauce
carrots, plain
carrots, pickled
beets, plain
beets, pickled
pinto and black beans, plain
rhubarb jam
rhubarb/raspberry jam
fireweed jelly
blueberry/rhubarb jam
cucumber pickles
Red salmon, smoked
Pink salmon, smoked (pink smokes up really nicely! I was shocked, here in Alaska it's a "reject" fish but because if it's extra soft texture the smoked pink is not so jerky like like reds are, they are soft and great on crackers with cheese)
Chum salmon, smoked (edible, but we won't bother with chums again, too slimy and don't taste nearly as good)
Red salmon, plain
Pink salmon, plain with skin on (yuck, take the skin off or smoke those bad boys)
zucchini relish
Chow Dixie relish
lard
chicken
chicken stock
lamb stock
salmon stock
rhubarb/apple pie filling
lentil soup (turned out very mushy so I will add small amounts other recipes a little at a time to use it up)
spicy caribou and moose stew (not to impressed with the lack of flavor, not having the best luck with canned soup)

 

Update on use of our canned goods: I discovered that having them nearby made a huge difference. We used most of the spaghetti sauce, about 1/2 the moose meat, all but one jar of carrots, almost all of the jelly/jam, and generally ate a lot of it all before the next fall. I didn't can as much in 2012 but canned up a bunch of the things that were needed and bacon bean soup, this links to the video I made that had a better flavor.

Bows vs Guns

It has long been known in our home that there shall be no bows and arrows since guns are far superior. It was a bit of a disappointment at first because I had fond memories of trying to hit targets with our old bows in grade school. However, being taught how to use a firearm has been wonderfully empowering and given me a very nice sense of being able to defend my children, myself and my home...against bears, predators, or what have you. My husband knows, loves and keeps learning about guns. We don't really have a lot, but after you drag out that fear that you have been brainwashed with since a little child, you realize that guns are simply tools. After working with power tools this summer I learned you have to be CAREFUL with them, because just like guns they will kill you if you're not.

Today began a 4 part homeschooling class that they are letting me take with the kids. In class I hit a bulls-eye and it felt great. Granted, it was only 10 feet away, but it still felt great. Perhaps it's because it's quiet or perhaps because they had a comfy indoor range, but it was a blast to shoot. Perhaps it's that I have a chip on my shoulder now since a girlfriend of mine shot a moose...with her bow...out of her bedroom window. Seriously? She also throws her baby in the back pack and hikes over the frozen river and shoots rabbits. She's my hero.

With bows and arrows it extends your hunting season by quite a bit, you get more at the beginning and I believe more at the end. I've never wanted to hunt myself, I'm not the Sarah Palin type, not even a fan. I don't love a good hike. I don't love roughing it. But perhaps I might feel differently if it were a bow and arrow and I could shoot from the comfort of my home.  I'd love the attention meat!

she's so cute I can't stand it

My husband said I've gone insane

He's partly right, of course, but I usually am when obsessed with something new. At the moment it's Granny Miller and this link connects you to one of today's projects: pressure cooking my 3 roosters. They have been waiting patiently in the freezer for my day of inspiration, and today it came.

ready to be cooked

She also wrote about making your own egg noodles, this is a fairly simple thing that I've just never done. So today we made those too. For some reason I had it in my head that you need a pasta thingamajig and I HATE extra kitchen gadgets that take up precious room. So I've never even considered buying one, and I've never made noodles 'till today. You don't even need a fancy noodle rack...

our cheese spoon and chopsticks held up by rice

rolled as thin as I could muster, then cut with a rotary cutter by children with joy

My chicken is about done, and the only trouble tonight figuring out what to have for dinner is the opposite problem I normally face...I have too much food in both fridges, I'd thawed out moose for spaghetti but then made 3 chickens. Oh and I have a pot of rice from Saturday. I know I'll be making some chicken soup... but now I need to figure out how to combine the rest of the foods for this week.

Fabulous Borscht

I have never been a fan of borscht....until now. 

Recipe given to me by my wonderful pioneer woman neighbor. It uses many things from the northern climate's garden and any game meat you might be fortunate enough to have. It is extremely versatile and very simple to prepare, it does not require very many ingredients to make it delicious. It's perfect on any given Sunday in October. Invite your closest friends and make a double or triple batch...I promise you, your guests will be more than impressed. This is my go-to recipe this time of year.

Fabulous Borscht

2 lbs beef shanks, or chunk beef, or sausage, or hamburger browned in lard, bacon fat. (Could also use butter, coconut oil or olive oil.)
1-2 leeks or onions chunked - add to beef
1 c ham, or pork shoulder, or ham hock, or bacon, or kielbasa - add
~3 carrots - add
2 lbs(ish) beets peeled chunked - add if uncooked...if cooked or canned add later (can use homemade pickled beets if need be, that's what I typically use)
new potatoes or chunked potatoes, optional
~2 1/2 qts water
2 bay leaves
8 pepper corn
4 sprigs parsley or dried ~1T
1/4 t pepper
1T salt (adjust to liking)
1/4 c white vinegar
1 6oz can tomato paste
1/4 c fresh dill or some dried
1 small head cabbage
1 c sour cream

Garnish with:
fresh dill
more sour cream

Add ingredients in approximate order as listed. This recipe is so flexible, add more or less vegetables as listed, you will never know the difference.  We have friends who don't eat pork so when they're here I add other things, yesterday was turkey kielbasa and some turkey smoked sausage and that added some great flavor. I have also added leftover chicken, left over spaghetti sauce, leftover pieces of steak from kids plates when their eyes were bigger than their stomachs. I actually keep a "For Borscht" quart size bag in the freezer with bits and pieces of good meat that I don't want to throw to the dog. 

This is a great recipe to make soon after harvest in a very large pot. If you have leftovers it's perfect for freezing or eating the next day. (Like any good stew or soup, it's better the next day.)

Yesterday I tripled the batch in my large stock pot and it fed 8 adults and 11 children, most people had 2 bowls and I have two good sized containers of left overs in the fridge. 

I shamelessly stole this gorgeous photo from Food & Wine where they have their own recipe.