Apricot Jam click for recipe We love apricot jam. This recipe has less sugar and it great for toast and pancakes. I use it to cook with in many of my recipes.

Raspberry Jam, click for recipe Raspberry jam is just the best! Great on pancakes or toast.

Drying Apples

Use slightly tart "eating apples" as opposed to "cooking apples." Rome Beauty, Northern Spy, Jonathan, Baldwin, Wine sap, Graven stein, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious work well. Choose mature fruit that is evenly colored and un bruised.

Wash and peel apples, you may leave peelings on if you like them with them on. Optionally drop fruit in an ascorbic acid bath to prevent browning. I use concentrated orange juice in water or sometimes white vinegar. I don't usually use ascorbic acid. This is something purely personal, after all these are your dried apples.

For indoors start dryer at 130 degrees, increase to 165 degrees after about 1 hour. I turn my apples often. If you are using a cooking sheet in the oven be sure to spray with pam or use oil on soft cloth so apples won't stick. You don't want excess oil on pan, just enough to make the apples not stick. When most of the moisture has left the fruit, lower the temperature to 145 degrees and regulate it between that temperature and 130 degrees as needed to prevent scorching. Stir and turn fruit on trays frequently as it finishes drying. Apples should dry in 6 hours or less under controlled heat.

For Outdoors dry in the sun for 1 to 3 days. Some say sulfuring is required but I personally never use it, I like mine natural and I have had mine last for years. Place the fruit one layer deep on trays and cover with cheesecloth or other light fabric during drying. If you use screen be sure and don't use galvanized, use fiberglass screen you get at the hardware store, its cheap and you can make drying trays quite easily. My father made me years ago an enclosed dryer for outside, I love it...

Canned Peaches

2 to 3 pounds peaches per quart
Sugar
Water

To prepare peaches: Wash peaches; dip in boiling water 30 to 60 seconds; immediately dip peaches in cold water. Slip off peel. Cut in half; pit. Cling peaches are easier to cut into halves if a pitting spoon is used to loosen the pulp from the pit. Push the spoon through pulp from the stem end to the end of the pit, cutting pulp from the pit. If a pitting spoon is not available, use a knife to cut through to the pit; begin at stem end and follow crease to blossom end; continue cutting on opposite side. After cutting, hold a peach in half in each hand and twist in opposite directions to separate half's.

I prefer raw pack.

Raw Pack: Peel peaches; cut in half and pit. Treat to prevent darkening. Make a light or medium syrup; (I prefer a light syrup, syrup recipes at bottom), keep syrup hot. Drain peaches. Pack peaches cavity side down, layers overlapping into hot jars. I use a wooden spoon to put peaches into jar with, lay the peach on top of the wooden spoon and put into jar, they will lay nicely, if you want to just throw them in remember they are your peaches you may do as you like.. Leave a 1/2 inch head space. Remove air bubbles by running a knife or plastic tool around sides, try not to cut the peaches. Adjust two-piece caps, always use new caps, make sure your screw on rims are not bent, you want your peaches to seal.
Process pints 25 minutes, quarts 30 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Hot Pack: Peel peaches; cut in half and pit. Treat to prevent darkening. Make a medium or heavy syrup. Drain peach's. Cook peaches on layer at a time in syrup until are hot throughout Pack hot peaches into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Ladle hot syrup over peaches, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps.
Process pings 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes, in a boiling water canner.

Note: If peaches are juicy, measure peaches after pitting and peeling. Add 1 to 2 cups to each 5 quarts peaches. Cook peaches slowly until sugar dissolves and peaches are hot throughout. Pack and process as for canning peaches, hot pack. If there is not enough syrup add boiling water to cover peaches leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Beets

Select deep red beets 1 to 2 inches in diameter

Wash beets. Leave 2 inches or stem and tap root. Boil. Until skins slip off. Remove skins; trim. Slice, dice or leave beets whole.
Pack beets into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Add ½ teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon salt to each quart, if desired. (I use plain salt not iodized).
Ladle boiling water over beets, leaving 1 – inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 35 minutes, quarts 35 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam-pressure canner.

CORN- WHOLE KERNEL

Raw Pack – Husk corn; remove silk. Wash. Cut corn from cob. Do not scrape. Pack corn loosely into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Do not shake or press down. Add ½ teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon salt to each quart, if desired. I use plain salt.
Ladle boiling water over corn, leaving 1 – inch head space. Remove air bubbles.
Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 55 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 25 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam-pressure canner.

Hot Pack – Husk corn; remove silk. Wash. Cut corn from cob. Do not scrape. Measure. Add ½ teaspoon salt a 1 cup boiling water to each pint cut corn, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 cups boiling water to each quart cut corn. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Ladle hot corn and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 55 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 25 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam-pressure canner.

Baked Beans (These are sooo good!)

1 onion finely chopped
2 15 oz. cans pork and beans
½ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon mustard
1 small 9 oz. can tomato sauce
Fried beacon (4 to 8 pieces) cut into small bits

Combine all ingredients, Bake 300 1 hour or until done.

Apple Spice Cake

Butter and flour 1 - 9 x 11 inch cake pan. Set oven at 375 degrees

Sift together in separate bowl
2 ¼ cups flour
1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon powdered cloves
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
4 teaspoon baking powder

Beat until thick and lemon-colored
4 eggs

Beat in gradually
1 ½ cup sugar
¼ cup molasses
Beat well
Add
2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
(If you don’t have sour milk, add a little lemon juice to milk).

Stir in
1 1/3 cup melted shortening or oil (I use oil)

Add
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Orange extract (optional)
1 ½ cup finely chopped peeled apples

Spoon into tins.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until done

Raisin Rice Pudding
3 cups milk
1/2 cup raw rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Place milk, rice, salt, sugar, vanilla and desired amount of raisins in a buttered 1 1/2 quart casserole, sprinkle cinnamon on top.
Bake uncovered at 300 degrees for 2 hours. Serve hot or cold.

Cranberry Salsa great for the Holidays!

1 12 oz. pkg. fresh cranberries, you can use frozen, but fresh are prettier
3/4 cup sugar
1 medium jalapeno, remove seeds
1 green onion
1 - 2 T. fresh cilantro, to taste or
1 tsp. of dried cilantro
1/4 tsp. cumin

Put all ingredients in a food processor. Process until mixture is coarsely chopped. Store in refrigerator over night to allow flavors to blend.

Makes 3 cups. Serve with tortilla chips. This is also great served with crackers and cream cheese. Good with beef, pork or poultry. Great with Pork Chops.

Gingerbread House

Preheat the oven to 375 In a large pot on low heat, melt
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup molasses

Remove from heat and mix in
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

Stir in thoroughly 1 cup at a time
4 1/2 to 5 cups sifted all-purpose flour

Mix and knead all ingredients until the dough is even in color and smooth, not crumbly or dry. Place dough on a cookie sheet and roll out to about 1/4 inch thick. Place your pattern on dough and cut out pattern, remove the excess (you can reuse it). Bake dough at 375 for 10 to 14 min. You should not be able to touch the gingerbread and leave an imprint. Immediately after you remove gingerbread from oven, place pattern back on ginger bread and trim it (gingerbread will spread while baking). Do this while gingerbread is still hot. If you wait for it to cool it will become hard and break if you try to cut it.

Gingerbread Icing

4 cups or 1 lb of powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons Meringue Powder

Slowly add 6 to 8 Tablespoons warm water
Beat Frosting until stiff peaks form
Keep frosting bowl covered with wet towel while you are decorating or it will dry out.

Plum Jam, Canned Tomatoes, Canned Peaches, Apricot Jam.

Need a recipe? Let me know..

Syrups for canning (I prefer the extra light and go a little lighter on the sugar, I feel if I want a lot of sugar I can add it when I open them up in my recipe, maybe I'll want to use honey).

Extra Light
Sugar 1 1/4 cups
Water 5 1/2 cups
yield 6 cups
Light
Sugar 2 1/4 Cups
Water 5 1/4 cups
Yield 6 1/2 Cups
Medium
Sugar 3 1/4 cups
Water 5 Cups
Yield 7 Cups
Heavy
Sugar 4 1/4 Cups
Water 4 1/4 Cups
Yield 7 Cups

Always check your canning books recipe before canning as it may change for your area depending upon the altitude.