Putting Food By...Canning Fruits and Vegetables Has Become a Lost Art!

Growing up as a little girl in Mississippi I remember watching my mother, grandmother and aunts canning. The all had lived through the Great Depression in Mississippi with no luxuries.

Times were hard and there was little food to be had except what they could grow ad put up in jars. Those beautiful jars of vegetables and fruits would feed them and their family through the winter until it was time to plant a new garden in the spring.  There was little or no meat to be had. Meals consisted of blackeyed peas, field peas, green beans, butter beans, stewed tomatoes with okra, pickles, cornbread or biscuits. In the spring when fresh vegetables were available the meals would be the same except there would be slices of fresh tomatoes, onions, cucumber and peppers on a plate. A chicken usually graced the Sunday dinner table and would be cut in a way that it would feed 10 people.

In those days it was not uncommon to see an entire family sitting on the porch shelling peas, snapping beans, shucking corn, shelling butter beans, and more. No one complained they knew that hard work meant they would eat during the winter months.

These beautiful, strong, industrious women were my role models. They kept the house, took care of children, did the laundry, worked in the fields, put food by for the coming winter, went to church, and loved their families unconditionally. It was a simpler time. A time when families spent time together and carried on conversations.

While I was raising my family I would put food by. I had a special pantry built in my home just for that reason. My parents and in laws had large gardens. I got anything and everything I wanted to can from them. During the day I would go pick the vegetables bring them home and begin the process of shelling, shucking, and cutting.  Preparation of the vegetables and fruits was time consuming but it was well worth the rewards. I worked all day and night preparing and processing the foods we would be eating. My goal was to completely fill that pantry.

When canning you should always follow some basic rules. Always have a good Stainless Steel Canner or Pressure Cooker Canner. Make sure you sterilize your jars in boiling water, wash and rinse  jars and lids ( do not reuse old lids, you may reuse the jars and rings).

When making jellies and jams I like to use Certo Pectin. Make sure you read the directions and follow the recipe for the desired fruit. Make sure you process the jams and jellies according to the directions.

I still can vegetables, fruits, pickles, jams and jellies. When I look in pantry at my canned goods I have a warm and happy feeling. I also have a sense of accomplishment knowing I did that.

In a future blog post I will go through the canning process of several of the recipes I enjoyed putting up this summer.

Louisiana...Food For Your Soul and Body!

In the late1950's early 1960's we lived in Monroe, Louisiana. We moved there from Natchez, Mississippi between my 3rd and 4th grade years. Mom and Dad were Salvation Army Officers back then. It was expected of Mother to work along side of our Father.

When we were little we had a wonderful lady help around the house and watch us. Her name was Ida. She was such a wonderful person. She taught me many things. I would sit and talk to her while she ironed the clothes. One time I asked her if she could teach me how to iron. She was very patient with this little girl. I was so proud of my new found accomplishment.

One of my fondest memories of her is that she sold Avon on the side. She use to bring me those little sample lipsticks. When we  moved from Monroe to Little Rock she gave me a bottle of Daisy Perfume and an entire box of little lipsticks. I was in heaven with the gift. She was a very special lady and remains so in my memories.

Part of Ida's job was to start dinner so when mom and dad got home we could sit down as a family and eat. One of my favorite recipes she made was Red Beans and Rice. The aroma in the house while she cooked was amazing.

As always mother wrote down the recipe so she could make it for us.

Ida's Red Beans and Rice

1 lb Dried Red Kidney Beans

1/2 cup Celery

1/2 cup Onion

1/2 cup Green Beans

2 lb Ground Beef

1 clove Garlic

2 cans Tomatoes

3 tbsp Sugar

Salt to taste

Wash Beans and pick through to be sure there are not little rocks. Once they are washed and picked through cover with water. (I use the quick soak method: Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Cook the beans for 1 minute, then remove the pot from the heat. cover with lid and soak for 1 hour). 

Dice celery, onions and green peppers (This combination of vegetables is called the Trinity, which is in virtually every Cajun Recipe). Saute in bacon grease (Back in the day we would save the bacon grease. We had a metal container that sat on the stove just for the bacon grease. Now when we have bacon I will reserve the grease in a jar and place in the fridge.)

Add the sauteed veggies to the beans. Add browned ground beef, garlic, tomatoes, sugar and salt. (Sugar helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes.) Cook over medium heat until the beans are soft.

Over the years I have modified the recipe by adding Cajun seasoning, such as Tony Cachere. If I use the one that contains salt I do not use salt. Other modifications are with the meat. Some people like to substitute ham, but one of my favorite is to use sausage...kielbasa, smoked, or andouille.

Yummy & Delicious Ice Box Rolls

My Grandma and her sister, my Great Aunt Hattie, made the best dinner rolls. It was unheard of to buy packaged rolls. The anticipation of having these dinner rolls was mouthwatering. I have learned the art of roll and bread making by watching and asking questions.

I enjoyed watching the yeast proof. It was like watching a science experiment. I guess it really is science.  What is proofing you ask? To make sure active dry yeast (not quick-rise yeast) is alive and active, you may first want to proof it. Here's how: Dissolve one package of yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°). Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. If it does not foam, the yeast should be discarded.

Once all of the ingredients were mixed together the fun part came. The kneading, oh the kneading that was always fun for me. As I have aged the kneading process has become a process that can help relieve stress.Watching the dough move and stretch as the gluten is activated.

What I like about these rolls is that you can keep the dough refrigerated for 2 weeks.

Ice Box Rolls

1 Pkg Yeast

1 cup Sweet Milk

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Shortening

4 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 scant tsp Baking Soda (scant = just less than the required amount)

1 tbsp Salt

Directions:

Mix Milk, Water, Sugar and Shortening in a boiler. Put on stove and scald. (scald = bringing mixture to near boil) Take off stove and let it cool. Disolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm liquid. (This where I would let the yeast proof.) Add the rest of the liquid. Add 2 cups of flour and mix well. Place in warm place, cover and let rise to double it's size.

In a separate bowl mix the 2 additional cups of flour, baking powder, soda and salt sifting it together. Add this flour mixture to the dough that has doubled in size. Work down and beat as much as you can (kneed about 10 minutes.) Place covered dish (I use Plastic Wrap) and place in refrigerator. Work down each everyday.

Pinch off the amount you desire and roll dough in in your hands (add a little flour to your hands to keep dough from sticking) in a ball shape. Place rolls on baking sheet pan and let sit in warm place free of draft and rise double to size, about 2 hours. Butter top of rolls prior to baking.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and bake for about 15 minutes.

After making rolls settle back and enjoy your hot rolls with butter.

Dedicated to my Mama...Mommy...Mother! 1927-2015

I am back blogging after my extended absence. It has been awhile and like everyone else..."Life Happens". I hope to get back into the swing of things with this post. I've missed blogging and sharing recipes with you.

My sister was going through my Mother's things that were in her possession when Mother passed away. She came across some recipes and sent them to me. I'm so excited to share them with you.

Mother was a collector of recipes. She loved to cook and read her cookbooks. She had a wall full of cookbooks. She would sit and read recipes for hours on end. Occasionally she would say, "Doesn't that sound good?" I find myself saying the same thing while reading recipes. I am so proud that she passed her love for cooking and food to me, otherwise life would be boring eating the same foods over and over. 

She encouraged me to try new recipes. Taught me that it was okay to alter a recipe by substituting, adding to and taking way from it to make it my own. I was taught that a recipe was only a road map. You could veer away from it a little to make it my own creation.

She taught me that baking was like a science project. You have to have certain combinations to make it work. I was taught the difference in 1Cup of All Purpose Flour as apposed to 1 Cup of Sifted All Purpose Flour. She taught me the difference between Baking Powder and Baking Soda, which have different chemical reactions to the recipe. I learned so much from her.

As a collector of recipes she was never afraid to ask for a recipe regardless if it were a close friend, at a church pot luck, a restaurant, or an elegant dinner party. She would write a recipe on whatever she could find as shown in the picture below of her having written the Fired Chicken Recipe on the back of her check register. She would save all of those scraps of paper and place them in a box or plastic bag. If she needed that recipe she knew exactly where it was and what she had written it on.

Southern Fried Chicken Crunchy Crust

Flour Mixture:

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Powder

(I add additional spices to this mixture such as pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, etc.)

Egg Mixture:

1 cup Water

1 Egg

1/4 cup Cornstartch

In a Cast Iron Skillet or Dutch Oven heat up oil/shortening to medium heat. Dredge Chicken in Flour Mixture. Dip in Egg Mixture. Add Chicken to hot oil. Coated chicken should sizzle when it hits the oil.  Turn Chicken half way through frying. Breasts should cook 8 - 12 minutes on each side and Dark Meat 6 - 10 minutes. I always start with the breasts and add the dark meat after to white has been in for a few minutes, that way all of the meat is hot when taken out.

This is the most delicious cruncy chicken ever.

Thank you Mother for all of the loving guidance and patience as I learned to cook with you. Everytime I cook I think of you! You are always with me.

Black Eyed Peas...and I'm not talking about the hip hop group!

It is believed that the black eyed pea was originally from West Africa and that it was introduced into the Southern United States as early as the 17th century in Virginia. Today the black eyed pea is still widely used through the Southern United States.

The black eyed pea is a great source of calcium, folic acid, protein, and vitamin A. A one cup serving is less than 200 calories.

There is something about black eyed peas that brings back wonderful memories. For me they are the original comfort food when combined with corn bread and pepper sauce.

I remember sitting at the dinner table as young as 3 or 4. Mama would make fried chicken, a big pot of peas, and corn bread. There was always a bottle of pepper sauce and green tomato chow chow on the table. The veggies would consist of turnip greens, homegrown sliced tomatoes and a sliced sweet vadalia onion. Accompanying the  dinner was a glass of sweet iced tea.

When we were just starting to eat table food Mama would crumble up a small piece of cornbread on a saucer, ladle out peas with liquid, then mash them up together. We were probably 8 or 9 months old when she started feeding us table food. As we grew older and could feed ourselves we still liked to have her mash up the peas and cornbread. Even though we were capable of doing it ourselves. It always tasted better when she prepared it. 

Another fond memory growing up was everyone sitting and shelling the peas. We would shell a bushel or more in one sitting. Depending on the weather we would sit outside and shell or sit around the kitchen table. No matter where we were this was always a great time to socialize with each other.

Once the shelling was completed Mama would go in the kitchen where she would make a mess of peas. A "mess" is a Southern colloquialism for a side dish that accompanied a main course..,a mess of peas, a mess of greens, etc. The rest of the peas would then be blanched (scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short time) before they are frozen. Freezing the peas insured that we would have fresh peas throughout the year. I just loved helping mother put food by.

You can purchase black eyed peas frozen, dried or in the can. My preferred method is fresh, then frozen, then dried, and then canned. I use canned when I am in a hurry.

Prep and cooking method times depends on the source of the peas, Fresh and frozen are cooked pretty much the same way.

Charlotte's Black Eyed Peas

4 cups fresh or frozen black-eyed peas

4 or 5 slices bacon (you can also use a  ham hock)

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups chicken broth (some  recipes call to use 6 cups of chicken broth)

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Take a 5 quart dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; set aside to drain on paper towels. Then add the onion and garlic to bacon drippings until tender. Make sure not to scorch. Once onions are translucent add broth, water, salt, pepper and peas. Bring to a boil and skim top if necessary. Adjust stove to low adding bacon to peas. Adjust seasonings to taste, cover and simmer 30 minutes to 1 hour until peas are tender. Makes about 6 servings.

Dried black eyed peas are cooked the same as above, except there is preparation that needs to be done prior to cooking and cooking times are a little longer. Soaking the dried peas is not necessary, but is recommended as it will reduce the length of cooking time. I generally will soak the peas overnight. Remember to dump the water that the peas have been soaking in prior to cooking. 

There is a quick soak method that can be used. Quick soak is when you place the peas in your dutch oven and add water to cover the peas. Bring the peas to a boil, remove from heat and set aside for at least an hour. Dump the soak water before you cook the peas.

Cooking time for the dried peas is about 1 to 2 hours.

Sister Sally Doughnuts!

Mom and Dad were both Salvation Army ministers. There were many times during my childhood that Dad was called out in the middle of the night for a disaster. It was his responsibility to call volunteers together. The disasters they would be called to would range from a house fire to someone who has gone missing to a tornado and more. No call for help was too little.

The volunteers would assemble at the Corps Building (church) and begin to make coffee, sandwiches, and doughnuts. They would then load up the Canteen, similar to today's food truck, and head to the site of the disaster. There they would begin support to the firefighters, police, volunteers, etc serving them coffee, sandwiches and doughnuts. Many times the doughnuts would be fried on site in the canteen.

The volunteers at the designated sight would recognize the canteen by its white color and the red Salvation Army Shield on the side. They knew that this was a place to get refreshments.

Mother would help make the doughnuts. She also made them at home. I remember watching her in the kitchen and eventually helping her make the doughnuts for the family. The aroma in the kitchen was absolutely amazing.

Below I am sharing the recipe for Sister Sally Doughnuts which dates back to 1917, as well as an article that was published in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

Sister Sally Doughnuts

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 5 tsps. baking powder
• 1 - 2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 - 2 tsp. mace
• 1 - 4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 tbsp. shortening melted

Mix and sift flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt. Combine eggs, milk and melted shortening. Stir into dry ingredients until a very soft dough is formed. Chill until dough can be handled. Roll out 1 - 2 inch thick on well floured surface. Cut with a doughnut cutter.

Heat shortening or vegetable oil, 2 inches deep, to 375 degrees F. Fry doughnuts a few at a time. As soon as they rise to the surface, turn with a long handled fork. (Do not pierce.) Turn often until golden and done. Remove with fork. Hold over kettle to let excess fat drop off. Drain on absorbent paper. Makes about three dozen.

**Doughnuts can be coated in sugar or powdered sugar while still hot before serving.

Setting The Family Table For Dinner!

The dinner table has been a special place for our family to connect with each other and share our days experiences. The dinner table was a place where we made family decisions, made vacation plans,  plans for the weekend, upcoming activities we were involved in school which others could attend, and more. Conversation at the dinner table was always pleasant. Any conversation that could evoke negative emotions was forbidden at the table. 

We always helped mother in the kitchen. I remember helping her as early as 4 years old. Starting with simple things such as setting the silverware on the table. Mother was so patient with us as she taught us where the different pieces went on the table. She was always positive and reinforced when we did something right and pleasant when she told us how to correct something we had done wrong. Through her encouragement and as we got older we accepted more responsibility for the family dinner table.

There was always a tablecloth on the table. We had everyday and special occasion dishes. We were taught there are 3 ways to set a table, Casual, Informal and Formal. The utensils and dishes used would depend on the occasion and the number of courses the dinner consisted of. A nicely set table no matter how simple sets the tone for a nice dinner.

My everyday dinner table is set casual style with the plate in the center of the place mat. The knife to the right of the plate with the blade turned into the plate and then the spoon to the right of the knife. On the left hand side I place the forks. The dinner fork is closest to the plate and the salad fork to the right of that. Above the plate to the right you will find the glass and to the upper left a bread plate if needed. The napkin is placed to the left of the plate under the forks. I like to use cloth napkins with napkin ring. If you use napkin ring you may place them to the left of the forks or in the center of the plate. As a child I always loved the napkins in the ring. I felt special and made the dinner more of an event.

My desire is to bring the family meal and table back. It's time we get back to basics. Unfortunately our society has sent us all in different directions. We need to share the family table experience with each other which will bring a closer bond to the family.

So let's turn off the television, put down the electronics and spend time getting to know each other.