Canned Potatoes

Canned Potatoes are very versatile! I use them for potato salad. I pan fry them in butter for a tasty side dish. I mix and fry them with left over meat to make hash. I have a hard time keeping them in my pantry. I usually get 6-7 quarts of potatoes per 10 lb bag. Here is my recipe for pressure canning potatoes.

Canned Potatoes
10 lb bag of russet potatoes
1 teaspoon pickling salt in each quart jar.
You will need:
Potato Peeler, Knife, Bowl of water, Large pot, Canning funnel, Jar lifter, Burping spatula, and magnetic lid lifter.




 Peel and dice potatoes in 1 inch cubes. Place them in a bowl of water while peeling and dicing the rest. When finished rinse potatoes and place in a large pot.
Fill with water and bring to a quick boil and drain.

When pressure canning there is no need to sterilize the jars. Just make sure the jars are washed well and heat them in the oven at 200 degrees. A rule of thumb,  Hot product, hot jars and hot water. Raw pack cool product, room temp jars and cool water.  Place the hot potatoes into hot jars, tamping and pushing down as much as you can to fill the jar. Pour in fresh hot water into the jars and make sure there is one inch of head space.

As with every time you can, make sure you burp the jars with a plastic knife. This ensures air bubbles are expelled. Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart. Wipe jars well and place on warmed lids, and finally "finger tight" the rings.

Add three quarts of hot water to the bottom of your pressure canner and stack in your filled quart jars. I know that there is a fear of pressure canning. It seems that most older folks have told horror stories of an exploding pressure cooker/canner. Today's modern pressure canners comes with a safety feature. They come with a rubberized plug that fits a small hole in the top of the canner. If the temperature gets too hot this plug will pop off and release all the pressure before it will explode. I always sit in the kitchen and watch the gauge and listen to the rattling and hissing. Make sure you follow the guidelines of the manual when canning.

  

After filling the canner place on the lid and lock into place. Turn on the stove. It will take a while before the water starts boiling and the steam escapes the vent. 

At a certain level of pressure the locking pin will pop up (on the left of the photo)When that has popped up, and there is a strong and steady stream of steam coming out of the vent, start timing for 10 minutes. This will ensure that the air is being displaced from inside of the canner.After 10 minutes place the weight on the vent. For my elevation I need 10 lbs weight to create the 10 pounds of pressure. Check your manual for what pressure you need for your elevation.

Once the pressure reaches a steady 10 lbs on the gauge start timing for 40 minutes. I typically turn my element on high when I start out and by the time it reaches the correct pressure I back off the temp, from 10 to 8.5 on my dial. Your weight will hiss and jiggle indicating you have reached the correct temperature. My gauge stays pretty steady on the 11 lbs mark. The pressure must maintain at least 10 pounds of pressure, if it dips below that, the stove temperature must be increased and start over with the timing. Adjust the temperate to maintain a steady pressure. After 40 minutes turn off the heat and let it gradually release it's temperature.

Do not remove the weight or move it off the burner. If the pressure is released too quickly the pressure in the jars will be greater and the liquid will seep out from under the lid. This could result in an unsealed jar. So, keep on your weight and do not move your canner off the element. It takes a while for the pressure to get back to zero. Let it sit for a while you can hear the boiling inside, wait until the canner is silent. When removing the lid make sure you open it away from your face because there will be a lot of steam released! Remove the jars with a jar lifter and place on a towel in a non drafty area and let sit for at least 12 hours. Make sure the lids have properly sealed.


Once the rings are removed and the jars and lids are washed with cool soapy water, and the lids are marked with date and contents, you can safely store them in your pantry.

These jars of potatoes will make 

meal prep so easy!

German - Amish Cole Slaw

Coleslaw is a very interesting food. There are so many ways to make it depending on were you grew up, and what nationality your family is. I was not a fan of coleslaw, until I found this recipe. Not only does it taste wonderful, but it is shelf stable and can be placed in my pantry for when I have a craving or when company comes over. Even after it's been processed, the texture is still crisp and crunchy. If your not a fan of coleslaw, give this a try, you will be glad you did!

 German - Amish Coleslaw
1.5 Cabbage, large heads
2 Carrots pealed and shredded
1 Red bell pepper finely diced
1 Sweet onion finely diced
2 teaspoons Celery seed
2 teaspoons Mustard seed
3 cups Apple cider vinegar
6 cups Sugar
2 teaspoons of Pickling salt

Since this recipe requires a water bath method of canning, wash and sterilize your pint jars. I often wash my jars in the dishwasher on the sterilize setting. I also boil the jars for 10 minutes to make sure it's sterile. After 10 minutes let the jars sit in the hot water to keep the jars warm.



 While the jars are boiling, start chopping up the veggies. I hand chop the cabbage because I want the pieces to be a little larger than what you get with a grater, shredder or food processor.

Place all the chopped veggies in a large bowl and salt with 2 teaspoons of pickling salt, and stir. It's important  not to use iodized salt because it will affect the finished product. Let this stand for a minimum of 1 hour. While the cabbage is resting, get the syrup started.
Bring the sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil and let cool.

After rinsing and draining the cabbage, place in the warm syrup. Retrieve the  jars from the canning pot, and spoon the cabbage and syrup mixture in the warm pint jars. Use a small spatula to stuff for a fairly firm pack. Make sure the cabbage mixture and the syrup are at a 1/2 inch head space. If your liquid is a little lower than the veggies spoon some in until they are level.

Use vinegar and a fresh paper towel to wipe the rims of the jars. Make sure they are very clean and without any nicks. Take the warmed lids from the stove and place on jar making sure not to touch the underside. I use a magnetic wand made just for canning. Screw on the lids "finger tight". Do not over tighten the lids. The air that is inside the jar needs to escape while processing.

Place jars in the canning pot and make sure the water is at least an inch above the jars. Cover the pot and turn the stove top on high. Start timing after it's reached a good rolling boil. The processing time is 15 minutes. After the time is up, turn off the stove and take off the cover. Let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes. Prepare a towel on the counter top to receive the very hot jars. Make sure there are no drafts or ceiling fans on. These jars need to cool down gradually and they should not be disturbed for at least 12 hours. There might be a little boiling in the jars and perhaps a slight hissing noise from time to time. During this time you may hear a pinging noise, this indicates that the jar has sealed.

After the jars have cooled for a minimum of 12 hours check to make sure the jar is sealed. There is a button shaped bubble on the jar lids.When properly processed these buttons will sink in and create a vacuum seal. When there is no give on the surface of the lid, you have been successful! I usually wash my jars in cool water with soap and water. Sometimes while processing, or cooling on the counter, some of the liquid can bubble out a bit, especially under the ring. Make sure to remove the ring and wash the threaded area. I make sure my jars are clean before placing them in my pantry to make sure there will be no problems with ants, flies or rodents. After the jars are washed and dried place the date and the name on each jar.
Now they are ready for your pantry! Wait for a least two weeks before opening to get the fullest flavor. As you notice in my photo I have a jar that is full of carrot slices. I had some extra syrup that I wanted to use up so I did a jar of pickled carrot slices. I hope you enjoy this coleslaw as much as I do!

Autumn Apple Crisp

If you are like me, you love Autumn. The cooler temps are a welcome respite from the blazing hot southern summers. Even as a child, living in northern Wisconsin, I looked forward to fall. Today, living in the south, my winters are mild, but this recipe still brings back those wonderful memories.

Autumn Apple Crisp
12 medium, sweet, firm apples.
1.5 cups of brown sugar
1 cup All purpose flour
1 cup Old fashioned oats.
2/3 cup of cool slightly soft butter
1.5 teaspoons of Saigon cinnamon
1.5 teaspoons of Nutmeg.

First things first

Turn on oven to 350 degrees.

While oven is heating, peel, core and slice apples. 

 I use an apple slicer/corer and makes easy work!

Fill a 9 x 11 pan about 3/4 full. 

The apples will bake down so make sure you give it a good fill!

Now for the topping!

Make sure your butter is not melted, or very warm. 

Keep your butter slightly cool, but still soft enough to cut into mixture. 

Just dump the remaining ingredients into a bowl and start cutting the butter in with a fork. Don't over work this mixture. Make sure that it's crumbly so it can be easily sprinkled on the top of the apples.

Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes or until apples are soft and the edges are bubbly. 

The house will be filled with this heavenly aroma!

You can almost smell it can't you?

Let the pan cool until slightly warm.

Serve alone or with whipped cream or 

vanilla ice cream. 

Enjoy this taste of fall!

Caramel Apple Salad

A simple recipe for a quick enjoyable side dish.
1 cup milk
1 3oz pkg of butterscotch instant pudding
1 8oz tub of thawed whipped topping
2 medium apples
Option dry roasted peanuts

In medium bowl combine pudding mix and milk whisking briefly. Fold whipped topping into pudding mixture. Peel and dice apples and finish folding into the  mousse. If you desire, sprinkle some dry roasted peanuts on top. I also substitute Pumpkin Spice Jello brand for the butterscotch. Its very tasty and very simple to make.