beyond pinned

This craft would have made my canning and crafty grandmother proud.  It also stands as proof that I not only "pin" things, I make them--and my time spent on Pinterest isn't such a bad thing.

{preserving} Rhubarb Chutney

With the arrival of 5 pounds of rhubarb (that's what happens when I comment on the lushness of my dad's rhubarb plant), it was time to start canning.  The last month has found me gathering my canning equipment, marking pages in my cookbooks, and trying to come up with a plan.

Rhubarb Chutney
 Adapted from The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich

2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 3/4 pounds rhubarb, sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Grated zest of 1 orange
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup currants
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1.  In a non reactive pot over medium heat, heat the vinegar and sugar, whisking until the sugar dissolves.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Simmer about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2.  Remove the cinnamon stick.  Scoop the chutney into seven half-pint mason jars, and close the jars with hot two-piece caps.  Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.  Remove jars and listen for jars to seal.  Any jars that do not seal, store in refrigerator.  There may be a small amount of chutney left in your pot to enjoy immediately.

Makes 3 1/2 pints of a tart, sweet and spicy chutney.

I enjoyed this chutney last night with roast chicken and it will be a great addition to my Thanksgiving table this fall.

What recipes do you enjoy making with rhubarb?

{this moment}

Linking to Soulemama for a Friday ritual:

Rhubarb Chutney

Happy Friday!

Preserve: October 2011

Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkin

Small batch preserving of the produce we grow or purchase locally is part of my heritage.  My paternal grandmother supplied us with her amazing canned pears, frozen baked beans, hot tomato juice, and frozen pie crusts that I swear multiplied by themselves in her chest freezer.  My mother made strawberry freezer jam that I loved as a child.  Then, with busy work schedules and endless convenience foods--who cared to take the time to grow and preserve your own?

I welcome the cool fall temperatures that make it tolerable to spend most of the day tending to a hot oven and stove.

Our crop of Winter Luxury Pie Pumpkins from this source did not do as well as we would have liked, so I'm making a trip to the local farmer's market for more pumpkins.

We received Prune Plums from my dad and stepmom's trees and the apples are from our orchard.  There's something about preserving with the foods we have grown or from our loved ones' hard work that makes it even more special.

Here's what I'll be preserving this week:
Roasted Pumpkin:  http://www.elanaspantry.com/how-to-roast-a-pumpkin-in-10-steps/
Italian Prune Plum Jam:  http://threecleversisters.com/2011/09/26/italian-prune-plum-jam/
Slow Cooker Applesauce (recipe courtesy of Sheila):
8-10 apples, peeled, cored and quartered
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp water
sweetener of your choice to taste
cinnamon if you desire
Cook on low for 5-6 hours

What are you preserving this week?

create::inspire

An unexpected day at home--alone--finds me:

::  making these amazing treats

::  enjoying this performance by Wilco

::  loving this canning/preserving resource

::  imagining this chai steeped in hot apple cider (locally sourced, of course!)

::  reminiscing of this weekend's great performances (and more to come)

::  feeling somewhat selfish as I relish in this "me" time and tended to my home with the candles lit....

Harvesting Spring Onions

I have to admit that I don't quite remember planting onions last year.  These onions over wintered in the garden and with all the sun and rainfall, recently sent up their flower bulbs.  So they needed to be harvested, as advised by this book.  My youngest and I harvested dozens of onions--red, yellow and white.  Now, the task with be to preserve them in some fashion (those that we don't share with family and friends) as they do not keep in storage.



Onions drying on the chicken tractor.

What are your favorite ways to preserve your harvest?