When Life Gives You Zucchini

     We usually catch and annual sale at Kroger when they sell fresh pineapples for a dollar. That's an amazing price, at least for where I am. Well either I missed that sale in the beginning of the summer, or else they didn't have it. I'm guessing that even though I checked weekly, I missed it somehow. But what we did have, was a very abundant supply of local zucchini. You'd be surprised what you can do with zucchini and when it comes to canning we've attempted quite a few science projects that have led to great successes. Some not so much, but we won't mention that here.
     I work with 100 Horticulturalists and in harvest season the amount of free fresh picked garden vegetables that get offered at work can mean you don't have to use what little real estate you might have to grow some things. We grew 20 tomato plants, jalapenos and plenty of basil this year. All things we use the most. Last season, I shared mine and in return I gained a freezer full of fresh garden green beans and more zucchini than we knew what to do with.
     This year we dehydrated some for the first time. We do enjoy zucchini bread and sometimes it's difficult to come by in the middle of winter. Rehydrate and there you go. It can be used just like fresh in breads and sauces. We also made our annual batch of sweet relish and also bread and butter pickles. Yes, I said that. For the last 3 years our bread and butter pickles have been made from zucchini instead of cucumbers. The secret is out now to those of my son friends who come over requesting to take a jar home. It's a popular item here.
     The new discovery we tried this year made up for the missed pineapple sale, and we made pineapple chunks from zucchini instead. It's quite simple and can be used however you would normally use canned pineapple. Personally, the texture isn't spot on enough for me to top my cottage cheese with, but it is so close that when used mixed in a recipe I don't notice at all that it's an impostor.

     Get the recipe here: Pineapple Zucchini

     It's a very easy process. Boil in some pineapple juice and can it up.

     Tonight this zucchini was going into sweet and sour chicken. I don't have measurements when I do any type of chicken stir fry. I don't even have a set ingredient list. It's a great time to open the refrigerator and dump whatever veggies you have on hand into the pan. Tonight was carrots, broccoli, onion, cauliflower and a little green bell pepper. Fry up some chicken that's been cut to bite size, add the veggies and keep stirring until everything is as cooked as you like.

     I've learned to move like a ninja in the kitchen, stealth and light on my feet. You have to when there is a beast that forever feels the need to lay right in the middle of the floor when I cook. He's not sleeping. Don't let him fool you. He's waiting in his own stealth mode for the moment chicken might hit the floor.

     Then for the sauce, which was amazing. I found the recipe on Allrecipes.com. I gave it 5 stars.

Wow! Sweet and Sour Sauce          

Recipe By:Nana Nat

"This is great sauce. Use for dipping or poured over rice and chicken."

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, with juice (this is where I used our canned pineapple zucchini) 
• 2/3 cup distilled white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon steak sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper hot sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Stir water, sugar, ketchup, pineapple, vinegar, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, steak sauce, and hot sauce together in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove 1/2 cup of the sauce to a small bowl; whisk cornstarch into the sauce in the bowl. Bring the sauce in the saucepan to a boil, stir the sauce with the cornstarch into the boiling sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before using.

     This little picture doesn't show you how amazing the recipe is. I cut the recipe in half, unsure if I'd like it, and this is what's left after covering my stir fry. We loved it so much that were going to break down the recipe and determine if it's safe to can and if it is, look out. There will be quite a few jars of this on the shelf if things go right. There is cornstarch in this recipe, but if I remove that and thicken after opening a jar, we might be good to go.

     See that chunk of zucchini in there? You'd never know it wasn't pineapple...

     If you like sweet and sour, you'll like this sauce. I give it 2 thumbs up.

Chat soon!

Penni

Something new

     In our canning and preserving journeys, Shawn and I are taking in a ton of knowledge. We not only learn something new every day, but some days it feels like we learn ten new things. And one of us is always reading to the other, whether it's an article in a canning magazine, a fellow blogger daily canning experience or even from the friendly canning fan facebook pages. We're forever stumbling onto a new fact or food and excited to share with the other.
     About a week ago on our favorite canning facebook page, someone posted a picture of their latest try, pickled cherry tomatoes. She had tried it for the first time and was asking if it was normal for the cherry tomatoes to float to the top. I was intrigued right from laying my eyes on the pictures because we are expecting a large harvest of cherry tomatoes this year and I would love to try something rather than just shoving them in the freezer. So I read through the 30 or so comments from more experienced canners.
     I learned that yes, it is normal for the tomatoes to float to the top. Once they suck in the pickled brine they'll sink to the bottom. In the jar, my eyes spotted garlic and maybe dill or an herb of some sort. Many of the comments were how to use them once ready and I noticed an abundant amount of comments stating they were great in pasta salads, which are huge in my house. I started the quest of googling for a recipe and also located one in my trusty Ball canning book. The Ball recipe called for a full sprig of fresh rosemary in each jar. I love rosemary.
     So throughout the week I had collected a couple huge handfuls of cherry tomatoes from our generous plants. I kept piling them on the counter, watching them turn from orangish-red to bright red juicy looking treats. Even though we eat them constantly, it was still time to make a preserving decision and I knew I wanted to try a couple of jars of the pickled tomatoes. I'd rather try one or two jars before I do 50 just to crack one open and discover I had just wasted my surplus making something I won't eat. So Shawn and I cleaned and prepared enough to make 2 jars. Of course, it started as one... then went to two and really, it ended up being two and a half so we could dig into the half jar right away for a tester.

     As you can see, they are so appealing to look at in the jar, especially with the sprig of rosemary jumping out at you. They look perfect with just a little floating, but I knew from the research that they'll sink. So once we pulled them out of the canner we put them on the counter and walked away. I have to walk away just to keep myself from digging in too early and burning my tongue. So we decided to kill some time before dinner on this Saturday afternoon and watch the B-rated zombie movie Chernobyl Diaries. In all it's cheesyness, I liked it, but I'm a fan of the low budget horror movies. Nothing like planning the month of October (Shocktober in my house) around the worst horror flicks we can find. We have more fun trying to scare each other and laughing at the movies than we do being scared.
     So back to the tomatoes. Sounds kind of Gross, right? Pickled tomatoes. Once they were cool enough I asked Shawn to pull out the grill and I tossed on a couple thick steaks. While that was cooking I fried up some taters and made little salads. Then it was the moment. I twisted off the jar ring and popped the lid off. Right away I could smell rosemary and I was excited. I topped our salads with only 2 each, not knowing what to expect, plated the steaks and taters and we went against our policy and headed for the living room to watch TV while we ate. Really, we had the tail end of the 2 star zombie movie to finish up.
     We sit down, share a little smooch like we do before every meal and then Shawn grabbed his fork, "I'm starting with one of these bad boys right here", as he held the dripping tomato from his fork. I was nervous. I don't know... He popped it in his mouth and immediately as he chewed, he was boobing his head up and down to say "yes". So I did the same. It was a burst of flavor.
     Do they taste pickled? Yes. But the rosemary really shines through and cuts the vinegar down to an enjoyable level. They were awesome. Then I wished I had added a few more to my plate, but at the same time, I know they'll be even better in a week or so once they've soaked up the brine and rosemary and garlic. I can't wait to try them again.
     The day went by too fast, but we still have a goal to make some bread tonight so I'm off to the kitchen again. I'm thankful my husband enjoys hanging in the kitchen as much as I do. :)
Chat soon
Penni

Up and rolling

     Today was an exciting day. The logo is ready for our new business and that finally means full steam ahead. Tonight I get to play with all the marketing materials. Foorever Jammin' is already getting requests and I don't even have the labels on the jars yet. I hope that's sign of things to come and we need to get our butts in gear and fill some orders!

     Take note of the awesome logo because it'll be sweeping the country one day. :) We really do have the bar set pretty high for ourselves here. We are working very hard and excitment levels are through the roof. My goal is to be up and running by Labor Day so I can sell at a few local markets before the cold weather comes. We still have so much work to do though. Right now, I'd sell out of jams and jellies in a day. I will be spending my spare time building inventory, but that's the fun part so I don't mind.
     We're also going to be trying a few flavors we've never done before. Some don't really appeal to me, but have me curious, and just because I don't like something, doesn't mean someone else doesn't. I'm sure as we grow, we'll get a feel for what is popular and what is a flop. This weekend we'll be trying a small batch of strawberry basil jam. Not something I would of ever saught out, but since Shawn stumbled on the idea and people seem to like the sweet and savory combo, I'm willing to give it a shot. I do love both strawberries and basil. I'm curious, to say the least.
     Another gift I received today was freshly harvested garlic. My friend Theresa sent it over with her son, who is my son's other half, and it smelled wonderful. I've actually never experienced freshly dug up garlic before and I think I like it. It was smaller than what I buy in the store, but it sure packed a punch.
     The garlic couldn't have come on a better day. I really needed to harvest my basil, but after working all day I wasn't up for making the strawberry basil jam tonight. So when I got home and saw the garlic on the counter, I thought, "Score!" and I whipped up a nice batch of pesto and that's now in the freezer. During harvest season, I can't seem to make enough pesto. We freeze it in individual containers and through out the year, it's perfect for a quick easy dinner that has that fresh taste of summer no matter how much snow is on the ground. This was only my first batch so I have much more to go.
     So, Thursday night Smakdown is on. Ahhh we love our cheesy wrestling nights. I'm off to enjoy the fun with my boys and play with some business cards. I hope your day was as thrilling as mine was. New logo, fresh harvests and a handsome husband who just wants my company. My life is awesome.
     Enjoy your night!
Penni

    

For real??

Happy Sunday!
     Shawn and I have been working hard at getting ready to launch Foorever Jammin and get our treats out on the market. We've been playing with recipes, choosing our favorites and trying our hand at whipping up new concoctions. This weekend was a blast.

      Yes, that's exactly what it looks like. This weekend we made Mt. Dew jelly. For those of us who are Mt Dew addicts, this was a must try. It was fun to make, a novelty, and I'm sure it'll appeal to the younger crowds when we sell. Jam is no longer for the stereotypical old grandma any longer and nothing would thrill me more than to see a teen walk away from my counter with a jar. I think this will do it. I can't say it changed my biscuit eating days forever, but it's a fun jelly.
     Thanks to my husband, Shawn, giving me strength and company, I've learned to expand my jam and jelly recipes this year. We've really made leaps and bounds from the basic apple butter we started canning years ago. Now don't get me wrong, we still make that classic recipe, but we also make a version with red hot candies in it now. We also did peach butter this year and from the scraps and peels, we made the most amazing peach honey. I'm making things I never even heard of.
     We also did mango raspberry jam this weekend. Again, not something I would of tried, but I'm so impressed with the flavor. I never would of thought of pairing mangoes and raspberries, but I came across it while searching for other recipes. So we thought we'd give it a shot. We'd like to have a Cabana Series of jams, highlighting tropical  flavors, and this fit the bill. The mango really adds a softness. It almost takes the EEK out of the tart raspberries and together they combine perfectly. I hope you all get to try it!
      If we aren't making jams, jellies, breads and candies, we're watching WWE and working. Tonight happens to be a WWE pay per view. This is always an exciting day in my house. Dinner early, showers out of the way and chores complete, because by 7:30 pm we'll be flopping down in front of the TV to watch someone else give blood, sweat and tears, (and vomit if you're a Lesner fan). There is usually a pin or two during some quick wrastling sessions as well. At least until the dog feels the need to jump in and save his momma.
     So big night ahead. While watching the pay per view, we'll also be working on some jar labels and some new recipes. Let's see what kind of inspiration the WWE can bring to the jelly world!
Chat soon!
Penni