Pickled Eggs in a 4 Litre Jar (January 2017)

You will need:
5 dozen hard boiled eggs (or until jar is full)
6 cloves of garlic (crushed)
4 jalapeno peppers (tops removed)
1 red onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons of mustard seeds
4 teaspoons of salt
4 tablespoons of sugar
4 cups of water*
4 cups of vinegar*

*you can always add more depending how many eggs fill your jar

Step#1
Mix ingredients (minus the eggs) in a 4 Litre jar

Step#2
Drop eggs gently into a pot of nearly boiling water, and keep the water just below boiling for 12 minutes - check the last egg you added to see if it is done - add 2 more minutes if necessary

Step#3
Gently dump eggs into a clean sink and rinse off with cold water until eggs are cool enough to peel

Step#4
Remove shells

Step#5
Rinse eggs and add to the jar filled with other ingredients until jar is full.

Though the prospect of having pickled eggs right away is wonderful, you must wait for a few weeks before the eggs will take on the pickled flavour.  The wait will be worth it!

Jalapeno Jelly, and Ghost/Habanero Hot Sauce Recipes (January 2017)

**Please note that for the following recipes should be done with gloves on as the oil from the peppers will leave your skin with an intense burning sensation that can last for days! Do not touch your eyes or other sensitive areas while preparing either recipe! Ventilate the room you are in while making anything with Ghost Peppers! Try not to breath in through your mouth as the fumes of Ghost Peppers will leave you feeling like you are choking and will have to run to a window for fresh air!**

Jalapeno Jelly Recipe (Gloves required)

You will need:
16 cups seeded Jalapeno Peppers (pureed)
6-12 Ghost Peppers (seeds left in)
6-12 Habanero Peppers (seeds left in)
2 cups apple cider vinegar
20 cups of sugar
250ml canning jars and lids and rings (sterilized)

Step #1
Remove tops from peppers

Step#2
Puree peppers in food processor

Step#3
Heat peppers up in pot, stir in apple cider vinegar and sugar. Let simmer for 10 minutes

Step#4
Remove solids and re-puree them in food processor to make jelly smoother. Add back in the pot. Let boil for 15 minutes.

Step#5
Remove from heat.  Stir in 4 boxes of pectin

Step#6
Fill up hot jars with jelly and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes.  Remove and let cool on counter for 24 hours when done.


Ghost/Habanero Hot Sauce Recipe  (Gloves and a well ventilated room required)

You will need:
3 dozen Ghost Peppers (tops cut off, seeds left in)
3 dozen Habanero Peppers (tops cut off, seeds left in)
2 cups of vinegar
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can of tomato paste
6 cloves of garlic (minced)
250ml canning jars and lids and rings (sterilized)

Gloves are a must when dealing with the seeds of both Ghost Peppers and Habanero Peppers!

Step #1
Puree peppers in a food processor

Step#2
In a pot add all ingredients and heat on stove until in comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Step#3
Fill hot jars with hot sauce and process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool on counter for 24 hours when done.

23 jars of Jalapeno jelly and 14 jars of Ghost/Habanero Pepper hot sauce.

Romano Shell bean/Navy Bean Hummus (March 2016)

We have a big jar of dry beans in our cold store right now, so Aaron decided to try to make a "hummus" out of them and it was a success!  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups of dry beans
2 heads of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
Tablespoon of sesame oil
Teaspoon of salt
Teaspoon of black pepper
Teaspoon of paprika
1/2 cup of water

Directions
Soak beans in water with a generous pinch of salt.
Boil beans for 1 hour
Blend Ingredients together in a food processor
Serve as a dip with veggies, or on toast or even crackers

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin that was pressure canned last fall in the cold store in our basement.

We grow pie pumpkins every year for one reason, Pumpkin Pie!  Here is the recipe we use.  This is more of a breakfast pie for us, so it isn't sweet. We like to enjoy the taste of the pumpkin, over a sweet dessert first thing in the morning.

Pie Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Filling
1 can of condensed milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon molasses
1/3 cup of oil
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Small pie pumpkins (about 6 cups baked and pureed)

Directions

Roll out dough and place into pie tin.  Blend pie filling together in a bowl.  Pour filling into pie crust.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Bake for an hour and a half or until cooked. (check with a toothpick). 

YUMMMMMMMMM!!!

Zucchini Relish, Pickled Beets and Hot Pickled Beans Recipes (from 2013)

Zucchini Relish Recipe

Step #1 
Place 12 cups of shredded zucchini and 4 cups of onion in a large bowl, and sprinkle 5 tablespoons of pickling salt. Use your hands to evenly mix the salt throughout the zucchini. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

Step #2
The following day, drain the zucchini in a colander, and rinse well with cool water. Squeeze out excess water and set aside. Chop two red bell pepper, add 5 cups sugar, 3 cups vinegar, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch into a large pot. Add 2 teaspoons celery seed and 1 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir to combine, then add the drained zucchini. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer 30 minutes.

Step #3
Fill 8 x 500ml jars and can/process in a standard water bath for 30 minutes. 


Pickled Beets Recipe

Step #1
Pick the biggest beets, give the little guys room to grow. Trim tops, leaving ½ inch of leaves, do not trim “tail”

Step #2
Rinse off dirt in sink

Step #3
Boil for ½ hour in plenty of water

Step #4
Drain and rinse well, cover in cold water and let soak 10 minutes

Step #5
Peel and trim. Slice to ½ inch thick with mandolin slicer (8 cups of beets = 4 x 1 litre jars)

Step #6
Slice 1 large onion very thin with mandolin slicer

Step #7 (Preparing the Brine)
5 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1 cup sugar, 4 tbsp coarse salt, 2 tbsp black peppercorn, 12 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick.  Bring brine to low boil and simmer for 10 minutes

Step #8

Sterilize clean jars in boiling water for 10 minutes and heat canning lids in very hot water

Step #9
Fill sterilized jars with beets and sliced onions to 1 inch from top

Step #10
Pour pickling brine through sieve, filling jars to within ½ inch from top. Cover with lids and tighten rings to finger tight. Place jars in canner with water just to top and process for ½ hour.  When done let cool for 24 hours, test lid for seal, remove rings and store in a dark cool place for up to 1 year.

 Hot Pickled Beans Recipe

Step #1
Clean and trim 8 cups of beans so they are shorter than the 500ml canning jars standing up, makes about 8 x 500ml jars.

Step #2 (Preparing the brine)
5 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1 tbsp crushed red pepper, 4 tbsp dill seed, 4 tbsp coarse salt, 6 cloves garlic cut in half.  Bring brine to boil and simmer for 10 minutes

Step #3
Sterilize clean jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Heat canning lids in very hot water

Step #4
Fill sterilized jars with beans

Step #5
Remove garlic cloves from brine and fill jars to within ½ inch from top. Cover with lids and tighten rings to finger tight.

Step #6
Place jars in canner with water just to top and process for 15 minutes.
When done let cool for 24 hours, test lid for seal, remove rings and store in a dark cool place for up to 1 year.

Rabbit Research and a Recipe for Farm Rasied Rabbit (February 2016)

A few years ago we shot a couple of Eastern Cottontails and prepared them for dinner. They tasted okay, but not to have as an occasional meal on our table. 

A while later we were thinking about having something else to raise on our mini farm besides our chickens that would make economical sense. We purchased a store bought farm raised rabbit to see if we even liked the taste of it.  It was so delicious that we are pretty sure we will be raising rabbits in the future. Speaking of chickens, we found that the farm raised rabbit has a flavour like chicken with a little bit of richness similar to pork.  Here is how we prepared it, first by marinating it.

Rabbit Marinade
-1/3 cup of oil (olive)
-1/3 cup of lemon juice
-2 tbsp. stone ground mustard (not yellow mustard)
-1 tbsp. of fresh basil (chopped)
-1 tsp coarse salt
-1 tsp cracked pepper

Rub in and let sit in fridge for 6 - 12 hours, flip and cover with marinade and let sit for another 6 - 12 hours.

Cooking Rabbit
-rinse and pat rabbit dry with a paper towel
-brown in a cast iron pan with oil (grapeseed)
-add potatoes/celeriac/garlic to cast iron pot
-add 1 cup stock or water
-cover and cook at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes
-flip and baste with butter
-cook  uncovered for 20 minutes

Rabbit ready for eating.  The potatoes, garlic and basil were ours to add to the recipe.

Sterlizing Dirt for Growing Microgreens in the Basement (January 2016)

A typical microgreen salad of ours with onions, cucumbers, apples, sesame seeds, carrots and crotons. 

 

We are in the middle of winter now and though our cold store is full of our canned goods such as pickled beets and beans, some carrots, pumpkin, various soups, jellies and jams, along with our stored potatoes, onions and garlic, it's nice to have some fresh greens.  Since our greenhouse isn't up and running yet and we currently don't have any cold frames, we grow microgreens on the growing shelves we use to start our seeds for the garden located in our basement.

For our dirt we used both our left over seed starter, and potting soil. The microgreens we are currently using are Mizuna, Arugula, Oriental Mustard, and Red Russian Kale. After a few rotations, it is time to sterilize our growing medium so it doesn't grow mould or any other micro organisms.

First, after removing any remaining plant material, we dumped our soil into a metal bowl.  Our dirt was almost powder dry so we added a little bit of water to help it heat up a little quicker. 

After preheating the oven to 300F,  we also stuck a probe (not all stoves has these) into the soil.  This was set to 200F. If you don't have a probe, then use a meat thermometer.  We then covered the soil with aluminum foil.  The soil needs to reach 180F and stay around this temp for a half an hour, and not reach to 200F.  For the size of the bowl we used, it took a good hour to reach 180F.

Once the dirt reached 180F, we brought the bowl out of oven, removed the aluminum foil, and let cool.  Once cooled we filled up our trays again with the soil.

The soil will be dry so we watered it, broadcasted the seed, lightly covered the seeds with another layer of soil and lightly watered it again.

Now our microgreens are ready for our grow shelf.  Our grow shelf uses T8 fluorescent bulbs, though there are grow bulbs you can purchase as well.  We find the standard T8 fluorescent bulbs work just as fine for us. Each shelf has one 'warm' and one 'cool' fluorescent bulb so the plants get a broader spectrum of light. Our lights are on a timer as well, and come on when our hydro is the cheapest (during the night). The trays are also placed on seedling mats to keep the soil warm and help the seeds germinate. In about 3 weeks we should be eating microgreens which taste great with some of our onions, seeds, slices of apple and raspberry vinaigrette!

Homecut Fries (January 2016)

Every winter when our potatoes begin to sprout, we separate the larger ones from our stored potatoes in the cold store and prepare fries to store in the freezer.

Here is our easy step by step process:

Step #1
Separate the large potatoes to use for fries.  Here are ours in the two hampers that will yield enough fries to last us the entire year.

Step #2
Fill sink with water and place potatoes in to soak and remove any remaining dirt.

Step #3
Cut off eyes and any other suspicious spots.

Step #4
Place potatoes through potato slicer and let fries land in sink filled with clean salt water

Step #5
Let sliced potatoes sit in salt water for an hour.

Step #6
Fill large pot half full with water. Blanch fries for close to 10 minutes or until they appear to go translucent on the outside. Place on towels to dry.

Step #7
Add peanut oil (we used 8 quarts) to large pot.  Heat to 300F.

Step #8
Add batches of fries (do not overload) and boil until they just begin to float.  Remember you are just blanching, not frying them all the way through.  Remove fries, strain out any remaining oil and place fries on a paper towel to soak in any remaining oil. Place onto towels on counter to cool. Continue Step #8 until finished.

Step #9
Place cooled fries in sealed bags for the freezer.

Step #10
Let oil cool to 200F and carefully pour through coffee filter into quart mason jars, seal with lids and store in a cool place until next year.