No Cook Refrigerator Dill Pickles

What do you do when you find yourself with more cucumbers than you can eat, and a couple of crazy kids?  Make pickles, of course!  I chose not to go through with canning them (did you read the part about the crazy kids?), so we went the refrigerator pickles route.  I even tossed in some yellow squash for color and variation.  And because I can only come up with so many things to do with it!  Being a science geek, I couldn't help but try slight variations in each jar until I found my favorite.  Granted, it may have backfired because Michael and I prefer two different recipes, but it's all good. Seriously, though, they are ALL good!  And super easy with no cooking required.  Here's how Mama and her crazy kiddos make it:

Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
(makes 3 pint jars)
- 3 medium-large cucumbers
- 1 small-medium yellow squash
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 1/2 c. vinegar (white or cider)
- 3-6 T. sugar (more on this later)
- 3 T. kosher or canning salt
- 4 1/2 T. dried dill weed, or 6 T. chopped fresh dill
- 1 1/2 t. mustard seed
- 3 T. minced garlic, or about 6 cloves
- 3 wide mouth pint jars

Basil & Spinach Pesto

Do you ever find yourself with an overabundance of basil?  After making many a caprese salad, two big batches of these strawberry tarts, several glasses of blueberry basil lemonade, a couple watermelon orzo salads, and these beautiful lasagna roll-ups, I still had more basil than I knew what to do with this summer.  Especially since my tomatoes haven't done so hot this year.

Hmm, what to do with lots of extra basil....

Uh, make pesto, of course!  And then make some more (it actually freezes well, too!).

Pesto is great as a pasta sauce (leave about 1/2 c. cooking liquid in with the pasta before stirring it in), as a dipping sauce for veggies, to top chicken, or as a quick appetizer with some crackers.  I like to use half basil, half spinach to tone down the basil flavor a little for the kiddos and also add some dark green leafy veggies (always a plus in my book).  Here's how Mama makes it:

Basil & Spinach Pesto

Ingredients:
- 1 c. packed basil leaves
- 1 c. packed baby spinach
- 1/3 c. pine nuts
- 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 c. olive oil
- 1/2 t. salt (or to taste)
- 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of paprika, optional

Dandelion Wine Part 4

Our wine has stopped fermenting (no more bubbles being produced) and is starting to clear, so we decided it was time to siphon it out, leaving the dead yeast sediment and grapes behind.  It's finally starting to look and smell more like wine, though we haven't actually tasted it yet. Here's what we did for this step: 

Special equipment needed for step 4: 
- auto-siphon and tubing
- second carboy or food grade bucket (carboy is easier so you can siphon straight from one to the other)

For part 4:  Once fermentation stops and wine clears, rack*, add remaining pint of water (and more if needed) to fill to the top, and refit airlock.  

*rack - this is a fancy term that means to siphon the liquid from one container to another, leaving any sediment (including pulp, raisins, dead yeast, etc.). This ensures that you will have a nice clear, pretty wine.  Apparently it's also essential for not messing up the flavor, but again, no expert here.  Most of the recipes I've looked at say to rack this wine every 2 months, then bottle after about 6 months.  Once bottled, the wine should age about another 6 months before taste testing.

For step 5:  Now we wait... Once the wine clears, rack again.  We plan to rack once every couple of months for 6 months total, then bottle.  We will keep you updated!

Dandelion Wine - Part 3

On to the next step in our dandelion wine journey!   After 3 days of primary fermentation, time to strain all the citrus peels out, add some golden raisins (for body and flavor), and fit with an airlock for secondary fermentation (this is where all that special equipment comes in).  Here's what you'll need:

Special equipment needed for step 3:
- 1 gallon carboy
- twin airlock and carboy bung
(see here for example)
- fine mesh strainer (or cheesecloth lined collander)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. golden raisins

Directions:
1.  After 3 days, strain wine using fine mesh strainer.  Pour into sterilized glass carboy (may want to use a funnel or a measuring cup with a spout to avoid spillage) and add the golden raisins. We decided it was easier to strain into a bowl with a spout, then pour through a funnel into the carboy.

2.  Fit carboy with airlock and allow to ferment.

Add water to the airlock first. This is how it let's air out but not in. 

In case you were wondering, it smells much better now! Very light and citrusy.


Plan ahead:

Special equipment needed for step 4: (It's starting to feel a lot like an organic chemistry experiment.  Which I am secretly loving... but don't tell.)
- auto-siphon and tubing
- second carboy or food grade bucket (carboy is easier so you can siphon straight from one to the other)

For part 4:  Once fermentation stops and wine clears, rack*, add remaining pint of water (and more if needed) to fill to the top, and refit airlock. 

*rack - this is a fancy term that means to siphon the liquid from one container to another, leaving any sediment (including pulp, raisins, dead yeast, etc.). This ensures that you will have a nice clear, pretty wine.  Apparently it's also essential for not messing up the flavor, but again, no expert here.  Most of the recipes I've looked at say to rack this wine every 2 months, then bottle after about 6 months.  Once bottled, the wine should age about another 6 months before taste testing.

Dandelion Wine - Part 2

Here's the second part of our dandelion wine making journey!  (You can read about step 1 here.)  Our dandelion petals have been steeping for 3 days, so now it's time to add some citrus for flavor, some sugar for sweetness, and of course, some yeast for fermentation.  Here's what you'll need for this part of the process:

Special equipment needed for step 2:
- large pot
- fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth-lined collander

Ingredients for step 2:
- 2 lbs. sugar
- 1 lemon (juice and peel)
- 2 oranges (juice and peel)
- 1 packet yeast (I decided on this Champagne yeast)
- 1 tsp. yeast nutrient

Directions:

1.  Pour flowers and water through a fine mesh strainer (or cheese cloth-lined collander) into a large pot and bring to a low boil.  Add the lemon and orange peels and the sugar; allow to gently boil for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

I don't know if this is typical, but this part of the process was smelly. The citrus helped, though.

2.  Remove from heat and pour into a jug or plastic container, then add the lemon and orange juice.  Allow to cool to room temperature (70-75 degrees F), then add the yeast and 1 tsp. yeast nutrient.  Cover and put in a warm place for 3 days to ferment.

See the little bubbles forming already?

Planning ahead:

Special equipment needed for step 3:
- 1 gallon carboy
- twin airlock and carboy bung
(see here for example)

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. golden raisins
- reserved pint of water

Dandelion Wine - Part 1

When life gives you a couple acres full of dandelions...

... make wine!!


Sounds bizarre, right?  I agree, but Michael has been wanting to try this for years.  We figure, what better chance are we going to get than when I look out and see our entire yard covered in them.  Plus, it was a reasonably nice day and girls were all for going outside to pick flowers.  Worst case scenario - we spend an enjoyable afternoon picking flowers, a couple hours time making the wine (over the next several months), and it tastes awful.  We still get the experience and to say that we've tried it.

Disclaimer:  I have never made nor tasted dandelion wine.  I am by no means an expert on the matter.  But if you want to give it a shot, I figure I'll write it up as we go and we can make it together!  So here goes nothing...


Dandelion Wine - Part 1 - Pick, Pull, and Steep

Ingredients:
- 6-7 cups dandelion petals (about 1/2 gallon or so of picked dandelion flowers)
- 1 gallon water (remove 1 pint, we will use that later)
- large air tight container

Directions:

1.  Enlist little helpers to pick a big bowl full of dandelion flowers.  You don't need the stems or green parts, so just pick the flower.

2.  Remove the stems and green parts, leaving just the yellow petals (and maybe a bit of the green around them - just not too much or it can make the wine bitter.  However, some recipes do use the whole flower and just add more sugar).  Ours made about 6 1/2 cups of petals.  We saw recipes that called for anywhere from 4 cups to 4 quarts of petals, so we just decided to go with whatever we had.  Again, not experts or dandelion wine connoisseurs (you think there is such a thing?).

3.  Take the gallon of water and remove 1 pint (2 c.); bring to a boil.  Place petals in a large airtight container and pour boiling water over them.  Cover and allow to steep for 2 days, stirring once or twice daily.

Planning ahead:

Special equipment needed for step 2:
- large pot
- fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth-lined collander

Ingredients for step 2:
- 2 lbs. sugar
- 1 lemon (juice and peel)
- 2 oranges (juice and peel)
- 1 packet yeast (I decided on this Champagne yeast)
- 1 tsp. yeast nutrient

Special equipment needed for step 3:
- 1 gallon (or larger) carboy with lid or stopper
- twin airlock and carboy bung (Michael picked out this one.)

Ingredients for step 3:
- 1 lb. golden raisins
- reserved pint of water

Homemade Raspberry Vinegar

We have had an abundance of raspberries around here this year, so I decided to find some creative new ways to use them.  Here's one of my latest favorites - Raspberry Vinegar.  Not only will it make great salad dressing, but I think it'd make good hostess/holiday gifts (crazy to think about, but it's coming up quickly!).  It's super easy to make, but does take some time, so plan ahead.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Ingredients:

- 2 c. Fresh raspberries

- 2 c. Apple cider vinegar

- 1 T. Balsamic vinegar
*Note:  you can use any kind of vinegar that you like.  Some recipes use red or white wine vinegar, some just plain white vinegar, etc.  I decided to use apple cider vinegar as the base and just a touch of balsamic to add some sweetness.  I think it compliments the raspberry flavor quite nicely!

Directions:

1.  Rinse raspberries, then place in a large mason jar.  

2.  Pour vinegar over the raspberries, cover and store for two weeks to allow vinegar to extract the raspberry flavor/color.  

3.  Strain through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth.  Pour raspberry vinegar into a smaller jar or container for storage.  Store in refrigerator for up to 6 months.  Use in place of other vinegars in recipes or to make raspberry vinaigrette for salads.

Look at that amazing red color!

 

printable recipe

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Here's a perfect way to use that homemade raspberry vinegar recipe I posted earlier.  Even if you're not a big fan of fruit in your salads, this lightly sweet dressing is a delicious way to freshen up those greens.  A perfect end-of-the-summer recipe and would make a great hostess gift for that holiday dinner party. Here's how Mama makes it:

Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. raspberry vinegar (see my homemade recipe here )
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 T. Dijon mustard
- 1/4 t. dried oregano
- 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
- salt, to taste (about 1/2 t.)

Directions:

1.  Place all ingredients in a jar with a lid.  Shake to combine, store in refrigerator.

2.  Serving suggestion:  Toss spring mix salad greens with dressing; sprinkle with chopped pecans, dried cranberries, and feta cheese.  Serve as a side, or with some grilled chicken as a meal.

printable recipe

Adventures in Canning: Tomato Jam

Maybe it's just me, but I find it sort of strange that the first jam I've ever made is tomato.  Honestly, I hadn't ever heard of such a thing until I was looking for ideas for preserving cherry tomatoes (since we have an overabundance this year).  I happened across the idea to make tomato jam, which was perfect since it doesn't require you to skin or de-seed the tomatoes (can you imagine trying to skin 5 lbs. of tiny tomatoes!?).  The skin and seeds actually add to the flavor and texture of the jam, too.  After researching the idea a bit, I came up with this recipe and I must say, it rocks!  Sweet and savory, tomatoey... but not too acidic.  I just can't wait to see all the fun recipes we will come up with using this jam!  I imagine it would be awesome on burgers, splendid on sandwiches, and divine on a biscuit or English muffin.  Only time will tell, but for now, here's how Mama makes it:

Tomato Jam

Ingredients:  (makes about 3-4 pints, depending on how long you cook it.  Mine made exactly 6 half-pint jars.)

- 5 lbs. tomatoes, chopped (I used a mix of small and large tomatoes)

- 2 1/2 c. sugar

- 1 c. brown sugar

- 1/3 c. apple cider vinegar

- 2 T. lemon juice

- 1 t. cinnamon

- 1/2 t. cloves

- 1 T. salt

- 1/2 T. red chili flakes (or more if you like it extra spicy)

- 1/2 t. cumin

Peanut Post: Backyard Berry Bliss



 

 

Is there anything sweeter than fresh picked raspberries? Maybe picking them yourself! Mama says we can't eat all of them though. There's jam involved so I'm not arguing (this time).

But back to the thicket!  I see lots of pretty red raspberries to eat, I mean help Mama pick (the green ones taste yucky, steer clear of those!). 

Until next time,
Peanut