We were blessed with quite a few rosehips this fall.  So rather than letting them go to waste we decided to make jelly. 

Here’s the recipe we started with.

Rosehip Jelly Ingredients

• 2 quarts rose hips
• 1 1/2 quarts water
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 package SureJell pectin
• 1/4 teaspoon butter
• 3 1/2 cups sugar

• 6 8-ounce canning jars and fresh lids

When we got right down to making the jelly we found that we didn’t have 2 quarts of rosehips.  But we did have half a pomegranate and a bunch of apples.  We put in enough of those to make up the two quarts.

The jelly turned out great!

Back in March of this year I wrote about the new veggie in my garden. You can see my post about celeriac here .  Also…if your not sure how to pronounce that word (I wasn’t) you can hear it here .

According to some of the comments in March it was thought that I may have planted the celeriac at the incorrect time. They, and I, were not sure though and it was really a wait and see situation. This was of course because we all have differing climates and each year can be night and day different from last year. I have to admit…I expected it to kick the bucket in the summer heat since all the “experienced” celeriac growers said it was more of a cooler weather crop. Ahh…we live and learn don’t we?

And though I was not sure how to use celeriac it did actually continue to grow throughout the summer. Really quite well during our wet mild spring, and then slowly on through our hot dry summer, never really getting big enough to do much with the bulbs though. I occasionally watered it but overall it didn’t every seem to need much from me. I may even have been able to for-go the additional waterings (which weren’t many) but I was trying to give it a fair chance in my garden after all.

The bulbs continued to stay small and almost a medium/larger carrot size throughout the summer but the leaves stayed perky and dark green. Smelling strongly (strongly!) of celery. I the added the tops, and occasional thinning, to soups and stocks that were made and then canned. Summer is when most of the meat comes off the pasture in the form of birds and so stock is put up at that time.

This year I added celeriac and chard along with my standard onions and other veggies to my stocks. Both were of course new additions to my stock making and though I couldn’t quite tell if the chard added much more than vitamins, the celeriac added a nice overall hint of celery esque flavor to my stock. A real smoothing and rounding out of the flavor that I will continue to do from now on.

And though I did get use from the plant tops, and decided that I would again grow them again if only for additions to the stock, pictures on line and in recipe books showed large bulbs that were meals by their selves. I was not getting bulbs like that though. Hmmm…I thought. Not exactly sure what the problem was I resigned myself to planting smaller patches in the future since the use of it in stock just didn’t call for a 3 by 25 foot bed of it.

Recently though, as the weather has cooled, I was surprised one day to look over and lo and behold….a HUGE celeriac bulb was hulking above the soil in my garden bed. As I looked I noticed that many of the properly thinned spots had also begun to grow large bulbs. Wow! So…the cool weather was the trick!

I pulled one of the biggest and not sure what to do with it I took it in, cut off the leaves and the ugly bumpy “skin” and then grated it for a traditional french dish called celeriac remoulade. It was easy…and I felt it would allow us to taste it to see if it was even worth spending time preparing it in other ways.

And what did I think of it??

Fabulous! Really really fabulous. Of course I like seasoned mayonnaise and grated veggies anyway…so that helps.

And so, after deciding that the bulb did not taste strongly of celery (really not at all) and eating the celeriac remoulade on the side of a few meals, we are ready to move on to other dishes with it. Like mashed celeriac, celeriac au gratin, and breaded and fried celeriac. All sound very good to us.

So next year think celeriac to try in your garden. It’s easy to start, easy to grow, and easy to use. Definitely in the “newbie” gardener category. Overall…a wonderful permanent addition to my vegetable patch.

I have been noticing that with the economy the way it is that there is a push for frugal gifts focusing on homemade.  There are ‘buy handmade’ pledges all over the blogs.  I think this is a worthy goal to be sure.

But I have decided that I do not want to buy homemade this but want to make it myself.  I have enlisted the help of one of my big boys and my little girl.

We have come up with a list of what we like to do, what we do well and how that can translate into gifts for our loved ones.

My 21 year old son is a great baker.  He and I are going to bake and fill baskets with goodies for our friends.  We are including artisan breads, cookies, quick breads, tarts and biscotti.  To this we will add homemade jams, jellies, preserves and dried fruits.

He and I are also knitting a variety of scarves and hats to give away.

Sweet Girl and I have already made sets of marble magnets for everyone and will include this in decorative tins with varies photos I have taken of the family and the garden.  She is adding to this a specially drawn picture for the recipient to hang on their frig with the magnets.

I am also using my photos to have photo books printed for my mom, sister, and mother in law.  I took pics of my neices and am having those photos framed for my sister in law.  I am making a scrapbook for hubby with pictures I’ve taken of the progress we have been making remodeling our cabin.

For my best girlfriends I am making felt pillows in each of their favorite colors.

The hard group of people to stick to handmade for is my college age sons…they really just want cash, lol!

For the one leaving for college this spring I have made a recipe book of all his very favorite things to eat.  For my second son who is being a ski bum this winter I am making a scarf.  My oldest who is graduating and getting ready for his first real job I am still thinking of how to incorporate something homemade for his first house…

So I have my job cut out for me over the next couple of months. The housework may suffer and the laundry my multiply…but I’m sure it will be well worth it.

Besides I figure what I spend in effort I will save big time in money…which isn’t exactly the point but it doesn’t hurt either!

So, do you have any interesting handmade gifts planned for you love ones this year and if so would you like to share?

And any handmade ideas for my 23 year old heading out into the real world and setting up his first home?

Kim can be found at the inadvertent farmer raising organic fruits, veggies, critter, kids…and a camel!

]]> http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2009/11/07/handmade-holidays/feed/ 7 inadvertentfarmer http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/the-worlds-best-mushroom-soup/ http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/2009/11/05/the-worlds-best-mushroom-soup/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:52:38 +0000 wfp94 http://notdabblinginnormal.wordpress.com/?p=3610 ]]>

Last week I posted about the shiitake mushrooms that we grow at our place. Although they do look mighty pretty, we really grow them to eat. One of our favorite ways to eat any mushrooms is in Broccoli Mushroom soup, or, as I like to call it, “THe World’s Best Mushroom Soup”. You know, honestly, one could really call it the World’s Best Soup and be truthful. My kids even like it. When I was a kid, I didn’t like any sort of soup and certainly not any soup with broccoli and mushrooms.

Anyhow, once we harvest our mushrooms, we dehydrate them. It’s pretty easy…you can dry them in slices or whole in an oven on low heat or with a typical dehydrator. Some folks even dry them on a rack in open air. They smell a bit like “dead” when they are drying but afterwards, they have little odor. Anyhow, once dried, they keep for a long time. We throw ours in a mason jar and just cover it with a lid.

When it’s soup time, you need to rehydrate the mushrooms. Just soak them in water for an hour or so (often times less). Once they are rehydrated, they are just plain old mushrooms to use as you normally would.

So, on to the soup…

The World’s Best Mushroom Soup!

2 Tbsp margerine or butter
3/4 cups onion chopped
1 oz package egg noodles
2 cloves of garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz sauteed mushrooms
1 1/2 cups chunked cooked chicken
6 chicken boullion cubes, 6 cups water
6 cups milk
1 lb velveeta (cut into 1 inch cubes)

Saute onions and mushroooms in butter. Add water and boullion cubes. Heat to boiling and disolve cubes. Gradualy add noodles and cook for 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook for 4 minutes. Add milk on low heat. Add cheese and cook until cheese is melted. Add chicken and garlic. Continue stirring until cheese is smooth but do not boil.

This stuff freezes well and may be reheated by adding a little extra milk!

Warren can also be found at My Home Among the Hills writing about the adventures of life in WV.

I’d like to talk about milk choices. But not specifically about how good raw milk, or organic milk, or grass fed only milk is for you. Nor do I want to talk about how cool creme on top milk is versus homogenized milk. Nope…not any of that.

What I really want to address is local milk. Local milk in the same sense as buying locally produced fruits, veggies and meat. Milk right off the farm. Raw or pasteurized. Homogenized or not. Kind of “cow share” style but better and without all the paperwork and legal hassles.
Because, if I were legally allowed a choice, I would want my milk to be able to be bottled right there, on the farm, with minimum paperwork for the farmer. Fresh. Full of crème that rises to the top. With a kind of a byob situation. Bring Your Own Bottle. Glass preferably.
BYOB would eliminate the problem of the smaller farmer having to clean, store and supply milk jugs for every customer and every gallon of milk sold. The BYOB concept would also be easy for families (just bring a clean glass container) and healthy for us and the environment—saving and reducing plastics both in our trash and in our lives.
Milk, if you’ve never had it in glass, tastes best stored that way versus storage in plastic. You can get as simple as a canning jar to as expensive as one of those fancy smancy “juice jugs” that look kind of like their from grandma’s kitchen.
Glass jars/jugs/bottles are also easy for families to find, buy and correctly clean for their milk pickup. Plastic is difficult to re-clean and keep sanitary.
Of course the farm might keep a few gallons here or there in glass or plastic jugs just for those few drop in customers—but nothing huge or expensive would be needed.
Over site into this type of buying/selling would of course be each and every customer that steps onto the farm and buys the product, with a fair and impartial USDA over site if that is the way, we the voting public wanted it. But in the end who better to do the over site than the very people consuming the product? The very people that could get sick if standards fall.

If something like this were to come to pass someday then I would hope to see many small farms interspersed with all these super large dairies we now have. Many I would hope would have no more than 20 cows, possibly even just one, and would be dotted across communities. Maybe buying milk would eventually become something like getting a soda. Just run down to the corner gas station to get your soda with a stop at the farmer on the way for your milk. For those in the city obviously changes would have to be made…delivery, bottle exchanges or possibly throw away plastic. However…some of the things I envision could still work even for those in the city. I am not saying get rid of all large dairies…just allow choice.

And think how well the cows would be treated if every week people showed up to buy their weekly milk right there where the cows lived and breathed. No standing on concrete and manure all day being fed who knows what that they get in commercial places. The people who buy the milk would know (yes..KNOW) that the cows really are grass fed because they would be out there in the pasture when the milk was picked up. No stinking manure pits hanging around, just piles of composting manure or even deep bedding style composting going on—but no stinking manure pits filled with leaching nitrogen sitting around waiting to spill over or move into our water supplies and food sources.
The customer would be able to see for their self that yes…these animals are treated well, and the owners are responsibly handling the farm and its outputs. That yes, the milk they purchase is a special product design to help nourish them. Not just some commodity traded on the stock market (yes…prices are set that way to a certain extent if you didn’t know)

Another plus that I see with this more legal milk buying would be that people could buy from the type of farm that suited their ethics. Don’t believe calves should be “ripped” from their mothers? Why then don’t buy from a farm that does that. Many people do not take the calves away they are a few months old and some let them stay until momma cow says “ready to wean”.  The calves get to play right along side their moms in pastures learning exactly what momma cows are suppose to teach them. Yes, this does reduce the amount of milk each cow gives but it also reduces the time and hassle of calf care, grows quality calves that go for a premium when sold, and still supplying a viable product for the farmer to sell. If of course he/she could sell it straight to the consumer. A novel idea I know…once quite common. And by no means is this to say that this type of calf raising is perfect….just that a situation like this, as I envision it, would give people choice. That magic word again: Choice.

Of course all these choices would make for a bit more time in choosing where our milk was purchased from.  However once we found the right spot we could stick with it. We would also have a bit more influence on situations just like when their where many many mom and pop stores to choose from. We used to get great customer service—because they really did want us as a customer. Now? Most places are horrible because they know we, the consumers, do not have as many choices.

But isn’t anything worth purchasing worth taking time to choose? I mean we don’t just run out and buy the first car we see a for sale sign on do we? And when we purchase a house we consider the schools that go along with the area. So..why not invest a bit of time in our food too? Milk, being a large portion of many families diets, is to me more important of a choice than some of the others we make and angst over.(Ohh…do these red shoes go well with that or should I buy these other red shoes??!!)

And if we were allowed this style of purchasing, farmers of course would have to be ready to be interviewed, or to post exactly what type of milk they sell and how they go about getting it. However, Joel Salatin already does that on his farm with his meat/eggs/products that he sells. Why not with milk? There is no difference between well handled milk and well handled meat. Both need clean conditions, both need cold storage. This is not rocket science here.
Doesn’t really seem like it would be that much different does it?
Obviously we would need farmers that are open to this but there are tons of young farmers that are trying to get started right now. These young farmers realize that the marketing of food is different than it was 30 years ago and they are willing to put the time and effort into cultivating their clientèle.

In my minds eye I see something like these scenarios below for smaller farms to “audition” their milk to the buying public:

Sweet Meadow Farms.
Grass based dairy, small amounts of farm raised grain. Calves allowed to stay with mom until 4 months. Pasteurized or Raw. Non homogenized only. You supply clean bottles.Pickups on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays.

Or maybe this:

Red Creek Dairy
Grass based only. Calves stay with dams until natural weaning. Pasteurized only, homogenized or non homogenized. We charge fee(s) for bottles but clean and re-sanitize your returns. Pickups daily except Mondays.

Or even this:

The Hill Dairy Farm
Certified organic grass, hay and grain. Calves kept with moms and we do take orders for our limited supply of milk fed beef. Raw milk only. Plastic bottles from our farm or special arrangements for you to supply your own glass containers can be arranged. Call before you come.

Of course this would require a bit of work on the part of the farm as I mentioned but it is not any different than anyone who supplies dried flowers in various forms (long stem, short stem, flower head only or petals only). Nor is it any different than a farmer that offers different meat cuts.

I saw a bumper sticker recently that said “Oh well, I wasn’t using my civil liberties anyway”. Hopefully, over the next decade, we can take ours back when it comes to the right to choose our food. Whether it’s milk, or meat, veggies or any other product we generally consume we have the right to purchase food that is nourishing and tasty. In the mean time we may just have to learn to grow as much of our own as possible. And of course fuss at the powers that be until they hear us and change ;-D

If you would like to try and buy your milk from dairies that utilize glass bottles here is one link for some U.S farms.

When I was visiting a forum of mostly mothers the other day a woman posted the question of which was more important people or animals/enviroment.  She thought we had gone too far in protecting fish specifically at the expense of people.

As I ‘listened’ to the conversation unfold while other complained about out of work folks that the government wasn’t helping but had millions to spend on saving sea turtles.  They discussed eagles, global warming, factory farms, PETA, and many interesting subjects.

What hit me is that the original question seemed to be flawed (in my opinion)  as a farmer/parent/consumer/human being I don’t see it as an either/or situation.

It seems to me the disappearing turtles and fish are just a symptom of the larger illness that our planet if facing as a whole.  Waterways so polluted and over fished that these creatures can’t survive without our help.  How can we separate ourselves from the world we live in? 

Sometimes I see on the news stories about people who has been removed from a home that is so overrun with garbage, old food and feces that they cannot be allowed to live there for their own safety.  I always shake my head and wonder how people can live like that…

Doesn’t it seem reasonable to keep our world clean and safe for all the inhabitants…not to have it so polluted, and overrun with garbage and feces (from factory farms) that we cannot any longer inhabit it…that the turtles and eagles and fish can no longer inhabit it?

No I don’t believe it is a choice between man or the enviroment at all…

I don’t believe that its them or us…

No, I’m pretty sure as the turtles, fish  and eagles go… so do we.

I have always loved mushrooms. When I was a kid, my Grandpa got one of those “Grow Your Own Mushrooms” kits in the mail. The terra cotta pot in which they were to be grown was shaped like a mushroom and had that funky sort of look that everything in the 70s had. Now grandpa had no intention of growing the “special 70s mushrooms”, but his setup would have made one wonder. Anyhow, he wanted a handful of button mushrooms so he set up the kit and did everything he was instructed to do…but he got no mushrooms.

I always figured that since Grandpa couldn’t grow mushrooms, it must not be possible by the common man. I settled for buying mushrooms at the grocery store and ordering extra mushrooms on my pizzas. But there is just something not quite right about store bought mushrooms compared to fresh ones…sort of like everything.

Fast forward a few years to present. I found a friend that also loves mushrooms and has been growing her own for years. We talked some and it turns out that it is incredibly simple to grow mushrooms.

First, you’ll need to order mushroom spawn from a reputable online source. One of the best sources is probably Fungi Perfecti. They have all sorts of spawn that can be purchased so pick what you like. I grow Shiitake. Anyhow, once you get your spawn (it will be a container of sawdust which contains the spawn), you’ll need a few logs cut to lengths about 3-4 feet. Hardwood logs are best for Shiitakes so I got white oak logs approximately 4-6 inches in diameter.

Using a 3/4 spade bit, I drilled tons of holes in each log. I spaced them 6 inches or so apart across the entire surface of the log (I also burned up a drill doing this so don’t push too hard and take breaks!). In each hole, I packed the inoculated sawdust and sealed each hole with melted beeswax. I have bees so beeswax is easy for me to get, but you can also any food-grade wax to seal the holes.

The logs should be thrown out back and ignored for about a year. I set my logs on bricks to keep them out of the dirt. You can set them upright or lay them down in a stack. Make sure that the logs get plenty of rain and absolutely no attention whatsoever. If all goes well and the stars align properly, you’ll have mushrooms in a year (actually, I don’t think it is that complicated). Logs of the size I mentioned should fruit for several years if you give them the proper amount of inattention!

I’ll post again later about what to do with the abundance of mushrooms you’ll get when your logs fruit. You’ll probably have more than you can use so you’ll need a plan. Stay tuned for more b.s. (it’s mushroom food afterall!) in a few weeks!

Warren can also be found at My Home Among the Hills writing about the adventures of life in WV.

After giving it quite a workout this season, it’s time to store my pressure canner for the winter. This canner was an investment for me–one that I want to last me for a long, long time. So at the end of each canning season, I need to take the time to be sure it’s cleaned and stored properly.

I do get water stains from hard water. I tried a remedy I have read about. You fill the canner with water as high as the water stains go. Then, for each quart of water you used, you add a tablespoon of cream of tartar. Dissolve the cream of tartar in the water and boil until the stains are gone.

Too late, I realized I didn’t have enough cream of tartar to match the seven quarts of water I needed. I dumped in all I had and boiled it for about 45 minutes. It made a significant improvement. I will definitely do this next year with the correct amounts. Below you can see the difference.

Before and After Cream of Tartar Cleaning

Next, I washed the canner body inside and out with warm soapy water. I gave this same treatment to the rack that fits inside. I rinsed both well and allowed them to dry while I worked on the lid.

Because I have a dial gauge, I can not submerse the lid in water. I removed the rubber gasket from the lid and wiped the entire lid with a warm soapy rag, then rinsed with a wet rag, careful to avoid getting the gauge wet. I dropped a needle threaded with embroidery thread down the vent pipe and rubbed the thread around the inside of the pipe to clean it. I could have used a small pipe cleaner if I’d had one.

You should check your manual or contact the manufacturer for specific instructions for handling the rubber sealing gasket if your canner uses one. For mine, I swished it gently around in some warm sudsy water, then rinsed it well and allowed it to air dry. This is a good time to examine the gasket for worn spots, tears, or nicks in the rubber. (Worn or damaged seals should be replaced.) Once it was dry, I placed it back inside the rim of the canner lid.

Now that all the parts are clean and dry, I can prepare the canner for storage. I placed a layer of clean, dry newspaper on the bottom of the canner. Then, I put the canning rack on top of that. I wadded up a few pages of newsprint and tossed them inside to help absorb moisture and odors that might accumulate over the next few months of non-usage.

Newspapers Inside Canner

I placed the weight inside the canner so I will know where it is next time I need it. The lid gets placed on top of the canner *upside down* and not sealed.

Canner Lid Upside Down

And now it’s ready to be stored on a shelf or in a closet until it is needed again. You may want to make a note to yourself or mark your calendar to make an appointment with your extension office next spring to get your dial gauge tested. This should be done each year before canning season begins.

I bought this canner a couple of years ago hoping it would meet all the canning needs I would ever have. With proper care and maintenance, replacing worn parts as needed, it should last me for as long as I’m able to use it.

This past weekend we had our Harvest Celebration at Roberts Roost. It is a time when we gather our friends from the community to share food, fire, and talents, and to enjoy each others company. Most of all it is a time to talk about everything and nothing, to share stories, to laugh, to give and receive support without any agenda. Out of these conversations around the fire two ideas arose that I need to explore.

The first is the power and importance of community as we take the road less traveled. I’ll be posting those thoughts on NDiN.

The second is the power of community to act. I’ll be posting about that on Roberts Roost.

Part 1. The power of community on the road less traveled.

Saturday dawned cold and gray. Rain threatened and a cold wind made the final preparations for our Harvest Celebration difficult. By noon the pavilion was up, the last of the lights were strung, and the chili was bubbling away on the stove. Our out of town guests arrived, and the kids scattered, catching up with friends they hadn’t seen in several months. The rain started and with it calls started coming in, people canceling because of the weather. It looked like it was going to be a small party. We got our out of town guests settled in M’s lovely Hill House, made the corn bread, and started setting out food and drinks. The out-of-towners came back and helped set things out. The rain stopped, but the wind kicked up. Fires were built, outside in the fire circle, inside in the fireplaces. M and G arrived, looking around for the party. They found us chatting by the fireplace in the living room. We settled in, making introductions, finding drinks, discussing whether or not we should move the food back in the house. Then the wind died down, and people started arriving, bundled up in coats, bearing dishes of food, musical instruments, laughter, and smiles. A new mob of kids joined the rampage (the children didn’t seem to notice the inclement weather.) Food was served, drinks poured, and folks settled in around the crackling fire, perching on fence rails, straw bales, and logs. Another round of introductions (none of these people had met.) Stories were shared, successes celebrated, failures commiserated and solutions discussed. People shared laughter, songs, poems, and dances. Connections were made, commonalities discovered. The seeds of a new community were sowed.

Chatting with people in the days after our little party I discovered a surprising theme. The new connections that had been made while chatting around the fire sparked joy in people. There was a sense of camaraderie, of understanding, of fitting in at least a bit. Most of us who chose to walk the road less traveled are fiercely independent. We also find that most people we meet don’t understand what we do, why we do it. They think of us as weird, or quaint. It can be very isolating and lonely. Finding community is important. On line communities, like NDiN where ideas, knowledge, and stories are shared are a great form of support and inspiration. But local communities are key. People you can laugh with, help and be helped by, cry with, share with are vital to anyone wanting to thrive as a homesteader.

A party is a great way to build such a group. (You shouldn’t over analyze who you are inviting, serendipitous connections are the best, and you can’t plan those.) Just make an excuse to get people together to share food and drink, laughter and stories. Magic will happen and your world will be richer for it.

Alan can also be found at Roberts Roost writing about his families adventures on their micro-eco-farm.

Iread an article over at Chiot’s Run the other morning about homemade ketchup that struck a note with me. We too have recently become fans of a homemade ketchup. It did take a while for us to make the switch but now that we have found the one I am not sure if we will ever go back completely to store bought.

I have noticed in my years and years of cooking that sauces are a VERY personal thing – - especially when we’re talking about home made. As a person who (without seeming as if I am patting myself on the back) is a pretty decent cook I have found that of all the things I make, sauces (ketchup, meat sauces, etc) are the most likely to be out right rejected by people who generally love my cooking.

I am not talking just my kids here, but friends who beg for recipes. For some odd reason we seem all to pretty much agree on store bought ketchup—I mean they’re like a total of 3 main brands in the U.S to choose from (but maybe the right word is tolerate).

Yet, when it comes to home made—watch out! Everyone, and I do mean everyone, has their own ideas on what makes a good ketchup.

And beyond that love it or hate it sauce mentality if you decide after reading this and Chiot’s Run’s article to make your own ketchup, be prepared to tweak and experiment with recipes. From what I have personally experienced, and heard other sauce makers comment on, a recipe is never perfect straight from the book–especially when it’s a sauce.

I also find it is important with condiments to make a small trial batch first before I can up 15 quarts. If I don’t I risk ending up with 14 and ½ jars of something that won’t get eaten. The other ½ jar was the part everyone tried and decided they didn’t like it.I offer that tid bit of advice with the best of intentions because of course years ago when I tried making ketchup for the first time that is exactly what I did. It was one of the years that I had a dearth of green tomatoes. Of course I often have that problem most years here in the south, but that was the year I thought I would try and be Lil Miss Homemaker and whip up some home made green tomato ketchup. Sounded good to me. Tomatoes, spices, vinegar —all the same no matter what recipe you find. Or so I thought. Well, needless to say that particular trial was a dismal failure. It was twangy and tart and overall not like anything I would enjoy swallowing with my fries. And, unfortunately, it kept me from trying to make ketchup for many years afterward because I just really wasn’t sure exactly what constituted “good” ketchup. Most store bought brands seemed to taste just like sugar and tomatoes so I wasn’t sure how to tweak the recipe to improve it. I just knew I had not liked that one. BBQ sauce? I know how to tweak that because there are so many many to choose from to give inspiration…. but ketchup….I was stumped.

Of course, as all you readers can understand, one of the reasons for trying to make ketchup was because I wanted to be able to move away from store bought that was lacking in flavor, full of corn syrups and ingredients I couldn’t pronounce and try to be just a bit more self sufficient. My usual reasons for doing anything. And I do realize that making ketchup does not put my household into the “never going to the store again” category…but hey, it gets a bit closer with each added thing. And ketchup was a “thing” I wanted to add. In addition it puts a quality product on the table. Or burger and fries anyway.

And if your wondering exactly why it failed I’ll have to go with the hot/cold/leftover explanation of cooking (that’s my official made up term for this dilemma). As everyone that cooks knows when your seasoning food while it is hot it tastes just a bit, and sometimes quite a bit, different than it does cool or cold or after sitting for a while to blend. Kind of like how our soups and stews always taste better leftover—all those spices blend together. Add heated vinegar to the tasting dilemma (ketchup is really a form of pickled fruit or vegetable pureed sauce) and it can get really bad in regards to taste distortion. At least while hot. Which is why you should always make notes in your pickle recipes, let them cool to sample, and never ever can 15 quarts right away.

Luckily all was not to end without ever finding a great ketchup….happily this year I did find a new recipe to try. And since I did not can 15 quarts right away….I will need to make more in the not too distant future. But that’s o.k. This one seems to be the perfect recipe for my family too. As a matter of fact my husband likes this ketchup SO much that he is about ready to carry it in my purse for when we do eat fries outside of home { notice I say MY purse }

We probably need to add one more ketchup recipe to our pantry since unfortunately this one is not completely sustainable for me since I can not grow the one main ingredient that sets it apart from other ketchups. And what is that you ask? Well, it is bananas for an absolutely fabulous Banana Ketchup. Yep…you heard me correctly. And I know you maybe wrinkling your nose at it—because most everyone does. But believe me if your into home made ketchups and sauces, you should like this. I am almost sure anyway. A number of our friends think it tastes just fine. Not at all like they expected it too when they first made their odd faces about it. Beyond the recipe the book I got it from is quite interesting so check that out too if you’d like. You can see it in the picture above and I linked off to it in addition.

Of course, I did tweak the ketchup a bit AFTER letting it sit over night and cool. I am teachable after all and do learn from my experiences most of the time. And this time I did find that it needed a bit of changing to fit my family’s tastes so I added almost double the bananas and tweaked the seasonings and vinegar just a teeny tiny bit.

No matter the changes, it was still good in its original form. But just a bit better my way I thought .

So…here it is in its original form from the book The Good Stuff Cookbook by Helen Witty.

Hot and Spicy Banana Ketchup –Caribbean inspired fruit sauce

1 cup raisins, dark or golden

¾ cup chopped onion

3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled

2/3 cup tomato paste

2 and 2/3 cup white or cider vinegar

3 pounds very ripe, fragrant bananas

4 to 6 cups water

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

½ cup light corn syrup (I used regular sugar since I do not buy corn syrup)

4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground if available

1 and ½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 and ½ teaspoons grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ to 1/3 dark rum (I did not use this at all)

1.Combine raisins, onion, cloves, and tomato in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth using some of the vinegar to help. Scrape into a preserving pan (or large stock pot).

2.Peel the bananas, cut them into chunks, and puree them using some of the vinegar again. Add to mixture in pan and add any remaining vinegar, plus 4 cups of water, the brown sugar, salt, and ground hot red pepper.

3.Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium low and cook the ketchup, uncovered, for approximately 1 and ¼ hours, stirring often. If there is a threat of sticking at any point at water up to the remaining 2 cups (I did not ever add the extra water as the whole point is to cook the ketchup down until it is thick. Plus I did not have sticking issues at all.)

4. Add sugar and spices and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until it is thick enough to coat a metal spoon. Don’t forget to stir. To test if the consistency is correct remove the pan from the heat and spoon a bit of the ketchup onto a saucer. Let it cool (put in fridge or freezer for a bit); if very little or no liquid emerges around the sample, the ketchup is thick enough. If it does not pass this test resume cooking for as long as necessary. Let the pan and contents cool for a few minutes when you get the correct consistency ( This was were I cooled mine overnight to allow for flavors to mingle so I could see if I would like the balance of flavors).

5. Puree the ketchup again in the blender or food processor until it is satin smooth. You can also force it through a fine metal sieve or food mill. Rinse out the pan and return ketchup and taste for hotness, sharpness and add more red or black pepper or more vinegar or sugar as needed. Be cautious about adding more of the spices because their flavors will strengthen later. They shouldn’t dominate the fruit.

6. Bring the ketchup to a boil again over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add the rum if you so choose and remove the pan from the heat. Ladle the boiling hot ketchup into hot, clean half pint or pint canning jars, leaving recommended head space. Seal with lids in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes for half pint and 20 minutes for pints. Wait at least two weeks for best flavors. (You can also store this in the fridge if you prefer not to can. Possibly in the freezer. One larger jar was in our refrigerator for about a month while we finished it. No problems encountered at all.) Makes about 7 cups.

After step 4, where I allowed the ketchup to cool over night, I then tweaked it. I found I wanted a bit more pronounced banana flavor and a slightly different balance of the spices. Both easily corrected. And to make sure you don’t ruin the whole batch put a small amount into a bowl and add your additions to see how the flavor changes there before doing the entire pot full.

Don’t think this is your style? The book also has a cranberry ketchup and a mushroom ketchup to try.

Anyone else have a unique ketchup they like that most people are unfamiliar with?