Autism and Sensory: Weighted Blankets

This is not a topic you will hear about from me on very much. But it is something that is an integral part of my life and has led me on the paths that have created my life as it is today. My son is an adult with severe disabilities that make his life difficult. One of the things that helps is bear hugs, squishes, and other sensory calming things. If you haven't heard of weighted blankets in the past few years, I don't know how.

My son has had compression clothing through the years until he expressed that he could no longer tolerate it. He's had weighted lap pads, neck rings, jackets, etc. And a few years ago, we tried weight blankets made with plastic pellets and glass beads. None of them worked very long term.

But I have a heavy weight quilt on my bed that I inherited from a family member. It's a commercially made quilt and it's got a good weight to it. But I haven't been able to find a similar weight quilt in any store. So I made the decision to try making one for him this year. But with a few changes. The first is that the quilt top and bottom are both made of a super soft fleece that he absolutely loves. And it's a queen size.  

Next was that the weight would be even across the whole quilt and would not shift as he does. This was the longest and hardest part of the hunt. I don't quilt. I spent quite a while digging through the internet trying to find information on how heavy different battings were before I finally tripped across a recommendation by someone who did quilt, and had decided to spend a year experimenting with different battings. That recommendation led me to Quilters' Dream batting. And after a phone call, to their newest batting that was even heavier.

The next part involved a wonderful friend who quilts and was willing to save my sanity. She has a long arm quilting machine. So once all the parts arrived, she pinned them all together and quilted them on her machine. She added lots of fun shapes and his name to the quilt. And then she delivered it back to me so I could finished the hems.

She was also the one who recommended that I look at Korean Mink blankets. And so he got an extra gift of an 11 lb Korean Mink blankets. It's not quite as soft as his quilt but he likes it and uses it.  The quilt is somewhere around 15 lbs.

The big difference here is that the weight is consistent across the entirety of the quilt and blanket. There is no shifting of beads. No seams breaking and beads leaking. And these can be washed in the washing machine without unbalancing it. And dried in the dryer, on low, without a proble. So just comfortable soft blankets that can be made of whatever material you want to use and will help calm the user.

Is it cheap? No. The Korean Mink blanket was about $80. The quilt ended up being about $125. But I'd paid close to that for one of the glass bead weighted blankets a few years ago. And for the level of calm deep sleep it helps him get, it's worth it. And it's a whole other added level when you add in how it helps him calm from meltdowns during the day.

I am including a link to the Korean Mink that I got him because there are many fake versions out there. So review the specs and make sure that you check that information on the version you choose to get if you get one. Korean Mink Blanket (And yeah, you can get a twin that is a lighter weight because of the smaller size. But still the same even weight as the other sizes.)

Practical and Useful: IKEA bags

Yeah, I know. I'm a crazy, hippie gardener who loves gardening, canning, sewing, and most basic homesteading things. And honestly, I've never set foot in an IKEA and am not likely to ever do so. But I do have a practical view on most things. And the IKEA shopping bags have proven to be affordable and practical.

A few years ago, Mom accidentally gifted me with an IKEA Frakta bag. I loved it and reused it quite a bit.  Then I got the new to me van and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't damage the seat/trim/whatever with the totes I used for my then job as a newpaper courier. It turned out that the Frakta bags would fit in the space and would hold as many papers as the plastic totes. They also wouldn't damage things. And they had good strong handles which made lifting them a lot easier. Even better, when I was done for the night, I could neatly fold them and tuck them away under the seat. Then I got really sick and had to give up the route. (Newspaper couriers are independent contractors that get no benefits whatsoever and paid very little. So if you get a newspaper, tip your courier well and frequently if they do a good job. Especially at the holidays.)

So two of the bags got used to pack up all the things out of my old van until I have the time and patience to sort through them. And the old van went away. The rest went under the front seat in the new van where I'd grab them occasionally to help move loads of grocery bags and other miscellaneous things.

Then I discovered that they were the perfect size for a load of laundry. Add to that the ability to fold them and store them in a small place... they've replaced my laundry baskets which have been destroyed by my son. That has come in really useful this last two weeks after my washing machine died. Because, while not waterproof, the bags themselves are not harmed by water. So bags were loaded, laundry washed, then put back in the van to come home and run through the dryer.

Now, that's the blessing of the big bags. Sometime in October I ordered the two smaller sizes because of the ability to easily wipe the bags clean. If needed, I can use Clorox with bleach on them which is something that most of my other reusable bags can't handle.  Just a note here: Yes, I make my own reusable bags from different fabrics. And I actually have some very strong nice ones, made in standard sizes, that I use. But they are not water resistant or bleachable, and sometimes that is needed.

Anyways, those smaller bags have gotten used quite frequently. And the rainbow version is slightly more waterproof than the regular blue version. As in it will contain leaking liquids a bit better because it's not a woven material, but don't expect them to hold water or any other liquid in large quantities for very long. They save my sanity when I pickup grocery orders to discover that whoever bagged it went a little wild with the plastic bags. As in one item, maybe two, per bag. (Yes, those bags get saved and used for garbage bags. And I was running low. But still...)  And last, but not least in any way, they cost less or the same as the reusable bags you can grab in any store, but they will last much, much, much longer. I'm just a little tired of semi fabric reusable bags that can't survive the washing machine, can't be cleaned, and tear up within a year or less.

And now I'm looking at getting the Frakta storage bags for storing the excess piles of blankets that belong to my son. Because I can pack them full and shove them under his bed where they will also provide a buffer between him and the cold floor. And maybe to also replace the underbed totes in my room that are full of fabric and other miscellaneous items. Why in my room? Because the same son, who I love dearly, has bounced enough frames off of the totes to break and crack them. The IKEA storage bags are cheaper, well made, and won't break if a son breaks another frame on top of them.

Now the good part, you can buy IKEA bags easily at their website. You can also get them on Amazon. And if you are looking for limited edition versions - Ebay has you covered. So I don't need to give you links. I bought my first set of 10 Frakta bags on Amazon. But I've gotten all the remaining bags directly from the IKEA website.

Roasting the Bones

In my house there are food allergies to deal with. One of those food allergies is beef. No other dark meat, just beef. When I can find it, and afford it, lamb, goat, and ostrich fill the gap some. When hunters can spare venison from their hunts it is wonderful as I can sub it one to one for beef.  But until now the only way to add a deep flavor to many things was to use molasses, sorghum, or coffee. (In our case, decaf coffee.)

Another allergy is mushrooms which is yet another flavor that adds depth to dishes. In the last year I discovered that I can substitute chestnuts for mushrooms and get that flavor profile. And even better, chestnuts can be cooked the same way.

But one of the flavors that I just couldn't get was that deep "brown" flavor. The one you get in brown gravy. If it were music, it'd be that deep bass note in the composition. Until today. It came to my attention that there was an idea to roast the bones of different animals before you used them for stock. The idea has been pecking at the back of my mind for a few months but I just didn't have the energy and time. Or so I thought.  I decided to research it further yesterday and discovered that it doesn't really require any extra energy. And it doesn't really require any extra time on my part.

So my adventure started with stripping the meat from the turkey carcass, something I would have done anyways. But as I stripped it, I just tossed the bones back into the roaster. Then I set the oven to 450 and put the roaster back in the oven for 20 minutes. That's it. I didn't go fancy. The fat from the original roasting was in the pan to provide oil as needed. And since I typically do plain stock, I didn't add anything else.

Twenty minutes later I pulled out brown bones. I still had my doubts but I moved them to the crockpot, added the pan drippings, added water, and set the crockpot on low. This morning I awoke to a wonderful scent coming from the crockpot. A deep brown stock with a deep flavor. Because, yeah, testing was mandatory. And I bet that if I do this with venison bones, when I can get them, that will go from being a bland stock to an absolutely amazing one.

So roasting the bones is now going to be part of making my stocks. It adds wonderful flavor depth and I don't really see a reason not to have that depth of flavor. Although, I'll probably make sure to have some regular chicken stock on hand as well.

Protecting cold sensitive plants in the ground

It's that time of year. Actually, it's a bit past that time of year but, heck, I rarely get this done on time. And to make it more fun, I may actually be adding some in the ground plants this week.

Anyways, I always run across people asking how to keep sensitive plants alive outside through the winter. Here are a few ideas that I've used over the years that might help you.

One, simple frost covers. I have a collection of purchased ones but you can also use old sheets. Or old fluffy quilts. I say fluffy quilts because it's the air caught in the poly fil that makes those warmer but also be aware that no light will get through to aid in winter/early spring growth. So I'd only use old quilts on stuff that I do not expect any winter growth on and I'd pull them when the weather starts warming up. For the most part I stick with white frost covers or sheets because I'm protecting things that can take a little cold, just not a lot.

The tricks for frost covers is to make sure that they are not touching the plants. So use pvc hoops or fence stakes or even your tomato cages to help hold the cover above the plants. Then layer the sides down with mulch or leaves. Lots of mulch or leaves. The white covers let enough sunlight through to encourage early spring growth and I can typically leave them on until the last frost date.

If you want to help stabilize the temperatures a bit under the covers, then add water filled juice or soda bottles. If you can, dye the water black or spray paint the bottle black. That actually does make a difference of between 5 to 10 degrees but even plain water helps. Then lay the bottles among the plants. They will moderate the temperatures some and can help a lot unless you have multiple hard freeze days in a row. (Not common near me.) They will also boost early spring growth on the plants that are most likely to get going early. If you have a really sensitive plant, put a ring of bottles around it. I've had many sensitive plants make it through the winter in such a ring, even in a colder zone than I'm in now. And it's a whole lot easier to do then filling those wall of water things.

Do not use milk jugs or vinegar jugs for this. Both of them will disintegrate by the time spring hits and make a mess to clean out of the garden. The jugs will fall apart as you go to pull them. But, if it's all you have, then just be aware and have a garbage bag on hand for spring. I have to say, it does make a good way to make sure that the jugs will break down at the landfill because they'll already be halfway there before they get to the landfill.

If you have something super sensitive, or you are in colder climes, there is one more trick that you can use. That trick is the old incandescent outdoor Christmas lights. When used with a frost cover, the old style lights can create a warmer zone to hold off the frost which is so damaging. Just remember, make sure the frost cover isn't touching the plant. And make sure the lights aren't touching the frost cover. If you are protecting trees you might consider just leaving the lights year round and maybe adding new lights in the fall, on new growth, if needed. Otherwise, set up the rig when it's time and take it all off when the season is once again safe for the plant. Note, this is not something you can do with the quilts. It must be a frost cover.

Other than that, pull the dead plants, mulch under any beds you aren't using for the winter season, and go plot next year. Make sure to plot early this year. Apparently gardening has become a major national hobby again and seeds are going fast.

Appreciating Bounty

I haven't forgotten about the blog. I've just been a bit busy. First it was a well paying, temporary job that sapped most of my strength, time, and energy. Then it was making use of the bounty of funds to provide for other things needed in and around our home. And lately it's been the bounty of food that need to be preserved to be available for later times.

About 5 years ago, I canned caramelized onions. They turned out well but in the intervening time frame, with the demands of the job I had taken on then, I just didn't have time to do it again. And then surprise, surprise, a recipe was released for canning onions that basically verified the recipe I had already been using. And I had an abundance of sweet onions on hand. So I did two batches of caramelized onions and one of French Onion soup.

This is where you get to take a moment and laugh at me. I misread the instructions originally so the caramelized onions were pressure canned for 70 minutes @ 10 psi. Doesn't seem to have hurt them any but I laughed at myself for it.

Anyways, I have a really simple way of doing caramelized onions when I want to do them in bulk. I slice onions on the mandolin until my crockpot is full. I use a 6 quart crockpot. It takes 4 to 5 lbs of sliced onions. I add a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and about half a tablespoon of garlic juice. Then I turn the crockpot on low and walk away for 8 to 12 hours. That's it. When I come back to the crockpot, first I pull the onions and fill the jars to a 1" headspace. Then I fill with the onion juice from the bottom of the crockpot, up to the 1" headspace. Since some onions don't provide enough natural juices, I go evenly between the jars and then top off with stock or water if needed. This year there was plenty of natural juices and no need for extra fluids. I get approximately a dozen jelly jars full from each batch.

After that, it's into the pressure canner at 10 psi for 60 minutes. Yes, I know, there is an approved recipe that says 40 minutes but I'm being cautious since this is more like French Onion soup than just plain 1 inch onions.  And since 70 minutes didn't mess up the yummy flavor, I doubt 60 minutes will either.  

By the way, the first time I did these I used 4 oz jars. I quickly realized that I needed to do larger jars. So this time I used 8 oz jars. I did put the French Onion Soup batch into pints. (And I also canned up all the extra broth from that recipe.) 

Anyways, now on to bell peppers. Yeah, there's a tested recipe for bell peppers. And I love it. 

Those of us that have been canning for a long time tend to not get the new Ball books when they come out. In the past there really weren't many changes between books and someone would give a heads up on what recipes were new. If you wanted the new recipes, you bought the new book. Well, somehow I missed the updates on the newest books that were released after Ball sold the canning division off. And those newest books have some recipes that many of us have wanted for years. 

Now, when I went looking the physical books were thin on the ground and expensive, even online. So I got the Kindle versions. I'll get the physical books when the prices come back down into the reasonable range. The links for the Kindle version, and the print version, of the books are below so that you know which ones I'm talking about because there have been quite a few released in the past few years. There are some interesting and fun recipes in them that I will definitely be trying, and probably adding to my list of pantry shelf stock for each year.

And a sincere thank you to those who are watching out for my son and I, and guiding the blessings of bounty our way. They are truly appreciated.

Kindle version:  https://amzn.to/36AeXRS

Print version: https://amzn.to/32LloQR

Kindle version:  https://amzn.to/3puJzgb

Print version:  https://amzn.to/3nuGomC

I hope you enjoy the new recipes as much as I do. And happy canning.

Innovating in the Garden

The garden bed that wraps around my front porch is a work in progress. A couple of years ago I used pine straw bales to act as a windbreak between the ground and the bottom of the fascia boards. That helped keep the floors in the house a bit warmer through the winter.

But it's been a few years, and the pine straw bales and mulch need replenishing. The problem was that I was also trying to plant herbs and strawberries under the blueberries. The herbs caught on great. The strawberries not so great. So my brain was trying to figure out how I could do my normal very deep mulching and still leave areas for strawberries to go in. Because I really do mulch deep, as in 12" of mulch because it really helps keep weeds under control. I finally came up with a practical, and practically free, solution. Right now every time I have an empty soda or vinegar bottle, I cut the center section out. Both top and bottom come off and go in recycling. The center section is saved. I even did it with a gallon water jug or two.

Today I took them out and started the mulching. I spaced those sections far enough apart for strawberries to be fine and then mulched in between. It means my mulch layer is only about 9" but I can live with that. Once mulching is done, I'll fill the containers with cheap topsoil. Well, know me, garden soil and compost. As for mulching around the herbs, well, I saved the vinegar containers for that since they are a bit wider. And that worked well. And for mulching around the blueberries? That will be sections from 4 or 5 gallon water bottles or large plant pots, whichever is at hand when I need it.

And as I was doing that today, I realized that one section of the front bed really is too shady for strawberries. And the mint that I planted in the curve will make a nice visual split there. So I think that section will be ginger plants.

An Italian Pantry

 I have a tendency to keep a large, full pantry. It has grown and shrunk over the years but I try to keep it as full as possible. It was a surprise to discover, when I was first out on my own, that many people don't keep a large, full pantry. I was told it was an Italian thing and that kind of stuck in my brain. Nowadays, it's just a sanity thing.
A few friends have been trying to figure out how to build up their food pantry and have asked for ideas. All I can tell you is the way I learned to do it. It's a journey though, not a shopping list, because everyone is different. So I'll do multiple posts that you can follow to create a large, full pantry that fits your family's needs, regardless of diet restrictions.
The first step sounds easy but you will discover it is not. For step on, find 7 to 14 recipes that your family likes to eat. The more you have, the more variety will be available for those times when getting to the store is difficult or money is tight. So try for 14. 
Give yourself a variety of easy to fix and more difficult to fix meals. That will keep you going for those nights when you can barely function at dinner time, and the ones where you have time and energy.
For now, don't worry about whether the ingredients are canned or frozen. But for these recipes, avoid fresh ingredients or find substitutes for them. The reason for the is because the ingredients for these recipes need to be something that can sit on the shelves or in the freezer for a while.
Three examples from my household - chicken and rice, and shepherd's pie, and our version of tacos. Unless it's been a really long, bad stretch there are ingredients for all of those in my house. We prefer the tacos with fresh lettuce, but if there's none in the fridge or growing, well it just becomes yummy nachos.
So off you go. Find those recipes. Print them out or write them down. If you are finding new ones to add, take the time to make them and be sure the family likes them. Because the last thing you want to have happen when you are tired and nothing else is available is to find out that the recipe isn't something you're family will eat. Oh, and btw, slow cooker favorites qualify for those recipes as well.

Homemade Steak Fries

(Just a note: I haven't disappeared or forgotten. A temporary job that pays really well has taken up a lot more time than was expected. It should be done by next week.)

I had the opportunity to get 25 lbs of russet potatoes for a really good price. So I did. My logic was that I could make some things that I had been buying, for a lot cheaper. Because the prices on the store bought were jumping higher every trip and I was using a lot of them. A giant part of that is the convenience of having the things ready to cook on days when I am wiped out.

I've been working on a variety of things. Thank heavens potatoes can hold for a while since I'm two weeks into this adventure. The first thing though has been steak fries. These are a great side for hamburgers and chicken nuggets. And being honest, typically when I'm making those for dinner it's because I'm tired. But there have also been times when I discovered that I didn't have any potatoes on hand to make them.

The first batch I did by cutting the potatoes in wedges. But I found a way I like better that I've used for all the batches since. I take my mandoline and slice the potatoes on the widest setting which is 3/8". Hmm... I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Btw, overall this will take two days for each batch, or sets of batches.

Before the beginning, clear out space in your freezer to stack cookie sheets or dehydrator trays. I completely cleared out my inside freezer for this. Amazingly, it is still cleared out for these projects.

First, I get a big bowl. For this I was using my 6 quart bowls. I put in two tablespoons of Fruit Fresh and 8 cups of water. Then I wash about 20 potatoes. Then I pulled out my mandoline and sliced all the potatoes on the widest setting which is 3/8". After that first slicing, I sat down with a good knife and the cutting board and cut each slice into pieces that were 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long. And those went back in the water. Then the whole thing went in the fridge overnight. The overnight soak pulls out some of the starch.

Now, we like fries that way or as wedges. But for blanching and freezing, a uniform size is better so I stuck with the sliced fries after the first batch. If you don't like that style, feel free to cut to your preferred style. If you don't like the skins on, feel free to peel them. There is no one right way for this.

After the soak, I prepped one of my 4 quart pots and the stainless steel steamer with water just over the bottom of the steamer. (https://amzn.to/2C9vaC8) I'm going to be honest, my steamers lost the inside handle a long time ago. It proved to be more a hindrance then a help. Now, I could have gone big for this but I wanted to keep it at sizes that I could season and place on trays within the time it took for the next batch to blanch. 

In my sink, I dumped a big bag of ice and then filled about halfway with cold water. Inside of that I sat one of my 13 quart stainless steel bowls with about a gallon of filtered water. I didn't really need it this big but it is the easiest way to do it in my small kitchen. Next to that was a small bowl, salt, pepper, and spray oil. For now, I have coconut oil spray. I also have avocado oil spray. And if I run out of those I also have olive oil in a refillable sprayer. Oh, and a set of tongs because oily fingers can make things risky is the kitchen. (https://amzn.to/33EF2z7)

Then, tucked away in another spot, was the trays from my dehydrator. They are a good size for this and the screen will allow the freezer air to circulate better. But if you don't have a dehydrator, cookie sheets will work just as well.

I basically ran it as an assembly line.  First, I got the water in the pot/steamer boiling. Then I filled the pot/steamer to the top and put on the lid. Lastly, I set a timer for 5 minutes. At 5 minutes, I used a slotted spoon to pull the fries and drop them in the cold water in the big bowl in the sink. Then I quickly refilled the pot, put the lid back on, and reset the timer.

After the pot was going again, I went over to the cooling fries. It really only takes a couple of minutes for them to cool and they are typically cool by the time I get back to them. I used a slotted spoon to pull two spoonfuls of fries over the the small bowl. I sprayed them with oil, and then sprinkled with salt and pepper. Then I took a spoon and stirred them until I was sure that they all had a layer of oil and spices. After they were coated, I used the tongs to put them on the dehydrator trays. In interest of getting this done before the next batch of fries was ready, I stacked the trays as I filled them and then put all the filled trays in the freezer after I finished the batch.

Then I went back to empty the pot and refill it. A 6 quart bowl of sliced fries did four full batches. Two 6 quart bowls is enough to use all my dehydrator trays, so that was my stopping point each time. The batch from the first day was enough to break even on the cost of the potatoes versus buying these from the store. And I hadn't even used a quarter of the box yet. As of now, I've done half the box and I'm working on a different product at the moment. I'll post that when I get that one done. Actually, I think that one is going up over several posts.

Anyways, back to the fries. If you can't get back to them and they sit in the fridge for a few days, they'll be fine. The Fruit Fresh keeps them perky white and they stay wonderfully firm. If you want to use more than salt and pepper, have at it. Have fun with flavoring them in ways that you and your family would enjoy. That is one of the really great things about homemade. If you want to use different oils, go right ahead. But using an oil and making sure each fry has a light coating is important. They are more like puffy potato slices if you don't do that. And they don't taste like fries at all.

As for cooking them, preheat the oven to 430 degrees. Then bake for 20 minutes. You can flip them halfway through if you want to but I rarely bother. So far, they have the approval of my son. And I like them as well.

(This was done about a month ago and I've got to tell you, we love these. It didn't matter which oils I used. The flavors came out well and they are great sides.)

Composting in the Garden

When I moved here one of my first creations was a large 3 bin compost set up at the back of the yard. One is current year dumping, the next is current year decomposing, and the third is the one being used in the gardens in the current year. I can easily fill the dumping one several times over during the year, and do. Each year I rotate over by one.

Then one year a friend offered me the lumber from her raised beds because they were going to be living in another state for a few years. I happily said yes and added 3 large 6' x 6' raised beds to my gardens. I can grow a lot in those beds. But there is one problem. I cannot easily reach the center of those beds to weed and harvest. I can't really easily reach them to plant either. So for a year or two, I just heavily mulched the centers and prayed the weeds would be light.

Then another friend brought me three of those black composters. The square ones. I had been looking at keyhole gardens so I decided to try a variation. I put one of those composters in the center of one of the big garden beds. And I put another one in the center of one of my normal garden beds (3' x 7'). And I've fallen in love.

For those garden beds, I no longer have to add compost. All the nutrients that come through when it rains and as things break down go directly into my garden soil. I am no longer feeding all of that to the honeysuckle and privet along the back property line. And so far, the plants have absolutely no problem with this.

Now if I want to, I can remove and rotate the compost bins. But I've decided on another path instead. I'm going to put the plastic composters in the center of my existing 6' x 6' garden beds. When I build the new 6' x 6' garden bed, I'll build a compost spot in the the center use fence posts and chicken wire. That one will go all the way down to the ground.

For each of my 3' x 7' garden beds, I will put in smaller homemade compost spots along the center or back edge. I'm thinking back edge because I don't want to block sunshine but I may just bisect them down the center. Because of the way my gardens face, bisecting the center would only shade either side partially for a short period of daytime.

Either way I go, I no longer have to worry about moving compost to the garden beds. Nature will do that for me as things decompose. Both the weather and the worms that like my garden beds will help disperse the nutrients where I want them. These things are already happening in the beds I experimented with.

When you add in the heavy mulching I do in each bed, I get the best of both worlds. Very little weeding that is easy to do and continually fed nutrients that don't require me continually moving compost or making things like compost tea. And then the worms add their own brand of nutrients as well.

Is there a way for this to lose? And when I move the garden beds, because sometimes I do, when I put them in their new locations I'll add the composter segment going all the way to the ground rather than on top. Same for when I put in completely new garden beds, because there are some plans for some in the works.

Oh, and in case you haven't figured it out, I try really hard to set up things in the garden so that it makes life a little easier for me in the long run. I'm not getting younger and I'd like to be able to garden for as long as I can.

Tea Bag Squeezer Tongs

 I got these so many years ago. I was told that they were for squeezing tea bags before pulling them out. And I occasionally use them for that. But they have proven so useful for so many other things that tea bags are one of the more infrequent uses for them. 

I went to find them for you, and couldn't. That was surprising to me. What I found was completely not useful in the way I've been using them. I finally tracked down two versions. The first one, with all the weird silicon snail things, is what I have. (https://amzn.to/2PzwhxW) This second one is now on my order list, because just this morning I was wishing for a version with longer handles. (https://amzn.to/3a4FesU) The shape of the strainer is actually part of the usefulness.

I use the two I have for quite a few things. Today it was pulling olives and holding them while I cut them. I also used them to pull artichoke hearts for chopping. And pickles from the pickle jar.  I use them for pretty much anything that is in a liquid where I need the solid item out of the liquid and it's too small for a strainer. Or I need to keep the liquid. Or I'm not emptying the jar. 

The reason I want a longer handled set? I have a half gallon jar of refrigerator pickles that I want to be able to reach the bottom of. I also have some quart jars of zucchini/yellow squash cubes in juice that are a dehydrator experiment. The larger ones won't work for things like cutting olives. But they will let me reach the bottom of the large jar of them.

Regardless, these have proven to be pretty useful despite my original doubts as to their usefulness. And if you think of new uses, please let me know.

Disposable Compost Bins

I garden. And I compost. You'd be surprised just how little trash makes it out to the street most weeks, especially when you added canning my own stuff on top of that. And my compost bins are sometimes so full that I worry I won't have enough room for more. But life happens, and compost composts, and quickly enough there's more room.

But one of my continual issues is having a small bin in the house for composting. You know, one of those counter top ones for when the amount is small. Somehow, it never gets emptied before it gets gross. And I don't want to clean that in my sink. And I don't want to toss a container that cost me money.

About a year ago I looked into compostable bags that could be put in the small bins. Bags that would contain all the gross and take it all out to the pile. Except the only bags that were meant for home composting were insanely expensive for something I was going to throw on the compost pile. And there are a lot of complaints, and I do mean a lot, about the bags starting to disintegrate as soon as something wet got put in them. Most of my compost materials are tea bags and veggie/fruit scraps. So yeah, not happening.

So I tossed the problem to the back brain and let it go.  A few months later the back brain tossed back the solution. Wipes containers, coffee containers, juice jugs, vinegar bottles, etc. All of them can easily be used as compost containers, either as is or with a simple hole cut.  All of these items are destined for the garbage or recycling pile anyways. So now they get a second, third, maybe even fourth life before they head there. And if they are super gross when I empty them - they just move on the the garbage or recycling, if a quick garden hose rinse can't resolve it. And sometimes, even if it can.

So far this idea has worked and helped keep me composting things that I might otherwise be tempted to just toss in the garbage for convenience.

Salad Topping or Soup Base or Bouillon

Greens. They are something that is not really part of our diet except as salads. Many people aren't aware of the variety of greens that can be eaten as salad. Or cooked. I can't tell you about cooking greens. I haven't done it, although it is on the list for experimenting. I can tell you that using a variety of lettuces, corn salad, kale, beet greens, spinach, and pretty much any other greens makes for a good salad that I rarely use salad dressing on. And my son never uses salad dressing.

But on the flip side is when we don't get around to eating all of them fresh. And some lettuces go bad faster than others. So I tried an experiment with the dehydrator. Any basic leftover greens are sliced up and dried. It turns out that dried greens provide tasty salad crumbles. That was a surprise but it works.  Even simple boring iceberg lettuce has flavor when it's dried.  But my current mix has lettuce of multiple types, kale, beet greens, and cucumbers.  (And poor iceberg lettuce is not in that mix.)

For cucumbers, I dice them in 1/4" or smaller cubes. For greens of any type I use these herb scissors. (https://amzn.to/2P8oV4A) If you try to dry whole leaf it can take days. When shredded with the scissors, they are typically done in 12 hours or less.  From there, I just add them to the gallon jug I keep the mix in.

This can be done with pretty much any vegetables you have left in your kitchen that need to be used. But I use only greens for this one mix. Lately I've also been adding a handful of the greens mix to roasts, stews, etc. They actually rehydrate surprising well for that purpose. And they add an amazing deep level of flavor. And nutrients. If you are used to the scent of onions making you hungry for a meal, the scent of greens on top of that adds a whole new depth to that craving.

And sometime in the next few months, I'll be experiment with making my own loose bouillon. I think the greens mix will be a part of that as well, except that I'll probably powder them for that mix.

Reusable Cleaning Wipes

If you read the post about reusable cloths/paper towels, then you will have a good idea how this one is going to go. Except these are even simpler. I started doing it when I discovered that the wipes I used no longer contained bleach and were no longer safe for food contact surfaces. Yeah, take a minute to read the containers. Anyways, I needed wipes with bleach, and that could be used to clean surfaces that may come in contact with food. In addition, I was spending quite a bit of money on these, and while I still use them for a few things, I don't spend anywhere near as much money on them now.

Now as to why I just don't grab a bottle of cleaner and a separate wipe, well the reason we buy these things is because they are convenient. The bottle of cleaner frequently isn't where I thought it was. And neither are wipes.  In this case, both are pre-assembled in one place that is easy to grab. I also tend to refill several containers at the same time and distribute them to different rooms in the house. The wipes are just the right size for most jobs and then I toss them in the laundry pile. (Warning: if they contain bleach, rinse them well before tossing in the laundry pile. Or just pile them separately and add them to a load that you would use bleach in.)

This project can recycle two things depending on what you have on hand, those containers from purchased wipes and old clothes.

I make these two ways. The first batches were done using some cheap white microfiber wipes that I grabbed off a clearance rack.  They are 8" squares.  I took a box of 16 and rolled them with one inch overlapping edges. Then I stuffed them into an empty container from the purchased ones.  Because I find the lids to be a bit frustrating, I take a razor knife and carefully cut out the sections meant to hold the wipes at the top. Last step was to add one cup of cleaner and give it a day for it to get completely soaked up. Then I pull from the center or outer edge. Either way works fine.

In the years since I started doing this I've also used squares cut from knit material to make wipes using various cleaners. The knit material comes from various pieces of old clothing and I use the 6 inch square from this pack. (https://amzn.to/2CroK1h)  I end up with a 6 1/2 inch wipe. I've also been known to use the 9" square for this as well. One reason I use knit material for these is because there is no need to stitch or serger the outer edges, which makes one less step for me to worry about. If you want to use woven materials instead, make sure to finish off the edges so they don't fray.

Anyways, I roll the squares the same way as the microfiber clothes and pour in one cup of whatever cleaner I want. Remember that some cleaners need to be diluted to the use strength first. The most recent set of wipes I made was Chlorhexidine wipes for my dog. But I've used them with most of the common cleaners for all areas of the house. Just make sure to mark the outside of the container with the name of the cleaner that you filled it with. I use a sharpie on the side and the lid.  And this honestly turns out to be a great way to reuse all those containers from the store bought throw away wipes, which still have their place and purpose.

One note here, if you are going to use bleach, or bleach containing cleaner, with the knit fabric squares be aware that the bleach will bleach them. I tend to save white or pale color squares for those batches.

When COVID popped up on the scene I had a few friends that found themselves in a pickle. And they didn't have time to make wipes from old clothes or clearance materials. They purchased the 24" x 24" microfiber wipes from Sam's Club and then used a serger to turn them into 8" x 8" wipes. So that's another idea if you want to do it. Microfiber wipes are useful in a lot of situations. Especially if there is a rice/quinoa/little bitty things spill.

A few bit of extra guidance, from experience, if you have an HE washer put the squares in a net bag before washing. For some reason HE washing machines will suck these into the system and they end up caught in a lower filter. Especially the knit ones. That is a pain to deal with. You can deal with it. But it requires a shop vac and towels. So a simple drawstring or zipper wash back will prevent that. I traded my HE machine to my brother several years back to get one of the older washing machines. I haven't had any problems in that machine.

When washing the microfiber wipes, don't put them in with items that tend to shed lint, like towels. Or clothes covered in lawn and leaf debris. They will grab that lint and debris and hold tight to it.  Oh, and hair, both dog hair and my 3 ft long head hairs.

And lastly, dry microfiber on a low heat setting to keep the qualities that make it so useful. For some reason, high heat dryer temps can cause the "hook" ends to melt/deform. The cloths will still work as cloths, but they aren't as "grabby" as most of us prefer microfiber to be.

Tomato Slices and Tomato Powder

This topic hadn't been on my mind until some folks asked questions about what to do with excess tomatoes. This was something I did one year in an effort to keep from completely losing almost 50 lbs of tomatoes when life threw a curveball that I just couldn't completely dodge. And actually found myself doing again today to finish off the last few tomatoes from the salsa box and two containers of grape tomatoes. 

Part one was that I wasn't going to have time to do my normal canning due to life. Part two was that while I could have cooked the tomatoes down enough, using the steam juicer, to make tomato paste, I didn't have near enough 4 oz jars for that quantity. And we just don't use tomato paste that often. For today, it's just that we don't tend to eat fresh tomatoes unless it's for tacos. And I don't want waste.

So for the first batch,way back when, I did some research and found no reason why I couldn't just slice tomatoes evenly and dehydrate them. As long as I didn't add oil, there was no reason the tomatoes wouldn't store just like my other dehydrated veggies.  And no reason why I couldn't use them in stew, roasts, etc later on.  So the first box got sliced on the mandoline and went into the dehydrator until I had no more room. I normally run the dehydrator ~ 120 degrees and I had nicely dried tomato slices within 48 hours. Those got vac sealed in a canning jar and used over time, including a nice batch that my SIL appreciated.

But I couldn't leave the remainder just sitting in the boxes. So I decided to do something that had been suggested for tomato canning leftovers - tomato powder. From prior experience I knew that if I wanted a powder after dehydrating, I needed as close to pure liquid as possible before canning. And while I couldn't store full boxes in the fridge for a few days, I could store a large bowl or two.  So I cored the tomatoes and ran them through the blender. Over and over until all the remaining tomatoes were pureed liquid in two large bowl. Then I put covers on them and put them in the fridge.

When the slices were done, I lined each of my dehydrator trays with parchment and spread out the tomatoes that I had pureed.  Again at 120 degrees, but due to the sheer volume of liquid I made sure to rotate the trays top to bottom twice a day.  Most of it was ready in 48 hours. I just let the rest keep going until it was done. I would consolidate it on fewer and fewer sheets as I pulled what was done. And, once it was dry enough, flip it over on the parchment paper itself. I did keep the parchment paper under it until it was completely done.  

As I pulled the dried portions, I put them through the food processor to powder them.  The end result looked so amazingly small. Twenty five pounds of tomatoes yielded approximately two cups of tomato powder. But boy does that powder pack a punch.  I don't buy tomato paste anymore. I don't really buy tomato sauce unless it is something like Rotel.  If a recipe calls for tomato paste or sauce, I just pull down the jar and add the tomato powder. And each year, whenever there's an extra tomato, or two, or three, I add more to the jar. I can't help you with proportions though because I'm one of those cooks who wings it most of the time. I can tell you that when a recipe calls for a can of tomato paste, I use about 2 tbsp of tomato powder and then about a 1/4 c. of water/stock/broth.

So I hope this gives you some extra ways to use those bounties of tomatoes and keep that flavor in your food all year round.

Washable, Recycled Cleaning Cloths

I wrote this post originally and I just felt like it was wrong. So I waited. And my brain finally told me why. So here's attempt two, or three.

I think in off the wall ways. And my brain can pull stuff together in seemingly random ways.  A few years ago I realized that I had a lot of random clothes that weren't really thrift quality, and I was going through way too many paper towels. I don't like waste. Paper towels have their uses, and I still use them. Making bacon will always require paper towels. But there are a lot of things that could be handled without paper towels.

But hand towels weren't necessarily the solution. One, they are too big for a lot of the jobs, so I always feel like I need to wash them early or keep using them until they are really dirty.  Two, I like my hand towels for things that need a lot of absorbing, like water/liquid spills. And lastly, three, I just like having some nice looking hand towels on hand and kitchen life can trash towels pretty quickly. When you add in pets, and my son, towels can see a lot of unusual things in my household.

Now, I used to have a rag bag. It was pretty full. But somehow whenever I needed a rag, I couldn't find what I needed easily in the bag. The rags were either too big or too small for the job. Or just the wrong type of material. I didn't toss the rag bag but it's a lot smaller nowadays.

So I decided to make use of the old clothes in a new way. When I first did this, I just took a piece of butcher paper and made a 12" x 12" square pattern. Easy peasy. Except I can't draw a straight line to save my life, so the less said about those impromptu patterns the better.  I ended up buying this set of quilters squares because I found so many uses for the pieces of fabric that I got from those clothes, including making new clothes. https://amzn.to/2CroK1h  Now when I have a pile, I just sit down and cut as many squares as I can, of all sizes, and toss the rest. I store the squares in a tote until I'm ready to use them. And I can tell you that there is a real shortage of the 7.5" and 9.5" squares right now.

Making the cloths is pretty easy. And I use them throughout the house. Because they are made from recycled materials I really don't stress it if they end up stained, torn, or holey. In fact I deliberately reach for them if I think that is a possible result of whatever job I'm doing. They aren't too big. They are rarely ever too small. And when they are dirty, they join the laundry pile rather than the garbage pile. When I finally use them so much that it's time to toss them I know that I have gotten full use out of that material.

First off, the materials. I try to do one side out of a knit and the other out of a woven material. For the knits, I've used old t-shirts, knit pants, skirts, sheets, etc.  If I no longer have a use for something in it's current form, I take a few minutes and use quilter squares and a rotary cutter to get all the squares out of it I can. I don't feel bad about doing this with clothes because if you donate clothes with any damage or holes they just end up in the trash. At least I'm going to get a lot more use out of them.

As far as woven materials, the best source so far, for us, is old pillowcases and flat sheets. But that is because we don't wear many things made of woven materials. Other people I know use old shirts, pants, etc.  But please note, I don't go buy materials for these cleaning cloths. I use whatever is on hand in the house.Every once in a while I end up with a dead bathroom towel. Either old age wear and tear, or holes, or whatever. And I'll cut those up to use as a side as well. I just make sure to use a tighter serger stitch to keep them from fraying.

For the cloths I use the largest square.  I don't bother with anything more than smoothing out the fabric, laying the square as close to straight along the grain as I can eyeball it, and then cutting. I end up with 12.5" fabric squares. When I get to the next step, I just grab a stack of knit and a stack of woven and sit down at the serger. There really is only one more step for these in my house. I take one of each and serge the outside seams. That's it. Then they get folded in half and added to the stack in the kitchen. They get use for whatever I want to use them for, including impromptu napkins or pot holders sometimes. If you want to hide the stitches, you could serge three sides, flip it inside out and then use the sewing machine to close it. But for what I use them for, that's too much trouble. If I need nice looking towels for some reason I have a stack of those. Keeping those towels looking nice is one of the reason why I make these cloths. The serger seam keeps the woven material from unraveling and I've yet to have one fail.

If you look around the internet you'll see suggestions to add snaps so you can roll them. I did that one time. It wasn't worth the time and effort. The snaps just don't hold up to the usage. And they can sometimes scratch things I don't want scratched.  If you want them rolled like paper towels, the most effective method I've found is to use a 1 1/2 inch PVC pipe piece and roll them around it with each cloth overlapping the next one by about 1 inch. I just prefer stacking them.

In my house the cloths tend to last a couple of years of regular use. Some will get stains. Some will get holes. Every once in a while, some will get tossed because they are used for something that I just don't want to wash in my washing machine.  I tend to grab the ones that are the most stained or holey when I know the cloth is going to be tossed after the clean up. One last good use out of it. When I notice I'm starting to run low on them, I make a new batch. And the bonus, the dressy/fancy hand towels tend to last longer.

Homemade Spiced, Breaded Pork Chops

Pork chops are kind of a staple at our house. It's something easy to cook on the stove top with the cast iron grill pan, or on the grill, or even in the oven. I play with all sorts of ways and flavors.  But my basic standby that makes a yummy, juicy pork chop that I got to by following some of the ideas here:
https://www.inspiredtaste.net/37062/juicy-skillet-pork-chops/.

But a few changes, of course. First, I pull the chops about an hour before hand. I salt and pepper them when I pull them, and then let them come to room temp. (about a half hour) Then I make the breading. It is really simple. Breading is 1 part spice mix to 2 parts flour.  In our case, Bob Red Mill's 1 to 1 GF flour.  I honestly don't remember where I got those proportions from but I picked them up somewhere in my lifetime.  For two fair sized chops, I use 1 tbsp spice mix and 2 tbsp flour.

 And I've used a whole variety of spice mixes. There is absolutely no shortage of spice mixes in my house. Right now we're working our way through a small batch of homemade BBQ spice mix that gives a good zing.

I drop the breading into the bag with the chops and shake. Then I give it another half hour for the spices to soak in. Then I follow most of the cooking instructions from Inspired Taste, except I use a cast iron grill pan or the grill. The results are great. Both my son and I love them.

And tonight, they get paired with fresh salad and fresh corn for dinner. I hope you get to enjoy some soon.

Winging it from the Pantry - Granola Bars

If you follow me for long you are going to soon learn that I am a strong believer in using what I have on hand. I have a large pantry due to many learning experiences in my life, but my pantry does not contain every ingredient in existence. Nor is it bottomless. Occasionally I forget to restock.

One of the things that I'm winging it on, out of the pantry, is granola bars. I took a hard look at how much we were spending on itsy, bitsy, tiny, tiny, store bought granola bars and decided to take things in hand and try making our own.  Step one, hunt for recipes.  Okay, step one made my brain hurt. I had no idea there were so many ways to make granola bars. Except the recipes aren't for granola bars, they are for granola. My son doesn't do granola, only granola bars.

During the hunt for recipes a friend shared her two tried and true (TNT) recipes. When she gets those recipes up on her blog, I'll share them. Until then, here's the link to her blog, please go say hi. www.fiveoaksfarmal.com/blog  But the biggest tip she gave me was to do it in two bake sessions, one lower and longer than the other.  But I didn't have a lot of her ingredients on hand, so here's where the winging it came in.

I'll put my version of the recipe below the story. Feel free to wing it yourself and share the results.  First, 3 cups of nuts. Yup, not oats yet. I keep forgetting to put them on the grocery order.  I did not have the nuts she listed, but I did have containers of Sam's Club Deluxe Nut Mix, both salted and unsalted. We can't have peanuts so I get him the deluxe mix. The reason why I have them on hand is a whole story in and of itself.  Back to cooking, I did half and half. One and a half cups of salted mix, one and a half cups of unsalted mix.  For chocolate granola bars, I shorted each of those by a quarter cup and add a half cup of Enjoy Life Mega Chunks. (Dairy Free, Gluten Free https://amzn.to/2ZkZcLU)

Whew, step one down. Now step two. Except I don't have flaked coconut. I have fine ground unsweetened. Well, in it goes.

Next is chia seeds. Yeah, I didn't have those either. I could have gone two ways. I have a variety of cereals that are used for different things. (Those little pellet style that you use for breading and stuff.) And I have sunflower seeds.  And it was sunflower seeds for the win.

The rest of the recipe I had on hand in the pantry, even if the honey was pretty crystallized. And then I added one extra ingredients specifically to help my son, protein powder.  Orgain has a vanilla protein powder that is safe for him. (https://amzn.to/2ZlVstK)

Batch one I did in a 9x9 pan. I was looking for thicker bars. That worked, except for two problems. One, none of my knives are sharp enough to cut granola bars, another long story. And two, differing ovens. When I did the second bake it turned out to be too long in my oven.

So there was a fix for both issues.  For granola bars, I went hunting online for granola bar molds, and ones that would make a bar that is roughly 1 inch thick. I finally found what I was looking for and ordered it. There are molds for smaller bars as well. (https://amzn.to/32caAfc) (Yes, I know. I need to learn how to sharpen my knives. That's a whole different story.)

So time for the second batch.  I pretty much used the same recipe except I accidentally added extra honey, and for the chocolate ones, I added a bit of black strap molasses.  Batch two came out decent except that they were sticky and super moist on the bottom. Super moist on the bottom was actually easily fixed. When I wrapped them in parchment paper for storage, I flipped the moist side to the top. Sure enough gravity took it from there and when he went to eat them they were moist all the way through.

As for the baking time, I watched careful for the last 15 minutes. Maybe it was the excess sweetener that ended up in them, but it wasn't a problem for batch two. The molds worked great and he was much more comfortable with something that looked more like "his" granola bars.

So batch three was yesterday. Raw, the flavor was great.  A bit much coconut for my preference but my son has no problem with it at all.  And I added one more extra ingredient as an experiment, matcha green tea powder. I'll have to let you know how that goes. But I can tell you, they turned out much more like normal granola bars, if a bit thicker. And the passed the taste test with my son this morning. (Oh, and for the second bake, I just shut the oven off at 45 minutes and just left the pans in the oven for the last 15 minutes.)

But if you want to join me in winging it from your pantry, here's the "recipe": (I have no idea on the calories, nutrition or otherwise.)

Vanilla Granola Bars                                                 Chocolate Granola Bars

1 1/2 c. Salted Peanut Free Nut Mix                         1 1/4 c. Salted Peanut Free Nut Mix
1 1/2 c. Unsalted Peanut Free Nut Mix                     1 1/4 c. Unsalted Peanut Free Nut Mix
                                                                                      1/2 c. Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Mega Chunks
   1/2 c. shredded coconut                                             1/2 c. shredded coconut
   1/4 c. sunflower seeds                                                1/4 c. sunflower seeds
   1/4 c. coconut oil (solid)                                             1/4 c. scant, coconut oil (solid)
   1/4 c. honey                                                                1/4 c. honey
   1/4 c. maple syrup                                                      1/4 c. maple syrup
      1 tbsp. vanilla                                                          1/2 tbsp. vanilla
   1/2 scoop Orgain Protein Powder                              1/2 scoop Orgain Protein Powder
      4 tsp. matcha green tea powder                                 4 tsp matcha green tea powder

1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2) Throw all the ingredients in the food processor. I like to do half the nuts, then the oil, sweeteners, and powders. Then the other half of the nuts.
3) Pulse to preferred consistency.  I got for most of the nuts chopped into easily chewable pieces with a bit around the edges that is almost nut butter consistency.
4) Pull out a cookie tray and put it under your molds. Fill the molds. And this is fun. I do the larger chunky stuff in each mold first. Then I got back with the more nut butter stuff and fill in all the holes and make sure the mold is full. I typically get 8 or 9 bars from each batch.
5) Slide them into the oven, on 200 degrees, for two hours.
6) Pull them and completely let them cool.  Really. Completely cool.
7) Put them back into the oven on 250 degrees for one hour.  This really is required to get them to keep the bar form. But given the variances on ovens, watch for the last 15 minutes so you don't burn them. (My final method is just to turn the oven off for that last 15 minutes while leaving the bars in it.)
8) Let them cool. Wrap them in parchment paper. Enjoy.


And because I still have yet to figure out how to add that associate disclaimer thing to the sidebar. I signed up for Amazon Associate, so if you click those links I might get a referral fee. But I won't put up links for items that I do not use and find useful in our lives.

Washed Clean

I got up today and my body didn't really want to move. It really didn't want to go for my walk. And then, when I opened the back door for the dog, I realized that it was pretty nice out temperature wise. So I quickly did all the prep things that are required in our life and headed out for my morning walk. My goal is two miles, six days a week.
At about half a mile, it started raining lightly. So as I passed by it, I stopped and got the umbrella out of my van. And kept going.
At one and a half miles, the sky opened up and rain just started pouring down.  Since I have learned the lesson of walking in wet shoes quite thoroughly, I finished that segment and headed back to the house. I did that last stretch a bit slowly because I love rain and storms and it felt so good.
Now, I could have grumped and grouched and been all irritated. My type A personality leans towards that. But instead I'm grateful that the garden is quite thoroughly watered. My son's pool has at least another inch of fresh water. There is a wonderful cool breeze. And it feels like the world, at least my little segment of it, has been washed clean to start anew. My only wish? That I had a covered porch where I could sit and watch the rain fall.

A Beginning

I asked and you all said yes. So here is the blog with all those little tidbits and more.

Since I don't know how to add the side widget that tells you this yet, if I do it right I will get the Amazon Affiliate referral fee for items I refer. I've got some digging and learning to do there.  What I will tell you solidly is that I will not provide links for items that I do not use and find to be of good use in our lives.

Today I'll start with salsa because that's what's cooking up in the kitchen.  I have a "cheater" way of doing salsa. It works for me because I don't like chunky, watery salsa.

I use the recipe from the Ball Blue Book. In my edition it's the Spicy Tomato Salsa recipe on pg. 82. If you are canning, you really should have this book. You can find it almost anywhere that you find canning supplies. If you are a hermit, like me, you can find it on Amazon.



Now, that recipe is my starting point, not my end point. And I'll share a few tips that I've learned over the years. I like a smooth, not to watery salsa. I think folks refer to it as a picante style. After years of experimenting with different ways of making it, I finally have a solid method for me. It involves the use of a steam juicer, and then a food processor of either the manual or electrical type. First the steam juicer, I use the one linked below. I have found it to be an amazing tool that saves me a serious amount of time in canning prep. But there are many varieties so feel free to find one that you are happy with. One thing to be sure you check, the clearance from your stove eye to whatever is just above your stove. These things are about two feet tall.


If you haven't used on of these dear devices, you are missing out. I can promise that it makes a lot of recipes so much easier, especially ketchup. Anyways, back to salsa. I can't share the recipe as it is not mine, but I can share my changes.

First step is pretty simple. I roughly chop up all the tomatoes, onions, and peppers. I don't worry about seeds or skins. I've never actually noticed them when I go to eat the salsa. I actually normally add a red bell pepper because I leave out the cilantro. Neither my son nor I like the flavor of cilantro. But remember that there is a balance between acidic and non acidic ingredients that you have to pay attention. Do not add non acidic ingredients in a larger quantity than already exists in the recipe. Another thing you could do is switch pepper types for the jalapeno but again watch the quantity.
Anyways, all of those yummy vegetables get dropped in the top of the steam juicer and I let it do it's job for two hours.

A few pointers for those two hours. First put a glass canning lid or a some marbles in the bottom pan with the water. You really don't want the bottom pan to run dry. I normally check every 45 minutes or so to make sure there is no need for more water. Two, there are going to be some yummy smells so you might get a snack attack. Three, after the water in the base starts boiling, turn down the heat. You only need a simple boil.  Four, expect the moisture, even at a simple boil. Have a towel handy to wipe down the cabinets over the stove or the microwave.

If you like V-8, you might like the "juice" that is made from this process. In one of my canning groups we call it tomato water. My mom and some friends like it so I'll generally save it for them.  But if not, like today, I'll just put that "juice" back into the bottom pan when it needs a refill rather than use plain water.

Now, after two hours, the steam juicer has removed a lot of the excess liquid. I pull the vegetables, dump them in a big bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. This is so that all of the ingredients blend well before they get in a canning jar. I also add 2 tbsp of lime juice. It just adds a flavor punch that I like.

One word of warning, unless you want fire hot salsa, do not use fresh raw garlic.  It's one of those lesson learned things.  If you put fresh raw garlic into an acidic based product, without browning first, it become hot. Very, very, hot. The hot ranks up there with habanero peppers. Great if you want it, not so great if you don't.  Have fun experimenting on combinations if you like the heat.  I just use store bought, pre-diced, fresh garlic.

At this point I do one of two things that both lead to the same end.  I pull out my electric food processor or I pull out my Victorio Food Strainer. It honestly just depends on my mood and energy level. Nope, there's no link to Amazon because Amazon doesn't sell the Victorio Food Strainer. I haven't used any of the versions they sell. I can tell you, based on feedback from other canners, do not get an all plastic style.  If you want an all metal style, look for Squeezo.  I will tell you that it is infinitely easier to use than one of those bowl style strainers. If you are going to be canning a lot, you will find it useful to make sure that you get all the screen sizes and spirals.  And replacement parts can generally be found at mendingshed.com if you are having problems finding them. (That little store was only on ebay when I first found it. And I just about went nuts when I thought it was gone. It has been the source for quite a few of my harder to find things for the Victorio.)

Anyways, back to salsa making, if I'm using the Victorio I use the largest opening screen. I think it might actually be called a salsa screen. If I'm using the food processor, I pulse it until I get the consistency I want. To be honest, the Victorio provides an overall better consistency and will remove those pesky seeds if they are a problem for you.

After that, just follow the instructions for filling jars and processing them. I give it a few weeks before I pop a jar, just to let all the flavors meld.

Just a side note. If you use the Victorio, you will get "leftovers". These can be dehydrated and powdered to provide a flavor boost in your recipes.