Make your own Sauces

Homemade Ketchup      

• 1 pound yellow onions, roughly chopped
• 1 pound bell peppers (any color), seeded, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar (5 percent acidity)
• 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 10 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded, roughly chopped $
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Preparation

1. 1. Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in a large heavy-bottom pot; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. 2. Stir in tomatoes, raise heat to medium and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until mixture begins to thicken, stirring frequently, about 30 minutes.
3. 3. Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. Mixture will be thin. (Alternatively, remove pot from heat, let mixture cool slightly and puree it in batches in a blender.) Return mixture to pot, return pot to heat and boil over medium heat until very thick, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer. Ketchup is ready when a dollop spooned onto a plate does not weep liquid. (Cooking time might vary based on width of pot and juiciness of tomatoes.)
4. 4. Ladle ketchup into prepared half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace, and process for 15 minutes using the boiling-water method (see below).
5. Boiling-water method:
6. Don't be intimidated: Getting the right seal to keep food fresh is as easy as boiling water.
7. STEP 1. Put the rack in a large pot. Arrange empty jars, open side up, in a single layer. (Arrange a full layer, even if you are planning to use only a few, to keep jars from tipping over.) Add cold water to the pot until there is at least 2 inches of water above the jars' rims. Set the pot over high heat, cover it and bring water to a boil. Put lids, white side down, in a large bowl.
8. Step 2. Prepare recipe as directed up until the ladling step (keep hot until ready to place in jars). Reduce heat under the pot so water is hot but not boiling.
9. Step 3. Using canning tongs, remove a jar of hot water from the pot. Pour it over the lids in the bowl. Set the jar on a clean kitchen towel. Remove 2 more jars, pouring the water back into the pot, and set them on the towel.
10. Step 4. Insert the funnel into the first jar. Carefully ladle the hot food into the funnel, keeping the headspace--the distance from the top of the mixture to the top of the jar--indicated in the recipe.
11. Step 5. Swipe a bubble tool between the mixture and the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles, adding more of the mixture if necessary to achieve the proper headspace. Repeat with remaining food and jars.
12. Step 6. Use a clean kitchen towel dipped in hot water to carefully clean the rim of each jar. Use soft-tipped tongs, a lid lifter or your fingers to retrieve a lid from the bowl and center it on the jar. Screw the ring on the jar with your fingertips, taking care to make it tight enough to stay centered but not so tight that you won't get a vacuum seal. Repeat until you have filled the jars.
13. Step 7. Use canning tongs to lower filled jars into hot water. Be sure jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Begin counting your processing time when the water is boiling. When the time is up, turn off heat, remove pot lid and allow the jars to rest for 5 minutes.
14. Step 8. Using canning tongs, remove the jars to a towel-covered surface. Let rest for 24 hours. To test the seals, remove the rings and gently push up on the lids. If they stay in place, the food is safe to store for up to a year in a cool, dark place. If the lids don't stay put, refrigerate the jars and eat the contents soon.
15. 1 cup cider vinegar
16. 2 tablespoons sugar                          
     
     
 

Homemade Pickles

 

1. 1 teaspoon salt
2. 2 small cloves garlic, crushed
3. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4. 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
5. 1 small red or green chili pepper, halved and seeded
6. 1 large cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

7. Preparation

   1. 1. Combine vinegar, 1/2 cup water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt.
   2. 2. Place remaining ingredients in a large heatproof bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over. Add water to completely cover cucumbers, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pickles will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Peach Jam

1/2 cup bottled lemon juice

4 pounds firm peaches, peeled, pitted

6 cups sugar                               

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. 1. Combine juice and 1 cup water in a wide, heavy-bottom pot. Roughly chop peaches; add to pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until peaches are tender and just beginning to break down, 10 to 30 minutes, depending on ripeness. Slightly crush mixture with a masher, leaving some large chunks.
2. 2. Add sugar and cinnamon; cook, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved, about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high and boil rapidly, stirring constantly, until thickened and at the gel stage (see below), 20 to 30 minutes. Skim off any foam from the top and discard.
3. 3. Ladle jam into half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Process for 10 minutes using the boiling-water method (see below).
4. How to test for the gel stage:
5. When preserves hit that magical jammy consistency--spreadable but not runny--it's considered the gel stage. Jam sets at 220ºF. Use a candy thermometer or these visual cues.
6. Watch the jam as it cooks. Bubbles will increase in size as the gel stage nears.
7. Lift some jam with a wooden spoon and tip it back into the pot. When it runs off in drips that thicken into a flat sheet before coming off the spoon, it is a sign that the jam has reached the gel stage.
8. Drip a bit of hot jam onto a frozen plate. Give it a minute, then push it with your finger. If the cool jam wrinkles as you nudge it, your jam has reached the gel stage.
9. Boiling-water method:
10. Don't be intimidated: Getting the right seal to keep food fresh is as easy as boiling water.
11. STEP 1. Put the rack in a large pot. Arrange empty jars, open side up, in a single layer. (Arrange a full layer, even if you are planning to use only a few, to keep jars from tipping over.) Add cold water to the pot until there is at least 2 inches of water above the jars' rims. Set the pot over high heat, cover it and bring water to a boil. Put lids, white side down, in a large bowl.
12. Step 2. Prepare recipe as directed up until the ladling step (keep hot until ready to place in jars). Reduce heat under the pot so water is hot but not boiling.
13. Step 3. Using canning tongs, remove a jar of hot water from the pot. Pour it over the lids in the bowl. Set the jar on a clean kitchen towel. Remove 2 more jars, pouring the water back into the pot, and set them on the towel.
14. Step 4. Insert the funnel into the first jar. Carefully ladle the hot food into the funnel, keeping the headspace--the distance from the top of the mixture to the top of the jar--indicated in the recipe.
15. Step 5. Swipe a bubble tool between the mixture and the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles, adding more of the mixture if necessary to achieve the proper headspace. Repeat with remaining food and jars.
16. Step 6. Use a clean kitchen towel dipped in hot water to carefully clean the rim of each jar. Use soft-tipped tongs, a lid lifter or your fingers to retrieve a lid from the bowl and center it on the jar. Screw the ring on the jar with your fingertips, taking care to make it tight enough to stay centered but not so tight that you won't get a vacuum seal. Repeat until you have filled the jars.
17. Step 7. Use canning tongs to lower filled jars into hot water. Be sure jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Begin counting your processing time when the water is boiling. When the time is up, turn off heat, remove pot lid and allow the jars to rest for 5 minutes.
18. Step 8. Using canning tongs, remove the jars to a towel-covered surface. Let rest for 24 hours. To test the seals, remove the rings and gently push up on the lids. If they stay in place, the food is safe to store for up to a year in a cool, dark place. If the lids don't stay put, refrigerate the jars and eat the contents soon.   

Garden Relish

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 pounds tomatoes, preferably plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, diced                               

3 lbs Zuchini

1 pound bell peppers, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch dice                

1 pound yellow onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice

3 cups distilled white vinegar (5 percent acidity)

1 cup sugar                               

1 tablespoon mustard seed                

1 tablespoon celery seed

Preparation

1. 1. Trim zucchini and halve lengthwise. Scrape out and discard seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch dice, toss with salt and set in a colander to drain for 1 hour.
2. 2. Rinse and drain zucchini. Combine with remaining ingredients and 2 cups water in a large, heavy-bottom pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, then simmer until vegetables have softened and mixture has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. If mixture begins to dry out, add up to 1 cup water.
3. 3. Ladle into prepared half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace, and process for 10 minutes using the boiling-water method (see below).
4. Boiling-water method:
5. Don't be intimidated: Getting the right seal to keep food fresh is as easy as boiling water.
6. STEP 1. Put the rack in a large pot. Arrange empty jars, open side up, in a single layer. (Arrange a full layer, even if you are planning to use only a few, to keep jars from tipping over.) Add cold water to the pot until there is at least 2 inches of water above the jars' rims. Set the pot over high heat, cover it and bring water to a boil. Put lids, white side down, in a large bowl.
7. Step 2. Prepare recipe as directed up until the ladling step (keep hot until ready to place in jars). Reduce heat under the pot so water is hot but not boiling.
8. Step 3. Using canning tongs, remove a jar of hot water from the pot. Pour it over the lids in the bowl. Set the jar on a clean kitchen towel. Remove 2 more jars, pouring the water back into the pot, and set them on the towel.
9. Step 4. Insert the funnel into the first jar. Carefully ladle the hot food into the funnel, keeping the headspace--the distance from the top of the mixture to the top of the jar--indicated in the recipe.
10. Step 5. Swipe a bubble tool between the mixture and the inside of the jar to release any air bubbles, adding more of the mixture if necessary to achieve the proper headspace. Repeat with remaining food and jars.
11. Step 6. Use a clean kitchen towel dipped in hot water to carefully clean the rim of each jar. Use soft-tipped tongs, a lid lifter or your fingers to retrieve a lid from the bowl and center it on the jar. Screw the ring on the jar with your fingertips, taking care to make it tight enough to stay centered but not so tight that you won't get a vacuum seal. Repeat until you have filled the jars.
12. Step 7. Use canning tongs to lower filled jars into hot water. Be sure jars are covered by 2 inches of water. Cover the pot and return to a boil. Begin counting your processing time when the water is boiling. When the time is up, turn off heat, remove pot lid and allow the jars to rest for 5 minutes.
13. Step 8. Using canning tongs, remove the jars to a towel-covered surface. Let rest for 24 hours. To test the seals, remove the rings and gently push up on the lids. If they stay in place, the food is safe to store for up to a year in a cool, dark place. If the lids don't stay put, refrigerate the jars and eat the contents soon.