Green Living Australia

Old-Fashioned Peach Preserves

2012-01-09T10:26:00.000+10:00

Peaches are in abundance right now, so this is a great time to make peach jam. Local farmers markets have great prices on stone fruit at this time of year, but this won't last for long, so get in fast and take advantage of the current favourable buying conditions.

The following recipe is simple to follow and the addition of the almond extract packs a big punch

Ingredients:

1.6kg peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped

5 cups of sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

6-7 teaspoons of pure pectin (if using alternative method)

¾ teaspoon almond extract.

Directions:

1. Combine the fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a heavy based, 6-8 litre jam making pot. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Boil slowly, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. The fruit will become translucent. Continue to boil until the cooking thermometer reaches 105 degree, C, which is the setting point of jam.

3. ALTERNATIVELY, you may cook the mixture until thickened and the fruit is translucent, but instead of continuing to cook until the jam reaches 105 degrees, add 6-7 teaspoons of Green Living Australia's Pure Pectin. Boil for five minutes more and then remove from heat.

4. Stir in the almond extract.

5. Skim off any foam that has formed on the top of your jam with a metal spoon. Ladle jam into sterilized jars, allowing a centimeter headspace. Cap with new lids.

6. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude as necessary. Remove jars from boiling water using a jar lifter to ensure you do not burn yourself.

This jam is full of flavour and I love to add it to my yoghurt in the morning for breakfast.

Strawberry and Rose Jam

2011-08-30T13:35:00.000+10:00

I was at the Rocklea Markets in Brisbane the other day and found some wonderful strawberries at the right price. When making my purchase I was chatting with the grower and told him I was making jam. He very kindly then gave me three kilos of strawberries that were no longer perfect, just a little over ripe, and no longer good for sale on his stall. I very gratefully accepted this gift, went home and made strawberry and rose jam

Recipe

Ingredients

1.5 kilos of strawberries washed and hulled and then cut in half.

1.5 kilos of sugar

1/3 cup of lemon juice

4-5 teaspoons of Green Living Australia’s Pure Pectin

3 teaspoons of rose water or rose essence

Directions:

1. Place the strawberries in the preserving pan and add the lemon juice

2. Simmer, stirring frequently until the strawberries are tender.

3. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes.

4. Add 4-5 teaspoons of Pure Pectin, return to the boil and boil rapidly for an additional 5 minuted. Remember that you will need more pectin if the fruit is ripper as the ripper the fruit, the lower the natural pectin in the fruit. As my fruit was a little over ripe, I used 5 teaspoons of Pure Pectin.

5. Add three teaspoons of rose essence and quickly stir through.

6. Remove from the heat.

7. Skim any foam that form off the top.

8. Ladle your jam into hot sterilized jars and cap with new lids.

9. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

10. Remove the jars from the bath using a jar lifter and allow to cool naturally on your kitchen counter.

11. Label and store in your pantry.

This jam has a lovely aroma and you can really taste the rose coming thought.

Making your own cheese room

2011-06-15T15:23:00.000+10:00

I recently received an e-mail from a customer who has definitely become addicted to cheese making, so much so that he has made himself a cheese room. I was so impressed with what Dave has done, that I wanted to share his passion with you all.

E-mail:

"About 6 months ago I decided I liked cheese and began trying to eat my way through the world’s cheeses piece by piece. Then I thought it would be great to find out how they made all of this wonderful food. I enrolled in a 5 day cheese making course at the TAFE (Technical and further Education) and thoroughly got hooked.

We then decided to convert half of an outside sleep-out into a cheese room and although I went a bit overboard it has worked out fantastic; stainless benches and sinks, cupboards and shelves, pH meters and all the paraphernalia.

We have made two batches of Camembert and some whole milk ricotta over the last two weeks and we are slowly getting the idea. I have today enrolled in another TAFE 5 day Italian cheese making workshop and can't wait to start."

As you can see above, Dave has made himself a fantastic area to make cheese in and is obviously enjoying the making of the cheeses as much as the eating...... well maybe.

Pear Chutney

2011-05-16T14:54:00.000+10:00

Another pear recipe. Yes, I know. You are probably over pears by now, but the key to food self-sufficiency is to grow your own or buy what is in season, when the price is low, and preserve, preserve, preserve.

This chutney goes great with cheese and crackers, and can also be served with meats such as salami and cabana.

Ingredients

1.5kgs pears

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 medium to large onion, finely chopped

1 cup sultanas

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Peel, core and dice the pears into cubes of approximately 1-2cm.

2. Place your vinegar and brown sugar into a pot and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to ensure that the sugar dissolves.

3. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot and return the mixture to the boil.

4. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chutney thickens and reduces by about 1/3. This will take about 2 hours.

5. Remove your pot from the heat and fill your hot, sterilised jars with your chutney, being sure to leave a head space of about 2cm.

6. Cap your jars with new lids and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes

7. Remove your jars from the boiling water bath with your jar lifter and place them on a tea towel on your kitchen counter and allow to cool.

8. Once cool, label and store in your pantry.

Enjoy

Spiced Pears

2011-05-16T11:44:00.003+10:00

With a whole box of pears to work with, I was on a mission to find interesting ways to preserve them and spiced pears sounded wonderful. I could envision serving them with a variety of cheeses and the idea of a roast leg of lamb with spiced pears caught my partners fancy.

First you need to make the spiced vinegar and then combine this with your pears and other ingredients to complete the job.

Spiced vinegar ingredients

1 litre of white vinegar

12-15 whole cloves

4 large or 6 small bay leave

3 teaspoons ground coriander

3 teaspoons ground allspice

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

Directions:

Place all of the above ingredients into a pot, give them a stir and bring this mixture to the boil. Once boiled, remove the pot from the heat, put the lid on and leave for 2-3 hours. Strain your spiced vinegar through a tight weave cheese cloth, or a double layer of loose weave cheese cloth.

Spiced pear ingredients:

2 cups of spiced vinegar

1 kilo sugar

½ a small lemon, thinly sliced

2 kilos of pears, peeled, cored and quartered.

Directions:

Combine the spiced vinegar, sugar, and lemon slices in a large pot and bring to the boiling, stirring frequently to ensure that the sugar dissolves.

Add the pears and return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, just until the pears are tender. Be sure not to cook them for too long, as if you do they will break up when you are trying to get them into your jars.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the spiced vinegar mixture and place them in your hot sterilised jars.

Return the spiced vinegar mixture to the boil and cook down for another 10 to 15 minutes and until you see it start to thicken a little.

Cover the pears in the jars with the reduced spiced vinegar mixture, being sure to leave a head space of about 2cm. Cap with new lids and then process in the boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Remove the jars from the boiling water bath with a jar lifter and place on a tea towel on the kitchen counter to cool. Once cooled, label and store in your pantry.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Pear and Raspberry Jam

2011-05-11T16:13:00.001+10:00

When I came across a box of pears for $6.00 in Stanthorpe the other weekend, I knew I was going to make some jam and some chutney, and then I found some raspberries left over in the freezer at home and I came up with something a little different.

Ingredients:

- 650 grams of pears, peeled, cored and chopped
- 350 grams raspberries
- 1 kg sugar
- Juice of one large lemon (1/4 cup)
- 3 teaspoons commercial strength pectin

Directions:

1. Peel the pears, remove their stems, cut them in two, core them, and cut them into small pieces.

2. In a saucepan combine the pears, raspberries, sugar , and lemon juice.

3. Bring to a simmer. Skim, if necessary.

4. Add pectin and continue cooking on high heat for about ten minutes, stirring gently. Skim of any foam carefully, if necessary.

5. Check the set. I do this by putting a plate in the fridge. I place a little of the mixture on the cold plate and return it to the fridge. When it has cooled to room temperature, I check to see if it has gelled.

6. Put jam into hot jars immediately and seal with new lids. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

I use a jar lifter to remove the hot jars from the boiling water and let them cool slowly on the kitchen counter. Be sure to label your jars with details of the contents and the date you made it so you can rotate your stock in the pantry.

Fig jam

2011-04-29T08:49:00.001+10:00

I lucked onto some figs at the local farmer’s market this weekend, that I just could not resist. The thought of homemade fig preserves, to go with my cheese, was just too great to overcome. Here is the recipe that I used.

Ingredients:

600 grams of figs;

600 grams of sugar;

Two tablespoons of lemon juice;

15 grams of Green Living Australia’s commercial strength pectin.

Directions:

Trim the ends off the figs. If the figs are large cut them in half.

Place them in a pot with the 600 grams of sugar and give them a mix. Let sit for two hours.

Place the pot on the stove and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Stir in the lemon juice and bring to the boil. Continue to boil until the jam has reached setting point. To ensure that you get a good set stir in 15 grams of commercial strength pectin and boil for five minutes.

Place your jam into hot, sterilized jars and cap with sterilized lids. Be sure to leave a head space to allow the steam and air to be expelled from the jar to create a perfect vacuum.

Process the full jars in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes, then remove with your jar lifter.

A word on pectin:

Figs are a low pectin fruit so the addition on 15 grams (about three teaspoons) of commercial strength pectin will ensure you get a good set. If you are using domestic strength pectin, you will need to increase the amount used. To tell if your pectin is full strength, check the ingredients. If the number one ingredient is sugar, then you will need to use twice or possibly three times as much to do the same job.

I hope that you enjoy the above recipe. I love fig preserves, but find them expensive to buy in stores. Get figs at the right price, when they are in season, and you will be able to enjoy this treat all your round, at a fraction of the cost.

Jam Making, Mould and the Boiling Water Bath Method

2011-04-08T14:48:00.001+10:00

There is nothing that tastes as good as home made preserves. Unfortunately, there are still many people out there who are making their own jams and other preserves that are not using "world’s best practice" when it comes to food safety. I am constantly running into people who make jam, then pore the hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, put on a sterilised lid and think that they have guaranteed against contamination. This is simply not so. The jars then need to be processed using the boiling water bath method.

As an experiment, I made five jars of grape jam/jelly. I then processed three of the jars in the boiling water bath and left two of the jars, with lids secured, on the kitchen counter to see what happened. Here is the result.

As you can see, the two jars that I did not process in the boiling water bath were both contaminated with mould. This is because even with putting hot jam into hot, sterilized jars, you still have some air trapper in the jar with your jam. The air around us in contaminated with bacteria, natural yeasts and moulds. Once these contaminates are trapped in a jar with the remaining air, the moisture and food they have access to can explode their population significantly. Just one bacterium can multiply to over 2,000,000 in as little as 7 hours.

What you need to do is use the boiling water bath method to create a full vacuum, by expelling all the air out of the jar. When you put hot jam into a hot jar, as the jar cools, the contents contract and it appears to create a vacuum; however, this is only a partial vacuum and is not enough to prevent the above contamination.

Micro-toxins and Your Health

There is an excellent web site for further information here:

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/molds_on_food/index.asp

I have quotes just a few key points below.

“Micro-toxins are poisonous substances produced by certain moulds found primarily in grain and nut crops, but are also known to be on celery, grape juice, apples, and other produce. There are many of them and scientists are continually discovering new ones. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that 25% of the world's food crops are affected by micro-toxins, of which the most notorious are aflatoxins.

Some moulds cause allergic reactions and respiratory problems. And a few moulds, in the right conditions, produce "micro-toxins," poisonous substances that can make people sick. When you see mould on food, is it safe to cut off the mouldy part and use the rest? To find the answer to that question, delve beneath the surface of food to where moulds take root.”

Moulds can thrive in high-acid foods like jams, jellies, pickles, fruit, and tomatoes. But these microscopic fungi are easily destroyed by heat processing high-acid foods at a temperature of 212 °F in a boiling water canner for the recommended length of time.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/molds_on_food/index.asp

Looking back at the photographs of my mouldy jam, you can see a definite green tinge to the mould. Here is some back and green mould under a microscope.

http://www.inspectapedia.com/sickhouse/MicroscopicMold.htm

You can see the long roots that would penetrate into he food on the green mould, so if your jam, or any other food for that matter, gets mouldy, throw it away.

So boiling water bath please and enjoy wonderful food and good health.

The Great 'Simple Living' Survey

2011-04-01T15:57:00.001+10:00

This is a survey from the Simplicity Institute that Green Living Australia is supporting. If this fit you, please use the link provided and give us a hand.

“If you live a 'simple' lifestyle in one way or another, we need your help!

The Simplicity Institute is an organization dedicated to research and policy analysis around the topic of simple living, downshifting, and similar lifestyles. This research is profoundly important as it touches the core of global problems such as climate change, over-consumption, work-life balance and a host of other social and ecological issues.
The Simplicity Institute's current research project is focused on people who have chosen a 'simpler' lifestyle, including changes such as reduced or restrained income, reduced consumption or reduced working hours.

If this sounds like you, then you are part of the most promising social movement on the planet. Learning more about people like you is therefore extremely important, so if you can spare 4 minutes to answer some quick questions then please do! As an added incentive, if you participate you'll go into the draw to win an exciting collection of the finest literature on 'simple living'.

To learn more and help build a better future, click below:

http://simplicityinstitute.org/phpQ/fillsurvey.php?sid=2
Dr. Simon H. Ussher

Director and Co-Founder

Simplicity Institute”

Blue cheese, an Adventure in Flavour

2011-03-10T19:18:00.000+10:00

I have had a lot of requests recently to post one of my recipes for blue cheese, so here we go.

Danish blue.

This is another cheese that is not for beginners, but those who have mastered the basics of cheese making should give it a go. The steps are easy to follow and the cheese making itself is no more difficult than the cheeses in the hard cheeses section. The challenge comes in the aging stage. The care of the cheeses during the months it takes to come to maturity needs to be considered before you begin. Do you have a suitable place with the correct temperature and humidity to age your cheeses? Can you give it your attention, even if only for a few minutes at least once a week during the aging time? This is not a cheese that you can put in an old fridge and forget about. Turning and scrapping the cheeses needs to become a part of your weekly routine. It is not hard and it does not take long, but it cannot be forgotten.

Ingredients:

8 litres full cream milk
¼ tsp calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup of non chlorinated water
I dose of mesophilic starter culture
1 dose Penicillium Roqueforti (blue mould - See package for direction and dosage)
1 tsp Liquid rennet or ¼ rennet tablet diluted in ¼ cup of non chlorinated water
2 tablespoons cheese salt

Equipment:

Large double boiler;
Cheese thermometer;
Stainless steel knife for cutting the curd;
Large stainless steel of enamel colander;
A few 90cm squares butter muslin for making cheeses;
Stainless Steal slotted spoon;
Two cheese boards;
Cheese mould;
Two cheese mats;
Sterile ice pick (or a knitting needle with a diameter of 1.5 to 2mm)

Instructions:

1. In a large pot mix your milk and Calcium Chloride solution.

2. Using indirect heat, heat your milk to 32 degrees C.

3. Add your starter culture and Penicillium Roqueforti (blue mould); mix well and allow to rest for 75 minutes at 32 degrees C.

4. Add your Rennet solution to the milk stirring for one minute in a gentle up and down motion, being sure that the rennet is evenly distributed throughout the milk. Allow to rest undisturbed for one hour, maintaining the temperature at 32 Degrees C.

5. Check for a ‘clean brake’. If the curd is not firm enough leave it another 5 minutes and check again.

6. Cut the curd into 1.5 cm cubes and then let rest for 5 minutes.

7. Gently stir the curds every 5 minutes for one hour while maintaining the temperature at 32 degrees C.

8. Pour of the whey down to the level of the curds. Line your colander with your cloth and ladle the curds into a colander and allow the whey to drain for 5 minutes.

9. Return the curds to your pot and carefully mix by hand to brake up any curds that have clumped together. Mix in your salt. Let rest for 5 minutes.

10. Using two sterile cheese boards, cheese mats and a cheese mould, place the first mat on the cheese board and then place the mould on the mat. Ladle the curds into the cheese mould and then place the second mat on top and then the second cheese board. (This creates a cheese mould sandwich)

11. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Then flip the cheese mound sandwich by carefully picking up the whole assembly and with one hand on the bottom and one hand on the top, and in one fluid motion, flip it over. Do this every 15 minutes for 2 hours and then again every hour for an additional 2 hours.

12. Let rest overnight in your warm kitchen (20 to 25 degrees C)

13. Remove your cheese from the mound and sprinkle salt on the surface. Let rest on a cheese board at 15 degrees and 85 humidity for 3 days, turning daily.

14. Using your sterile ice pick, or knitting needle, poke holes from top to bottom of the cheese to allow air to access the interior of the cheese. Make about 40 holes.

15. Age your cheese on a cheese board at 10 to 12 degrees C at 95% humidity, turning the cheese several times a week. You can use a temperature and humidity controlled ‘cheese cave’, or if you do not have a ‘cheese cave’, use a converted fridge or an esky. To keep the humidity up if using a fridge it is best to use a ripening box, which is a plastic box with a removable mat in the bottom to keep the cheese off the bottom of the box. This allows any further excess whey to drain away form your cheese. If moisture collects on the lid of your ripening box, just wipe it off to stop it dripping on your cheese.

16. Blue mould should start to appear in about 10 days. After 30 days the cheese will form a blue to blue green mould on the surface and it will also develop a reddish brown smear (slime). Scrape off the mould and smear at 30 days and then again once every 20 days.

17. Age cheese for 3 months, continuing to scrape every 20 days. Scrape the cheeses a final time and then wrap it in foil and age again at 3 to 4 degrees (in your regular refrigerator) for an additional 2 months.

This is about a kilo of cheese. The longer you age it, the stronger it will become. For me the stronger the better, but some people like a milder cheese, so keep an eye on it and eat it when it is ready for you.

Val's Tip:

Whenever you are handing cheese, hygiene is of the utmost importance. Be sure to wash your hands with anti-bacterial soap first, and then rinse them well. Then use a hand sanitiser before putting your hands in the cheese. I use an alcohol free hand sanitiser called Hands First

It is Australian made, which to me is another positive.

I hope this recipe is of help to those of you who want to get into some more advanced cheese making.

Plums are in season, so a-jam-making we will go.

2011-02-13T16:08:00.000+10:00

Stone fruit season is one of my favourites. We love to eat them fresh, but always get extra to make jams when the prices are at their best. I picked some up at the markets for $2.00 a kilo the other day and used this recipe from the book Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys, by Marguerite Patten. This book is full is simple recipes that are great for the beginning jam maker, and then, following the recipes, Marguerite gives you some interesting variations you can try as you get more experienced.

Ingredients:

Plums: 450g
Water: Up to 4 tbs.
Sugar: 450g

Directions:

1. Halve the fruit and carefully remove the stones. If the fruit is too firm to halve before cooking then allow 550g of fruit and remove the stones when the fruit has softened.

2. Put the fruit into the preserving pan. If the plums have been halved and they are very ripe do not add any water at all, but if very firm and under-ripe use up to the 4 tablespoons

3. Simmer the fruit gently until a soft pulp.

4. Add the sugar and stir over a low heat until this has dissolved, then raise the heat and boil rapidly until the setting point is reached.

5. Spoon into hot jars and seal down with new lids.

Val’s tip:

If you have any difficulty achieving setting point and you want a quick and easy short cut, add pectin at the same time you add the sugar, bring to the boil and boil vigorously for 5-10 minutes. Do not over cook, as this will cause the pectin to break down and you will end up with a runny jam.

6. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from the hot water when the time is up. The jar lifter will prevent you from burning yourself.

7. Label, being sure to include the date made, and store.

Now I have jam in the pantry and I can guarantee there are no preservatives, food colourings or other chemical I am sure we were never meant to eat in them.

Happy jam making.

Apricot Jam

2010-12-31T12:12:00.003+10:00

The prices of apricots at the fresh fruit and veggie markets are now at their best. I have seen good quality fruit at $1.99 a kilo and even better priced for larger quantities. This simple and delicious recipe was taken from the book The Basic Basics Jams, Preserves and Chutneys Handbook by Marguerite Patten.

Ingredients:

450 grams apricots

2-4 tablespoons water

450 grams sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Halve the fruit and remove the stones.

2. Put the fruit into the preserving pan and add the water to the fruit. Use the smaller amount if the fruit is ripe and the larger quantity if less than ripe.

3. Simmer gently until soft and then add the sugar and lemon juice.

4. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil rapidly until setting point has been reached. (Between 104 and 105 degrees C using a thermometer that clips to the side of the pot)

5. Stir to distribute the fruit and then spoon into your hot, sterilized, 375 to 500ml jars, leaving a 1.5cm head space. Cap with your sterilised new lids.

6. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the boiling water bath with your jar lifter and allow to cool.

This jam was a big success and I had to doubled the recipe to be sure I had enough for all my friends and neighbours. Have a go at this simple jam and you won't be disappointed with the results.

Carrot and Orange Marmalade

2010-12-07T15:11:00.001+10:00

From my previous posts, you would now know that I have had an amazing crop of carrots this year, so I still have to come up with creative things to do with them, which of course is all part of the fun.

The recipe below was adapted from a recipe from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest

6 cups water
4 cups raw carrots, peeled and grated
4 medium lemons, 2 rinds grated, then all juiced and strained
2 medium oranges, 1 rind grated, then both juiced and strained
4 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt.
100 grams slivered almonds (optional addition of my own)

1. In a 4 litre saucepan, combine the water, carrots, and the zest of two lemons and one orange. Cook, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Add the strained lemon and orange juice to the citrus zest and carrots. Measure the mixture. There should be about 6 cups.

3. Add 2/3 cup of sugar for each cup of the mixture. Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved.

4. Boil, uncovered until the mixture reaches 104 degrees C, or has reached setting point. This should take 30-45 minutes. Stir as the mixture heats to prevent scorching on the bottom.

5. Add the salt and remove the mixture from the heat. Quickly stir in your almond slivers.

6. Pour into clean, hot jars. Leave a 1cm head space. Wipe the rims of the jars and put on your new lids.

7. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude as necessary. Remove hot jars from the boiling water bath with your jar lifter and leave to cool on the counter.

This recipe was such a hit that everyone who tasted it politely refused to give the jar back, so I had to make another batch to put any away in my own pantry. For me, the addition of the almond slivers was a taste sensation, as well and making the marmalade particularly visually appealing.

This would make a great Christmas gift and we have some nice preserving labels available to give it that finishing touch.

Have fun!

Too many carrots? Preserve them with low acid food preserving technology.

2010-11-23T15:37:00.001+10:00

I am still harvesting carrots out of my garden, have filled up a draw in my freezer and now I have moved onto bottling and filling up the pantry. Here's how.

Low Acid Food preserving:

Many people have been making home preserves such as jams, jellies and pickles; and some of us have been preserving fruits and tomatoes in our kitchens on a regular basis for years. All of these foods have one thing in common; they are high acid foods. By high acid, I mean that that have a pH level above 4.6 on the pH scale.

Our foods have a pH level, which is the measure of how acid or alkaline that food is. The pH level scale runs from 1 to 14 with 1 serving as “very acidic”, 7 being “neutral” and 14 being “very alkaline”.

For example, most fruits are considered high acid foods; which means that they have a pH level of over 4.6.on the scale, covering from 4.6 to 1 on the pH scale with 1 being the highest. Tomatoes also fall into this group, but there are now such a variety of tomatoes on the market, including tomatoes especially grown to be low acid, that extra care must be taken to ensure that the tomatoes used are not too low acid.

Most vegetables are low acid foods; which means that they fall below 4.6 on the pH scale, covering the range from 4.6 through to 14 on that scale with 14 being the lowest. This covers such foods as green beans, corn, peas, beets, carrots and many more. This would also include meats, poultry and seafood, which can be preserved using methods especially designed for low acid foods.

Low acid foods cannot be preserved with the boiling water bath method, designed for high acid foods, as this method will not kill the bacteria that can survive in low acid environments; the same bacteria that is not a problem in high acid environments. Low acid foods require processing at a temperature of 116 degrees centigrade for safe preserving to avoid the potentially fatal poisoning by botulism.

Botulism is a poison produced by "Clostridium botulinum", a bacterium that is found everywhere; in soil, on raw fruits and vegetables and on meat and fish. Botulism spores are resistant to heat, even from boiling water, and thrive in a moist, oxygen-free environment, such as a jar of food. While "Clostridium botulinum", will not harm you in the form it is found in on fresh foods, when fresh food is preserved in a jar, the right conditions are created for the bacteria to create the poisons toxins, if not processed correctly.

The problem then becomes how to preserve these low acid foods? The solution is simple. Low acid foods can be processed at a high enough temperate (116 degrees centigrade) to kill "Clostridium botulinum” with a pressure canner and this makes this form of preserving low acid foods a safe alternative to drying and freezing.

A pressure canner is a large, cast-aluminium pot with a locking lid and a pressure gauge. By cooking under pressure, you can bring the temperature of boiling water up to 116ºC (240ºF). This is the minimum temperature required to destroy botulism spores, and the only way to guarantee safe preserving for food items such as vegetables, meats and seafood. Your pressure canner will come complete with instructions so be sure to always follow them carefully.

It is important to keep the pressure above 10 pounds, so I always use 11 pounds, just to be on the safe side. The time for processing your jars will be determined by the contents of the jar and by the size of the jar; the larger the jar, the longer the processing time. Be sure to never cut short the processing times that are recommended in the publications that come with the canner and that are available in many books on preserving. These times have all been proven and tested by various health departments around the world and can be relied upon for their accuracy and safety.

If you live more than 1,000 feet above sea level, then both the pressure and cooking times will have to be adjusted. There are charts available to assist you with this in the same publication as the standard times and pressures are located.

Once the right pressure is reached during cooking, it must be kept constant throughout the cooking step. Do this by adjusting the temperature setting on your stove top and watching the gauge to ensure that it never goes below 11 pounds and, equally important, that it stays not too far above that pressure. This is easier than it sounds, as once the pressure is reached; you just lower the cooking temperature to a level where it just maintains the pressure. On my stove, which is electric, I just turn it to low once my desired pressure setting has been reached and it keeps the pressure between 11 and 15 pounds with little fluctuation. I do stay in the kitchen the whole time that it is processing, but continue on with my other cooking, bread making or cheese making and only glance at the gauge form time to time.

I have been using used jars form the grocery store for all my preserving for over 20 years. I collect them form neighbours and work mates and have an endless supply, especially if I in return give them a jar or two of my creations from time to time. It is important however to always use new lids when preserving low acid foods. The seal in the jar, which can be seen on the inside of twist top lids, deteriorates with time and use, so only new lids can be guaranteed to give you the perfect seal you will need.

This year I have a glut of carrots and preserved some in jars.

Directions:

Prepare your jars.

Wash the jars you are going to use in hot, soapy water and then rinse well. Check them carefully for any damage, such as a chipped rim, and discard any damaged jars. Leave them in a sink of hot water waiting to be filled with you hot green beans. Do the same to the lids and leave them in a sink of hot water waiting to be placed on the jars once full. Remember, I use recycled jars from food purchased at the grocery store, but I always use new lids to ensure I get a good seal.

Hot pack method:

Preparing your carrots:

Wash, peal and chop your carrots to the desired size. Cover the carrots with hot water and quickly bring them to the boil, boiling for 5 minutes.

Packing the jars:

Remove the jars from the hot water and pack the hot carrots into the jars you have pre-heated, leaving 25mm headspace. Top off the jars with the cooking water to cover the carrots, being sure to still retain the 25mm headspace. With a spatular or butter knife remove any air bubbles in the jar, wipe of the jar rims clear and put the lids on securely.

Processing the jars:

Place the jars in your pressure canner, on top of the removable bottom rack, ensuring that they are not touching each other. Add the water, as directed and secure the lid. I use about 3 litres of water in my 21.8 litre canner. The water does not need to cover the jars, as it is the pressure created within the canner that will enable the food in the jars to reach the required temperature.

Following the directions of your canner manual, heat the canner and contents on your stove top, and allow the excess steam to vent for 10 minutes from the vent pipe. Then place the pressure regulator on the vent pipe, which prevents further venting and starts the pressure building. Monitor the pressure gauge as it increases. Once it has reached the desired pressure reduce the heat to maintain that pressure, making any minor adjustments over the preserving time, as necessary.

For 500ml jars process at 11 pounds pressure for 25 minutes and for 1000ml jars process for 30 minutes.

This method works with all your low acid food, with variations on the processing times depending on the food processed and the jar sizes used. All the information you need comes with your canner, including instructions for preserving an extensive list of vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and other seafood. Having preserved this way for over 20 years, I can honestly say I would not know what to do with out my pressure canner. It has become an invaluable tool in my kitchen that has helped me stock my party with all manner of food. You can do this with beans, beets corn, soups, stews and much more.

All my food is now preservative and chemical free, as the ingredients are under my control. The cost savings are tremendous, especially if you are preserving your own harvest. Even if you do not have a large veggie patch, there are certain times of the year that all foods are at their best and most plentiful. This is the time to buy and preserve them for latter use.

So if you have been preserving fruits, or making pickles and other high acid preserves, this is a way you can now preserve low acid foods without drying or freezing them. While I still do a bit of drying of some foods, I no longer use a freezer at all due to their high consumption of energy and the associated cost to both myself and the environment. Pressure canning uses some initial energy, but the foods can then be stored in the pantry until used with no further cost.

Garlic Jelly

2010-11-23T13:54:00.001+10:00

This jelly is excellent served with lamb, pork or chicken, goes well with cheeses and can also be used in cooking. I took this recipe from the Big Book of Preserving the Harvest and altered it to fit the powdered pectin I had available to me.

Ingredients:

3 cups white wine vinegar
½ cup fresh garlic, pealed and finely chopped
6 cups sugar
2 cups water
50 to 100 grams powdered pectin

Directions:

1. In a source pan, simmer the vinegar and garlic for about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the head and cool slightly

2. Pour the liquid into a clean one litre jar. Cover the jar and let stand at room temperature for 24-48 hours.

3. Strain the vinegar and garlic through a wire strainer into a heavy based pot. Measure two cups of liquid, adding more uncooked white wine vinegar if necessary.

4. Add the sugar and the water to the vinegar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat.

5. Stir in the pectin and return the mixture to the boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and test for set. To test for set place a small about of the liquid onto a small plate that has been chilled in the fridge. Return it to the fridge for 30 seconds. Remove it from the fridge and using your finger, draw a line through the jelly on the plate. If has set it should crinkle. If it has not set return to pot to the heat and cook for an additional few minutes and test again.

6. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

7. Pour the jelly into hot, clean jars, leaving a 1 cm head-space. Cap with your new lids.

8. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with your jar lifter and allow to cool on the kitchen counter.

9. Label with the date, so as to be sure to rotate your stock in the pantry.

With Christmas coming this is a great time to make something special and our decorative labels will add that finishing touch to your gift idea.

Home made Onion Relish and Jam

2010-11-15T09:29:00.001+10:00

While I like making strawberry, peach and other fruit jams, I also like to make some savoury types that go great on meats or with cheeses. So on Saturday I went to the local fresh fruit and veggie market and found some great looking sweet, red onions and decided to get a few kilograms to play with.

I started out with a recipe from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest and went from there.

The recipe I used as my starting point was for Sweet Onion Relish on page 269.

Sweet Onion Relish

5 pounds sweet onions, pealed and chopped (I used 2.5 kg of sweet red onions)
2 ¼ cups of distilled white vinegar
1 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of salt

Combine all ingredients in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally. The recipe calls for 10 minutes, but I simmered mine for 30 minutes to get the texture I wanted. As I was cooking, I was tasting, and I decided to increase the sugar by half a cup. This will be a matter of personal taste and will also be determined by the sweetness of the onions you use.

Ladle the relish into clean jars, leaving a headspace of 1.5 cm. Put on new lids and then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Starting from the same recipe, I then got creative and made Onion Jam.

2.5kg sweet, red onions, pealed and chopped
2 ¼ cups distilled white vinegar
4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons salt
¼ cup lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a heavy based saucepan and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until your mixture reduces down to the consistency of jam. This will take about two hours and as it reduces it will change colour from the pink of the relish to a rich brown jam.

Ladle the jam into clean jars, leaving a headspace of 1.5 cm. Put on new lids and then process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Enjoy.

Keeping the Harvest

2010-10-22T17:13:00.001+10:00

Discover the homegrown goodness of putting up your own fruits, vegetables and herbs.

This great book by Nancy Chioffin and Gretchen Mead was my inspiration for today, when I went out into my garden and saw how my raised bed full of carrots was bursting at the seams.

I got out my garden fork and before long I had a basket full of the most delicious, fresh carrots I had tasted since…. well since this time last year, when I dug up my last crop.

The situation many home gardeners find themselves in is having too much of one crop at a time, and not enough at another time. So you have to not only learn how to grow your own food, you have to learn how to preserve all that goodness for when you want it.

I decided to blanch my carrots for freezing.

The first step is to clean them well with a hard bristled brush.

You can peal them if you wish, but the skin on carrots this fresh can be left on. Once they are clean, chop them into pieces and then dip them into boiling water for 2 minutes. Pull them out of the boiling water and cool them down immediately with some cold water.

Bag your blanched carrots into meat sized amounts using freezer bags and close them with a twist tie and pop them in your freezer with your other veggies. Chapter nine of the book I referenced above has detailed instructions on the preserving of all your back yard veggies, so what ever you are growing can be preserved for later use.

Even if you do not have a garden, there are always those times when a particular fruit or vegetable is in oversupply and you can get a box for a very low price. Use this opportunity to save money, by picking up low priced, fresh veggies and preserving them for later, when the prices go up again. With all that is going on and the predicted price hike in food, it is well worth your while to learn how to preserve your own food.

All natural cleaning products

2010-10-11T14:39:00.000+10:00

For many years I have been making my own soaps, laundry powder and other cleaning products, out of all natural ingredients. I do this for several reasons. Firstly, I have family members who have chemical sensitivity, an ever increasing problem in today’s toxic world. Secondly, I care about our environment and do not want to do any more damage while I am here than I have to. Thirdly, it is far cheaper to make your own that to buy expensive cleaners available in the supermarket.

I recently received an e-mail from one of our valued Green Living Australia customs and asked for her permission to share her information with you. So here we go:

Borax is a naturally derived mineral which is phosphate free. It has been used for around 4000 years and is a disinfectant and also a fantastic stain remover and deodorizer. You can use it to clean your toilet for example, by itself or add equal parts borax and bi-carb. Sprinkle the powder and allow it to sit, as you would your normal cleaner, and then scrub with your toilet brush, then flush. It is safe for septic systems.

Off course it is toxic to dogs and humans if consumed so I'd keep it out of the reach of little hands, not unlike washing soda or soap. Remember, it's better to be safe than sorry.

I have 2 laundry recipes

1 for powder the other for liquid

Laundry Powder

Tools

Sealed containers
Measuring cups (keep a set just for this kind of thing and do not use your food ones!!!)
1 Table spoon to keep in the laundry

Ingredients

2 cups velvet soap (grated)
1 cup washing soda (powder not crystal)
1 cup Borax

Mix well store in an airtight container use 2 tablespoons per full load (you can adjust the recipe as to the hardness of your water). You can add bi carb soda if you like.

Washing liquid
(a few more steps and a bit more time)

Tools

Old containers with lids ( I re-use washed out juice containers)
A large bucket
Large saucepan (heat proof bowl/ container only for this kind of use to go inside your saucepan the effect of double boiler)
A stick blender ( I have one only for this kind of stuff I do not use it for cooking afterwards you can get 1 for about $15 at your local supermarket)

Ingredients

1 and 1/3 bars of velvet soap (finely grated you could use lux flakes but I like to save my money
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda

Step 1: melt the grated soap in 6 cups of water a double boiler (a pot with water and then a heat proof container inside preferably glass) now that your flakes are melted add your borax and washing soda stir it will thicken remove from heat.

Step 2: put 4 cups of hot tap water into your bucket now add your mixture stir stir stir :) Add a further 28 cups of hot tap water :) now you can add essential oils if you like ( I like to add eucalyptus as it makes your clothes smell great). Leave over night.

Step 3: OK it’s about 12-18hrs and it looks like thick sludge yay :) now get your stick blender and blend blend blend…

Step 4: put it into your empty bottles, put there lids on and store them where it's convenient.

Step 5: REMEMBER to shake your bottle each time before use (it is quite normal for some of the water to settle to the bottom)
Use 1/4 cup per normal load 1/2 cup for heavily soiled.

Vinegar is a great fabric softener you can use 1/4 of a cup in your rinse cycle if you like (and no your clothes don't smell like vinegar)

These washing powder and liquids are good for high efficiency machines (Front loaders) and top loaders, as they are low in suds. They are so inexpensive to make, with your initial outlay being about $7.50. This should keep a family of 5 going for a long while.

Remember borax is an inbuilt stain remover but you will get stubborn stains that need to be soaked overnight or need some good old velvet soap and a little old elbow grease.

Carpet powder

2 cups bi carb
4 tablespoons of arrowroot powder
4 tablespoons of borax
20-30 drops of your choice of essential oils

Mix dry ingredients in glass jar ( I re-use old food jars washed and boiled) add your essential oils of your choice stir or shake and allow to sit for 24hrs with lid on (allows the sent to disperse). It’s your personal choice as to whether you put your mix in a shaker jar so it spreads evenly. Test a patch on your carpet first, preferably out of site. I have red carpet and have never had discoloration yet!
Sprinkle on carpet. Leave for 20mins and vacuum off. The result is great clean smelling carpet!!!
Keep in mind if you want to change the sent completely, you need to clean you jars or you won’t get the sent you want.

IMPORTANT:
I can't express enough please have a separate set of equipment such as soap making tools. Do not use the same equipment as you do for food!!!

I hope these can be of use to you and others. My cleaning cupboard consist of velvet soap, borax, washing soda, bi carb soda, vinegar, citric acid, vegetable glycerin, herbs and therapeutic grade essential oils, scourers cloths, and spray bottles.

I have natural recipes for dishwasher powder, dish liquid, floor cleaner etc etc

There is nothing better than knowing your kids are growing up in a healthy environment without all the chemicals.

Recipes courtesy of Alicia Hart, Geelong, Victoria

Make Mozzarella at home with your microwave

2010-09-18T12:55:00.002+10:00

Mozzarella is a fantastic cheese for just eating by its self or for cooking with. Who could have a pizza without it? While we are probably able to make our own pizza dough, did you know you could make your own Mozzarella in your microwave in about 30 minutes? Full instructions, ingredients and any specialised equipment, such as a thermometer, are available in the Mozzarella & Ricotta kit. Here's the short version:

Ingredients:

4 litres full cream milk

1/8 teaspoon calcium chloride diluted in ¼ cup of demineralized or non chlorinated water

One and one half teaspoons of citric acid powder diluted in ¼ cup of demineralised or non chlorinated water

1/10 teaspoon of Lipase, dissolved in ¼ cup of demineralised non chlorinated water. (This is optional for increased flavour)

¼ rennet table or ¼ teaspoon liquid rennet diluted in ¼ cup of demineralised or non chlorinated water

Important note: If you are using Lipase, increase the rennet to ½ a tablet or ½ a teaspoon of liquid rennet, as the addition of Lipase makes for a softer curd and the increased rennet will counteract this.

One to one and a half teaspoons of cheese salt

Equipment:

Large pot;

Cheese thermometer;

Stainless steel slotted spoon

Long bladed stainless steel knife for cutting the curd

Microwave safe bowl large enough for your curds, if using the microwave method

Rubber gloves;

Directions:

1.    Pour your milk into a large stainless steel pot and add your calcium chloride, mixing in well.

2.    If you are going to use Lipase for additional flavour, add this now and mix it in well.

3.    Stir in your citric acid solution.

4.    Using a low setting on your stove, gently heat your milk to 32 degrees C. As the milk heats it will start to curdle. Stir gently while the milk heats through.

5.    Once your milk has reached 32 degrees C, add the rennet solution and stir gently but thoroughly, in an up and down motion, to ensure that the rennet solution is evenly distributed throughout your milk mixture.

6.    Remove your pot from the heat and allow to set for five to ten minutes, or until you have a clean break. The curds will begin to form and appear to be shrinking and pulling away from the sides of the pot. If the curd is not firm enough to brake cleanly as you move the knife within the curd, leave for another five minutes and try again. The whey should be clear. If it is milky, wait a few more minutes. This is an important step, as if you do not achieve a clean brake your cheese will not work.

7.    Cut the curd using a knife that reaches all the way to the bottom of the pot. First cut it into strips about 2 centimetres wide; then do the same across the original cuts. Then slant your knife and make cuts on as great an angle as the confines of the pot will allow, so that the result is the curd cut into evenly sized cubes.

8.    Place the pot back on the heat and heat your curds to 38 to 40 degree c, stirring gently to keep the curds moving around the pot.

9.    Once the desired temperature has been reached, remove the pot form the heat and stir for a few minutes more, to help the curds dispel further they. The longer you stir, the firmer the curds will be.

10.    Using a slotted spoon, scoop the curds into a microwavable bowl.

11. Gently press the curds with your hands and pour off as much excess whey as you can.

12. Microwave the curds on high for one minute and then remove and again press out and drain off any additional excess whey. The cheese should begin to mass together and become sticky. Fold the cheese over itself and press like you are beginning to knead bread. It will become smooth and shiny and form into one piece.

13. Place the curd back into the microwave and heat on high for 30 seconds. Remove from microwave and drain any remaining whey. Knead the cheese like bread again until in begins to cool. This time the cheese should be too hot to handle and you may need to wear rubber gloves.

14. Microwave again for 30 seconds. Knead again until the cheese is smooth and shiny, only this time; work in your salt as you are kneading. When the cheese stretches it is done.

15. If the cheese does not stretch, microwave it again for an additional 30 seconds. Note that the cheese will not stretch properly if it is below 58 degrees C.

16. When your cheese is finished, make it into two balls and drop then into cold, non chlorinated water to cool for a few minutes.

This cheese can be stored in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week or stored in the freezer for one month. If your cheese is too soft to shred for pizza, place it in the freezer then shred and use it partly frozen.

Happy cheese making!

Home Made Strawberry Jam

2010-09-10T17:19:00.001+10:00

September is the beginning of strawberry season here and I was lucky enough today to get two kilos of strawberries for just $6.00 at my local fresh fruit and veggie market.

I have taken this recipe from The Beginner’s Guide to Preserving Food at Home by Janet Chadwick. This is a very simple recipe and would be a good start for anyone who has not made jam before.

Basic Strawberry Jam:

2 kilos strawberries

6 cups sugar

1. Select the jars you are going to use and make sure you have new lids. Sterilise the lids and jars (in boiling water).

2. Wash and hull the berries carefully.

3. Combine the berries and sugar in a tall, heavy saucepan. Crush to release the juice.

4. Bring slowly to the boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Then boil rapidly till thick, about 40 minutes. As the mixture begins to thicken, stir frequently to prevent scorching.

5. Test for doneness – 105 degrees C with a thermometer or when the jam sheets off the spoon.

6. Remove from heat and skim off any foam that formed during boiling.

7. Pour into the jars, leaving a one to two cm headspace. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth. Put on the lids and tighten finger tight.

8. Place the jars on a rack in a large pot that you are using for a boiling water bath processor. Process for 10 minutes, once the water has returned to the boil.

9. When the processing time is up, carefully remove the jars from the boiling water bath with a jar lifter.

10. Cool sealed jars. Label and store.

If you have difficulty telling when your jam is done and you do not have a thermometer to check the temperature, then try the freezer test. Just place a small amount of the jam on a plate and pop it into the freezer for a few minutes. If this small amount sets, it is done.

Making your own sour cream.

2010-09-06T13:51:00.002+10:00

Making your own sour cream is just as easy as making your own yoghurt.

I use an EasiYo container for making my sour cream and leave it for 24hours. Here is my simple recipe.

1 litre cream. I use pure cream, without any additives.

1 dose culture. You can use the single dose sachets of sour cream culture or one dose from a larger packet of Flora Danica. For the latter, I use a Smidgen, using our Mini Measuring Spoons.

¼ cup of whole milk powder.

Place 1 litre of cream in a stainless steel pot on the stove and add the powdered milk, mixing well to ensure it is fully dissolved.

Heat your cream mixture to 30 degrees C.

Pour the warm cream mixture into your EasiYo container and mix in the culture.

A yoghurt maker will have directions on maintaining the heat. The only change required here is that in an EasiYo system for example, do not fill the external container so high with boiling water, as to have it come in direct contact with the yoghurt container as this may scald, and kill some culture. Just fill it to the level of the hole in the baffle, and this will give you the benefit of a heat reservoir, without risking scalding or killing the culture

If you do not have a yoghurt maker, then place your jar in an esky and add warm water, but do not have very hot, or boiling water, in direct contact with the jar. You can also wrap your jar in a blanket, and place it in a warm place; on top of the hot water heater works well in my laundry.

You will have sour cream in 24 hours, but it will continue to thicken with time and the flavour will continue to strengthen. While you can use the sour cream after 24 hours, I like the taste better after 48 hours.

It is important to only use pure cream. Thickened cream has additives in it which will result in a separation of whey out of the cream, as seen in this photo below.

Use this sour cream in cooking, for making dips or serving with fruit or vegetables. Home made sour cream is thick and tangy in flavour and retains its natural rich colour and is far superior to the commercial sour cream available in most supermarkets today.

Having your own Cheese Cave

2010-08-24T12:32:00.000+10:00

When you start getting into cheese making in a serious way, you will need somewhere to store your cheese to mature. Maturation is an important part of the cheese making process and must be done at about 10 to 13 degrees C. Coincidentally, this is the same temperature that is ideal for storing wine.

For many years both wine and cheese where stored in natural caves or man made cellars that maintained a temperature of 10 to 13 degrees C, with no additional cooling. Today you will find many wine cellars that are temperature controlled and the same can be said for “cheese caves”.

As a home cheese maker, one easy solution to the need for a cheese cave of your own to mature your cheese is to purchase a wine fridge. Wine fridges are available often in stores such as K-Mart, Aldi and Target, just to mention just a few. In fact, right now Aldi stores have a wine fridge with a 40 bottle storage capacity for $179.00.

This fridge has a two year warranty and has a digital thermostat control for easy use. Check it out and you may find that this is a relatively inexpensive solution to your cheese storage needs. Happy cheese making!

The Importance of Growing Flowers in Home Food Production

2010-08-18T16:56:00.001+10:00

I have a back yard veggie patch and grow most of my own food there. As I am in Brisbane, I can garden all year round, moving from summer to winter crops as required. For a long time I only ever planted food producing plants and considered growing flowers, just for their beauty, a luxury and a waist of space.

Then one year I grew flowers in the garden, along side the veggies, and noticed a significant increase in the yield for that year. This was due to the fact that the flowers attracted more insects, and in particular bees, to my garden and I therefore had a much higher rate of pollination, resulting in better fruiting of my plants.

Since then I have been planting flowers with my veggies every season. I had some successes and some failures, until I learned what flowers to plant when. I was used to planting the right veggies for my location and time of year, but not flowers. That was where the Flower Growing Guide came in handy. I now take this laminated guide into the garden with me, along with my Vegetable Growing Guide and plan out all my garden beds for the season.

Once I have a plan, I go to the nursery and get just what I need, with no impulse buying of plants that are not right for my location or season. What I cannot get from the local nursery, I order in from the Diggers Gardening Club, or another catalogue company.

Now that I have experienced the greater abundance that flows from my garden due to the flowers attracting pollinating incests, such at bees to my garden, I will never think of flowers as a luxury again. They are in fact a necessary part of any well balanced ecosystem and when you plant flowers you are helping nature to return to that natural balance, that was there before we came along.

Spinach and Ricotta pie with your home made Ricotta

2010-08-16T17:13:00.000+10:00

Now that you know how easy and cheep it is to make your Ricotta, you can create great meals, using it as a main ingredient. Below is my recipe for a Spinach and Ricotta pie that is a hit at my house.

Ingredients.

1 pastry recipe for a single crust pie. (I use an oil pastry but you can just as easily use a short crust pastry)

1 bunch silver beet or spinach, the fresher the better, I grow mine in the back yard.

4 eggs, lightly beaten

375 grams home made Ricotta

300 ml milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Line a 20cm pie plate with your pastry and blind bake at 200 degrees C for 10 minutes.

For the filling, using a wooden spoon, mix together the Ricotta, eggs, milk, salt and pepper.

Finely shred the silver beet and mix it into your egg and Ricotta mixture.

Pour mixture into the pie crust and return to your oven. Bake at 200 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre of the pie comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before attempting to eat.

This recipe is so quick and easy and makes a wonderful meal, packed with protein. Serve this with a salad in warm weather or with a medley of roasted vegetables in winter.

Enjoy.

Making your own Farm House Cheddar

2010-08-12T09:57:00.001+10:00

Making cheese at home is fun and easy with our step by step instructions. After you have mastered Feta, which I have previously blogged about, Farm House Cheddar is an excellent choice for your next cheese and is one of the cheeses in our Hard Cheese Kit.

This recipe makes approximately 900 grams

Ingredients:

8 litres of milk

¼ teaspoon of Calcium Chloride diluted in ¼ cup un-chlorinated water. (This can be omitted if you are using farm fresh milk) This is in the Hard Cheese kit

1 dose Direct Inoculation Mesophilic Starter Culture. This is in the Hard Cheese kit

½ Rennet tablet or ½ teaspoon of liquid rennet dissolved in ¼ cup un-chlorinated water. This is in the Hard Cheese kit.

1 Tablespoon Cheese salt. This is in the hard Cheese kit.

Equipment:

Large double boiler; (or two large stainless steel pots, one inside the other, to act as a double boiler)

Cheese thermometer. This is in the Hard Cheese kit.

Stainless steel knife for cutting the curd;

Several 90cm square butter muslin cloths for making cheeses. This is in the Hard Cheese kit.

Stainless Steel slotted spoon;

Large stainless steel of enamel colander;

Cheese mould or basket and follower. This is in the Hard Cheese kit.

Cheese press (or sufficient weight to press your cheese)

Instructions:

1.    Place your milk into the double boiler; add the Calcium Chloride solution and mix well. (The calcium chloride can be omitted if you are using farm fresh milk.)

2.    Heat your milk to 32 degrees C using indirect heat.

3.    Add your culture, mixing in well, and let the milk rest undisturbed at 30 degrees C for 45 minutes.

4.    Add your rennet solution to the milk stirring for one minute in a gentle up and down motion, being sure that the rennet is evenly distributed throughout the milk.

5.    Check for a ‘clean brake’. If the curd is not firm enough leave or another 5 minutes and check again.

6. Once the curd is firm enough and gives a clean brake, cut the curd into 1.5 centimetre cubes.

7. Using indirect heat, gradually increase the temperature to 38 degrees C. This should take about 30 minutes. The curds will shrink and become more firm as the temperature rises and you continue to stir occasionally.

8. Once 38 degrees C has been reached, let the curds rest for 5 minutes.

9. Pour the curds into a colander lined with your cloth. Take the corners of your cloth and pull them up to make a bag. Hang your cheese to drain for one hour.

10. Tip the drained curds out of your cloth bag into a bowel and gently break the curds up with your fingers into pieces about the size of a 5 cent piece. Mix in the cheese salt.

11. Line your cheese basket with fresh cloth and pack your curds into the basket. Fold the cloth neatly over the top to avoid any lumps of fabric. Place your follower on top.

12. Press at 4 kilograms for 15 minutes. Remove the cheese from the basket, carefully peal away the cloth, turn the cheese over, redress with cloth and return it to the basket. Press again at 10 kilos for 12 hours. Again remove the cheese, redress it, turn it over, return it to the cheese basket and press again at 10 kilos for 12 hours.

13. Remove you cheese form the basket and carefully remove the cloth. It is important not to tear the surface of the cheese. Air-dry the cheese at room temperature on a wooden cheese board. This will take 3-5 days. Be sure to turn the cheese over twice a day so that moisture does not collect on the bottom of the cheese.

14. Wax the cheese and age at 10 degrees C for 4 weeks.

I do a thin coat of wax first, then a thicker coat, as the wax starts to cool, to ensure I get a good coating. I store my cheese in an old fridge that we have converted to run as 10 to 12 degrees C. A wine fridge is also ideal.

My cheese will be ready to open on 25 August 2010, and I will add to this post at that time, so you can see the final result.

Home Made Pickled Beets

2010-08-09T10:36:00.001+10:00

Beetroot is now being harvested in back yard veggie patches, and by commercial growers, and should be in good supply at your local farmers market at great prices. My neighbour turned up yesterday with five kilos of beets and I immediately decided to turn them into pickled beets and give him a few jars in return. My neighbour was more than happy with this arrangement.

I had recently been reviewing a new preserving book, The Beginner’s Guide to Preserving Food at Home, by Janet Chadwick, and decided to use her simple but delicious recipe on page 147.

The recipe follows below; altered slightly for the amount of beets I was given.

5 kilos of beets
1 litre of cider vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons pickling salt

1. Cut the tops and roots off flush with the beets. Scrub thoroughly.

2. Place the beets on a rack in a large roaster. Cover and bake at 200 degrees C until tender, about one hour for medium-sized beets. Meanwhile pre heat your jars in hot water.

3. In a large saucepan, mix the vinegar, sugar, water and salt. Heat to boiling.

4. When the beets are tender, remove the roaster from the oven and fill with cold water. When cool enough to handle, slip the skins off the beets.

5. Pack the beets, whole or cut in hot jars. Add brine to cover. Leave 1.5cm headspace.Put on new lids and tighten finger tight.

6. Process for 30 minutes once water has returned to the boil. (This is the boiling water bath method.)

7. Cool jars. Check seals. Label and store.

I made a total of 18 jars for the cost of a bottle of vinegar and some sugar. I have found that friends and neighbours are very happy to supply produce, for me to turn into preserves of one kind or another, in exchange for some of the finished product. It is far better than anything available in the stores and even if you have to buy the beets or grow the beets, it still saves you money at the same time as allowing you to eat far superior food.

A final, but in no way the least thing to consider, is the saved land fill space created by making my own rather than buying beetroot in cans from the store.

Making your own Whole Milk Ricotta.

2010-07-28T12:54:00.001+10:00

Typically, Ricotta is made from the whey left over from hard cheese making; however, it can also be made from whole milk. Out of 4 litres of milk I made 600 grams of Ricotta

This is my recipe taken from the 30 Minute Mozzarella and Ricotta kit.

Whole Milk Ricotta:

Equipment:

Stainless steal pot large enough to hold 4 litres of milk
Dairy Thermometer
Ladle
Butter Muslin

Ingredients:

4 Litres whole milk
1 teaspoon Citric Acid
1 Teaspoon Cheese salt

Directions:

1. Pour the milk into your pot and add the citric Acid and cheese salt and mix well. (The salt is optional and for taste only)

2. Heat the milk to 90 degrees C, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the milk.

3. When you see the curds and whey separate, remove the pot from the heat and allow it to rest for 5 minutes.

4. Carefully ladle the curds into a colander lined with the butter muslin and allow to drain for a few minutes.

5. Tie the corners of your butter muslin together to form a bag. Hang and drain for ½ an hour, or until the cheese reaches the consistency you prefer.

6. Once the cheese has reached the desired consistency, it is ready to eat.

Storage:

This cheese will keep for up to two weeks in an air tight container in the refrigerator. If you need to keep it longer, you may freeze this cheese.

On the web at Grocery Shopping List Supermarket Comparison, Ricotta was selling at Coles for $3.67 for 200 grams. All other brands were significantly more expensive. With the above recipe you get 600 grams for the price of 4 litres of milk; that's about $4.40, or $1.47 for the same 200 grams.

Making Your Own Yoghurt at Home

2010-07-22T12:23:00.001+10:00

Yoghurt is extremely good for you, but the best quality yoghurt is often quite expensive in stores. However, with just a litre of milk and some starter culture you can make your own yoghurt at home.

I used to use a good quality, live bacteria yoghurt to make my new yoghurt, but found that over time I did not get consistent results. This is explained by the fact that each time you do this, you are not only adding the good bacteria in the yoghurt to your new batch, but also any bad bacteria that has possibly contaminated the yoghurt while it has been in your fridge. This is understandable, as the air itself is full of bacteria. Each time you clone yoghurt in this way, the risk of contamination increases and you get an inconsistent and eventually bad result.

The alternative is to purchase a new, good quality, live bacteria yoghurt every time you want to make a new batch of home made yoghurt. This however is costly, as we are then back to paying top dollar for the best quality yoghurt.

I use a starter culture to make my yoghurt at a cost of about twenty cents per batch and I use an EasiYo container to make it in. You can pick one of these up in second hand stores for a few dollars, but if you don’t get lucky and spot one, even at full price they are quiet reasonable, costing about $20.00. The only other equipment you will need is a thermometer, so you can get the milk to the correct temperature

The starter culture I use does not have any added flavours or colourings and is highly concentrated, with each sachet making up to 100 one litre batches of yoghurt.

I use this recipe in the evening and leave it overnight. In the morning I have wonderful thick and tasty yoghurt to have as a part of my breakfast.

This has got to be the best value for money yoghurt I have ever come across. Eat it as it is by itself or with fruit, or add some home made jam to create different flavours.

Serving and cooking with your own home made Crème Fraiche

2010-07-22T09:50:00.001+10:00

In my post on making your own butter I included a recipe for making your own Crème Fraiche. After making my cultured butter, I had enough Crème Fraiche left over to make a mushroom bisque. The idea for the recipe comes from a book by Kathy Farrell-Kingsly, called The Home Creamery. I am often dipping into this book for great money saving food ideas involving dairy products you can make at home. I changed the recipe to suite what I had on hand as follows.

Ingredients

900 grams of button mushrooms, trimmed and halved
6 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 cups vegetable broth (I used some OXO cubes I had on hand)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons dry sherry
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 cup of home made Crème Franchi
¼ teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line two large baking sheets with foil. Divide the mushrooms between the two baking sheets; drizzle with the oil and season with the salt and pepper. Cover with another sheet of foil and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the top foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Combine half the mushrooms with two cups of the broth in a food processor and process till smooth.

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the onions and garlic. Cook till the onions become soft and translucent, stirring often to prevent them from sticking. Add the dry sherry and simmer till most of the liquid evaporates. The alcohol evaporates off but the flavour remains. This only takes a few minutes. Add the flour and stir for two minutes. Stir in the remaining broth, your home made Crème franchi and the thyme. Stir in the mushroom puree and the other tray of mushrooms. Simmer over medium heat for a further 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Still have some home made Crème Frachie left? Serve it with strawberries for a refreshing after dinner treat.

Making your own butter

2010-07-15T18:42:00.001+10:00

Making your own butter is fun and easy, and if you have an excess of cream, it is also economical. Unfortunately, if you have to purchase your cream at supermarket prices, then it is usually cheaper to buy butter. The good thing about making your own butter is that you can get creative and make European style cultured butter.

Cultured butter has a wonderful flavour that is subtle yet quite distinctive. This flavour is caused by the bacteria that you add to the cream before churning and is enhanced as the butter ages.

The first step is to make Crème Fraiche, which is a cultured cream. Then, once this is complete, you take your Crème Fraiche, and using a food processor, or mixer, beat it into butter.

Direction for making Crème Fraiche

Ingredients:

1 litre light cream

1 package direct set Crème Fraiche starter culture or one smidgen of MO 036 direct inoculation culture

Equipment:

Large double boiler (2 large pots, one inside the other, like this will do)

Cheese thermometer

Instructions:

1. Heat your cream to 30° C and add your starter culture, mixing in well.

2. Let rest undisturbed for 12 hours at room temperature.

3. When your mixture has set, spoon it into an airtight containing and store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

This Creme Frachie can be made into dips, used in cooking, served with fresh fruit, or churned into butter.

Directions for making butter:

Take your cream or cultured cream (Crème Frachie) and using a food processor or mixer, beat it till it turns to whipped cream, thickens even further, and then separates into butter and buttermilk.

Pour off the buttermilk and then, using cold water, begin to wash the butter using a kneading action with a spatula, to remove the remaining buttermilk. Continue rinsing your butter, replacing the water as it gets cloudy, till the water runs clean. Then you know you have washed all the buttermilk out of your butter. Failure to remove all the buttermilk will result in butter with poor keeping quality, as the buttermilk left in the butter will go off.

Once you have washed your butter, place it into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

We had cultured butter on scones today with some home made quince jam and it was a real hit.

Making your own Feta

2010-07-07T17:33:00.001+10:00

With just four litres of milk you can make your own Feta cheese. This recipe is a Danish type Feta, which has a soft and creamy texture, rather than the traditional Greek Feta, with its more crumbly texture.

This can be made out of regular, homogenised, full cream milk from your local grocery store, so you do not have to live in the country and have a cow to have home made, delicious, fresh cheese at a fraction of the cost you would pay at the grocery store.

All cheese making is essentially the making of curds and whey. In some soft cheeses the whole of the milk becomes your cheese. In other cheeses, such as Feta, the curds clearly separate from the whey, as you can see in these photos.

These curds can then be transferred into a cheese-making cloth, lined colander and then hung to drain. Alternatively, the curds can be transferred into cheese-making cloth lined Feta baskets and pressed to expel the additional whey.

Which ever method you choose, you will get a soft textured, Danish style Feta, that can be cut into one centimeter cubes and sprinkled with salt to taste.

For the best flavour, it should be aged for about three days before eating, if you can wait that long, and will last in the fridge for up to a week. It never lasts that long at my house, as I have some big, two-legged mice that are always stealing the cheese.

Well, I am off to go and open a bottle of wine to have with my cheese.