Allotments 4 All
Produce => Recipes => Topic started by: Jeannine on August 23, 2010, 21:41:21
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Hi, I have had a few PMs about my cookery books that I have mentioned from time to time and felt a post was in order.
I have in the past answered on several forums that they are out of print, a more up to date one is in the works combining all 4 into one volume, but I don't know when it will be finished. As the original regional ones all contained chapters on food preparation which are now grossly out of date I cannot in good conscience suggest using them so I no longer give out the titles.
Those of you who know me well know how strongly I feel about canning/bottling. I have been called the Food Police many times because I do insist on giving advice about modern methods of preservation.
It would therefore be very wrong of me to promote any publication that I would not advise anyone to use, I feel sure those of you that know me well will easily understand this.
I am more than happy to continue to give you recipes from the books that are not on food preserving ,as I do anyway.I am also happy to give updated food preparation recipes here that would be in the up dated combined version of the book.
I also have a list of very good books that are specifically for food preservation and am more than happy to list these again.
Hoping this explains the situation .
XX Jeannine
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Oh what a shame, when I was doing cookery classes at school - many many moons ago - our teacher talked occasionally about canning and bottling. We never managed to be instructed though and consequently did not learn that partiular skill. Instead had to make jam turnovers, rock buns etc. Please include my name on your list for the new edition and if possible could I have it autographed.
May
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hang on Jeannine - is this your recipe books meaning recipe books you've written? :o
So I have to add published author to the list of other things you've succeeded at? You're an amazing person if so - I will wait for your next post, where you explain to us how you enjoyed your time as a professional footballer almost as much as your stint in international espionage... ;) ;D
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Jeannine, would you please give me some advice on the correct way to freeze runner beans please, thank you.
What would we all do without our wonderful helpful friend Jeannine. ;D
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Trim them, blanch them 2 minutes in boiling water, chill immediately in iced water.drain, pack and freeze
Blanching kills off the growing enzyme .
PS..never espionag,or football, but I did race a moterbike, work as a croupier for a while and I was professional dancer from age 12 to 18...
XX Jeannine
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Trim them, blanch them 2 minutes in boiling water, chill immediately in iced water.drain, pack and freeze
Blanching kills off the growing enzyme .
PS..never espionag,or football, but I did race a moterbike, work as a croupier for a while and I was professional dancer from age 12 to 18...
XX Jeannine
Wot!!!! you were never kidnapped by a sheik and held as his favourite concubine in a remote beduin tent during your formative years, ok come on, own up, who has been telling porkies about Jeannine again.........sorry Jeannine, some people do not know when to stop ;D ;D ;D
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Jeannine, I am going to have to bottle the residue toms now as I have run out of freezer space ::). I googled the proccess and one person says they can be washed, packed in with or without brine-no boiling in jars, another says with some lemon juice and a little salt and to boil packed jars, lids on loosely. Which is the correct method please? I have to get it right as I can't smell or taste and I don't want to kill anyone. ;D
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I am not sure what you mean by boiling in jars, and the method you have given me in not enough to help. Give me a bit more info, What type exactly are the jars that you are planning to use? XX Jeannine
If you go to the link below, then go to the chapter on tomatoes, I think it is chapter 3 it will give you several options for doing your tomatoes, I presume you ae planning using a water bath for processing rather than a pressure canner, follow the instructions for water bath sealing they are in pale blue, you can raw pack, hot pack or do a combi,, either way it give you how to do it and what to add to make them safe, so as long as you follow this and use the right jars and you water bath you will be just fine..no probs,The problems come when folks DON'T water bath or they just let the jars self seal thinking of they are using the self sealing 2 piece lid jars it is enough..it is not. You cannot make safe tomatoes in anything other than proper canning jars AND they must be waterbathed. If you can get it citric acid is better than vinegar for raising the acid content.
Get back to me if you need any more help ANYTIME
XX Jeannine
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
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a few important notes about canning make sure you find a place out of the way for jars to cool. also set cooling jars on large old towel . this prevents the jars from damaging the surface from there heat . also it prevent spillage on the surface if the seal goes bad as the jar cools. had jar of cherries go a few years back cleaning it up is mess.
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I am wondering if it is necessary to can or bottle tomatoes in view of the dangers of contamination. I have just used my last bag of dry frozen tomatoes from last year to make some soup. I now have started on this years and I just top and tail them so the skin comes of easily and freeze as they are. A large squirt of tomato puree and you have the equivalent of a tin of tomatoes. You can use them in pasta dishes, spag boll and all manner of recipes.
They say that you should not use dry frozen veg after three months, I do not agree, my beans from last year were delicious in March.
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Thanks for the info Jeannine.It is very informative reading which I have only skimmed through just now. I will print off the bits I am interested in and read at leisure. My jars are the glass topped kind so I'll have to give it a miss till I find some Mason jars and lids (or similar). Could I use a large saucepan instead of a propper canner? No idea where I'd get one here or if I could justify the expense to be honest.
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all water bath canner is a large stock pot. when water bath canning you need at least 2 inches of water over the top of jars. Be they 1/2 pints , pints or quarts. similar sized jars should be process at same time. all really need to water bath can is large stock pot with lid at canning rack to keep jar from bouncing aroundhttp://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/2.php?pid=292&product=326 (http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/2.php?pid=292&product=326), and a set of 4 essential canning utensilshttp://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/2.php?pid=292&product=305
(http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/new_products/2.php?pid=292&product=305).
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Plainleaf ir right, just a cheap tall stockpot is great just fold a towel on the botom if you have no rack, if you dont have enough jars to fit it and it is better when full ust put afew jars of water in this will stop them banging about,
Tomatoes are not dangerous for contamination of done properley it is only when the rules are ignored that they become a problem.
I would not hesitate to do them any more than jam, in fact once the tomatoes are in their jars and jam is in their jrs they are processed exactly the same way.Jam still need the right jars and the water bath , without them then your jam is at risk of spoilage too..Wax is way out of date as is using old jars, plastic covers and rubber bands and if you use the right jars and you fill them and leave them to seal without water bathing you are running a big risk,
XX Jeannine
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Thanks again Jeannine.I have a suitable pot. I have also read that to attain the heat required on a glass or ceramic hob is liely to cause it to crack. It was suggeted to use a camping stove in the garden. :o
Thanks to you too Plainleaf. Just what I need, but I will have to ferret about here in England to find similar, sadly.
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I collect books autographed by the author too.
I would love to have an autographed volume of four. Very rare........
So, how do I get this rare and valuable addition to my collection?
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Lottiedolly, now would you really expect me to go into the details of that adventure, why it was better than when Superman took me for a flying lesson ;)
Yep. folks telling porkies again, not to worry it really makes me giggle and even more so when people question it, as if a few regional books were such a big deal.I could admit to some much more hair raising things than that. Now if I wrote a book about my life, gee that might be worth reading, certainly better than how to make haggis,cook leeks,soda bread or hot pot.
Laughing really hard now.. I remember the night when.................................. :-X
XX Jeannine
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So you are admitting that you are a liar?
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E Maggie, I had a stove at one time that had a ceramic hob and still canned salmon which taked 90 minutes in a pressure canner, mine holds 24 quarts and I didn't worry about it cracking, it never did by the way.l I never even really thought about it actually , but thank you for the thought it is a very valid point, certainly something that needs investigating while my updates are going on.
Appreciate it
XX Jeannine
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When I lived in Italy many many years ago, friends would bottle their acres of plum tomatoes according to Plainleaf/Jeannine's methods - tried and true (but still subject to exploding jars on occasions!) But I think that may have been to the sun/vino/festive mood of the occasion and sloppy methods......mmmmm.........rather than the actual method being faulty...
To the book issue. For the love of this site and harmony,
Jeannine Sweetie, so that this doesn't rumble on and on and on please please think of telling peeps some info so that they can do their own search for these out-of-print books - it will take v.little and cost you nothing.. Name of Publisher/your published name/an approx date even? There's such a joy in tracking down obscure publications, be it online or even trawling charity shops and the prize? Finding them, of course and triumphantly then asking you for an autograph of same - the icing on the cake....
I bless the Internet - for 4+ years my family & I have been following a Paper Chase to find the name of the architect who designed the North Carolina house they live in. (play on the word 'Chase' cos we knew that the original owner was named Gilbert Chase, a US Musicologist & Diplomat). Finally, last year - success!!!
I'm promising you (and PH) that,if there are books exeunt out there, they're findable!!!
XXX Lish
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Hyacinth, no of course I won't .It is silly The site is not going to fall apart because I choose not to give out some book titles.
For the most part it has been a good post,informative, funny and it delivered a message from me that I felt was very important.
Almost everyone has had a laugh or got some info they wanted from it.What more does a post need?
I see no problems worth giving a second thought to and I am not going to make a big problem out of a wee tiny one..It is of no importance. Like all posts I just ignore the bits I don't find interesting.
I am more than happy to just leave things as they are. :)
Anyway, where have you been,I was starting to think you were over this side again,I haven't seen you around for a while.
Caroline and I have started a new challenge, have you read it yet? It was your idea to do another one :D
Goodness knows how we will pull it off though and we sure need your inique wit to help us along.
I found some quite good truffle recipes last night while ging through stuff if anyone wants them by the way,might be 7 or 8 types and all with chokalit..should be right up your street Hyacinth.
XX Jeannine
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chocolate or fungi truffles
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chocolate or fungi truffles
If you have a bit of a google youll find recipes for both by published authors ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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As I believe the last comment is yet another one from this member aimed at embarrassing me regarding the authenticity of my books and as it follows on from a previous post which did the same thing ,I am closing this thread to avoid yet another problem from starting on the site.. thank you for the PMs , XX Jeannine